The Easter break appears to be upon us with lots of visitors pouring into Salcombe. The benefice has a number of services this Holy Week and I have listed them below.
Wednesday at 2pm at Salcombe Church
School Service with children exploring the Passover Meal
Maundy Thursday at Galmpton Church 6pm
Eucharist of the Last Supper
Good Friday
10am at Salcombe. A Walk of Witness starting at Whitestrands and followed by an ecumenical service at the church around 11am.
10am Ecumenical service at All Saints Malborough
Easter Day
At Salcombe there is a dawn service at North Sands (lasting about 30 mins) starting at 6am. There then is an 8am Prayer Book Communion and 10 Family Eucharist. A songs of praise service is on at 6.30pm with many favourite hymns.
At Malborough the Easter Service is at 10am and at Galmpton 11am.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
The Good Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ
April Magazine Editorial
Groucho Marx famously remarked that he wouldn’t belong to any club that would have him! I wonder, if many people today think the same thing about being part of life of the Church? The world-wide Church at its heart is not an institution but a living vibrant body; a band of people from every walk of life trying to follow Jesus. Can we look at membership of the Church afresh and present it in a more positive light?
Of course, it’s all to easy to imagine that the historic Church is an invention of man and nothing near what Jesus would want. Philip Pullman in his controversial new book, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ, resells this old chestnut. In the author’s view Saint Paul is the ultimate spin doctor who has recreated Christianity and made it into something it was not meant to be. The same kind of slant on the Church is painted by Dan Brown in The DaVinci Code but with Emperor Constantine as the one who invents Christianity rather than Paul. Neither Pullman or Brown are practising Christians or theologians, rather they are in the business of telling stories and selling books.
The alternate view to these contentious authors is to see the Church as Christ’s body. This does not mean that Church people have not got things wrong in the past or have done terrible things in the name of religion. But, it does mean that at the centre of Jesus’ work, here and now, is this spiritual family. So, even if clergy and laity make a hash of it, the Lord somehow will make good of bad. We, fallible human beings, are the only material that He has. Maybe the Church has many centuries to go before it reaches its perfection? Could it be that we are in the infancy of the Church?
Sometimes being part of a church can be testing but it can also be tremendously rewarding, welcoming and spiritually, intellectually and emotionally nourishing. There can be politics and squabbles in our churches which can drive us to distraction. But, just as ‘no man is an island’, surely no Christian can be truly fed without some participation in the life of Christ’s Body? Maybe this Easter we all need to give the Church a second look, and think afresh about how we can be part of it?
Groucho Marx famously remarked that he wouldn’t belong to any club that would have him! I wonder, if many people today think the same thing about being part of life of the Church? The world-wide Church at its heart is not an institution but a living vibrant body; a band of people from every walk of life trying to follow Jesus. Can we look at membership of the Church afresh and present it in a more positive light?
Of course, it’s all to easy to imagine that the historic Church is an invention of man and nothing near what Jesus would want. Philip Pullman in his controversial new book, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ, resells this old chestnut. In the author’s view Saint Paul is the ultimate spin doctor who has recreated Christianity and made it into something it was not meant to be. The same kind of slant on the Church is painted by Dan Brown in The DaVinci Code but with Emperor Constantine as the one who invents Christianity rather than Paul. Neither Pullman or Brown are practising Christians or theologians, rather they are in the business of telling stories and selling books.
The alternate view to these contentious authors is to see the Church as Christ’s body. This does not mean that Church people have not got things wrong in the past or have done terrible things in the name of religion. But, it does mean that at the centre of Jesus’ work, here and now, is this spiritual family. So, even if clergy and laity make a hash of it, the Lord somehow will make good of bad. We, fallible human beings, are the only material that He has. Maybe the Church has many centuries to go before it reaches its perfection? Could it be that we are in the infancy of the Church?
Sometimes being part of a church can be testing but it can also be tremendously rewarding, welcoming and spiritually, intellectually and emotionally nourishing. There can be politics and squabbles in our churches which can drive us to distraction. But, just as ‘no man is an island’, surely no Christian can be truly fed without some participation in the life of Christ’s Body? Maybe this Easter we all need to give the Church a second look, and think afresh about how we can be part of it?
Saturday, March 20, 2010
The Wedding of the Year!
Tim Hore and Liz Sheldon are getting married today and we are all praying for better weather than yesterday. They bought last year Victoria Inn and have happily settled in the town, running a very successful business. Liz was baptised in our church last year and has been an inspirational member of the congregation. Tim has been a great support to her, and we all wish them the very best in their married life together.
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