CONFIRMATION 2010
On Sunday 21st November, 2010, Bishop Dominic confirmed adult and children in a special service held in St. Mary's Caldicot.
After the service Bishop Dominic posed for photographs with each individual candidate as he signed and handed them their certificates.
3rd October 2010.
On Sunday, 3rd October, a special service was held in the newly restored (but not re-consecrated) church of St. Michael’s, Llanfihangle to commemorate St. Michael and all Angles Day (29th September).
Photographs are kindly supplied by: ‘Andrea Andrews Photography’
The Ordination to the Priesthood
Of the Reverend Jim Davies
Held at St. Mary’s Church Caldicot
26th September 2010.
Bishop Dominic came to St. Mary’s Church, Caldicot to perform the Ordination to the Priesthood of the Reverend Jim Davies, or Pastor Jim as he is called. It was a lovely sunny morning and the service was beautiful attended by visiting clergy and all the members of the Benefice clergy. Afterwards a celebration lunch was held in the Church Hall for the congregation and members of Jim’s family. The food was provided by all the members of the Benefice. Bishop Dominic said Grace.
Benefice Barbecue
Held August 2010 – Caldicot Rectory Gardens
Important Photographs
During the summer months 2010 many important events happened. Unfortunately due to technical difficulties we have not been able to show the photographs until now:
Reverend Annie was Priested on 26th June.
Pastor Jim was made a Deacon on 26th June.
The Reverend Annie graduated.
Benefice Quiet Day
Saturday 3rd July 2010.
We met at the Church Hall in Caldicot and then made our way to the Convent at Ty Mawr. The grounds and atmosphere was so quiet and peaceful. We had been given permission to use the Print House and so after a very welcome cup of coffee we lit a candle and put an empty chair amongst us to remind us of God’s presence. David Flint led the day in which we had prayers; listened to readings and discussed their importance. At 12 noon we went to the Eucharist Service with the nuns – there was no organ but the singing of the nuns was beautiful. After lunch we had more discussions and ended the day with the Evening Prayer Service.
Tuesday 29th June 2010.
Reverend Annie’s and Deacon Jim’s First Benefice Communion.
Sunday 13th June 2010.
Licensing of Judith Anderson as a Reader.
ermon 4th July 2010.
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)
The Scripture, God’s Word, this morning has given us various ideas about God’s plan and purpose. The Old Testament reading was from the last chapter of the Book of the prophet Isaiah, and it focussed on the theme of the divide between the faithful and faithless and what will happen to them. God will reward the faithful and punish the faithless. This warning is found throughout the Bible – Jesus spoke of the reward and punishment of those who listened and followed God’s will and those who did not in the parable of the sheep and goats. God’s intentions or his plan for us has been revealed through his word (The Bible) and the personhood of our Lord. God’s plan or purpose is one that we, as mere human beings, can never really come to a full understanding. The reading from Isaiah tells us of God’s plan to bring peace and his comfort – God will be with us. The prophet Micah also tells us of time of peace when people will sit under their fig trees; God will settle all disputes and swords will be turned into ploughshares. Peace is much more than an absence of the noise and bustle of everyday life – it is the inner quietness/serenity which we receive when we experience God’s presence. It is that moment of harmony – the “ahh” moment.
Isaiah is giving words of comfort and encouragement to the faithful. God will come to the joy of the humble believer, but there is also the warning that he will come to the confusion of hypocrites and persecutors. The words of God, especially his promises, are consolations for us all. Without them – where would we be? It is said that the true happiness of all Christians is increased by every person who turns to Christ. This is the great commission which Christ gave to his disciples before he ascended into heaven: “go forth and baptise …” The gospel, the Good News, brings with it the promise of peace. The joy of the Lord will be the strength of the believer. Both God's mercy and justice shall be manifested, and for ever magnified.
