A very warm welcome to all
Refrain for Psalm 63:
“My soul is thirsting for my God.”
Third Sunday in Lent
Readings: Isaiah 55: 1-9; 1 Corinthians 10: 1-13
Gospel: Luke 13: 1-9
In our Gospel today
We are now some time into the season of Lent, and today’s readings remind us of how we might fashion our individual Lenten discipline. Many people see Lent as a time of fasting and abstinence, and that can be a way of nourishing our faith as we look forward to Easter. But perhaps more important than fasting is self-examination – looking at our lives and reflecting on what is good and what, perhaps, we might want to change. We might look closely at where, in our lives, we might see the burning bush in which God is revealed to us and from which we are sent to do His will.
Since none of us is perfect, we will see some parts of our lives that we might have handled better. As Jesus reminds his listeners in today’s reading from Luke’s Gospel, our way back from that is repentance. Repentance is, in its essence, a degree of self-awareness and a desire to move beyond our imperfections. We will not always succeed, as we are human, but the holy season of Lent gives us the opportunity to be reconciled with God.
None of this needs to be framed in sadness and grief. Orthodox Christians refer to Lent as the season of “bright sadness”, in which the faithful prepare for what will be the joy of the Resurrection. Let us therefore go through this season with honesty, self-examination, and confidence in God’s mercy.
Lent Lunch
You’re invited to Lent Lunch with Bishop Anne Dyer in support of the Bishop’s Lent appeal for Days for Girls. The lunch will take place on Monday 24th March at St James, Holburn Street, Aberdeen. Lunch is free and donations to the charity are very welcome. The Bishop’s Lent Appeal for 2025 is supporting the charity Days for Girls, UK, which is affiliated with Days for Girls International. This charity works to eliminate the stigma and limitations associated with menstruation, aiming to improve health, education, and livelihoods for women and girls
Lent Course
For this year’s Lent Course, we are invited to take a deeper dive into the Bible readings from the previous Sunday. Meeting in the crypt at 7pm on Thursdays. Our Sunday preachers will have highlighted some things for us but what more could we mine together from these passages as we seek to keep a holy and fruitful Lent?
SEC Net Zero Action Plan
Following our use of the SEC Heat Hack Programme we are now focusing on taking some actions to make our energy usage more sustainable and efficient. We are hoping to reduce our energy bills, do less damage to the planet and make St Mary’s a more comfortable place to meet, worship and socialise. Please see the noticeboard at the back of church to see what we’ve already been doing. Please let us know what you think about the options for aligning with our Three C’s targets and feel free to add your own ideas.
Fundraising and Social Events Calendar
The Fundraising and Social Events Group met at the beginning of the month to plan fundraising, donation and social events for 2025. Please see the noticeboards for the calendar of activities. There are spare copies of the calendar in the Choir Vestry which you can take home to update your own calendars.
Sunflower Competition started last Sunday
Last year we had some fun with tomato and other plant seedling sales, even if we didn’t all harvest ripe tomatoes! This year we thought it would be fun to have a sunflower growing competition. We’ll provide the seeds, compost and pots for a suggested donation of £5. In the autumn we’ll see who has grown the tallest sunflowers and award some prizes. In the process we can keep the pollinators happy!
Easter Egg Collection
Our Easter Egg Collection begins this Sunday through to Easter Sunday. Our charitable donation initiatives have been very well supported and successful and very much appreciated by the recipients. Thanking you in advance for your generous gifts!
Beach Clean
Fancy some fresh air and a chance to help tidy up our lovely city beach. If so, please join the beach clean this Sunday at 2pm at the north end of the city beach. Please also see posters for future dates and places.
Services and events commencing this Sunday and for the coming week
Sunday 23rd March 8am Holy Communion (1970 Liturgy): Reverend Roger Dyer
Sunday 23rd March 10am Sung Eucharist (1982 Liturgy): Reverend Kate Gibson
Wednesday 19th March 10am Holy Communion: Reverend Roger Dyer
Friday 26th March 6pm Compline: Reverend Roger Dyer
Sunday 28th March 8am Holy Communion (1970 Liturgy): Reverend Roger Dyer
Sunday 28th March 10am Service of the Word (Mothering Sunday): Presiding Dr Nicola Mills and preaching Louisa Donaldson
Next Sunday’s readings: Joshua 5: 9-12; Psalm 32; 2 Corinthians 5: 16-21
Gospel: Luke 15: 1-3. 11b-32
“Repentance is not something God demands of you before He will take you back and which He could let you off if He chose; it is simply a description of what going back is like.”
(C.S. Lewis.)
For any pastoral matters please contact our Assistant Priest Revd Roger Dyer on 07719 458571 or revrogdyer@btinternet.com