Occasionally
at St. Michael's we have special services, many of these services during 2008
were to celebrate our Centenary and reports can be found here,
for other services reports are below:
Stations
of the Cross around the Parish - 22nd April 2011
At 1 pm on Good
Friday we gathered at St Benet's Roman Catholic church for the Stations of the
Cross. Fr David and Fr Richard (from St
Benet's) took it in turns to lead each Station, while the young people from
St Benet's and St John Fisher's acted each one out as we stopped at
different places in the parish for each Station. We concluded with the final
Station in St Michael's before all going our separate ways for our
3 pm Good Friday Liturgy of the Passion.
Mass
of Thanksgiving with the Blessing of the New Heating System - 30th January 2011
St. Michael and All
Angels church has been without any form of heating for two years, since the previous
100 year old gas system was finally condemned.
Throughout two very cold winters parishioners have faithfully continued
to attend the services, needing to ensure they were dressed in plenty of warm
clothing to help cope with the often freezing conditions in the large and lofty
church.
Thanks to Cory
Environment Trust of Britain, who gave a large grant for the purpose, a new
heating system has been installed in the church, and this will considerably benefit
many sections of the local community in years ahead.
A Mass of thanksgiving
was held on the 30th January to mark the completion of the project, and this
was attended by the Deputy Mayor of Greenwich, Councillor Jim Gillman, and the
Mayor of Bexley, Councillor Val Clark, and other guests. The parish straddles
the borders of the two boroughs.
At the service the
Vicar, Father David Sherratt, expressed particular
thanks to:
Cory Environment
Trust, for their financial help with the project.
Christopher Dunphy Eccelesiastical Ltd, for
carrying out the installation.
Bill Smith, Church
warden, for managing the project.
Michael Macey, for
working to obtain the funding.
The Archdeacon of
Greenwich and Lewisham, and Diocesian staff for their
help in processing the project.
The parishioners for
their hard work in connection with the project over a number of years, as well
as in cleaning and preparing the church ready for the celebration Mass of
Thanksgiving.
We look forward to
enjoying the great benefits of a warm church for many years to come.
Big
clean up for the day
Mass In the
presence of The Deputy Mayor of Greenwich, Jim Gillman
and The Mayor of
Bexley, Val Clark
Epiphany
- 2nd January 2011
The Mass started with 3 young
Kings joining the Altar part in processing into church carrying the gifts of
Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh and laying them before the Altar. The three Kings
joined the servers for the Gospel and also took the offertory gifts and gave
them to the priest. At the end of the service Fr David blessed the chalk, then
the three Kings collected their gifts and joined in the procession to the Lady
chapel to place them in front of the Crib. The congregation take the blessed
chalk home and mark their front doors with it in the following way:
20 + K + M + B + 11
while saying the
following prayer:
The Three Wise Men
K Kaspar
M Melchior
B and Balthasar
followed the star of
God's Son who became man
20 two thousand,
11 and eleven years
ago.
++ May Christ bless
our home
++ and remain with is
through the new year.
Midnight
Mass - 24th December 2010
Crib service - 24th
December 2010
Christingle Service - 5th December 2010
Confirmation
- 31st Oct 2010
On All Saints day, 31st October
2010, Bishop John paid his last visit to us before resigning to join the Ordinariate. Four
members of our congregation (Ronnie, Hayley, Arnold, Herbert and Princeton) and
one from St Augustine's, Belvedere, (John) were confirmed by Bishop John.
Hayley was also Baptised.
First
Communion - 6th June 2010
Five children received their
first communion during the Mass for Corpus Christi.
Holy
Week 2010 - Were you there?
Holy week started with our joyous celebration of Palm Sunday, when the service started in the hall with a reading, sermon and the blessing of Palms before we processed into the church singing. Here we continued the service with more readings, the long Passion reading and another sermon. Fr Derek reminded us how we should walk with Jesus in this special week and not skip straight to the party at the end on Easter day.
