I got into church early and was the first to be seated. T and R were chatting on the sound desk. T ran through the slides and I heard a short preview of each hymn.
People arrived in ones and twos. Then I heard a few voices at once, like the echoes in an underground station.
At the start of the service, T welcomed us all from the lectern, . She especially welcomed, Andrew, the preacher, from the Peachcroft Christian Centre, and remarked we don't get many people from there.
One of the hymns, 'Give Thanks to the Lord', was a video performed by people from Peachcroft Christian Centre.
The sermon had the title 'Our Identity in Jesus'. The main point being how closely we identify with Jesus. Andrew said the Christian life is like marriage where we give up part of our identity. He suggested spending more time in prayer as a start, and mentioned Prayer Force as a way into praying.
At Trinity Church in Abingdon this morning things are slowly returning to normal. For the first time people did not need to book in advance. However people were still socially distanced, and wore masks and there was no congregational singing. The songs were on videos.
The preacher, Helen, was pinged by the NHS Covid-19 app on the way to church to say she needed to self isolate. She passed on her apologies and written prayers and sermon and they were read by another lay preacher.
He began by saying you may have heard of the 'pingdemic' - a play on words from “pandemic” and being 'pinged' or notified by the NHS app that you have been contact with somebody who has Covid-19 and should self isolate.
He said that is why he was standing there before you instead of Helen. The service went smoothly and at the end Helen was complimented on her clear, and easy to read, notes.
I was the door steward at Trinity Church and was waiting for the first people to arrive. I looked out through the half arch of the door to the blue blossoms of the ceanothus and yellow blossoms of a laburnum tree over the road. A car idled and birds chirruped and whistled. J and M came first and so I greeted them and ticked them off the pre-booking list. L was next to arrive. She was on her scooter and reversed it into a space by the door. The booking sheet had 20 people and next to her name was the comment 'reader'. There followed a rush of people, including S who was preaching, and Ba, who I added to the list - as she had forgot to book. At half past ten, S came to ask if we were expecting any more. G and M, the last two, came in at that moment. Ga asked when we were going to stop wearing masks. I said, 'possibly June 21st, depending on government advise.'
The Covid safety measures are the same as when the church opened after the first lockdown with masks and spaced seating and no singing. The first hymn video that played was 'Open the eyes of my heart, Lord'.
S's reflection was on the icon by 15th Century Russian painter, Andrei Rublev, known both as 'The Trinity' and 'The Hospitality of Abraham.' She said the Trinity was discerned by the early church and is not easy to explain but this icon can help us. It was made for prayer and can help us focus on God the Trinity and experience not in words but as a window. Selina then took us through a meditation on the icon with silences. S said we are included in the picture as there is a space for us at the front together with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit.
The bells rang out and Services resumed today. We’ve dipped our toes in the water and held the first Sunday service in our church building since lockdown began. The service followed the familiar form with prayers, bible readings, sermon and hymns. We were not allowed to sing, but we could still concentrate on the words as the music played. Government recommendations were followed to the letter and we felt perfectly safe. No conversations were allowed in the church building but there was opportunity to talk outside.
Since the Coronavirus lockdown began we at Trinity have been following the Sunday Service Sheet that is sent by email, delivered by hand, and posted on the Trinity Website.
The service this week began with a poem about Social Isolation by R G Huff.
In our homes, we meet to worship, far away from sacred space. ...
Then comes a well known hymn
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!
There follows a prayer asking that in these days of isolation we shall appreciate God's world more, and in particular pray for endangered species. The prayer ends 'Teach us to care for your world and to respect all peoples.' A short hymn by Isaac Watts 'From all that dwell below the skies'
We then have a reading from Peter's 1st Letter. We had a reading from Peter last week.
The preacher writes ... Peter urges us to be like Jesus even in difficult situations and reminds us that in so doing we can live in this world demonstrating God’s kingdom.
The service ended with two more well known hymns. The sheet said 'As you read or sing these hymns, may they also be your prayer. May God’s Holy Spirit help us to make these prayers'
Brother, sister, let me serve you,
let me be as Christ to you ;
pray that I may have the grace
to let you be my servant too.
...
Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring your love ;
where there is injury, your pardon, Lord ;
and where there’s doubt, true faith in you ....
St Michael's Church joined us at Trinity today for the service led by Revd Ian and Deacon Selina.
Selina preached on two bible passages.
Abram was called by God to move from his home land (Genesis 12: 1 – 4a). Selina commented that methodist ministers had to pull up tent pegs and move on every five years. They could not get too settled.
The second passage was Nicodemus visiting Jesus at night (John 3). Nicodemus had been living the Jewish commandments and customs. Jesus shocked him by saying you must be born again. Outward religion was not what God called for. It was inward religion, born of the Spirit.
Ian then led us in communion in the URC way. We waited in our seats as the bread was brought round. We then shared the bread together. The same with the fruit juice. We are one family : St Michael's and Trinity. Usually the churches in Abingdon meet in their respective buildings, and today we were together.
After communion Rosemary and Malcolm led prayers. Rosemary read the words of Jesus from John 3. They shaped what Malcolm prayed for.
A lady played a Welsh harp before the thanksgiving service began.
I was next to somebody from a Welsh choir with a very loud voice as we sang Guide me oh thou great Redeemer - the first hymn.
John Prout told us of Liz's life. No big surprises like you get with some quieter people. We all knew her as a warm friendly smiling person. She had become a nurse. Given up her job to bring up the three daughters. Her husband travelled a lot for his business - disability aids, which he couldn't have run without her. She returned to working as a nurse, and on Tony Garret's suggestion went on to promote opportunities for disabled people to go to work. She had begun her life in Liverpool, Anfield. Gone to four Methodist Churches in her life and ended up at Trinity where she helped with lots of things. Cooking and flowers were things she loved. She helped at toddlers. She volunteered for the Monday Club with the learning disabled. She volunteered at the Abingdon Bridge, becoming their chair. There were people from Liverpool and Monday Club and all through her life she had kept friends. John said she had a lovely soprano voice.
She had wanted to be a missionary but in a way Selina said she was like John Wesley who said "The world is my parish."
A few years ago when she got unwell I saw her being pushed on the Market Place and she did not seem to recognise or respond. Instead of the smile she looked through me. I was aware of not knowing how to respond. She surely would have gone up to the person and smiled and held their hand.
She has been ill for some years, cared for at Bridge House. Selina said she visited and found the warm loving person within.
Family member read poems. One young lady read a prayer about a chrysalis becoming a butterfly. Selina told a story to the children about Big and Little and how Big cared for Little. There followed an adult's address.
We sang Let me be a channel of your Peace and How Great Thou Art.
A slideshow of pictures of Liz's life was shown with music.
