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J U N E 1 9 T H 2016

MUSIC Vicar’s Blog

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The contemporary author Philip Yancey once wrote ‘the three things that brought me back to God were not religious things. They were not Billy Graham or gospel tracts. They were the beauty of nature, classical music and romantic love.’ Coming from a very different angle, C.S. Lewis allows Screwtape to express his dark opinion about music in The Screwtape Letters: ‘Music and silence – how I detest them both! How thankful we should be that...no square inch of infernal space and no moment of infernal time has been surrendered to either of those abominable forces, but all has been occupied by Noise. The melodies and silences of Heaven will be shouted down in the end.’ I am finding, right now, that in my own walk with God the reverse is in fact true. That the melodies and silences of heaven are shouting down the untamed noise of a broken world and that the Holy

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Spirit is at work through both. So, actually not too much silence in the Abbey next week, but God will clearly be at work in the music. On Wednesday Music for Autism returns for what is always a profoundly moving day. At 11am young people from local schools, very significantly on the autistic spectrum and many living with disability, get a chance to engage with live professional music making, overseen by John Lubbock (see front cover.) Then at 2pm I will be bringing my Mum to the Abbey as 30-40 people living with dementia and their carers enjoy 45 minutes of song, followed by tea and cake. It is a beautiful thing to see the Holy Spirit bringing peace, life and healing through music. You are welcome to pop in for both and we would particularly encourage those with a few extra years under their belt to come and help with the singing at 2pm. If you know the White Cliffs of

    A B B E Y D I A RY

NEXT SUNDAY: June 26th 9am BCP Communion 10.30am Holy Communion &

Healing Ministry 4pm All-age Communion 6.30pm Choral Evensong

THIS WEEK EACH DAY 9am Morning Prayer MON 20th 10am Little Stars WED 22nd 10.30am Communion in

Eilmer House

MUSIC FOR AUTISM DAY 11am Concert for Young People 2pm Concert for Elderly and

those living with dementia 7.30pm Gala Opera Evening

THUR 23rd 10.30am Time for Chat 6.45pm Choir Practice FRI 24th 7.30pm African Children’s Choir

THIS SUNDAY: June 19th 9am BCP Communion 10.30am Holy Communion 4pm Informal Worship &

Junior Church

ADVANCE DIARY June 27th Lifepath June 28th Lifepath

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Dover, yes we mean you! Then at 7.30pm we would ask the entire Abbey, plus a few friends each, to bring £10 and come along for a fund-raising opera gala for the charity. Outstanding young professional singers will be performing arias from La Boheme, The Magic Flute, Turandot, Carmen and others. Then on Friday night at 7.30pm we pack the Abbey as the African Children’s Choir comes back into town. A number of our Abbey families will be hosting young Ugandan and Kenyan children whose lives have been terribly affected by conflict and disease. The good news is that these young people will be entering fulltime education on their return home and their year in the choir will have given them a previously inconceivable hope and direction in life. If you haven’t seen them live and heard their many testimonies of God’s work in their lives, please, please don’t miss this. And if you have seen them, you’ll be coming back anyway. A memorable night out.

LU K E 8 : 4 0 -56

40 Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. 41 Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house 42 because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. 43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. 45 ‘Who touched me?’ Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, ‘Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.’ 46 But Jesus said, ‘Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.’ 47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.’ 49 While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. ‘Your daughter is dead,’ he said. ‘Don’t bother the teacher anymore.’ 50 Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, ‘Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.’ 51 When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. 52 Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. ‘Stop wailing,’ Jesus said. ‘She is not dead but asleep.’ 53 They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But he took her by the hand and said, ‘My child, get up!’ 55 Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. 56 Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened. Additional Reading: Galatians 3:23-end

DISCIPLESHIP

D A I LY R E A D I N G S

Monday Psalm 80 Judges 13:1-24 Luke 17.20-end

Tuesday Psalm 89:1-18 Judges 14 Luke 18:1-14

Wednesday Psalm 119:105-128 Judges 15:1-16.3 Luke 18:15-30

Thursday Psalm 92 Judges 16:4-end Luke 18:31-end

Friday – John the Baptist Psalm 85:7-end Isaiah 40:1-11 Luke 1:57-66, 80.

