A very warm welcome to all
Psalm 126: “The Lord has indeed done great things for us.”
Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost
Readings: Jeremiah 31: 7-9; Hebrews 7: 23-28
Gospel: Mark 10: 46-52
In our Gospel today
God’s love and God’s mercy are themes threaded throughout the readings this Sunday. In the Gospel of Mark (10:46-52) we hear the story of Jesus restoring sight to the blind man: Bartimaeus. He called out to Jesus for mercy, and despite being told to be quiet, Bartimaeus persisted. Jesus healed him, saying his faith had saved him. Bartimaeus then followed Jesus. We see Jesus’ compassion and mercy in action as Jesus stops to help Bartimaeus, despite the crowd.
In the reading from Jeremiah, Jeremiah calls the people to return to God and God gathers God’s people from exile. We hear of God wanting to restore and forgive, promising to bring back His people and heal their wounds.
In the reading from Hebrews, we hear of Jesus, our eternal high priest who intercedes for us. He is holy and offered himself once and for all. He is perfect forever. His priesthood is perfect and unchanging, unlike the priests of the old covenant as Jesus is fully human and fully divine.
All Souls
Our annual ‘Service to Remember the Faithful Departed’ will be held at 6pm on Sunday 3rd November. There will be an opportunity to light a candle in memory of a loved one at this service. If you have those dear to you whose names you would like read out at this service, please write them on the sheet at the back of church or send by email to Rev’d Jason jhobbs10@gmail.com Please do invite any friends or relatives that you think may find this peaceful yet poignant 40-minute service helpful.
Thursday @ 7
Thursday @ 7 will be restarting on 31st Oct for a five-week run through to 28th November. We meet in the church Crypt for Bible study, prayer and fellowship. We try to finish our study and prayer to an hour. Stay longer for a cuppa and fellowship. All welcome – bring a friend.
East Garden Project
Good news! Last Friday, our architect, Dave Chouman, submitted an application for planning permission to Aberdeen City Council for the creation of a new East End Garden at St Mary’s. The project includes new landscaping to replace the path between Albert Terrace and Carden Place and a new labyrinth with bench seating. The plans also include resetting the steps at both sides and inclusion of new hand railings. The project also includes repairs to our drainage system in the east end grounds area. A new border garden is also proposed. Please see our noticeboards for more details.
Church Grounds Tree Works
Earlier this week Grampian Tree Services (http://www.grampiantreeservices.co.uk/) returned to St Mary’s to clear the overgrown shrubs in the East End border area in preparation for our proposed new landscaping and garden project. The tree surgeon also pruned the two rowans in the Peace Garden to remove the extra basal shoots and to make them more symmetrically shaped.
Curry Night Friday 29th November
A note for your diary, we’ll be hosting a Curry Night on Friday 29th November at 7:30pm. Our last such event was a big success with delicious curries provided by congregation members of St Mary’s. Look out for the sign-up sheet at the back of church to help us gauge numbers attending and how many curry providers we can expect! Thank you!
Next Vestry Meeting Tuesday 5th November
Please note that our next Vestry meeting is on 5th November at 7:30pm. Please let a member of the Vestry know if you have any issues you wish to bring to our attention.
Services and events commencing this Sunday and for the coming week
Sunday 27th October 8am Holy Communion (1970 Liturgy): Revd Dr Canon Jenny Holden
Sunday 27th October 10am Sung Eucharist (1982 Liturgy): Revd Dr Canon Jenny Holden
Wednesday 30th October 10am Holy Communion: Revd Roger Dyer
Friday 1st November Compline 6pm: Revd Roger Dyer
Sunday 3rd November 8am Holy Communion (1970 Liturgy): Revd Roger Dyer
Sunday 3rd November 10am Sung Eucharist with Baptism (1982 Liturgy): Celebrant Revd Roger Dyer, Preacher Revd Ferdinand von Prondzynski
Sunday 3rd November 6pm A Service of All Souls to Remember the Faithful Departed: Revd Jason Hobbs
Next Sunday’s readings: Isaiah 25: 6-9; Psalm 24: 1-6; Revelation 21: 1-6a
Gospel: John 11: 32-44
“I yearn to understand some measure of Your truth, which my heart believes and loves. For I do not seek to understand in order to believe but I believe in order to understand. For I believe even this: that I shall not understand unless I believe.”
(Gustavo Gutiérrez (1928-2024))
We Drink from Our Own Wells: The Spiritual Journey of a People
For any pastoral matters please contact our Assistant Priest Revd Roger Dyer on 07719 458571 or revrogdyer@btinternet.com