Holy Monday evening started with Holy Hour, an hour of Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. This was followed by Mass with an address by Fr Derek. Fr David was available after Mass to hear confessions, something which Fr Clive had spoken about when he visited us the Sunday before, reminding us that we are all sinners. He had suggested that if we didn’t have any sins to confess we should bring a friend but he didn’t think that applied to any of us.
Holy
Tuesday saw a couple of us accompany Fr David to Bishop John’s Chrism Mass
at Christ the King, Gordon Square. The
church was full and it was nice to see 5 young school boys acting as Acolytes,
Boat and Vimpers.
During the service the priests renewed their priestly vows then Bishop
John blessed the oils which are used throughout the year for Baptisms and
Confirmations and for the Sacrament of Healing. Back at St. Michael’s the
evening again started with Holy Hour, then Mass during which the oils blessed
at the Chrism Mass were received, this was followed by a short healing Liturgy.
On
Holy Wednesday the Jubilate children gathered for
their Stations of the Cross. They were
all very excited as they were given
various parts to play starting with Pilate washing his hands then Jesus
carrying his cross; Simon helped him carry his cross as he met Mary, Veronica,
and the Women of Jerusalem. The soldiers
did a good job of whipping him and poking him with sticks as his fell and then
nailing Jesus to the cross. The children
finished the evening by lighting a candle and placing it on the cross. This was followed by Mass with an address.
Maundy Thursday saw us gathering for the Mass of the Last Supper during which Fr David washed the feet of four ‘volunteers’. At the end of the service the servers and clergy removed all the candles and Altar clothes making the church bare, then the lights were put out. St. Michael’s chapel had been transformed into a garden of Repose; here a watch was kept, in silence, finishing at midnight with Compline.
Good Friday morning started with our ‘We Were There’ family service, we had several visitors including Barabbas, Pilate’s wife and Joseph of Arimathea who came to tell us their story of what they saw the day Jesus was Crucified. At 3pm we gathered for the Celebration of the Passion. The service started with the church still bare from the night before, the altar party processed in in silence and prostrated themselves before the Altar. During the service a Crucifix was brought forward from the back of the church where people were invited to venerate it. The consecrated Hosts, which had been left on the Altar in St. Michael’s chapel the previous night, were then collected and administered to the congregation. The service finished with people leaving in silence.
That
evening a large choir made up of singers from St. Michael’s choir, the
East Wickham Singers and others sang Maunder’s
‘Olivet to Calvary’.
Saturday morning saw a group of us gathering for The Desolata, Mary’s Way of the Cross. Here we walk the Stations of the Cross in reverse order as Mary remembers the events of the previous day. After this the church was busy with people arranging flowers, replacing candles, Altar frontals, statues and making the church look splendid for Easter.
At 5.15am on Sunday about 30 of us gathered in the garden in front of the church. Here the Pascal candle was blessed and lit from the Easter fire. It then led the procession into the still dark church before pausing 3 times, during which candles held by the congregation were lit. Fr David then chanted the Exsultet during which all but the Altar candles were lit. There were three readings and psalms before the Gloria when the lights were put on, the church bell rang, party poppers pulled and the Altar candles lit. After the sermon the Altar party was led by the Pascal candle to the font where the water was blessed and the candle dipped in 3 times. Everyone then renewed their Baptismal vowels. The Mass then continued as normal.
After
Mass we gathered for an Easter Breakfast of steak, sausage, bacon, tomato,
fried egg and mushroom washed down with bubbly or orange juice all cooked by Sue
and Fr Derek on the barbeque. At
10am we returned to a full church for our Easter Morning Mass.
Holy week had taken us on a journey from that joyful Palm Sunday to the Last supper and Garden of Gethsemane, the solemn Crucifixion and to the joy of the Risen Lord. Were you there? Or did you skip straight to the party at the end?
A Confirmation Service at Southwark
Cathedral - 19th September 2009
It was a mellow, early autumn day towards the end of September. We had travelled to Southwark
Cathedral to take part in a Confirmation Service. Peter along with many other
candidates from other Churches in the diocese was to be confirmed by Bishop
John during the Service.
The Cathedral was very crowded. There were several familiar faces from St.