Isaiah has already spoken, in a previous chapter, that God’s ways are not our ways: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord” (Isaiah 55: 8). To some people this idea of God’s plan being unfathomable may appear to be a feeble attempt to try and explain away the unexplainable; but if we look at it logically how can humans have the intellect to comprehend God because after all God is God. We need to just accept his plan – which for humans is very difficult to do – we like to argue, question, discuss, prevaricate… God, when He created man and woman in Genesis 1, commanded that they be made in his image. In my capacity as an RE teacher, I always tried to point out that this shows that within every human being, regardless of race or creed, there is the potential, the capability, of “imitating” God – of emulating his attributes. On the Living Faith Course recently, we discussed whether or not it was possible to imitate Christ. Some believed we can whereas others thought differently. I think that we have the ability of attempting to “be like our Lord”, but we certainly will never be the same as Him. And then, very few of us will ever come near to His great example simply because our Lord is God incarnate – Jesus was the human form of God. Diverting off on a tangent – as I am often wont to do – I have often speculated: was Jesus’ life on earth easy? He wasn’t a super hero as seen in the movies (e.g. the Incredibles/Superman/Spiderman) – he lived an “ordinary” life within the constraints of human frailty. I feel sure he was often disappointed at the lack of faith and pettiness that he encountered. I often think he can be very disappointed now when he watches over us.
The Psalm readings instructs us to worship God – to thank God for his plans and his intentions – to thank God because of his awesome deeds. Another Psalm, Psalm 118, tells us to: “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.” We need to thank God for his mercy and justice. Digressing again, I wonder - do we thank God enough? The sunset on Friday evening as I drove home from dropping my daughter and granddaughter off in Bristol – was magnificent. Did I thank God? No – not at the time, but I thank him now – because it is within such minor events – sunsets; the deep sweet perfume of the wild honeysuckle; the morning chorus; walking the dogs in the early morning by the River Severn with the sunshine glinting and flickering in bursts of light across the surface of the moving water; that we see the majesty and glory of God – He is revealed through his creation. And if we look hard enough – if we give him time and space from our busy lives – we should hear his wishes – his plan – his intentions – his Will and feel his comfort. My daughter wondered why it seemed that God has never spoken directly to her – my reply was that he does (all the time) but sometimes we do not hear Him because his message does not come in a way that we would expect or perhaps the message is one that we didn’t want to hear. Selective hearing – my children are very good at it – so am I! Thus the Psalm has linked back to the Isaiah reading because it is telling us to thank God for his plan and purpose.
The reading from the letter to the Galatians is giving us the practical application of Paul’s teachings on how to have the means to attain righteousness. And this again returns us to the reading from Isaiah because it was telling us that God will reward the righteous. However, as Paul’s letter stresses – we must not become complacent and think we cannot fall from grace. We can’t just think that because of Jesus’ sacrifice we are saved and that is all there is to it. We need to be accountable for our actions/our deeds/our faith. Paul’s instructions (or his call to deliverance) are to: Bear and share burdens. So how often do we moan about something which is not going right: “life is unfair”; “why is this happening to me” – we might be able to think well perhaps it is because I did this or that or maybe there might not appear to be an explanation at that moment in time but we should remember that God does not give us more than we can handle. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians says: “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” So as Paul says we should bear burdens/our cross and not moan but trust in God.
Then there is the instruction to share burdens – to share worries but not just pass on our own to others but also to accept the burdens of others – there is that saying “somewhere there is always someone worse off than you”. When we share burdens we are, in fact, carrying out Paul’s instruction to be generous and do good – we should remember that being part of God’s family includes mutual encouragement and accountability for our own actions.
Therefore, we need to continually self assess our actions. But as Christians we do need to self assess and we can do this when we say the words of the confession at the beginning of the service – we reflect on our sins of word, deed and omission. Yesterday, whilst on the Benefice’s Quiet Day, I heard that we should not just think about whether we have done anything wrong but we should reflect on whether our deeds have been unifying or divisive. I feel this was a special point to me and one I need to remember. Returning to my digression on how often do we thank God for our blessings – I was told me that every night I should reflect on and thank God for five things he had done for me each day. So, perhaps in return, in my self assessment I should also think of five (probably a lot more) things which I haven’t done for God. In the letter to Galatians, Paul tells us that we should focus on whether or not our deeds have emulated the example of Christ.
