This week’s Worship
Pentecost and Platinum Jubilee – 5th June (1st Sun.)
8:00 am BCP Holy Communion
9:15 am Holy Communion, Croston
10:30am Joint worship, Bretherton
at Congregational Church
11:00 am Baptism w Holy Communion, Mawdesley
Friday morning Prayer at Mawdesley
cancelled this week restarts 9 am 24th June
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ
I hope you have all managed to celebrate this Platinum Jubilee extended Bank Holiday weekend, it’s been a bit strange starting on a Thursday but at least we have had some good weather.
For most of us our Queen has always been there throughout our lives and what an amazing example she has been to us all in our nation, the commonwealth and the world, she is so well respected and there have been some lovely tributes paid to her over the last few days.
Unsurprisingly at the grand old age of 96 we are beginning to see her step back from her public duties and the Prince of Wales and other working members of the Royal family are picking up more and more of her duties. I greatly enjoyed the service of thanks giving from St. Pauls Cathedral on Friday morning and when the Prince of Wales was talking to the Archbishop of York I couldn’t help wondering if he was saying something like ‘well were both stand ins today’!
I felt he hit the right note with his sermon giving thanks to God for her Majesty’s faithfulness to God and her people whom she has served so well throughout her reign so I thought I would share with you some extracts from his sermon.
Archbishop Stephen said: ‘the purpose of the Christian faith is to know and to do God’s will. Sisters and brothers, dear friends, we gather today in great rejoicing to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen, but we do it against a backdrop of such suffering and uncertainty in our world. For me, the best leaders – like Paul, like Jesus – are those who know how to be led. People who lead for others, not themselves. People whose heart’s desire is to serve the common good and build up the common life; who don’t try to do it all themselves, or act in their own strength alone; people who take a longer view; and who seek out places of replenishing, even places where they might learn the mind of Christ.
And I say this today, knowing that in Her Majesty the Queen we see an example of this kind of service; a staunch constancy and a steadfast consistency; a faithfulness to God, an obedience to a vocation that is the bedrock of her life.
No, bedrock isn’t quite the right image.
Faith in Jesus Christ is a fountain, and it is a well.
It is the well from which we draw deeply and replenish ourselves through all the challenges, joys, and vicissitudes of life.
The Archbishop then offered an observation that her majesty’s long reign reflects: ‘the distance of Aintree more than the sprints of Epsom. Certainly, less dressage than most people imagine. But with endurance, through times of change and challenge, joy and sorrow, you continues to offer yourself in the service of our country and the commonwealth. Your Majesty, we’re sorry you’re not with us this morning in person, but we are so glad you are still in the saddle.
And we are all glad that there is still more to come.
So, thank you for staying the course.
Thank you, for continuing to be faithful to the pledges you made 70 years ago.
Thank you for showing us how service and faithfulness matter. People of all faiths and no faiths and people of goodwill can learn from this.
Sometimes people say to me that the Christian faith is just a prop.
I couldn’t agree more. I’m not ashamed to say I lean on Jesus Christ, that I’m trying to live close to his heart. That I need his wisdom and his hope. And if you will forgive such presumption, this is what I also see in Her Majesty the Queen. And to the people of our great nation, on this great and historic day, I say this: we are indeed living in a time of uncertainty and challenge, and we would do well to consider where we will find the replenishing we need.
What I see in Her Majesty the Queen is someone who has been able to serve our nation faithfully because of her faith in Jesus Christ. Perhaps there is no better way of celebrating her Platinum Jubilee than by doing the same ourselves.’
Stephen Cottrell
Archbishop of York
Next Sunday – Pentecost & Jubilee – 5th June (1st Sun.)
9:15 am Family Worship, Croston
11:00am Worship, Bretherton
No Worship at Mawdesley this Sunday
The Rector will be taking a holiday from 9 – 22nd June
Which is one of the reasons there are some changes to our normal patterns of worship over the coming weeks.
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Please pray for the family and friends of the recently departed:
Richard Keith Ashcroft, Mary Cobley & Ron Kearton
Rest eternal grant unto them O Lord may light perpetual
shine upon them, may they rest in peace and rise in glory.
Dates for Funerals
Mary Cobley Monday 6th June 3 pm St. Peters Mawdesley
Richard Keith Ashcroft Tues. 14th June Charnock Richard Crematorium
Ronnie Kearton Wednesday 22nd June 2 pm St. Michaels Croston
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Revd Janet Taylor will be licenced to St Leonards Penwortham on Tuesday 26th July by Bishop Philip
Facebook & YouTube Online Worship
An Act of Worship from Blackburn Cathedral will be available every Sunday from 9am. You can view this on the Cathedral YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4GsctW6SLc or on their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BlackburnCathedral
This weeks Church of England worship will celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, British Forces serving in the Middle East will lead this special service. You can view this from 9am on Sunday at https://www.facebook.com/thechurchofengland or via
Joint worship with the Congregational Church at Bretherton
We have decided to restart our pattern of joint worship with our Brothers and Sisters at the congregational Church.
Sunday 5th June 10:30am Pentecost and Jubilee worship
at the Congregational Church
Sunday 26th June Feast of John the Baptist 11 am
Joint worship at St. John the Baptist then we walk down to the Congregational Church for food, fun and fellowship.
Bretherton Church and Grounds Maintenance
Can you help with cleaning inside church and/or the maintenance of our churchyard? Please speak to Churchwarden Naomi or the rector if you would like to help – many hands make light work!
Can you help with the cleaning of Mawdesley Parish Room once per week? If so please call Barbara 01704 822468
Can you help at Croston Church?
New people are needed to join both the cleaning team on a rota basis, and also to help maintain the church and cemetery Grounds.
Croston Coffee Day (Procession of Witness) returns on 2nd July
Raffle Tickets are now on sale, if you wish to purchase or better still if you wish to help by selling these tickets or helping in any other way please contact Derek Alty – telephone number – 01772 600584
The Jackson Scholarship Fund Invites applications by the 30th June
These are for one off grants from young people (under 25) who have attended Trinity St. Michaels primary school, or if funds are available Bishop Rawstorne Academy. These are to assist them with their studies or trades, full details on the notice boards in Church or contact the rector who can provide more details.
The Collect
Holy Spirit, sent by the Father, ignite in us your holy fire; strengthen your children with the gift of faith, revive your Church with the breath of love, and renew the face of the earth, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
First Reading
The Spirit brings courage and gifts of communication to Jesus’ first followers.
Acts 2.1-21
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.
And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs – in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.’
All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’ But others sneered and said, ‘They are filled with new wine.’ But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning.
No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: “In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”’
Second Reading
God’s Spirit frees us from fear of suffering, reassuring us of our destiny as children of a loving Father, co-heirs with Christ to the glory he achieved for us through his own suffering.
Romans 8:14-17
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
The Gospel
Jesus speaks to his disciples of the way in which they will continue to experience him after his departure from the world.
John 14.8-17(25-27)
Philip said to Jesus, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me?
Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves.
Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.
I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it. If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you for ever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not let them be afraid.
Prayer after Communion
Faithful God, who fulfilled the promises of Easter by sending us your Holy Spirit and opening to every race and nation the way of life eternal: open our lips by your Spirit, that every tongue may tell of your glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
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