The Parish of Balham St. Mary and St. John the Divine

8am Said Eucharist (BCP)

Officiant: The Revd. Mtr. Wilma Roest

10.30am Sung Eucharist

President: The Revd. Mtr. Wilma Roest

Deacon: Susanne Mitchell

Preacher: Susanne Mitchell Readers: Suzanne Hinkson-Marks

Alan Bartlett

Intercessor: Christopher Serbutt

Junior Church: Moira Hodgson

Setting: NEH 541

OoS: Lent

6.30pm Evening Prayer (BCP)

‘Christianity After Church’

Officiant: The Revd. Mtr. Wilma Roest

Psalm(s): 12, 13

Readings: Genesis 28.10-19a

John 1.35-end

Sunday 28 February 2016

Lent 3

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Introit: I Heard The Voice Of Jesus Say (NEH 349)

Collect: Eternal God,

give us insight

to discern your will for us,

to give up what harms us,

and to seek the perfection we are promised

in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 55.1-9

A reading from the prophecy of Isaiah.

The Lord says this:

Everyone who thirsts,

come to the waters;

and you that have no money,

come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk

without money and without price.

Why do you spend your money for that

which is not bread,

and your labour for that which does not

satisfy?

Listen carefully to me,and eat what is good,

and delight yourselves in rich food.

Incline your ear, and come to me;

listen, so that you may live.

I will make with you an everlasting

covenant,

my steadfast, sure love for David.

See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples.

See, you shall call nations that you do not

know,

and nations that do not know you shall

run to you,

because of the Lord your God, the Holy

One of Israel, for he has glorified you.

Seek the Lord while he may be found,

call upon him while he is near;

let the wicked forsake their way,

and the unrighteous their thoughts;

let them return to the Lord, that he may

have mercy on them,

and to our God, for he will abundantly

pardon.

Collect and Readings

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For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

This is the word of the Lord.

All Thanks be to God.

New Testament Reading: 1 Corinthians 10.1-13

A reading from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians.

I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and

sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all

were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in

the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and

all drank the same spiritual drink. For they

drank from the spiritual rock that followed

them, and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless,

God was not pleased with most of them, and

they were struck down in the wilderness.

Now these things occurred as examples for us,

so that we might not desire evil as they did. Do

not become idolaters as some of them did; as it

is written, ‘The people sat down to eat and

drink, and they rose up to play.’ We must not

indulge in sexual immorality as some of them

did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single

day. We must not put Christ to the test, as

some of them did, and were destroyed by ser-

pents. And do not complain as some of them

did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.

These things happened to them to serve as an

example, and they were written down to in-

struct us, on whom the ends of the ages have

come. So if you think you are standing, watch

out that you do not fall. No testing has overtak-

en you that is not common to everyone. God is

faithful, and he will not let you be tested be-

yond your strength, but with the testing he will

also provide the way out so that you may be

able to endure it.

This is the word of the Lord.

All Thanks be to God.

Gradual: Psalm 63.1-9

Choir: My soul is athirst for you as in a dry

and thirsty land

All: My soul is athirst for you as in a

dry and thirsty land

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1 O God, you are my God; eagerly I seek

you; my soul is athirst for you. My flesh

also faints for you, as in a dry and thirsty

land where there is no water. So would

I gaze upon you in your holy place, that I

might behold your power and your

glory.

All: My soul is athirst for you as in a dry

and thirsty land

2 Your loving-kindness is better than life

itself and so my lips shall praise you. I

will bless you as long as I live and lift up

my hands in your name. My soul shall be

satisfied, as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise you with

joyful lips.

All: My soul is athirst for you as in a dry

and thirsty land

3 When I remember you upon my bed

and meditate on you in the watches of

the night. For you have been my helper

and under the shadow of your wings will

I rejoice. My soul clings to you; your

right hand shall hold me fast.

All: My soul is athirst for you as in a dry

and thirsty land

Gospel Reading: Luke 13.1-9

The Lord be with you.

All And also with you.

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus

Christ according to Luke. All Glory to you, O Lord.

There were some present who told Jesus

about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had

mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them,

‘Do you think that because these Galileans

suffered in this way they were worse sinners

than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but

unless you repent, you will all perish as they

did. Or those eighteen who were killed

when the tower of Siloam fell on them - do

you think that they were worse offenders

than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I

tell you; but unless you repent, you will all

perish just as they did.’

Then he told this parable: ‘A man had a fig

tree planted in his vineyard; and he came

looking for fruit on it and found none. So he

said to the gardener, “See here! For three

years I have come looking for fruit on this fig

tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why

5

should it be wasting the soil?” He replied, “Sir,

let it alone for one more year, until I dig

around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit

next year, well and good; but if not, you can

cut it down.”’

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

All Praise to you, O Christ.

Offertory Hymn O For A Closer Walk (NEH 414)

Communion Anthem: Christ Be Beside Me (Archer)

Communion Hymn: As the deer pants for the water,

so my soul longs after you.

You alone are my heart's desire

and I long to worship you

You alone are my strength, my shield,

to you alone will my spirit yield.