Michael’s and friends from Abbey Wood in the congregation, which gave the
Cathedral a welcome homely feel. We left
Peter with the other candidates who were being told what would happen during
the Service and headed outside to the little court yard in front of the
Cathedral. It was very pleasant sitting
there in the morning sun watching the rush and bustle that always seems to
surround the Cathedral; The traffic
hurrying towards London Bridge, trains rumbling in and out of the station and
shoppers thronging into Borough Market, the Cathedral seems like a small oasis
of calm amid all city noise.
We returned to our seats in the Cathedral.
The choir were singing as the congregation gathered. The Service started as the Bishop and clergy
processed along the central aisle towards the altar. It was a lovely Service, Bishop John talked
of Confirmation being the gift of God being poured on the candidate through the
Church and her Bishops. He spoke of
confirmation being an individual moment even amidst a crowd. He said that it is a privilege for him to
share the moment with the candidate.
On this Saturday morning there were many candidates, from many Churches in
the dioceses, although only Peter from St. Michael’s. The candidates came forward in pairs to kneel
before the Bishop at the Altar where he asked each by name if they wished to
confirm their faith. After the many
candidates had been confirmed the Bishop lead a prayer for their continued
growth in their faith. The service
concluded with Communion. The newly
confirmed received first. It was a very moving Service.
Jessie was very interested in the clothes that the candidates had chosen to
wear from jeans and tee shirts to suits or white communion dresses, one little
girl even wearing a long white veil.
They all looked lovely to me! A group from one Church, I don’t know
which, were all wearing a white rose which I thought was a lovely idea.
I was very proud of Peter . It was a
very special and happy day for all the family.
By Sue
Corpus Christi - Sunday 14th June
This morning at St. Michael’s we celebrated Corpus Christi, it was a lovely
visual and moving service celebrating the gift of the Mass. The Choir and the Altar Party processed into
the Church at the start of the Service and the Mass followed its usual pattern.
In the sermon Father David talked about the Jewish Passover Feast, the
events of Maundy Thursday and the last supper and the gift of the Mass to the
Church. He compared the procession held
in the Church on Maundy Thursday when the Blessed Sacrament is placed on the
Altar of Repose inside the Church with the procession that would be held
towards the end of today’s service when the Blessed Sacrament is carried
outside the Church representing the mission of the Church to carry the
knowledge of Christ to the wider world.
After Communion the Blessed Sacrament was placed on the Altar and the Altar
Party, now joined by a second Thurifer and flower
girl assembled before it, Father David and the two Thurifers
kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament.
The procession lead by the flower girl scattering rose petals as she
went, included two Thurifer’s swinging their Thuribles in unison as they walked. Father David carried the Blessed Sacrament
along the central aisle and out of the Church.
The Altar Party was followed by the Choir and the rest of the
congregation singing as they went. The
procession walked along the street before entering the Church garden where the
service was concluded Benediction. At
the end of the service the Blessed Sacrament was returned to the Church while
the congregation remained in the garden in silence.
Written by Sue
The Confirmation Service
I had never been to a Confirmation
Service in an Anglican Church before and wasn’t really sure what to
expect. There were six people who wished
to be confirmed and they had been invited to sit at the front of the
congregation. Some of them looked quiet nervous. The Service started with the procession of
the Choir and the Altar Party to the Altar.
The Choir lead the way singing the entrance hymn “Ye sons and daughters
of the Lord”. They were followed by
Altar party, the Bishop of Fulham, The Rt Revd John Broadhurst,
and Clergy resplendent in their gold vestments.
The Bishop was flanked by two young girls who were both very proud to be
vimpers and to take care of the Bishops mitre and crosier during the service.
The Bishop led the Service and gave
the sermon. Having remarked on how cold
the Church was, despite the pleasant spring sunshine that could be seen through
the windows. He mentioned other larger
and colder Churches he had visited. He
said how sorry he was about the loss of the heating system in St Michael’s
and the need to pray and try to raise the money to replace the heating system. He went on to speak about what happened to
the disciples of Jesus after Easter Sunday when the women had found the empty
tomb, the first appearance of Jesus to his disciples in the upper room and the
doubt shown by Thomas. He said how he
could understand the doubt that Thomas had shown and went on to talk about the
gift of faith. He talked about the role
of free will in the Christian faith. He
concluded his sermon by talking about his own family and the idea of
inheritance of any wealth and valuables by the children of the family on the
death of the parents. He suggested that
the inheritance given by Christ to his disciples and all Christians is the gift
of the resurrection.
