The Song of Simeon
“Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace,
according to thy word:
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.”
So what’s that all about?
Well, the story of it is that when Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the Temple as a baby, an old man called Simeon met them. Simeon had been promised that he would see the Messiah and so he recognised Jesus. Simeon was so delighted that he couldn’t keep from singing and we have his song remembered in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 2:29-32).
For our art theme this time, take the words of the Song of Simeon, read them through and see which phrase jumps out at you. You can use whichever version of the words you like, I like the King James version (above) but you may have another copy of the Bible which uses slightly different words, or trying looking online – search Luke 2:29-32. I’ve put another version at the end of this message.
Remember, art is unlimited – it could be a picture, but it could be a poem, or sculpture, collage of model. I have been working on a piece of jewellery.
So whatever art it is, photograph your work and send it to me
(LLM Lesley: llm.lesley@badshotleaandhale.org ). Also, tell me why you chose these particular words and I will put an online exhibition together. Please sign your work so I know it is your own and confirm that you are happy for us to exhibit it online and in St Mark’s
Closing date for receipt of photos: Sunday 31 January – which is in time for Candlemas, the date when the church remembers the story of Simeon.
(We will have a display which you can see at St Mark’s too, so bring your work there if you can.)
Just in case the King James’ version of the song doesn’t appeal to you, here is another:
“Now, Lord, you have kept your promise,
and you may let your servant go in peace.
With my own eyes I have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples:
A light to reveal your will to the Gentiles
and bring glory to your people Israel.”
What are you waiting for? I want to see that art!
Lockdown Poems
Could you write down your thoughts about the lockdown? We’d love to include lockdown poems by adults or children in our online services. Here is a lovely poem to inspire you.
Or this poem by Jim Carruth
the long bench
For the times ahead
when we will be
as if at either end
of the long bench
where distance kept
is love’s measure
and death dances
the space between
when words alone
are not enough
and queued memories
reach out to touch
let longing be a store
of nut and seed
that grows each day
in strange hibernation
readying for its end –
the sharing of the feast.
Please send your work to me – revd.lesley@badshotleaandhale.org
BCP Evening Prayer – 10th January
This evening’s BCP Evening Prayer
Baptism of Christ Services – 10th January
Today we are celebrating the Baptism of Christ. Below are the services. First here are the notices:
Notices
Giving
Please Give to our Ministry This church relies on donations to provide care and support to everyone in this community. Now more than ever, please consider giving generously to support our mission and ministry by clicking the button above. Thank you for your support.Stay Well
If you are struggling in any way please don’t suffer in silence – give the Rectory a call – 01252 820537 – it is tough at the moment and we would love to hear from you.Services
All-Age:
More Traditional:
Lockdown update
We are back into lockdown with schools closed to most children; restrictions on leaving our homes; all but essential shops closed; and other rules which are now law which you can find here.
However, churches can remain open for worship as long as they follow strict precautions such as social distancing, hand sanitizing, no mingling between households/bubbles, everyone of 11 and over wearing masks (unless exempt), and the parish is continuing to monitor the situation. We have increased the space between chairs where possible, have moved the altar at St Mark’s back to create more space and at St Mark’s will be bringing communion to people rather than expecting them to move around to take communion so that there is enough room for everyone.
However, no-one who feels uncomfortable about coming to church should feel any obligation to come and there are online services every week here.
Lesley explains the thinking behind this: “Churches offer comfort and support which is particularly important at a time when our mental health is under such strain. Moreover, the risk of catching Covid has been shown to be very low in UK churches and we have gone out or our way to ensure that we have mitigated any risks. We will continue to follow the guidelines and to ask our congregations to do the same.
“We also want churches to remain open for funerals. For many families, church funerals are important and we are also able to accommodate larger numbers than many crematoria – we can have up to 30 people – so enabling more people to experience this important aspect of grieving.