The Gospel reading continues the theme of implementing God’s message. Jesus sends out his followers to heal the sick and also to tell the people that the Kingdom is near. Jesus again reiterates the message that those who reject God’s invitation will suffer. Luke is the only Gospel which tells us about Jesus sending out the 70. Tom Wright, the Bishop of Durham, has said that the 70 may represent the 70 elders of Israel, who were given a share in God’s Spirit and were thereby equipped to help Moses lead the people of Israel (Numbers). The people were grumbling and balking at going in God’s direction – they wanted to return to their comfort zone (as do most of us). This is similar to the time of Jesus – many people did not want to follow him – some because he was not the “Messiah” they expected or wanted who fitted in with their desires and some because of apathy (too much bother) and lack of faith/belief. Jesus knew that there had to be urgency in his mission – his time in Jerusalem was rapidly approaching. So he needed people to help him spread the good news. Jesus’ message was of peace and God’s kingdom – the same one which was proclaimed in Isaiah – there was also a warning – also found in Isaiah – that that this was their only chance to turn away from ruin and accept God’s way of peace/his saving rule. The warning stands today.
The Gospel reading has told us of Jesus watching Satan being thrown from heaven – this is not just a fact but is Jesus way of telling us that if we all follow Him and obey his authority, Satan will eventually be defeated and we shall have the peace.
So, as we can see the readings have shown us God’s plan and purpose for the world and contain the warning that we need to accept Him into our lives now and follow his word. We know that by accepting God’s grace that we can be redeemed – it is not about how we worship but whether or not we have accepted salvation through Christ. God’s plan is for peace – so how do we bring that about – how do we follow his instructions?
Paul’s letter to the Romans informs us that we are all sinners: “For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23). We need to recognise that we are sinners and that because of that we will have a physical death but in order to avoid the spiritual death of being separated from God forever we can accept God’s gift to us. Paul tells us in the letter to Romans that “God demonstrates His love towards us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.
So, as we continually walk in faith by recognising and believing in Christ - we are on our pilgrimage to Him. And, in order to help us on this journey we can turn to God’s words in the Bible and these will teach us about our Lord and the way He wants us to act. There is a need for us to bear and share burdens – we need to increase our fellowship because we will need strength to follow His path – we will be tempted – there is no doubt about that. Peter tells us “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour”. So we need to pray for strength from the Holy Spirit to take us nearer to God so that we can become a witness to the Lord. We need to show people what Christianity is all about – we need to witness that we are saved.
Are we being taken out of our comfort zone? Are we going to be like the Israelites in the desert? Or will we be like the seed falling on the stony places or amongst the thorns and so fall by the wayside? Are we going to say – perhaps we will do this another day? My granddaughter, Amelie, is very good at postponing things she doesn’t want to do by saying: “later” or “tomorrow”. Or are we going to step forward and accept God’s commission to implement his plan? Are we going to follow Paul’s instructions to bare and share burdens, and to be generous and do good, so that we show that the kingdom of God is near? It is simple. The choice is ours – God gave us his gift of free will.
Father Lyndon once ended a service he took in Portskewett telling us to go about and be bumble bees – busy and doing God’s work. Perhaps we should take up this challenge.
This is the day the Lord has made – let us rejoice and be glad in it and go out and do His Will.
Amen.
Ascension Day – Thursday 13th May 2010.
Bishop Dominic came to St. Mary’s Church Caldicot on this special day to perform a Confirmation Service. Pastor Jim Davies, the Diocesan Ecumenical Minister, was welcomed into the Anglican Church and confirmed. He will be ordained as a deacon this Petertide when the Reverend Annie is Priested.
Living Faith Course
The first module "Spirituality and Prayer" of the Living Faith Course is coming to an end. The second module "The New Testament" will commence on 2nd September, 2010, and for anyone interested the "Spirituality and Prayer" Module will be re-run.
Living Faith Course
This course organised by Lisa Tregenza, Learning Development Adviser of the Diocese of Monmouth, is now up and running at two venues in the Caldicot Benefice. The sessions are on Thursdays – the afternoon sessions (2.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m.) are held in Caldicot St. Mary’s Church Hall and the evening sessions are held in Portskewett Church Hall, from 7.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m.
The sessions are run by Pastor Jim Davies using the materials provided by Lisa Tregenza. The module being studied at the moment is Spirituality and Prayer. So far the groups have studied: the Jewish traditions of Spirituality; the Desert Fathers and Mothers; Celtic Christianity and the Visions and Contemplations of St. Francis and Julian of Norwich. There are seven more sessions to be held on this module.
