01989 562175 administrator@rawchurch.org.uk rawchurch.org.uk

SERVICES NEXT WEEK

Thursday 27th July

10.00am Holy Communion - Ross

Sunday 30th July

8.00am Holy Communion - Ross

9.30am Sung Eucharist - Ross

9.30am 1662 Eucharist - Walford

6.30pm Just Church - Ross

Post Communion Prayer

God of our pilgrimage, you have led us to the living water: refresh and sustain us as we go forward on our journey, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

SERVICES TODAY

8.00am Holy Communion - Ross The Rev’d Sarah Jones

9.30am All Age Worship - Ross The Rev’d Sarah Jones and The Rev’d Canon Marvin Bamforth Setting: Mass of St Thomas - Thorne Introit: 766 Praise my soul the king of heaven Gradual: 775 Seek ye first the kingdom of God Offertory: 522 We cannot measure how you heal Communion: Now the green blade - French Post Communion: 489 The servant King

11.15am Baptism - Ross The Rev’d Sarah Jones and The Rev’d Canon Marvin Bamforth

11.15am Family Communion- Walford (Refreshments served before the service from 10.45.am.) The Rev’d Canon Chris Blanchard and The Revd Simon Tarlton 666 The Spirit lives (verses 1-2, 5-6) 933 Sing praise and bless the Lord (chorus only) 915 Who put the colours in the rainbow? 766 You shall go out with joy

6.30pm Choral Evensong - Ross Dr Derek Glover Hymn: 630 Father, Lord of all creation Responses: Sanders Hymn: 794 The King of love my shepherd is Canticles: Noble in B minor Anthem: O thou art the central orb - Wood Hymn: 422 Alleluia, sing to Jesus

This is a Come & Sing event - details on previous page

Please join us for coffee in St Mary’s Hall after the 9.30 service in Ross.

The poem “Desiderata” is very popular. Some of it is a bit to “folksy” for my liking, but there is one verse that I particularly like. “You are a child of the universe. No less than the trees and the stars, you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.” I bring this up because the question I want to ask you this morning is:- ‘To what extent do you feel at home, wherever you are?’ ‘Do you believe that you are a child of the universe and that wherever you are you are “at home”?’ This is a long way round to tell you that the Carnival “Odd Object” Competition started yesterday. Many of our shops have an object in their shop window that is “odd”, totally out of keeping with their normal range of merchandise. But, if I went around and collected them all up and redistributed them among all the shops in Ross, so they fitted into the normal merchandise of that retailer, they

The Rev’d Sarah Jones | 01989 562175 | sarah.jones@rawchurch.org.uk (not Tuesdays)

The Rev’d Simon Tarlton |01600 890185 | simon.tarlton@gmail.com (Mon-Tue-Thu-Sun )

The Rev’d Canon Chris Blanchard | 01989 762368 | frchris2@icloud.com (Sun - Wed)

The Rev’d Canon Marvin Bamforth | 01989 562305 | marvinandsue72@gmail.com (Th-Sun)

would no longer be “odd”. In fact they never were odd, it was just that taking the small view of one shop window they appeared out of place, but taking the larger view of the whole town, everything fits in. So back to you, please remember that you are created and loved by the God of this whole universe, and that you fit in where ever you are. Some people will try to tell you that you are the wrong gender, the wrong colour, the wrong size or shape to fit in. So, make sure your reply is:- “I am a child of the God who created the whole universe and I fit in wonderfully.” Colin

23rd July 2017

Sixth Sunday After Trinity

We offer a warm welcome to everyone at our services today

Newsletter The Benefice of Ross with Walford

and

Brampton Abbotts

rawchurch.org.uk

FOR YOUR PRAYERS THIS WEEK:

We remember those who have died: Norman Wood

TODAY’S COLLECT

Creator God, you made us all in your image: may we discern you in all that we see, and serve you in all that we do; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

TODAY’S READINGS

First Reading – Wisdom of Solomon 12.13,16-19

13 There is not any god besides you, whose care is for all people, to whom you should prove that you have not judged unjustly; 16 For your strength is the source of righteousness, and your sovereignty over all causes you to spare all. 17 For you show your strength when people doubt the completeness of your power, and you rebuke any insolence among those who know it. 18 Although you are sovereign in strength, you judge with mildness, and with great forbearance you govern us; for you have power to act whenever you choose. 19 Through such works you have taught your people that the righteous must be kind, and you have filled your children with good hope, because you give repentance for sins.

Second Reading: Romans 8.12-25

12 Brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh - 13 for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ 16 it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ – if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

18 I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation

waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; 20 for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now; 23 and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24

For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Gospel Reading Matthew 13.24-30,36-43

24 Jesus put before the crowd another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. 26

So when the plants came up and bore grain then the weeds appeared as well. 27 And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?” 28 He answered, “An enemy has done this.” The slaves said to him, “Then do you want us to go and gather them?” 29 But he replied, “No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. 30 Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’

36 Then Jesus left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, ‘Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.’ 37 He answered, ‘The one who sows the good seed is the

Notices

Evensong at St Mary’s this week is another Come & Sing event. Please come along and join the congregation at 6.30. If you fancy having a sing then the rehearsal is at 4.00 with a cream tea provided between the two. We look forward to seeing you on one side of the chancel arch or the other. Mark Sanderson

Just Church We will be gathering again for ‘Just Church’ on Sunday 30th July at 6.30p.m. when the subject for our thoughts and prayers will be education. Derek Glover and I will be using the opportunity to look at and pray for some of the social issues that are of concern and the pressures that our modern education systems can sometime exert. We hope you will join us, all are welcome. Simon Tarlton

Community Larder - Thank you for your generous donations of tinned vegetables. We are still in need of tinned fruit and now meat products.. These can be left in the box in the Baptistry at the back of St Mary’s Church, and at St Michael’s Church in Walford. Margaret Mason

Summer Teas

on Sundays

These will be served on Sunday Afternoons throughout August in St Mary’s Hall

(Contact Margaret Mason for further details)

Lighting the outside of St Mary’s Ross Town Council are prepared to make improvements to the lighting including the floodlighting around the outside of the church. We are seeking your ideas and suggestions on this subject and would welcome written or verbal submissions over the next 4 weeks or so. These we will take to a small working party that is being set up with the Council to consider the matter. Thanks in advance for your assistance. Janet and John.

Son of Man; 38 the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, 42 and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43

Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!’