St Mark s Parish News · 2020-06-21 · love” – He not only loves the whole world but is wholly...

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St Marks Parish News 21 June - Ordinary 12 - Trinity 2 Available by email - sign up at www.stmarkschurch.com How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number living things both large and small. Psalm 104

Transcript of St Mark s Parish News · 2020-06-21 · love” – He not only loves the whole world but is wholly...

Page 1: St Mark s Parish News · 2020-06-21 · love” – He not only loves the whole world but is wholly defined by love. His love is constant (Psalm 36) and eternal (Psalm 136) there

St Mark’s Parish News

21 June - Ordinary 12 - Trinity 2

Available by email - sign up at www.stmarkschurch.com

How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number

living things both large and small. Psalm 104

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Praying Together on Sunday at Noon

We pray for God’s Church; For its leaders Archbishop Justin and Pope Francis, for our Bishops Alan and Richard, for our Ministers Charlie and Sam, for our Lay Reader Wendy and for Richard. May each be guided and strengthened in their ministries God’s world; For the war trodden, marginalised, hungry and oppressed; for peace, justice and hope; for the restoration of His creation Our Community; For our families, friends, neighbours and those who we share our lives with; for our community of Brickhill and Putnoe Those in need; For the sick, lonely, bereaved, anxious, unemployed, addicted, homeless, unloved and abused. May they know the comfort of God’s presence in their need For the departed; For those who have died recently; for those dying alone; for those who will die today and for those who have died without faith. May they rest in peace Mike & Janet Warren

St Mark’s Church Worshipping together every Wednesday

Morning Worship at 10.00am on Zoom

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or Telephone 0131 4601196 Meeting No 88151161300 #

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Ordinary 12 Verse of Scripture Romans 6:11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Collect Prayer for the Day Before we read we pray Faithful Creator, whose mercy never fails: deepen our faithfulness to you and to your living Word, Jesus Christ our Lord. First Reading Jeremiah 20:7-13 O LORD, you have enticed me, and I was enticed; you have overpowered me, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughing-stock all day long; everyone mocks me. For whenever I speak, I must cry out, I must shout, ‘Violence and destruction!’ For the word of the LORD has become for me a reproach and derision all day long. If I say, ‘I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name’, then within me there is something like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot. For I hear many whispering: ‘Terror is all around! Denounce him! Let us denounce him!’ All my close friends are watching for me to stumble. ‘Perhaps he can be enticed, and we can prevail against him, and take our revenge on him.’ But the LORD is with me like a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble, and they will not prevail. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonour will never be forgotten. O LORD of hosts, you test the righteous, you see the heart and the mind; let me see your retribution upon them, for to you I have committed my cause. Sing to the LORD; praise the LORD! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hands of evildoers. (This is the word of the Lord - Thanks be to God) Second Reading Romans 6:1-11 Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. 8But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (This is the word of the Lord -- Thanks be to God) Gospel Reading Matthew 10:24-39 Jesus summoned the twelve and sent them out with the following instruction: ‘A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household! So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a

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penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven. Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.’ (This is the Gospel of Christ – Praise to Christ Our Lord) Post Communion Prayer Loving Father, we thank you for feeding us at the supper of your Son: sustain us with your Spirit, that we may serve you here on earth until our joy is complete in heaven, and we share in the eternal banquet with Jesus Christ our Lord. Commentary Richard Ledger Tom Wright says that what we are told to do most often in the Bible is not “love God more” , “worship Him sincerely” or “behave yourself”, but is “don’t be afraid”. It occurs three times in the reading from Matthew10, in verses 26, 28 and 31. It might seem a bit odd as the passage goes on to talk about hidden things being revealed, those who kill the body and then conflict and division even within families. It sounds a bit threatening or scary. We’ll explore this a bit later. We should note though that Psalm 46 says we won’t fear (or be afraid) though the earth give way and through the waters roar and foam while in Psalm 91 we read “you shall not fear the pestilence that stalks in the darkness nor the plague that destroys at mid-day” (rather topical !). There are hints as to why we shouldn’t be afraid in Psalm 27 “the Lord is my light and salvation, whom shall I fear” and Isaiah 43 says “fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name: you are mine always. The shepherds are told at Jesus’ birth not to be afraid for the angel says that he is bringing “good news of great joy” and in Luke 12 v32 Jesus says to his friends “fear not, little flock, for it has pleased the Father to give you the kingdom”. So “don’t be afraid” is not whistling in the dark nor is it an insurance policy against bad things happening but it is the assurance that God is with us even in the dark days. In our Gospel reading Jesus has warned the disciples that the authorities will be after them and they will suffer violence, but he tells them “don’t be afraid” for they can kill the body but not the soul and truth will out – their loyalty and faith will be vindicated a they remain faithful. Tom Wright, topically again, says that the people of light are never more at risk than when they are lured into fighting the darkness with more darkness. That leads to Gehenna, the smouldering rubbish tip. We might add fighting violence with violence that never brings resolution and peace. Then Jesus says that God really does love and care for us. Every hair of our head is numbered and He takes note of sparrows too when they fall to the ground. This Greek translation of an Aramaic word really means “light upon the ground.” He is always caring for sparrows – not just when they fall dead. How much more, Jesus says, does God care for us. We are worth more that sparrows after all. We are forever in God’s care: we can’t drift beyond His love and care: He won’t leave us oR forsake us. So if this is true, of whom shall we be afraid? Paul says of God’s love that it never fails. It means never or it doesn’t! John says in his first letter “God is