The service moved on with the
presentation of the candidates who were asked by the Bishop if they were ready
to affirm their faith in Jesus Christ.
After the Decision had been made by the candidates and the profession of
faith spoken by the entire congregation, the Bishop led the procession to the
font while the congregation sang “There is a River”, where the three younger
candidates were baptised. After the baptism the newly baptised candidates returned to the front of the Church to
join the rest of the people awaiting confirmation. The Bishop prayed the prayer of Confirmation
for all the candidates and then each person in turn came forward to kneel
before the Bishop who prayed for each person by name asking God to confirm them
with his holy spirit. Each person was
anointed with the oil of Chrism. Each of the candidates having been Confirmed,
the Bishop invited the congregation to pray for them.
As the service moved on to the
Eucharist the newly confirmed were invited to come forward to receive their
first communion before other members of the Church. The service concluded with the Blessing and
Dismissal and the return of the Altar Party to the Vestry. It was a lovely service and very special for
those who were baptised and made their confirmation.
After the Service the congregation
were invited to stay and share in the wine and refreshments that had been
provided, or tea and coffee for those that preferred. The buffet looked lovely. Many of the congregation stayed to chat and
laugh to each other as well as the Bishop and his wife. A lot of hard work goes on to make such
events look effortless and all the people involved are very much
appreciated. It was all worthwhile; it
was a great success and a lovely happy morning for St Michael’s.
Those Baptised
and Confirmed were; Natasha Fox, Danielle Fox, Henry Readdy
Those Confirmed were; Tracy Fox,
Donna Readdy, Christine Schwarz.
By Sue
Easter 2009 at St Michael’s.
By early April, Easter was fast approaching. Sunday the 5th saw
the start of Holy Week with our Palm Sunday Service.
I really do enjoy these annual events; as familiar as they are they always
seem fresh and moving as well.
As always Palm Sunday started in the Church Hall where we all gathered, the
choir sang gathering songs and waited for the arrival of the Altar Party.
Father David and Derek were wearing vestments of blood red, a stark contrast
for the purple vestments worn in lent.
The service started with the blessing of the palm crosses that had been
handed to us at the hall door. After the blessing they were sprinkled with holy
water and censed with the thurible .
Father David gave a short sermon about Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday before we processed
from the hall into the Church behind the Altar party and the Choir, singing the
hymn All Glory Lord and Honour as we went. The singing always sounds wonderful when you
are close to the choir but the further back in the procession you are the more self conscious and intermittent the singing becomes
especially in the street between the hall and south porch of the Church! As the procession enters the Church and walks
along the central aisle which had been strewn with palm crosses the singing is
reinvigorated and the hymn is completed tunefully as the congregation take
their seats.
The service continued along its familiar pattern, The Gospel reading on
Palm Sunday is long, telling the story of Holy Week, familiar words but new and
fresh every year. This year the reading
was read by three people, as a dialogue between Jesus, his disciples and other
participants in the story of Holy Week with a narrator telling the story as it
progressed through the events that lead up to Good
Friday.
It was very moving. After the Gospel Reading Father Derek gave the second
sermon of the morning, Palm Sunday is unique in having two sermons within the
service. The service proceeded towards its conclusion , we sang wonderful,
familiar hymns that I remember from childhood. that tell the story of Holy Week
and Christ’s
passion. Palm Sunday always feels to me like the start of a journey, Holy Week
is a busy, if sombre time at the Church with so many
things going on, each day brings us closer to the events of Good Friday.
On the Sunday afternoon Jessie and I headed back to St. Michael’s for the
children’s Palm
Sunday Four O’clock Service. There was quiet a good turn
out of both children and adults.