The first photograph is of Lisa Tregenza with some of the Caldicot group followed by a photograph of the rest of the Caldicot group (although some are missing). The rest of the photographs are from the Portskewett sessions.
GSUS Live – Caldicot
January 2010.
Churches Together in Caldicot had been working hard to organise this event. The “truck” had been booked three and a half years ago. So, after the first week of this event being “snowed off”, the “truck” was opened with great enthusiasm on Monday 11th January, 2010. Volunteers from the various Churches led the sessions. Steve Parry, the Project Co-ordinator for Counties (Bringing the Good News to the Nation), gave instruction on how the equipment could be used and he opened the first two sessions. Five forms from KS/3 and 4 of a local school were invited to come to the venue instead of attending their normal RS lesson in order to engage in problem solving activities within the concepts of “Fear”; “Rejection” and “Forgiveness”. The event started with the students entering to the sound of a loud “heartbeat”. After which, instructions were given and a short introductory 3-D video was shown. The students were either working in pairs or solo at the computer stations. They had to engage in researching sound; visual; “Surfing the Truck Web” and Bible reading activities, which allowed them to email solutions to a problem posed by three scenarios which had relevance to their everyday lives. Each session was ended by the leader explaining how all Christians suffer from fear, rejection and the problem of forgiveness and that by putting our trust in Christ and following his example we are not alone.
CHRISTINGLE SERVICE DECEMBER 2009
Please follow the link from Caldicot St. Mary's Services to Advent Services.
ADVENT SERVICE DECEMBER 2009.
Please follow the link from Caldicot St. Mary's Services to Advent Services.
CAROLS AT THE CASTLE DECEMBER 2009
Please follow the link from Caldicot St. Mary's Services to Advent Services.
'Churches Together'
The Good Friday Service
The ‘Churches Together’ open air service for Good Friday, was preceded by a wooden cross being carried in procession from St Mary’s Church, Caldicot to the Town Centre. The service was held in the pedestrian precinct outside of the Caldicot Methodist Church.
***Click here to go to a slide show of the Procession and Service***
Palm Sunday
Our Palm Sunday procession and service took place on a lovely springtime morning. Our friend Diggy the donkey, was fit and well enough after a long illness to lead our procession from the Church Hall to the church. She also stayed stayed long enough to ensure that we raised the church rafters with the first hymn before making her way home after a job well done!
Ringing the Changes
Recently, we opened Caldicot's St Mary's Church and bell tower to visitors. The open day was organised by our team of bell ringers, who enthusiastically allowed visitors to try their hand at both the large tower bells and also the hand bells. This event will soon be aired on Faith in Monmouthshire on MONTV. Campanology (bell ringing) is a traditional part of the music heritage of our country, and it is the sound of God's church to communities up and down our land. The oldest bell in our tower is the tenor bell, she is called Mary, and Mary is quite an old girl. She was cast in 1450, and she is famous for her decorative inscription. Mary has got seven younger sisters, and they all came into being in the 1850's. Our bells are said to be the best peel in the county. All the visitors had a good time, and all future visitors will be made most welcome. If there's anyone who like to try their hand at ringing why not get in touch with us. You need not be musical, you don't need to be able to read music, you just need to enjoy the company of new friends, and have a sense of fun. Next time you pass a church and hear a peel remember that you are hearing music that has been part of our heritage for hundreds of years. At weddings the bells are ringing for ‘me and my girl’, on Sundays they tell us that God's Church is ready for worship Their sound tells us that the Church is alive, it is active and the Church of God is proclaiming a message of Good News.
The whole event was covered by MONTV
Sunday 8th February 2009
& Baptism January 2009
Advent Service 2008
Remembrance Day
The Act of Remembrance began with the Standard of the Royal British Legion leading the procession of standards and parade to St Mary's Church Caldicot. The names of the fallen were read aloud, and the immortal words spoken by a representative of the Royal British Legion :-
“They shall not grow old as we grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the doing down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.”
The Last Post was sounded, followed by the Silence. Reveille came next after which the Wreaths were laid at the War Memorial. During the next hymn, the Standard of the Royal British Legion was laid upon the High Altar, followed by readings, prayers, and sermon. The congregation placed poppies to form thier own tribute in the shape of a cross.