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love” – He not only loves the whole world but is wholly defined by love. His love is constant (Psalm 36) and eternal (Psalm 136) there is no small print in God’s covenant with us. That is the context for the later verses of Matthew 10. Verses 34 onwards would have caused a real stir. Jesus is using words from Micah 7 v6 which would have been very familiar to the Jews. They believed that when the Day of the Lord came – when God would break into history – there would be division in families. Some people wouldn’t fancy God doing a new thing. Jesus is saying that this time has come with God intervening in and through Him. So people have a choice, either to believe or refuse the challenge of this huge change. Jesus was establishing a new way of being God’s people with God’s kingdom (or kingship) coming with His son. There are a few things to say. Jesus is talking about priorities rather than everyone having to split from families. Some of the apostles had their families around as did Jesus throughout his ministry – at the wedding at Cana (John 2) and at the cross where, despite the agony of crucifixion, He shows his love for his mother by arranging for John to take care of her. Yet allegiance to Him really matters: it is perhaps THE most important thing even though the disciples didn’t measure up very well. Judas betrayed Him, Peter denied Him and the others fled at His arrest. But later, after the resurrection, there were no recriminations: God’s love doesn’t work that way. Instead there was restoration and the gift of peace and love through the Holy Spirit = Jesus’ abiding presence within them and us! Luke in his version of this teaching of Jesus about family (Chapter 14 v 26) uses the word “hate”. “If anyone does not hate his father and mother, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple” Jesus is using dramatic exaggeration or hyperbole to make his point just like we do: a team “hanging on by their fingertips”, “a colossus in defence”, “a star studded cast” and even “a ring of steel around care homes!”. These aren’t literal descriptions but convey a vivid picture of the truth. Clearly Jesus means that we are to seek first God’s kingdom. It will have a cost. There is a cross – literally for Jesus. He didn’t love His own life but gave it upon a cross for God’s sake and that of the world. Studdert Kennedy, a world-war one chaplain, wrote of Good Friday “He took His life and threw it for a world redeemed. And ere the westering sun went down, crowning that day with its glorious crown He knew that he had won.” We are to “take up our cross daily” (Luke 9 v 23) which must be a picture and John Henry Newman said that for him it meant “the continual practice of small duties distasteful to us”. Mind you they aren’t always small – not if we mean inconsequential. John Bunyan was most troubled about the effect of his imprisonment on his wife and children. “As pulling flesh from my bones. O the thought of the hardship for especially my poor blind child

