Author: Reuben

13th Sunday after Trinity 26 August 2018 when you have finished with this sheet pass it on to someone unable to get to church today

COLLECT
Almighty God, you search us and know us:
may we rely on you in strength and rest on you in weakness,
now and in all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. FIRST READING 1 Kings 8.22-30, 41-43
A reading from the first book of Kings
Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands to heaven. 23He said, ‘O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and steadfast love for your servants who walk before you with all their heart, 24the covenant that you kept for your servant my father David as you declared to him; you promised with your mouth and have this day fulfilled with your hand. 25Therefore, O Lord, God of Israel, keep for your servant my father David that which you promised him, saying, “There shall never fail you a successor before me to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your children look to their way, to walk before me as you have walked before me.” 26Therefore, O God of Israel, let your word be confirmed, which you promised to your servant my father David. 27 ‘But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, much less this house that I have built! 28Have regard to your servant’s prayer and his plea, O Lord my God, heeding the cry and the prayer that your servant prays to you today; 29that your eyes may be open night and day towards this house, the place of which you said, “My name shall be there”, that you may heed the prayer that your servant prays towards this place. 30Hear the plea of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray towards this place; O hear in heaven your dwelling-place; heed and forgive.
41 ‘Likewise when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a distant land because of your name 42—for they shall hear of your great name, your mighty hand, and your outstretched arm—when a foreigner comes and prays towards this house, 43then hear in heaven your dwelling-place, and do according to all that the foreigner calls to you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and so that they may know that your name has been invoked on this house that I have built.
This is the word of the Lord. THANKS BE TO GOD Responsorial Psalm 34:15-22
R: The Lord is near to the broken hearted.
The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his ears are open to their cry. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to root out the remembrance of them from the
earth. R The righteous cry and the Lord hears them and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the broken hearted and will save those who are crushed in spirit.
R Many are the troubles of the righteous;from the m all will the Lord deliver them. He keeps all their bones, so that not one of them is broken. R But evil shall slay the wicked and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. The Lord ransoms the life of his servants and will condemn none who seek refuge in him. R

SECOND READING Ephesians 6.10-20 A reading from the letter to the Ephesians
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. 11Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For our* struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13Therefore take up the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. 15As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. 16With all of these,* take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. 19Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,* 20for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.
This is the word of the Lord. THANKS BE TO GOD Gospel John 6.56-69
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John GLORY TO YOU O LORD
56Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. 57Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. 58This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live for ever.’ 59He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum. 60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?’ 61But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, ‘Does this offend you? 62Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64But among you there are some who do not believe.’ For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him. 65And he said, ‘For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.’ 66 Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. 67So Jesus asked the twelve, ‘Do you also wish to go away?’ 68Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.’*
This is the Gospel of the Lord. PRAISE TO YOU O CHRIST POST COMMUNION
God our creator, you feed your children with the true manna,
the living bread from heaven: let this holy food sustain us through our earthly pilgrimage until we come to that place where hunger and thirst are no more; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
LyCiG Prayer God of Mission, who alone brings growth to your Church, send your Holy Spirit to give vision to our planning, wisdom to our actions, and power to our witness. Help our church to grow in numbers, in spiritual commitment to you, and in service to our local community, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The materials used in this sheet are from the Common Worship materials of the Church of England www.churchofengland.org all Bible verses are from NRSV translation this sheet created by Fr Reuben James Preston SCP OblOSB rectorofsharnbrook@rjpmedia.co.uk www.sharnbrookcofechurches.org

The United Benefice of Sharnbrook, Felmersham and Knotting with Souldrop
St Peter’s Church, Sharnbrook MK44 1HU, St Mary’s Church, Felmersham MK43 7JP All Saints Church, Souldrop MK44 1EX www.sharnbrookcofechurches.org Welcome—what do you give thanks for today?

Worship in the Benefice today… 13th after Trinity 0830 Souldrop Holy Communion BCP 0930 Sharnbrook Parish Communion RnS 1100 Felmersham Choral Matins 1800 Sharnbrook Benefice Evensong – LLW JaneT
Monday-Lesser Festival- Monica, mother of Augustine of Hippo, 387 Tuesday--Lesser Festival- Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, 430 Wednesday —--Lesser Festival- The Beheading of John the Baptist 0930 Sharnbrook Holy Communion 5th Wed BCP Thursday—Lesser Festival-John Bunyan, Spiritual Writer, 1688 0930 Felmersham Holy Communion CW Friday—Lesser Festival-Aidan, Bishop of Lindisfarne, 651 1900 Sharnbrook HOLY HOUR—silent prayer, music & incense Saturday—feria Next Sunday services— 14th after Trinity 0930 Sharnbrook Parish Communion 1100 Felmersham Parish Communion 1500 Souldrop Parish Communion 1800 Sharnbrook Benefice Evensong – Rector

Harvest Barn Dance Sat 29 Sept in the village hall 7.30pm tickets available soon

Christian Meditation Group meets on Mondays 2000 in SPR—all welcome!

Churches Together Harvest Supper hosted by St Peters in the Methodist building Tickets £5 from Marion on Wednesday 19 Sept 7.30pm

The Rector is leaving the Church of England ministry to join the Scottish Episcopal Church.
Fr Reuben will finish in the Benefice on Sunday 7 October and will be Licensed on All Saints Day to be Rector of St John’s Church, Johnstone & St Margaret’s Church, Renfrew. Reuben will be moving to the Diocese of Glasgow & Galloway where Stephen & Reuben are buying a home in Elderslie, Renfrewshire. They are planning their wedding next September.
Thank you for the cards and good wishes received this week after a difficult announcement!