Please remember in your prayers, those who have served and those who are still serving, as well as thier families.
3rd October 2010.
On Sunday, 3rd October, a special service was held in the newly restored (but not re-consecrated) church of St. Michael’s, Llanfihangle to commemorate St. Michael and all Angles Day (29th September).
Photographs are kindly supplied by: ‘Andrea Andrews Photography’
The Ordination to the Priesthood
Of the Reverend Jim Davies
Held at St. Mary’s Church Caldicot
26th September 2010.
Bishop Dominic came to St. Mary’s Church, Caldicot to perform the Ordination to the Priesthood of the Reverend Jim Davies, or Pastor Jim as he is called. It was a lovely sunny morning and the service was beautiful attended by visiting clergy and all the members of the Benefice clergy. Afterwards a celebration lunch was held in the Church Hall for the congregation and members of Jim’s family. The food was provided by all the members of the Benefice. Bishop Dominic said Grace.
Benefice Barbecue
Held August 2010 – Caldicot Rectory Gardens
Important Photographs
During the summer months 2010 many important events happened. Unfortunately due to technical difficulties we have not been able to show the photographs until now:
Reverend Annie was Priested on 26th June.
Pastor Jim was made a Deacon on 26th June.
The Reverend Annie graduated.
Benefice Quiet Day
Saturday 3rd July 2010.
We met at the Church Hall in Caldicot and then made our way to the Convent at Ty Mawr. The grounds and atmosphere was so quiet and peaceful. We had been given permission to use the Print House and so after a very welcome cup of coffee we lit a candle and put an empty chair amongst us to remind us of God’s presence. David Flint led the day in which we had prayers; listened to readings and discussed their importance. At 12 noon we went to the Eucharist Service with the nuns – there was no organ but the singing of the nuns was beautiful. After lunch we had more discussions and ended the day with the Evening Prayer Service.
Tuesday 29th June 2010.
Reverend Annie’s and Deacon Jim’s First Benefice Communion.
Sunday 13th June 2010.
Licensing of Judith Anderson as a Reader.
ermon 4th July 2010.
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)
The Scripture, God’s Word, this morning has given us various ideas about God’s plan and purpose. The Old Testament reading was from the last chapter of the Book of the prophet Isaiah, and it focussed on the theme of the divide between the faithful and faithless and what will happen to them. God will reward the faithful and punish the faithless. This warning is found throughout the Bible – Jesus spoke of the reward and punishment of those who listened and followed God’s will and those who did not in the parable of the sheep and goats. God’s intentions or his plan for us has been revealed through his word (The Bible) and the personhood of our Lord. God’s plan or purpose is one that we, as mere human beings, can never really come to a full understanding. The reading from Isaiah tells us of God’s plan to bring peace and his comfort – God will be with us. The prophet Micah also tells us of time of peace when people will sit under their fig trees; God will settle all disputes and swords will be turned into ploughshares. Peace is much more than an absence of the noise and bustle of everyday life – it is the inner quietness/serenity which we receive when we experience God’s presence. It is that moment of harmony – the “ahh” moment.
Isaiah is giving words of comfort and encouragement to the faithful. God will come to the joy of the humble believer, but there is also the warning that he will come to the confusion of hypocrites and persecutors. The words of God, especially his promises, are consolations for us all. Without them – where would we be? It is said that the true happiness of all Christians is increased by every person who turns to Christ. This is the great commission which Christ gave to his disciples before he ascended into heaven: “go forth and baptise …” The gospel, the Good News, brings with it the promise of peace. The joy of the Lord will be the strength of the believer. Both God's mercy and justice shall be manifested, and for ever magnified.