The service started with gathering songs that the children had been
learning for the last few weeks at the Jubilate Choir. After the first song we were told that we
were going to start the service in the hall.
When we arrived in the hall everyone was given a palm cross and these
were blessed and sprinkled with holy water as those at the start of the morning
service had been.
Father David told the children about the excitement the crowd had felt as
Jesus had rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and said that we were going to try
to recreate the atmosphere with all the noise and excitement. To the delight of the children they were told
to go and collect a “noise
maker”
from the table and then to make as much noise with it as they could. There was a selection of party whistles,
football rattles and hand clappers and along with their laughing and general
excitement the children succeeded in making quite a din! Father David, carrying
a colourful icon of Jesus, lead the procession of
excited giggling children and rather sheepish adults out of the hall and around
the Church garden before leading it back into the Church to continue the
service.
The service told the story of Holy Week until Maundy Thursday. Four children were invited to sit at the
front of the Church and re-enact the story of Jesus washing the feet of his
disciples and think about why he had done so….some interesting answers here! Eventually with a little help they understood
the meaning of what Jesus had done. They
also talked about the sharing of the bread and wine and what it means and why
we do it still today. Deep ideas for young
children to understand. The service concluded with more songs and prayers. And lots of happy smiling children. A pleasant Sunday afternoon, well spent.
In the evening the congregation of St. Michael’s had been
invited to St Benet’s
to watch their re-enactment of the Stations of the Cross. I joined a select few at the back of
St Benet’s
Church to watch the series of tableaux and listen to the story of Christ’s journey
to the cross. Each tableau was
accompanied with music and deliberations about each event and its transition to
the modern world in which we live today. It was very moving.
It was a busy week at St Michael’s
with lots of events going on in preparation for Easter, far to
many for us to attend them all. On
Wednesday I took Jessie along to the Jubilate Choir as usual, but instead of
the normal choir activities a children's service reinacting
the Stations of the Cross had been arranged. The children really enjoy this because it
involves dressing up and acting. The
children also learn a lot about the Easter Story.
Jessie was a Roman solider this year and was given a large wooden stick
with which to beat Christ. (I had my
doubts about the wisdom of letting Jessie have a club and telling her to beat
someone! I thought that she may take
method acting a bit to far!). Father David had to make a rapid intervention
to a young lad who was about to nail Jesus to the cross with a mallet from the
church tool kit. The evening ended with
a cross made from two planks of wood and laid in front of the altar and each
child lighting a tea-light candle and putting it on the cross. Jessie always lights a candle for her
brothers as well as herself. It all went well and the children did enjoy
themselves.
On Thursday we were back again, this time for the Maundy Thursday Mass
of the Last Supper. A very sombre service which focused about service to others and
the gift of the priesthood. The priest
is required to wash the feet of members of the congregation. It is always very difficult to get people to
volunteer for this role as most people find it very embarrassing. It usually
ends up with the same people each year.
After the service the Holy Sacrament is placed on the Altar of Repose and
the congregation is invited to sit before the altar and pray in silence. There is someone praying before the altar until
midnight. This represents Jesus asking
the disciples to keep watch with him, and pray in the garden of Gethsemane.
After the Sacrament is placed on the altar of repose, the main altar in the
church is stripped and the candles extinguished in a final preparation for Good
Friday. The Church was bare of flowers and ornament and all the pictures were
covered as lent drew to its conclusion.
On Friday morning there was a family service for Good Friday, it is
a lovely service in which members of the congregation act out rolls of people
who may well have been about on the first Good Friday, not the central
characters of the story but other more peripheral people who may have seen the
events; a servant girl who sees Peter deny Christ, Pilates wife, a Roman solider
and the son of Simone of Cyrene. It
really is a lovely service.
In the afternoon, at 3pm a small Congregation and a smaller than normal
Altar Party gathered for The Celebration of the Passion. The Service started with the Altar Party
falling on the ground before the Altar, this was not because they were very
tired after the Watch the night before but because Fr David’s Instruction
book had told them to do so. The service continued as normal, until after the
Intercessions when a cross was brought into church to be venerated, later the
Sacrament was brought up to the Altar from St Michael’s Chapel, where it had
spent the night. The service was so
somber that only the Bread was consumed at communion. The Service ended in silence as the altar
Party and the Congregation departed.