HOLLYWOOD IN SHARNBROOK Smash Hit Oscar Winning WEST SIDE STORY
Sharnbrook Village Hall, Saturday 15 September 2018 Doors open 7pm (film starts 7.30pm)All proceeds to Friends of St Peter's Church Tickets £5 from Ian 781721

Church Contacts
The Rector: Reuben Preston, The Rectory, 81 High Street, Sharnbrook MK44 1PE 01234 782000 07971 895897 rectorofsharnbrook@rjpmedia.co.uk Reader: Garry Johnson 07855 762922 Lay Leaders of Worship: Rosemary Drewery 07792926004, Jane Templeman, Andrea Maffie 07881 046255 Churchwardens:- St Peter’s Church: Roland Carpenter 01234 781551 Janet Norman 01234 781997 St Mary’s Church: Sue Whitehouse 01234 781300 All Saints Church: Nick Wells 07841 759497 Safeguarding Co-Ord: Rosemary Drewery 07792 926004 Items for inclusion should be sent to sharnbrookbenefice@gmail.com by 0900 on Wednesdays.

Intercessions The sick and in need: Ruth, Marjorie, Jo, Doreen, Isabela, Pam, David, Keri, Maureen, Matthew, Sally, Conrad & Cynthia
The Departed: Jonathan Evens
Prayer requests for the week: Pray the people on our coffee rotas Pray for all parents in our villages Pray for people having lived through natural disaster Pray for eyes to discern new LLWs in our Benefice

To make arrangements for Weddings, Funerals, Baptisms/Christenings, Confessions, House Blessings etc. please contact the Rector

Spnsorship: in thanksgiving for support in ministry across the Benefice If you would like to sponsor this sheet please send you £5 donation to The Rectory along with details of the sponsorship (even if anonymous)

This Weekend and next…… Starting on Friday 1 Dec—CHRISTMAS TREE FESTIVAL all weekend ending with Christmas Tree Festival Concert at 1500hrs in St Peters with music for Advent & Christmas by Ouse Valley Singers & Sunday 10 Dec CHRISTINGLE service at 4pm at St Peters in aid of Children’s Society & bring Christmas Gifts for ‘The Salvation Army Christmas Gift Appeal’

0830 Souldrop Holy Communion BCP 0930 Sharnbrook Parish Communion RnS 1100 Felmersham Choral Matins 1800 Sharnbrook Benefice Evensong – LLW JaneT

Sanctuary Cleaning Rota Can you spare an hour on a regular basis and become a member of the Sanctuary Cleaning Rota? Several folk have retired, in particular I would like to thank Marion and John Tyler for many years of service. If you can help, speak to Kate Ritchie (ph 781155)

Please bring food to share for our Epiphany Pot Luck Bring ‘n Share lunch—no lists just bring something to add to the table

New App lets drivers report modern slavery at hand car washes
Drivers are being urged to report signs of modern slavery at cheap hand car washes using a new smartphone app. Safe Car Wash asks motorists about a series of indicators of forced labour including the use of children, fearful behaviour, a lack of protective clothing and prices lower than £6.70. It sends the anonymised data and a GPS position to the National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) and directs users to the Modern Slavery Helpline. The app, which is available for download from 4 June, has been launched by The Clewer Initiative, the Church of England’s campaign against modern slavery, and the Santa Marta Group, the Catholic Church’s anti-slavery project.

Help with Maintenance at St Peter’s.
1. The Churchyard—On Fridays 10am=noon, we will be working to tidy up the churchyard, and tackle the damaging infestation of ivy. If you can spare a couple of hours - on any Friday morning, we would be very pleased to see you..
Leadership at St Peter’s through 2018 into 2019
The current situation at St Peter’s is inadequate to help the church to grow. We need people to take on leadership roles at St Peter’s. The most urgent need is one, preferably two people to join the PCC and be willing to assist and train for the duties of Church Warden. We have past wardens and people who would gladly help and give advice to achieve this. Please give this some serious thought as you might be somebody who could fulfil this role and relieve Roland who has been covering the roles of Treasurer and a single Church Warden in this past year, this ought not continue into the new year ahead.’ Pray for people to come forward and offer to take up the roles of Church Wardens and PCC members—we have very capable women and men at St Peter’s who have the skills and aptitude to take hold of these responsibilities.

Sharnbrook extra-ordinary Annual Parochial Meeting on Wed 31 May 2017 at 7:30pm for the election of churchwardens

LAUNDE Abbey retreat programmes available—let’s go to the ADVENT Retreat Tues 21 Nov—Fri 24 Nov 2017 £245 plus travel—Pick up a leaflet in Church for details.
Book your own place & Please Add you name to the list in church so we know who has decided to sign up.

STOP PRESS– Grenfell Tower collection after each service today. If you would like to contribute to the relief help which has been offered to the Grenfell Tower survivors please put your contribution in the box/plate after the services today

Benefice Warden’s meeting Thursday 22 June 7:30pm in Souldrop

The OT Apocrapha books can be found online at http://bible.oremus.org
There are 14 books in the OT Apocrapha which the Church o England uses in the lectionary and they are used to edify the people but not derive doctrine.

2018 Annual Meetings Souldrop 7.30pm Tues 17 April Sharnbrook 7.30pm Wed 18 April come along and support the officers elected and have your say about the mission and witness of our churches in the Benefice.

Launde Abbey 2018 Retreat Programmes now in church to take the LENT retreat: Be Radiant is NOW FULL

THANK YOU to the flower team who have decorated church for Eastertide
And thank you to everyone who has helped make our Holy Week and Easter services take place this year—your hard work is appreciated.