“Of course many of our congregations may not wish to come to church at the moment. We are continuing our services online as well as in church so those who have internet can join in. However, we are acutely aware of those people who do not have internet and cannot come to church and we are doing what we can to ensure that they are not isolated. We even have people ringing others up and playing the service through the phone as well as just having a general chat.”
Our services are at 9.30am at St John’s, 10am at St George’s and 11am at St Mark’s, and online services are here.
Support a neighbour
Have you got a few hours to spare? Could you help someone who needs company or assistance with practical tasks?
Farnham Neighbours’ Network, a new buddying initiative, aims to build sustainable friendship in Farnham, fostering neighbourliness, providing practical support and combating loneliness.
This local network is looking for volunteers: people with good listening skills and an hour or so to spare each week who are interested in getting to know someone new . In the current lockdown, the focus is on supporting people and combatting loneliness through social phone calls, which means you can safely volunteer from home.
In the longer term, volunteers will be needed to support others with learning how to use a new piece of technology; to do some light DIY and gardening; to go for walks and more, in line with the ambition to have a network which supports the needs and wishes of the town’s residents.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer or simply finding our more. click on the link here or email the coordinator Erin Beesley: erin.beesley@farnhammaltings.com
The FNN coordinator links volunteers up with a neighbour based on proximity, interests and the support they are happy to give. All volunteers receive a DBS check and will be given full support to ensure they feel confident and safe in volunteering.
Farnham Neighbours Network is run by Farnham Maltings in partnership with Farnham Town Council.
Picture by Ave Calvar on Unsplash.
Toddler Epiphany Service
Enjoy this epiphany service for Toddlers
Taizé – 3RD January
Tonight’s Taizé service:
Epiphany Services – 3rd January
Today we are celebrating Epiphany – when the magi visit Jesus as a child. Below are the services. First here are the notices:
Notices
Giving
Please Give to our Ministry This church relies on donations to provide care and support to everyone in this community. Now more than ever, please consider giving generously to support our mission and ministry by clicking the button above. Thank you for your support.Meet virtually with others
At 7:30pm on 5th January Beyond Belief is meeting – a group to discuss interesting books related to faith. We currently meet online via Zoom and are discussing Days Of Awe And Wonder: How To Be A Christian In The Twenty-First Century by Marcus Borg. We are going to read it by themes rather than consecutive chapters and during the first meeting we will be discussing 1. Listening to the Spirit, 4. Jesus our model of being Spirit filled, 16. Listening for the voice of God. To join the meeting, click here: https://zoom.us/j/96494675106 At 7:30pm on 6th January Bible Book Club is meeting – a group will be looking at Genesis chapters 37-50, the story of Jacob, Leah and Rachel, on Wednesday at 7:30pm on Zoom. Everyone is welcome. There are details of it here: https://www.biblesociety.org.uk/explore-the-bible/bible-book-club/genesis/ The meeting can be found here: https://zoom.us/j/95184241513 Meeting ID: 951 8424 1513. If you haven’t used Zoom before, instructions can be found here: https://badshotleaandhale.org/2020/03/30/using-zoom/Services
All-Age:
More Traditional:
Have your voice heard over the future of Farnham
Join the online public meeting on January 6 at 6.30pm to discuss the Farnham Infrastructure Programme which aims to improve traffic and transport across the town and make Farnham a better and safer place to live.
It is very important that north Farnham residents have their say so that all parts of the town are improved. For instance, if the centre of Farnham is pedestrianised, what impact would that have on north Farnham?
There are details of some of the issues in a leaflet here:
If you are on Facebook please join the North Farnham Voice group (click here) and please sign up for the Zoom meeting on Wednesday – click here to do so.
There will also be Zoom hubs available. Contact Hale Community Centre or St Mark’s Church/St George’s Church.
Anyone who doesn’t want to or cannot participate via Zoom can email Catherine Powell, founder of North Farnham Voice, with ideas and/or solutions or can contact their local councillor – details of councillors can be found here.
Please join us and have your voice heard.
The Parish of Badshot Lea and Hale 