You alone are my heart’s desire

and I long to worship you.

I want you more than gold or silver,

only you can satisfy.

You alone are the real joy giver

and the apple of my eye.

You're my friend and you are my brother,

even though you are a king.

I love you more than any other,

so much more than anything. (CAHON 45)

Post Communion Prayer: Merciful Lord,

grant your people grace to withstand the

temptations

of the world, the flesh and the devil,

and with pure hearts and minds to follow you,

the only God;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Dismissal: Glorious Things Of Thee Are Spoken (NEH 362)

6

Lent: making a difference

Lent Course - Pilgrims This year we are studying the Command-

ments, one group on Tuesday night and one

on Wednesday afternoon.

In the second week we talked about the im-

portance of reverence and worship for God,

and the danger of making idols of what we

love.

“God does not need golden cups, but he does

need golden hearts.” John Chrysostum

Next we will discuss the need for Sabbath

and rest in the rhythm of our loves..

For more info contact Mtr Wilma.

Pilgrims on a journey On Saturday 12th March from 11 am until 4 pm we will be hosting a Lent quiet day. The

theme of the day will be “Pilgrims on a jour-

ney”. The day will consist of a series of

themed reflections, prayer stations, a Eucha-

rist and quiet individual prayer time to ena-

ble us to journey together through Lent to-

wards the cross.

Our regular Lent lunch will be available for

those who wish to partake and this can be

taken in the narthex with others sharing

lunch, or in silence as part of your quiet

time.

Please sign the sheet on the notice board in

the narthex BEFORE 10:30 ON SUN-

DAY 6TH MARCH to indicate if you wish

to attend. We need a minimum of 10 people

in order to be able to run the day.

Further information from Fr. Iain

Daily Prayer Weekly prayer sheets will be available from

today for you to use at some point during

the day. Why not take this on as part of

your Lenten discipline? Taking something on

may be as good as giving something up!

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Lent lunch 4 Bishop’s Lent Call Every Wednesday, 1pm, and Saturday in Lent,

12.1.30pm: soup, bread, cheese, fruit; suggest-

ed donation £5. All money goes to Bishop of Southwark’s Lent Call.

If you are unable to attend a Lent lunch, you

can always make some Money Jam for the

Bishop’s Lent Call. Recipe on page 10.

Reconciliation & spiritual care During the season of Lent you may want to

take time to reflect on your life, on a particular

situation or just take the opportunity to talk

about matters of faith. Please contact one of

the clergy to make an appointment.

‘Christianity after Church’ Members of our own congregation talk about

what it means to be a Christian and what they

do after leaving church services to continue

being a follower of Jesus.

Come and be surprised: Sundays at 6.30pm.

Lent actions Some people are good at quiet reflection or

contemplation, some prefer to work and pray

at the same time, as Benedictines would. If you

belong to the second group, you might like to

come and work in the church gardens as part

of your Lenten journey. Saturday 5 March

10am-12noon.

About the Bishop’s Lent Call The theme for the 2016 Lent Call is ‘Caring

for the Whole Person’. We have selected pro-

jects from the Holy Land, some of which will

be visited by the pilgrims on the Diocesan Pil-

grimage which takes place during Lent 2016.

We have also included projects from Zimba-

bwe and this Diocese which seek to look at

caring for the whole person, including educa-

tion, healthcare and employment. Alongside

our giving is also a call to prayer for these pro-jects and the needs they address. More infor-

mation about the projects on the pillars in the

Narthex.

8

EXPLORING CHRISTIAN

LIFE The next series of adult spiritual learning at

St. Paul’s Cathedral begins on Thursday

March 3 at 6.30pm with the subject ’Creation:

Science, Faith and the Bible’ led by Katherine

Jeffers Schori. The event is free but you do

need to register. Details of how to do so are

on the notice board.

BIG BREW If it's Lent it must be Fairtrade Fortnight and

t h e B i g Br e w . . . . Sat ur day 5t h

March 10.30am until 2.00pm so you can come and enjoy a fairly traded drink and bis-

cuits, buy a gift for Mothering Sunday, have

fun with some quizzes, then have a Lent

lunch and cap it all off by watching Selma at

the film club special. Or, you could just bring

your pocket money on Sunday 6th when the

Traidcraft stall will be at 8.00 and 10.30 ser-

vices. More proof that nothing happens at St

Mary's. Help with the stall on Saturday would

be appreciated - please speak to Susanne.

FILM CLUB In March, the Film Club moves to Saturday,

to make way for the Wednesday afternoon

Lent Study Group. Every one is welcome to

attend our meeting on 5th March at 2.00 for

2.15pm, when we’ll be showing and discuss-

ing “Selma” (2014, 128 minutes) with David

Oyelewo and Carmen Ejogo, a film about

Martin Luther King’s campaign to secure

equal voting rights, via an epic march from

Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965.

(Suggested donation £3.50, to include tea

and biscuits).