In the evening we attended a performance of Stainer’s
“The Crucifixion” sang by a choir of 52 made up from St. Michael’s choir,
The East Wickham Singers, the Plumstead Harmonies and
Various others. - Lovely!
We went back to Church in the pre-dawn of Easter Sunday to attend the Easter
Vigil. There was a feeling of spring
in the air as we walked along, it was mild, blossom graced the trees and the
unseen birds were singing a robust dawn chorus.
The church was only dimly lit and the first thing we noticed as we
entered was the smell of the fresh flowers.
During lent the church had, of course, been without flowers but on
Easter morning the church was almost overflowing with beautiful arrangements
and blooms of yellow and white. Tall,
stately lilies on the windowsills and arrangements on the stands and before the
altars. All the statues, ornaments and
Altar dressings were back in their proper places and the Church looked dressed
and beautiful again.
At 5.15 we gathered in the darkness outside the Church in the front garden
where a fire was burning brightly. The
congregation was joined by members of the choir, servers and clergy both of
whom were wearing gold vestments, although, as he proudly told the Servers
Fr David’s was older than Fr Derek’s.
The Easter Candle was blessed and studded with five pieces of wax to
represent the wounds of Christ, it was then lit from the new fire that was
burning in the garden. The candle,
carried by Father Derek, was led in procession into and around the Church. The Church was in darkness as we entered, the
only light being that of the Easter Candle.
At the back of the centre aisle the procession
paused and the candles carried by the acolytes and the members of the
congregation were lit. The Altar Party
and Choir proceeded to the Altar and the congregation proceeded to their seats.
As the Service started the candles on the High Altar and next to the
lectern and many other candles all around the Church were lit and the service
started in the glow of the candle light.
The Church looks so beautiful in candle light. During the service as the daylight comes the
East window slowly lights up and glows in the early morning light. It is a breathtaking sight. The Service is
long but so very special. There are four
readings, the first telling the story of Creation, the second the story of the
Exodus of the Israelites through the Red Sea and the third telling of God
cleansing the heart of humankind and the final reading the gift of baptism and
resurrection. There are also three
psalms as well as the blessing of baptismal water and the renewal of baptismal
promises. A sermon and the Eucharist .
Easter morning is greeted after the Gloria with party poppers and whistles and
there is a happy and jolly atmosphere about the service.
At the end of the service everyone, who had tickets adjourned to the Lounge
where Father Derek and Sue had been busy preparing the Easter Breakfast,
this is a lovely tradition in St. Michael’s; breakfast is served starting with grapefruit and bucks
fizz this is followed by a full English breakfast including sausage, bacon,
steak, egg, tomato and mushrooms. Sue
coped with vegetarian and other special requests in her own calm and organised manner.
Father Derek bar-b-cued the meat in the garden and Sue cooked the eggs,
tomatoes and mushrooms in the kitchen.
It all worked very well and the breakfast is always really nice! Father Derek was very patient with the over
excited children (of all ages!) who were rushing around the garden. This year thirty five people sat down to
breakfast there was a jolly party atmosphere about the whole event. Easter brings so much extra work to the
Church I think it is really special that Sue and Derek still find time to carry
on this lovely tradition. I felt sorry
for Father David who had worked so hard this week and looked “done in”. He seemed to be surviving by drinking numerous cans of
sugary Energy Drink!
The choir , clergy and servers, and the Congregation, those who hadn’t had
too much to drink, and a few that had, returned to the Church for the 10 o’clock Mass
where the celebration of Easter continued in a packed church. At the end of this Service everyone departed
to spend Easter Day in their own ways.
by Sue
Christmas
2008 at St. Michael's
The Edwardian Christmas Fair had been very successful, it really was a lovely way to start the Christmas season at St Michael’s.
