This Sunday – 26th March
This Sunday we hear the story of the raising of Lazarus at Bethany (pictured above in a colourised 19th century photograph). It is a story that occupies a central position in John’s gospel, and, as in the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman, we find that it is given to a woman, in this case Martha, to recognise Jesus’ identity: “Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.” It is surely no coincidence that these moments of revelation come from women rather than from the male religious leaders, or even the disciples. But there is another point of connection between Martha of Bethany and the Samaritan woman that is not obvious to the modern reader. That the Samaritan territory through which Jesus passed in the story of the Samaritan woman would have been considered “unclean” by Jews is fairly well-understood amongst Christians today; the bible passage itself alludes to this fact. But what few people know about Bethany is that there is a growing body of evidence that it was in ancient times a place of refuge for the poor and the sick, and especially for lepers, in order that those considered “unclean” would be kept at a distance from the holy city of Jerusalem. Once again, it is a woman, who resides on the margins with the “unclean”, who recognises in Jesus what the religious establishment in Jerusalem cannot or will not see.
8am Holy Communion (BCP)
8.35am Parish Breakfast (Chantry House)
9.30am Sung Eucharist and Junior Church
4pm Evening Prayer (BCP) (St Mary’s)
This week
Tues 28 Holy Eucharist 7.30pm
Wed 29 BATS Easter Workshop 10am (Chantry House), Holy Eucharist 12noon
Thurs 30 Holy Eucharist 10am, St Mary’s Book Club 11am (Chantry House)
Melody Makers 6pm, Choir Practice 7.15pm
Fri 31 Stations of the Cross 11am, Holy Eucharist 12noon
Morning Prayer will be said at 9am Tuesday to Friday at St Mary’s.
Next Sunday – Palm Sunday
8am Holy Communion (BCP) – please note that for reasons of timing there will be no homily at this service.
9am Procession of Palms starting at the Market Place
9.25am Liturgy of Palms (at the west doors of St Mary’s)
(if the weather is awful the procession will take place indoors at St Mary’s!)
9.30am Sung Eucharist and Junior Church
12.30pm Holy Baptism
from 2pm Rehearsals for Stainer’s Crucifixion
6pm Performance of Stainer’s Crucifixion