LOOKING TOWARDS

EASTER At Easter Daphne always creates an amazing

display of lilies, which are bough in memory

of our loved ones. If you would like to re-

member someone, please sign the list on the

board in the Narthex and pay Daphne Clarke

the appropriate amount (£3.50 per lily).

Church Community News

9

CHURCH ELECTORAL

ROLL The electoral roll of St Mary’s is an

important record and a legal requirement

under Church Representation Rules. If you

are over sixteen years of age, live in the

parish and/or have been worshipping here

for more than six months you are eligible to

be included in the roll. The electoral roll will

close on 1 April ahead of the Annual

Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) on 17

April. If you would like to be added please

speak with Alex Russell our Electoral Roll

Officer.

JOIN US FOR A CURRY

NIGHT The Social Events Group will be hosting a

curry night on Wednesday 16 March from

7pm. As it’s Lent, there will be no alcohol

but we promise lots of food, soft drinks and

a choice of films to watch after dinner

(suggested donation £4.50 to include your

first drink). So if you want to sample some

of Maria’s amazing cooking and enjoy an

evening with St Mary’s friends then please

add your name to the sign-up sheet in the

N a r t h e x o r e m a i l R h e a

(rhea.j.newman@gmail.com) by Sunday 13

March.

SATURDAY 9th APRIL 2016

Spring mini-fayre and

International Lunch Books, cakes, preserves, jewellery, plants,

tea/coffee and food from around the world.

Donations and volunteers required nearer

the time.

Please speak to Diane or Keith

10

Local Community News

BOX ON THE HIGH ROAD Last month we collected over £130 for Wa-

ter Aid and this sum will be doubled by the

government. Between now and Easter we will be collect-

ing for the Bishop's Lent Call, supporting

projects in Southwark, The Holy Land and

Zimbabwe.

You can all help too by making MONEY JAM

for the Bishop’s Lent Call

Please see recipe below. Keith Holmes

MONEY JAM RECIPE

Take home a jam jar.

Jam it full of money. Return it at Easter.

CHILDREN'S SOCIETY Thank you to all box holders. You raised a

record £480.85

Diane

WOMEN’S WORLD DAY

OF PRAYER All are invited to the annual Women's

World Day of Prayer Service which this year

has been prepared by the Christian women

of Cuba.

The service will take place at Balham Salva-

tion Army Hall, 38 Balham High Road, on

Friday 4th March at 2pm.

It will be a joyful occasion and please feel

free to bring a cake or something similar for

refreshments afterwards.

SUPPORTING TSM You can support out church school by col-

lecting Sainsbury’s Active Kids vouchers.

TSM will use them to acquire sports equip-

ment, such as new tennis equipment, foot-

balls and lots more. There’s a basket for

your vouchers at the back of church.

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For the church: St Mary’s PCC meeting this week, for wise

decision making

For the World: For those trafficked into slavery or

prostitution

————————————————

Come, all who are thirsty

says Jesus, our Lord,

come, all who are weak,

taste the living water

that I shall give.

Dip your hands in the stream,

refresh body and soul,

drink from it,

depend on it,

for this water

will never run dry.

Come, all who are thirsty

says Jesus, our Lord. (John Birch)

A complete list of prayer requests can be found

in the printed version of this pewsheet

Our Prayers This Week

12

Sun 28 Feb Lent 3

8am Said Eucharist (BCP)

10.30am Sung Eucharist

6.30pm Evening Prayer (BCP)

‘Christianity After Church’

Tue 1 March

7.30pm Lent Course 2 (Vicarage)

Wed 2 March

9.30am Mary’s Little Lambs

12.30pm Said Eucharist

1pm Lent Lunch

1.30pm Lent Course 2 (Narthex)

7.45pm PCC meeting

Sat 5 March

9.30am Morning Prayer

10.30-2 Big Brew and Fairtrade

12-1.30pm Lent Lunch

Sun 6 March Mothering Sunday/Lent 4

8am Said Eucharist (BCP)

10.30am Sung Eucharist

6.30pm Evening Prayer (BCP)

‘Christianity After Church’

Contact details:

Parish Priest:

The Revd Mtr Wilma Roest SCP

T: 0208 673 1188 E: vicar@stmarybalham.org.uk

Twitter: @Balhamvicar

Honorary Curate:

The Revd Fr Iain Faulkner

T: 07432 678139 E: curate@stmarybalham.org.uk

Assistant Priests:

The Revd. Eileen Serbutt T: 0208 767 8383

The Revd. Canon Bill Norman

Reader:

Susanne Mitchell T: 0208 675 5057

SPA:

Daphne Clarke

Churchwardens:

Martin Gray M: 07789 981 484

E: churchwardens@stmarybalham.org.uk

Keith Holmes T: 0208 677 8947

Director of Music:

Lizzie Hayward E: lizziehayward@gmail.com

Administrator:

Pat Nevard

T: 0208 675 3278

E: administrator@stmarybalham.org.uk

Office Hours: Tuesday, Friday and Saturday 10-12

Website:

www.stmarybalham.org.uk

All songs covered by Christian Copyright Licensing reproduced under No. 156221

Registered Charity Number 1139488

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