The next morning we entered the Church for Sunday Morning Mass, the last day of November. The Church was without flowers or other decoration, the altar clothes and priests vestments had been changed to a sombre purple. The Advent wreath stood on a small table beside the altar. Advent had begun and with it our preparations for Christmas. During the service the Advent Wreath was blessed and a child from the congregation was invited to light the first candle. Each Sunday morning for the next four weeks children would be invited to light the candles in the Advent Wreath while the congregation sang about the light of the candles.
The weekly notices on the services sheet seemed to get longer and longer with information about special Christmas services and events and offers for Father David or Derek to come to peoples’ homes to bless their Christmas trees or cribs, as well as reminders about the purpose of Advent to our Christian lives and suggestions for ways we could enhance our experience of Advent and prayers we may wish to use. As well as the day to day business of the church.
Children old and young were invited to St Michael’s Christingle Service on the second Sunday in Advent. A lovely service celebrating the light of the world. The children were asked what the various parts of the Christingle represented and learnt that the orange represented the world, the red ribbon the blood of Christ, the sweets the fruits of the world and the white candle Jesus as the light of the world. In the Church the lights were lowered the candles lit and Father David led everyone on a candle lit procession around the church ending at the High Altar. As we progressed we sang Walk in the Light. At the end of the Service came the favourite part for many youngsters present eating the sweets and oranges! It was nice to see some unfamiliar faces in Church as well as so many familiar ones.
By the time the third advent candle was lit, the pink one for Mary, the notices were asking for people to help deliver the Parish Christmas cards to all the houses in the parish. The card had been especially designed reminding everyone of the true gifts of Christmas and telling them the times of the Christmas Services. A nice idea.
The end of this week is marked by the tradition at St. Michaels of Carol singing around the streets of the parish and collecting money for charity. The Carol singers many of whom are members of St Michael’s choir receive a warm welcome and many householders stand on the doorsteps to listen to a Carol or two.
The fourth Sunday of Advent saw the fourth candle on our Advent Wreath lit and a particularly thought provoking sermon about the Christian needing to say yes to God rather than God imposing his will on mankind.
After morning service willing hands were sort to dress the Church’s Christmas tree. There were lots of very eager little hands that were supervised by one or two adults. It looks bright and cheerful standing near the pulpit.
In the evening there was a Service of Carols, readings and Benediction. This is a very moving service that once again tells the familiar story of Christmas and reminds us that Jesus still comes to us today through the Blessed Sacrament as he once did in the stable in Bethlehem.
On Christmas Eve the Crib service was held, this is one of my favourite services of the year, held at dusk, for children (of all ages), the service started with the lighting of the candles in the Advent Wreath. It told the story of Mary and Joseph and their trip to Bethlehem. The story was told this year from the view point of some of the characters from the Bible story: Elizabeth, the inn keeper and a Shepherd. There were a lot of children in the Church, many visitors as well as those who are regular members of St Michael’s congregation. At the end of the service the children were invited to find the figures of the nativity that the vicar had “lost” around the church. After the festive treasure hunt Father David led the children in procession to St Michael’s Chapel where the stable had been set up ready and waiting to receive its annual guests. The children arranged the figures, and were asked who was not yet there. They thought about it and said with great excitement the baby Jesus! Why was he not here ? They were asked. Because he was not born until midnight comes their enthusiastic reply. The service ended with a short prayer.
On Christmas Eve Midnight Mass is always a popular service and the Church is crowded with people who wish to start their Christmas Celebrations by remembering the true meaning of Christmas. This year was no different with the Church crowded, as it always is. All seats were occupied and spare chairs set up at the side of the church to seat the over spill. The Mass started with the procession of Choir, servers and clergy to the Altar. Father David solemnly carrying the figure of the baby Jesus laying on a small cushion to the Altar, later in the service the Bambino was carried again in procession to St Michael’s Chapel and placed in the crib of the nativity set up earlier in the day by the children. The service was lovely, traditional and welcoming with familiar readings and Christmas Carols. I always find this service magical as I leave the Church at the end of Midnight Mass and walk home through the quiet streets I always feel at peace, as if Christmas has finally arrived.