If you would like to give regularly to the mission and ministry of the Abbey as part of your discipleship, please e-mail [email protected]

R E G U L A R G I V I N G

1. Read Luke 8:40-56, with a different voice for the central section (verses 42b-50). 2. The third book of the Bible, Leviticus, can seem quite strange to the modern reader. It articulates ancient purity laws, rituals and sacrifices that set apart Israel as God’s holy people. (See Lev. 20:24-26). Now read Lev. 15:25-30 and Lev. 21:10-12. Then read the Luke passage again. What is God doing? 3. Psalm 139:12 tells us that darkness is not dark to God. What real personal darkness does the Kingdom of God invade in our Luke passage? Where in your own life, or that of somebody you know, might God’s light be life-transforming even this week? How might you pray? 4. The willingness to exercise faith seems to play an important part in the coming of the Kingdom of God. (See verse 48 and 51.) When do we exercise faith (other than creedal faith) in our Christian journey?

C H O R A L E V E N S O N G T H E Q U E E N

V I C A R ’ S X I C R I C K E T V I S I T I N G P R E A C H E R S

1 2 t h C E N T U R Y B E A U T Y 2 1 s t C E N T U R Y C H U R C H

On Sunday 26th June at 6.30pm we will be welcoming the Malmesbury Town Council to the Abbey for Choral Evensong with prayers for the new Mayor of Malmesbury, Mr Wayne Jones. Please support this important service, as we pray for our town and her leaders, and as the choir leads us in worship with music by Wesley, Dove and Balfour Gardiner.

If you weren’t able to receive your free copy of ‘The Servant Queen and the King she serves’ last week there are a number available at the back of the Abbey for you to pick up. There may also be a few spare to give to a neighbour who might particularly like a copy.

This Thursday, Thursday June 23rd from 6pm, weather permitting, Neill will be leading his outstanding team of cricketers against The Whole Hog XI. If you want to watch the match, and escape an evening of TV Brexit, come to the Malmesbury Cricket Ground and enjoy the sport, beer, BBQ, maybe bring a picnic etc.

On Sunday 10th July at 4pm our visiting speaker will be Phil Williams, director of Christian Skaters & Surfers UK, who has co-led all of the Abbey Skates with the local team here. Also, on Sunday July 24th at 6.30pm the preacher at Choral Evensong will be The Venerable Christine Froude, Archdeacon of Malmesbury. All are very welcome to attend both services.

NOTICEBOARD

Our dear brother Peter Greenhill passed away peacefully last Sunday, aged 69. Peter farmed Bottom Farm in Rodbourne and was the churchwarden of our sister church, Holy Rood, Rodbourne for many years. After a private burial in the morning there will be a Service of Thanksgiving in the Abbey at 2pm on Thursday 30th June to which all are invited. Please remember Jackie, the family and the community at Rodbourne in your prayers.

P E T E R G R E E N H I L L

L I T T L E F I S H E S ( A G E S 2½ -5 )

Our teaching series at the Abbey, after moving around a bit for the major Christian Festivals of Easter, Ascension, Pentecost & Trinity, now returns to the gospel of Luke for the summer:

June 12th The Woman and the Alabaster Jar (Luke 7:36-50) June 19th Daughters of God (Luke 8:40-56) June 26th The Cost of Discipleship (Luke 9:51-end) July 3rd The Seventy-two (Luke 10:1-11, 16-20) July 10th The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) July 17th Mary & Martha (Luke 10:38-end) July 24th The Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:1-13) July 31st The Rich Fool (Luke 12:13-21)

L U K E ’ S G O S P E L

We are looking for a new team leader as Gill Shaw is stepping down at the end of this term. Gill has created a very happy group and we are looking for someone to continue this ministry. Gill and her team welcome 3 to 5 children each week. There are also a number of other opportunities to serve our children and young people during the 4pm service. Please contact Andrew Beebee to find out how you could make a difference to young lives. [email protected]/07784333361

Friday 24th June 2016, 7.30pm Malmesbury Abbey

Tickets available at the Abbey

£5 Adults, £3 Students and under 18s