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would break up my heart to pieces. Yet I thought I must do it; I must venture you all with God though it goeth to the quick to leave you”. If he hadn’t, T R Glover says “Bedford might have kept a tinker but what would England have lost?”. Just imagine no, “Pilgrim’s Progress.” A point to ponder. For there can be no safety first in the Christian life. We can hoard life if we wish but that way we will lose all that makes life valuable to others and worth living. The way to serve others, to fulfil God’s purpose for us, the way to find true happiness is to spend life, for only then will we find the eternal life which is to know God and Jesus Christ whom he sent. We used to sing, in Messy Church, “Love is something if you give it away; you end up having more”. Richard Ledger Meditation God is . . . . . . . God is the Word which became flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1:14) God is the Light that no darkness can totally obliterate. (John 1:5) God is the Peace that reaches out to us in life’s fiercest storms. (John 14:27) God is Hope that gives confidence of a brighter future. (Romans 15:13) God is Comfort that reaches even our deepest sorrows. (2 Corinthians 1:3) God is Healing for self-inflicted wounds of wilfulness and sin. (Revelation 22:2) God is the Forgiveness that shoulders the burden of our follies. (1John 1:9) God is the Love that never writes us off, whatever we have done (John 3:16) God is the Life which holds us secure to the gates of death and beyond (John 11:25) Edmund Banyard (All Year Round) Prayers for Sunday and the week ahead O Lord, whose mercy reaches to the heavens, whose faithfulness knows no end: let the greatness of Your love be known to us that we may worship You with wonder, joy and thanksgiving From New Every Morning Let nothing disturb you, nothing alarm you: while all things fade away God is unchanging. Be patient and you will gain everything: for with God in your heart nothing is lacking. God meets your every need. St Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) As the rain hides the stars, as the autumn mist hides the hills, as the clouds veil the blue of the sky, so the dark happenings of my lot hide the shining of your face from me. Yet, if I may hold Your hand in the darkness, it is enough. Since I know that, though I may stumble in my going, You do not fall. A Gaelic prayer translated by Alistair MacLean. O God of peace, Who has taught us that in returning and in rest we shall be saved and in quietness and in confidence shall be our strength: by the might of Your Spirit lift us, we pray You, to Your presence, where we may be still and know that You are God; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen J W Suter

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St Mark’s Chapel

Now Open for Prayer

You can now visit

St Mark’s Chapel

Open from 9am - 5pm

If you would like to visit

outside these hours

please telephone the

Vicar 07973 113861

We want to ensure that we keep you as safe as possible

and therefore the following measures are in place

1. The Chapel will receive regular cleaning

2. Hand sanitizer will be provided and must be used before entrance and upon leaving

3. The chapel is unattended however if you would like to speak to the vicar please telephone

07973 113861 and he will be pleased to come and see you.

4. Please respect social distancing at all times .

Join us for Communion every Sunday in the Garden of Remembrance

Each week we are now welcoming over 60 people are who have booked in for communion with

services every half hour. If you would like to come we are still taking bookings into the late after-

noon and would love to see you there. Call the Vicarage to book 01234 309175 or

07973 113861. We have been asked if folks can join us from other churches, the answer is of

course - Yes All are welcome

Back to Church

The threat level from COVID19 has been reduced by the government from 4 to three and when

asked recently about social distancing being reduced to 1m the Prime Minister said ‘Watch this

space’. This gives us reason to believe that it will not be too long before an announcement is

made regarding the opening of church for worship.

Since these announcements are sometimes given with little warning, the Leadership are consid-

ering this currently and are doing so with a commitment to ensure that when St Mark’s opens for

worship we will do so in a manner which safeguards the welfare of all of our congregation. We

will be mindful of the requirement to create a safe environment and safe practices and we will

make any decisions mindful of local factors including the risk levels in Bedford at the time. You

should be reassured therefore that we will only invite you to attend church when we are confi-

dent that it is safe to do so.

Due to the success of our Wednesday Morning Worship this will continue when Church resumes

especially for those who are vulnerable and cannot attend church. Action is being taken to

ensure that Sunday services can also be broadcast and recorded for those who are unable to

come.

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Wednesday Morning Worship Click here at 10.00am on Zoom !

Telephone 0131 4601196 Meeting No 88151161300 #

Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you. All and also with you. This is the day that the Lord has made. All Let us rejoice and be glad in it. We have come together in the name of Christ to offer our praise and thanksgiving, to hear and receive God’s holy word, to pray for the needs of the world, and to seek the forgiveness of our sins, that by the power of the Holy Spirit we may give ourselves to the service of God.

Confession

Jesus says, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.' So let us turn away from our sin and turn to Christ, confessing our sins in penitence and faith. All Lord God, we have sinned against you; we have done evil in your sight. We are sorry and repent. Have mercy on us according to your love. Wash away our wrongdoing and cleanse us from our sin. Renew a right spirit within us and restore us to the joy of your salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Almighty God who forgives all who truly repent have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness and keep you in life eternal through Jesus Christ our Lord. All Amen.