Isaiah has already spoken, in a previous chapter, that God’s ways are not our ways: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord” (Isaiah 55: 8). To some people this idea of God’s plan being unfathomable may appear to be a feeble attempt to try and explain away the unexplainable; but if we look at it logically how can humans have the intellect to comprehend God because after all God is God. We need to just accept his plan – which for humans is very difficult to do – we like to argue, question, discuss, prevaricate… God, when He created man and woman in Genesis 1, commanded that they be made in his image. In my capacity as an RE teacher, I always tried to point out that this shows that within every human being, regardless of race or creed, there is the potential, the capability, of “imitating” God – of emulating his attributes. On the Living Faith Course recently, we discussed whether or not it was possible to imitate Christ. Some believed we can whereas others thought differently. I think that we have the ability of attempting to “be like our Lord”, but we certainly will never be the same as Him. And then, very few of us will ever come near to His great example simply because our Lord is God incarnate – Jesus was the human form of God. Diverting off on a tangent – as I am often wont to do – I have often speculated: was Jesus’ life on earth easy? He wasn’t a super hero as seen in the movies (e.g. the Incredibles/Superman/Spiderman) – he lived an “ordinary” life within the constraints of human frailty. I feel sure he was often disappointed at the lack of faith and pettiness that he encountered. I often think he can be very disappointed now when he watches over us.
The Psalm readings instructs us to worship God – to thank God for his plans and his intentions – to thank God because of his awesome deeds. Another Psalm, Psalm 118, tells us to: “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.” We need to thank God for his mercy and justice. Digressing again, I wonder - do we thank God enough? The sunset on Friday evening as I drove home from dropping my daughter and granddaughter off in Bristol – was magnificent. Did I thank God? No – not at the time, but I thank him now – because it is within such minor events – sunsets; the deep sweet perfume of the wild honeysuckle; the morning chorus; walking the dogs in the early morning by the River Severn with the sunshine glinting and flickering in bursts of light across the surface of the moving water; that we see the majesty and glory of God – He is revealed through his creation. And if we look hard enough – if we give him time and space from our busy lives – we should hear his wishes – his plan – his intentions – his Will and feel his comfort. My daughter wondered why it seemed that God has never spoken directly to her – my reply was that he does (all the time) but sometimes we do not hear Him because his message does not come in a way that we would expect or perhaps the message is one that we didn’t want to hear. Selective hearing – my children are very good at it – so am I! Thus the Psalm has linked back to the Isaiah reading because it is telling us to thank God for his plan and purpose.
The reading from the letter to the Galatians is giving us the practical application of Paul’s teachings on how to have the means to attain righteousness. And this again returns us to the reading from Isaiah because it was telling us that God will reward the righteous. However, as Paul’s letter stresses – we must not become complacent and think we cannot fall from grace. We can’t just think that because of Jesus’ sacrifice we are saved and that is all there is to it. We need to be accountable for our actions/our deeds/our faith. Paul’s instructions (or his call to deliverance) are to: Bear and share burdens. So how often do we moan about something which is not going right: “life is unfair”; “why is this happening to me” – we might be able to think well perhaps it is because I did this or that or maybe there might not appear to be an explanation at that moment in time but we should remember that God does not give us more than we can handle. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians says: “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” So as Paul says we should bear burdens/our cross and not moan but trust in God.
Then there is the instruction to share burdens – to share worries but not just pass on our own to others but also to accept the burdens of others – there is that saying “somewhere there is always someone worse off than you”. When we share burdens we are, in fact, carrying out Paul’s instruction to be generous and do good – we should remember that being part of God’s family includes mutual encouragement and accountability for our own actions.
Therefore, we need to continually self assess our actions. But as Christians we do need to self assess and we can do this when we say the words of the confession at the beginning of the service – we reflect on our sins of word, deed and omission. Yesterday, whilst on the Benefice’s Quiet Day, I heard that we should not just think about whether we have done anything wrong but we should reflect on whether our deeds have been unifying or divisive. I feel this was a special point to me and one I need to remember. Returning to my digression on how often do we thank God for our blessings – I was told me that every night I should reflect on and thank God for five things he had done for me each day. So, perhaps in return, in my self assessment I should also think of five (probably a lot more) things which I haven’t done for God. In the letter to Galatians, Paul tells us that we should focus on whether or not our deeds have emulated the example of Christ.