On Christmas Morning we were back in St. Michael’s for morning service, another lovely and happy service. The Church was less crowded for this service but it was a chance to look around and see how beautiful the Church looked dressed for Christmas, the Altar dressings and vestments had been changed from the sombre purple of Advent to gleaming gold and the flowers were simply beautiful.
The Sunday after Christmas was very quiet, many people, I think, were still away visiting family and friends for the holiday. It was a select band of us who listened to the Gospel Reading about Simeon seeing the Christ Child when he was brought to the Temple by his parents.
The New Years Eve Watch night Service was held in the Lady Chapel in the early evening where a few of us gathered to say goodbye to 2008 and to ask for God’s blessing on the coming year. Having wished each other a Happy New Year we headed our separate ways to celebrate the arrival of 2009. A New Year Party was to be held by the Church Social Club later in the evening, it sounded like it was going to be fun.
Written by Sue
Remembrance
Sunday Service - 9th November 2008
Sue
First Communion
The Feast of All Saints, and a very
special day for six children and their families who attend St Michael’s
Church. The children were to take their First Holy Communion and two of the
children were also to be baptised during the service. The Church was very cold but the enthusiasm
and excitement of the children warmed and brightened the morning service
considerably. Femi,
In his sermon Father David talked
about us being what we eat, he talked to the children about what they had eaten
for breakfast and told a story about his mother who had said he would turn in
to a strawberry if he ate too many of them.
He also talked about St David who only drank water. He went on to talk about Christ feeding us
through the Communion and asked the children what they thought God might want
to happen to us by giving us that meal.
The children joined in and answered the questions with enthusiasm.
After the sermon Femi and
When the congregation was invited to
come forward to take Communion the six First Communicants were invited to go to
the Communion Rail first. Last Sunday they had all rehearsed walking in a line
to the aisle and genuflecting before the Altar and making the sign of the
Cross. This Sunday in their enthusiasm
all these instructions were forgotten (except by one child!). They walked
straight up to the Communion Rail to kneel and receive the Sacrament, but it
was a beautiful moment and one the children and their families will long
remember.
Sue
Harvest Festival
The leaders of the various sections
of our Scout Group were standing outside St Michaels as I arrived; they were
marshalling the children for whom they were responsible into the correct seats
within the Church. The Colour Party were standing at the back of the Church
waiting to be called forward at the start of the Service.
Other children robed in purple
joined the adult choir. The Church was
filling up rapidly and there was an air of anticipation. Father David introduced our Harvest Festival
Service. The service started with hymns
and readings and moved swiftly on to the sermon in which Father David asked the
children what Harvest Festival was about, the consensus of opinion was that it
was about helping the poor. In his
sermon he spoke of a poor, hungry man who found a bucket of apples in front of
the Altar of a Church where he had gone to pray for help. The children were encouraged to answer
questions as to what the man may have done with the apples and as they answered
the questions several apples were distributed to the children who received them
with enthusiasm. At the end of the
sermon, Father David said that the man had one apple left and asked the
children what they thought that God would want the man to do with the remaining
apple. They all agreed that God would
want the man to give the remaining apple to another hungry person. I must admit I thought at harvest time, maybe
to plant the apple and share the future harvests with those in need.
Before communion the children and
many adults in the congregation brought forward gifts for the harvest
collection, these were mostly contained in plastic carrier bags, some in
decorated cardboard boxes or others just as they had been collected from mums
kitchen cupboard! The bags were piled up
behind the altar. There were so many of
them, each filled with packets and tins or soaps and shampoo. Most of the harvest gifts are destined for
the Manna Society which helps the poor and homeless of
Children were very much involved in
the service; they helped with the offertory and carried the wine and wafers for
communion to the Altar. They also
brought a loaf and bottle of wine that were used to decorate our Altar. At the end of the Service the children were
happy and excitable. Some of the Beavers
laid a silver trail in front of the Altar.
They had raised the money as part of our Rainbow Silver Trail which will
be used to replace the church heating system.
Many of the children munched their way through cup
cakes as they waited for their parents to collect them and take them off
home.
It was a happy morning enjoyed by
all.
Sue