Praise

Let everything be said and done in the name of the Lord Jesus, All giving thanks to God through Jesus Christ. Sing psalms, hymns and sacred songs: All let us sing to God with thankful hearts. Open our lips, O Lord: All and we shall praise your name. The night has passed, the day lies open before us; let us pray with one heart and mind. As we rejoice in the gift of this new day, so may the light of your presence, O God, set our hearts on fire with love for you; now and for ever. All Amen.

The Offering Thank you for your ongoing support of the work of the church

Yours, Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the splendour, and the majesty; for everything in heaven and on earth is yours. All things come from you, and of your own do we give you.

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The Word of God The Collect Prayer & Bible Readings

Isaiah 40:1-11 Read by Marion Prior Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. A voice cries out: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.’ A voice says, ‘Cry out!’ And I said, ‘What shall I cry?’ All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the LORD blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand for ever. Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, ‘Here is your God!’ See, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; his reward is with him, ad his recompense before him. He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep. Reader This is the word of the Lord. All Thanks be to God.

Luke Chapter 1:57 -66, 80 Read by Wendy Rider The time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. Her neighbours and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. But his mother said, ‘No; he is to be called John.’ They said to her, ‘None of your relatives has this name.’ Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. He asked for a writing-tablet and wrote, ‘His name is John.’ And all of them were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. Fear came over all their neighbours, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. All who heard them pondered them and said, ‘What then will this child become?’ For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him. The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel. Reader This is the word of the Lord. All Thanks be to God.

Thought for the Day

Led by Charlie

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The Affirmation of Faith

Do you believe and trust in God the Father? All I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. Do you believe and trust in his Son Jesus Christ? All I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead. Do you believe and trust in the Holy Spirit? All I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers Led by Mike and Janet Warren

The following responses may be used Leader Lord, in your mercy: All hear our prayer. ending with Leader Merciful Father, All Accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. The Lord's Prayer Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

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Hymn

1 Lord, for the years your love has kept and guided, urged and inspired us, cheered us on our way, sought us and saved us, pardoned and provided, Lord of the years, we bring our thanks today. 2 Lord, for that word, the word of life which fires us, speaks to our hearts and sets our souls ablaze, teaches and trains, rebukes us and inspires us, Lord of the word, receive your people's praise. 3 Lord, for our land, in this our generation, spirits oppressed by pleasure, wealth and care; for young and old, for commonwealth and nation, Lord of our land, be pleased to hear our prayer. 4 Lord, for our world; when we disown and doubt him, loveless in strength, and comfortless in pain; hungry and helpless, lost indeed without him, Lord of the world, we pray that Christ may reign. 5 Lord, for ourselves; in living power remake us, self on the cross and Christ upon the throne; past put behind us, for the future take us, Lord of our lives, to live for Christ alone.

Copyright Information Lord for the Years by Timothy Dudley-Smith (born 1926) © administered by Oxford University Press in Europe (including UK and Ireland) and Africa, and by Hope Publishing Company in all other territories (including USA). Recorded remotely by the Choral Scholars of St Martin-in-the-Fields in their homes, and edited together. This material is used with permission through ‘A Church Nera You’ Church Resources Hub for the Church of England. Copyright CCLI 429192 & Streaming & PRS 0020269

The Blessing

The Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil, and keep us in eternal life. All Amen Let us bless the Lord All Thanks be to God.

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Saint Jerome in his study Antonella da Messina c1475

45.7 x 36.2 cm

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A Picture Paints a Thousand Words