The Gospel reading continues the theme of implementing God’s message. Jesus sends out his followers to heal the sick and also to tell the people that the Kingdom is near. Jesus again reiterates the message that those who reject God’s invitation will suffer. Luke is the only Gospel which tells us about Jesus sending out the 70. Tom Wright, the Bishop of Durham, has said that the 70 may represent the 70 elders of Israel, who were given a share in God’s Spirit and were thereby equipped to help Moses lead the people of Israel (Numbers). The people were grumbling and balking at going in God’s direction – they wanted to return to their comfort zone (as do most of us). This is similar to the time of Jesus – many people did not want to follow him – some because he was not the “Messiah” they expected or wanted who fitted in with their desires and some because of apathy (too much bother) and lack of faith/belief. Jesus knew that there had to be urgency in his mission – his time in Jerusalem was rapidly approaching. So he needed people to help him spread the good news. Jesus’ message was of peace and God’s kingdom – the same one which was proclaimed in Isaiah – there was also a warning – also found in Isaiah – that that this was their only chance to turn away from ruin and accept God’s way of peace/his saving rule. The warning stands today.
The Gospel reading has told us of Jesus watching Satan being thrown from heaven – this is not just a fact but is Jesus way of telling us that if we all follow Him and obey his authority, Satan will eventually be defeated and we shall have the peace.
So, as we can see the readings have shown us God’s plan and purpose for the world and contain the warning that we need to accept Him into our lives now and follow his word. We know that by accepting God’s grace that we can be redeemed – it is not about how we worship but whether or not we have accepted salvation through Christ. God’s plan is for peace – so how do we bring that about – how do we follow his instructions?
Paul’s letter to the Romans informs us that we are all sinners: “For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23). We need to recognise that we are sinners and that because of that we will have a physical death but in order to avoid the spiritual death of being separated from God forever we can accept God’s gift to us. Paul tells us in the letter to Romans that “God demonstrates His love towards us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.
So, as we continually walk in faith by recognising and believing in Christ - we are on our pilgrimage to Him. And, in order to help us on this journey we can turn to God’s words in the Bible and these will teach us about our Lord and the way He wants us to act. There is a need for us to bear and share burdens – we need to increase our fellowship because we will need strength to follow His path – we will be tempted – there is no doubt about that. Peter tells us “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour”. So we need to pray for strength from the Holy Spirit to take us nearer to God so that we can become a witness to the Lord. We need to show people what Christianity is all about – we need to witness that we are saved.
Are we being taken out of our comfort zone? Are we going to be like the Israelites in the desert? Or will we be like the seed falling on the stony places or amongst the thorns and so fall by the wayside? Are we going to say – perhaps we will do this another day? My granddaughter, Amelie, is very good at postponing things she doesn’t want to do by saying: “later” or “tomorrow”. Or are we going to step forward and accept God’s commission to implement his plan? Are we going to follow Paul’s instructions to bare and share burdens, and to be generous and do good, so that we show that the kingdom of God is near? It is simple. The choice is ours – God gave us his gift of free will.
Father Lyndon once ended a service he took in Portskewett telling us to go about and be bumble bees – busy and doing God’s work. Perhaps we should take up this challenge.
This is the day the Lord has made – let us rejoice and be glad in it and go out and do His Will.
Amen.
Ascension Day – Thursday 13th May 2010.
Bishop Dominic came to St. Mary’s Church Caldicot on this special day to perform a Confirmation Service. Pastor Jim Davies, the Diocesan Ecumenical Minister, was welcomed into the Anglican Church and confirmed. He will be ordained as a deacon this Petertide when the Reverend Annie is Priested.
Living Faith Course
The first module "Spirituality and Prayer" of the Living Faith Course is coming to an end. The second module "The New Testament" will commence on 2nd September, 2010, and for anyone interested the "Spirituality and Prayer" Module will be re-run.
Living Faith Course
This course organised by Lisa Tregenza, Learning Development Adviser of the Diocese of Monmouth, is now up and running at two venues in the Caldicot Benefice. The sessions are on Thursdays – the afternoon sessions (2.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m.) are held in Caldicot St. Mary’s Church Hall and the evening sessions are held in Portskewett Church Hall, from 7.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m.
The sessions are run by Pastor Jim Davies using the materials provided by Lisa Tregenza. The module being studied at the moment is Spirituality and Prayer. So far the groups have studied: the Jewish traditions of Spirituality; the Desert Fathers and Mothers; Celtic Christianity and the Visions and Contemplations of St. Francis and Julian of Norwich. There are seven more sessions to be held on this module.
