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The Parish prayers for
Our thoughts and prayers are asked for Felix Meikle, Peter Wake, Pat Charsley, Hannah and Jadden.
We celebrate the birthdays of John Dowell, Kevin Parry and Arden Rowley (6th), John Pritchard (7th), Denis Corbett and Harry Rawlings (9th), Judith Greenburgh (11th), Andrew Sack and Sam Hillman (12th).
Gift Aid: If you are a taxpayer, please maximise your giving in the Offertory Plate by using the Gift Aid envelopes provided.
St Mary’s notices can be sent to the Parish Office at (info@stmarysmoseley.co.uk), or by phone: 0121 449 2243 (mornings) by 10:00 a.m. on Tuesdays. Voicemail messages can be left at any time. Also see http://www.stmarysmoseley.co.uk.
St Anne’s notices can be sent to Revd Rosemary Donovan at info@st-annes-moseley.org.uk, or by phone: 0121 449 1071 by Thursday. Also see http://www.st-annes-moseley.org.uk.
St Mary’s has a loop system for the hard of hearing, in the centre block of seats. Turn your hearing aid to the “T” setting.
Children’s Groups will start again next Sunday
In the coming weeks especially enjoy:
| Date | Time | St Mary’s | St Anne’s |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat-12-Jan | Children’s Bowling St Mary’s and St Anne’s. For all children in year 3 to 6. Please see Chris Hirsch for further details (449 3995). | ||
| Sun-13-Jan | 3:00 p.m. — 5:00 p.m. | Children’s Party at St Anne’s Hall. For all children age 0 — Year 2. Sign on at the back of church. | |
| Wed-16-Jan | 7:30 p.m. | First meeting of the year for St Mary’s and St Anne’s Youth Group | |
Thank you to all who gave to the appeal over the Christmas Weekend. Thanks for your giving, we will be able to achieve our target very soon. In the meantime if you have been away and would still like to contribute, please fill in a White Envelope marked C and give to one of the Wardens. UK tax payers please fill in the gift aid section in order for us to reclaim the tax. The Clock will be restored in March and April 2008.
The amount raised at St Mary’s was £150. Very many thanks to all who contributed.
Please note that all items for insertion in the pewsheet should now be received by 10:00 a.m. on Tuesdays. Thank you to all who contribute to Thought for the Week — it is greatly appreciated — please can you try and keep contributions to about 250 words so it can fit on our leaflet.
Don’t forget to buy your copy today and fill in a yearly subscription form to get two free copies.
The wardens wish to thank everyone who assisted them in so many ways throughout the busy Christmas period. A particular thank you to Chris Everitt who assumed responsible for fire watch during the very busy Christingle service on Christmas Eve.
Thank you for all who helped over the Christmas Season, and for all of your cards and those who gave us presents — they are greatly appreciated.
Lent will be with us in five weeks time. This year we will be holding Charity Soup Lunches at St Mary’s on Wednesdays (from 13 February) for Christian Aid. We want ‘cooks’ to make soup — if you can help please see a member of the Ministry Team. More hands make light work!
| Service | First Reading | Second Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | Isaiah 60:1-6 | Gospel Matthew 2:1-12 |
| Time | St Mary’s | St Anne’s |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00 a.m. | Holy Communion Celebrant & Preacher: Revd Frank Berry |
|
| 10:00 a.m. | Community Worship Officiants: Revd Peter Hansell & Elizabeth Leicester Order of Service on printed Sheet |
|
| 10:15 a.m. | Sung Eucharist Celebrant & Preacher: Revd Frank Berry Hymns: 9,23,13,2,6 |
|
| 11:15 a.m. | Sung Eucharist Celebrant & Preacher: Revd Jeremy Dussek |
|
| 6:30 p.m. | Joint Festival of Lessons and Carols for Epiphany Order of Service on Printed Sheet |
No 6:30 p.m. service at St Anne’s |
| Day | Time | St Mary’s | St Anne’s |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 9:00 a.m. | Morning Prayer | |
| Tuesday | 9:00 a.m. | Holy Communion | |
| Wednesday | 9:00 a.m. | Morning Prayer | |
| Thursday | 9:00 a.m. | Morning Prayer |
| Time | St Mary’s | St Anne’s |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00 a.m. | Holy Communion | |
| 10:00 a.m. | Sung Eucharist | |
| 10:15 a.m. | Community Worship | |
| 6:30 p.m. | Evensong | Evensong |
See also: Calendar of Future Events
| Date | Time | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Mon-07-Jan | 7:30 p.m. | St Mary’s PCC review of Youth and Children’s work at St Anne’s |
| Thu-10-Jan | 8:00 p.m. | St Anne’s Standing Committee 15,Parkhill |
| Sat-12-Jan | Children’s Bowling St Mary’s and St Anne’s. For all children in year 3 to 6. Please see Chris Hirsch for further details (449 3995). | |
| Sun-13-Jan | 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Children’s Party at St Anne’s Hall. For all children age 0 to Year 2 inclusive. Sign-up lists will be at the back of both churches. |
In the Gospel reading, we hear about the Wise Men travelling from the East to come and worship the baby Jesus. We commemorate their arrival on Epiphany Sunday.
Epiphany means, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, the manifestation of a superhuman being and so, at Epiphany, we are celebrating the Wise Men’s acknowledgement of the divinity of the infant Jesus. So, who were these Wise Men, Magi or Kings as they are variously titled? St Matthew is the only Gospel writer to recount this event and he refers only to them as “Wise Men from the East”. He does not tell us how many of them there were, where they came from precisely, their rank or indeed their names. It has been assumed that there were three Wise Men, as Mary was presented with three gifts, but the names Melchior, Balthasar and Casper (or Gasper) were not mentioned until the sixth century AD. The term Magi would suggest that these travellers were Persian priests but they could just have easily originated from Arabia or Babylon. There is no biblical reference to them being Kings. Whoever these men were, they were clearly eminent scholarly figures in their own society or societies. They monitored the heavens for insights into what was happening on earth. They recognised the miraculous phenomenon of a new and unusual star in the night sky, which indicated to them the birth of a highly important person, and set out on a great expedition.
Seeing three children regally dressed, approaching the manger, is a heart-warming and traditional part of the nativity play but such a journey, by camel, could not have been accomplished within 12 days. Jesus was likely to have been a year or so old by the time the Wise Men were able to reach Him. The Wise Men brought special gifts for Jesus: gold, frankincense and myrrh. Each of these was highly symbolic. They brought gold because the child was poor but was born to be a king, frankincense for His future priestly role and myrrh for death. Even at this very early stage of His life, the shadow of the cross was never far away.
O God, who by the leading of a star manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: mercifully grant that we, who know you now by faith, may at last behold your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.