There are so many people at the moment who are working from home. For many of them this is a real trial because they share small rooms with other members of the family and children. Spare a thought for those folks working all day on a computer while sitting on a bed. So today it seemed appropriate to have this picture which shows an important and hugely influential fourth century Saint Jerome (347-420) sitting in his study working from home. The painting shows Jerome him in a spacious setting with windows looking out onto beautiful countryside with people boating and tending sheep. I remember when visiting the Church of St Catherine in Bethlehem, close to the place where the birth of Jesus is celebrated, seeing the cave where Jerome spent decades studying. He left Rome behind and in this cave, illuminated by a candle he produced Biblical commentaries and most importantly the Vulgate, a translation of the Bible in Latin, the language of the Roman Empire which had been converted to Christianity. The Septuagint was an existing translation of the Old Testament from the original Hebrew into Greek. However Jerome went back into the original Hebrew and translated his own Old Testament, and he also translated the Greek of the New Testament. It is quite remarkable that his was the official translation of the Bible which lasted for over 1,000 years. The painting is oil on Limewood and was painted in Venice by the Sicilian painter Antonello da Messina. The picture is beautifully framed by the stonework and you are invited in visually, past the peacock and the partridge and the bowl of water. Of course painters include things for a reason and the peacock was an important symbol of resurrection and immortality and they have been found in the 3rd century in the catacombs. In his ‘City of God’ St Augustine wrote of the antiseptic quality of the flesh of the peacock, which did not decay. The partridge on the other hand could represent the conflict between truth and foolishness, lust and covetousness. In Jeremiah 17:11 the bird steals the eggs of other birds, which when hatched flee to their own kind. After passing through good and evil, your eye is drawn to the central figure of Jerome. He is seated in a carrel, an enclosed area constructed out of wood which is placed in a church cloister. It is quite plain in construction, almost Ikea flat pack compared to the magnificent architecture of the church. He is dressed in the red robes of a cardinal, although this is anachronistic as the role was not in existence at this time. It is a very homely scene, Jerome has taken off his slippers at the bottom of the stairs before going onto the raised platform. Look closely and see if you can spot his little cat. On the right hand side of the painting is a much larger animal, a lion. The story of Jerome is that he took a thorn out of the paw of a lion and from then on the lion was his companion. One of the fascinating things about the new adoption of meetings and interviews by zoom, skype, webbex etc is the ability to see inside the homes of other people. You can see their kitchens and what kind of books are on their shelves. We can do this with Jerome as we look around his study and see all kinds of paraphernalia. Among other things I can see his bibles, his manuscripts, ink, a hanging towel, his cardinal hat, a crucifix, jars, metal containers, potted carnations, a small tree and a ‘post it’ note pinned to the wall. This is an amazing painting for fine detail, it is also brilliant in the way in which the artist in a small painting has used things like the size of the tiles to create perspective and the feeling of space. A landscape is just visible through the windows at the rear of the painting. Get out your glasses and you can clearly see people in a boat on the river, nuns walking a dog, sheep and a man on a horse. If you look higher you can also see birds in the sky above. We must all spare a thought for those folks who find themselves confined in small spaces and who long to enjoy once more the freedoms of the outdoors

‘We try to learn on earth those truths whose substance will persist even in heaven’

Jerome

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St Mark’s Contact Information

The Reverend Dr. Sam Cappleman Assistant Rural Dean of Bedford

107 Dover Crescent, Bedford MK41 Tel: 266952 [email protected] The Reverend Canon Charles Royden The Vicarage, Calder Rise. MK41 7UY

309175 Mobile 07973 113861 [email protected] Reader: Mrs Wendy Waters Pastoral Support Team Co-Ordinator 342613 [email protected]

St. Mark’s Church Centre www.stmarkschurch.com 01234 342613 613 [email protected] Treasurer: Mr Ian Farthing 210892 [email protected] Gift Aid Administrator: Mr Jim

Williams 360605 Churchyard Administrator: Mrs Avril Williams 360605 [email protected] Charity No 1164416 Copyright CCLI 429192 & Streaming & PRS 0020269

www.stmarkschurch.com Just Giving www.justgiving.com/pccstmark

Rest In Peace

On the Sunday following a funeral service we remember in church those who have died. We light a candle to symbolise the light of Christ which eternally shines and brings hope. If you would like a person remembered in our service when the candle is lit, perhaps on an anniversary or birthday,

please inform the ministers, or telephone 01234 342613

The funeral of Elsie Kathleen Lett (Billie) will take place at Bedford Crematorium on Wednesday 1 July at 11.30am The funeral of Brenda Cleverley will take place at Bedford Crematorium on Friday 10 July at 12.15pm

May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace and rise in glory . Amen.

The Leadership Team would like to thank everybody who has continued their giving to St Mark’s Church through this lockdown period when we have been unable to meet to-gether. Thank you especially for the many new standing orders which people have taken out.

We have also now stared a JustGiving account which will allow people to donate more easily online. Click on the link above or visit www.justgiving.com/pccstmark

Church Help Line Please always feel able to call the church office which is now also an emergency helpline if you are in any kind of need. We have volunteers who are pleased to help with any difficulties which you are experiencing 01234 342613 or 01234 309175 / 07973 113861

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