The first photograph is of Lisa Tregenza with some of the Caldicot group followed by a photograph of the rest of the Caldicot group (although some are missing). The rest of the photographs are from the Portskewett sessions.
GSUS Live – Caldicot
January 2010.
Churches Together in Caldicot had been working hard to organise this event. The “truck” had been booked three and a half years ago. So, after the first week of this event being “snowed off”, the “truck” was opened with great enthusiasm on Monday 11th January, 2010. Volunteers from the various Churches led the sessions. Steve Parry, the Project Co-ordinator for Counties (Bringing the Good News to the Nation), gave instruction on how the equipment could be used and he opened the first two sessions. Five forms from KS/3 and 4 of a local school were invited to come to the venue instead of attending their normal RS lesson in order to engage in problem solving activities within the concepts of “Fear”; “Rejection” and “Forgiveness”. The event started with the students entering to the sound of a loud “heartbeat”. After which, instructions were given and a short introductory 3-D video was shown. The students were either working in pairs or solo at the computer stations. They had to engage in researching sound; visual; “Surfing the Truck Web” and Bible reading activities, which allowed them to email solutions to a problem posed by three scenarios which had relevance to their everyday lives. Each session was ended by the leader explaining how all Christians suffer from fear, rejection and the problem of forgiveness and that by putting our trust in Christ and following his example we are not alone.
CHRISTINGLE SERVICE DECEMBER 2009
Please follow the link from Caldicot St. Mary's Services to Advent Services.
ADVENT SERVICE DECEMBER 2009.
Please follow the link from Caldicot St. Mary's Services to Advent Services.
CAROLS AT THE CASTLE DECEMBER 2009
Please follow the link from Caldicot St. Mary's Services to Advent Services.
'Churches Together'
The Good Friday Service
The ‘Churches Together’ open air service for Good Friday, was preceded by a wooden cross being carried in procession from St Mary’s Church, Caldicot to the Town Centre. The service was held in the pedestrian precinct outside of the Caldicot Methodist Church.
***Click here to go to a slide show of the Procession and Service***
Palm Sunday
Our Palm Sunday procession and service took place on a lovely springtime morning. Our friend Diggy the donkey, was fit and well enough after a long illness to lead our procession from the Church Hall to the church. She also stayed stayed long enough to ensure that we raised the church rafters with the first hymn before making her way home after a job well done!
Ringing the Changes
Recently, we opened Caldicot's St Mary's Church and bell tower to visitors. The open day was organised by our team of bell ringers, who enthusiastically allowed visitors to try their hand at both the large tower bells and also the hand bells. This event will soon be aired on Faith in Monmouthshire on MONTV. Campanology (bell ringing) is a traditional part of the music heritage of our country, and it is the sound of God's church to communities up and down our land. The oldest bell in our tower is the tenor bell, she is called Mary, and Mary is quite an old girl. She was cast in 1450, and she is famous for her decorative inscription. Mary has got seven younger sisters, and they all came into being in the 1850's. Our bells are said to be the best peel in the county. All the visitors had a good time, and all future visitors will be made most welcome. If there's anyone who like to try their hand at ringing why not get in touch with us. You need not be musical, you don't need to be able to read music, you just need to enjoy the company of new friends, and have a sense of fun. Next time you pass a church and hear a peel remember that you are hearing music that has been part of our heritage for hundreds of years. At weddings the bells are ringing for ‘me and my girl’, on Sundays they tell us that God's Church is ready for worship Their sound tells us that the Church is alive, it is active and the Church of God is proclaiming a message of Good News.
The whole event was covered by MONTV
Sunday 8th February 2009
& Baptism January 2009
Advent Service 2008
Remembrance Day
The Act of Remembrance began with the Standard of the Royal British Legion leading the procession of standards and parade to St Mary's Church Caldicot. The names of the fallen were read aloud, and the immortal words spoken by a representative of the Royal British Legion :-
“They shall not grow old as we grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the doing down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.”
The Last Post was sounded, followed by the Silence. Reveille came next after which the Wreaths were laid at the War Memorial. During the next hymn, the Standard of the Royal British Legion was laid upon the High Altar, followed by readings, prayers, and sermon. The congregation placed poppies to form thier own tribute in the shape of a cross.
Please remember in your prayers, those who have served and those who are still serving, as well as thier families.
