4/8/24
Your weekly update from the Benwell & Scotswood Team.
Click below to read this week's information and latest news.
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Services this week
Sunday 4 August
9.30am - St John's Holy Communion 9.45am - St Margaret's Holy Communion
11am - Hub service at St James (Parish Eucharist)
Tuesday
9.30am - Morning Prayer at Venerable Bede
4.30pm - Bible study with Farsi translation at St James
Wednesday
9.30am - Morning Prayer at Venerable Bede
Thursday
No services this day - clergy supervising youth trip
Sunday 11 August
9.30am - St John's Holy Communion
11am - Hub service at St James (Parish Eucharist)
4pm - David Kirkwood's farewell celebration at St James'
Dates for your Diary
Sat 3 Aug
Benstock Festival at St James
3pm - free family friendly art activities
5.30pm - doors open for music festival
Sat 11 Aug
4pm - David's final service at St James'
News
GET YOUR TICKETS FOR BENSTOCK '24!
It's back! On Saturday 3rd August at St James' Church.
Buy your tickets at benstock.org
Benstock 24 is the biggest music festival in Benwell this year. Stacked with the best up-and-coming talent and established names, this is the place to feel the beats and dig the vibes. Chill with the music and enjoy a night to remember.
Bands, licensed bar and more!
Free family friendly art and activities from 3pm.
Bands from 5.30pm - tickets £10 (or £5 for those who are unwaged).
All proceeds will go to the 'Something Wonderful' project, working with the vulnerable and isolated and strengthening the community of Benwell. More info at benwellscotswood.com/somethingwonderful
David's farewell celebration
A celebration of David’s ministry of over 39 years, and farewell to David and Elspeth as they prepare to leave Benwell and Scotswood.
Sunday 11th August 4 pm at St James, Benwell
Farewell Eucharist to mark David’s retirement
Preacher: Revd Yvonne Greener, Area Dean of Gateshead
Followed by Celebration Supper in St James Church Hall until 8pm
(food will be provided but all contributions welcome!)
Embrace - Gaza appeal
The people of Gaza are living through an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Israel’s response has led to indiscriminate civilian suffering, with residents forced to move from place to place in search of safety. Food and medical supplies have all but run out; water, electricity, and fuel have been cut off.
The people of Gaza were already on their knees with 80% of residents reliant on humanitarian aid to survive. Please, can you make a donation into help in their hour of need?
You can donate online, by clicking below, or by calling 01494 897950. Your gift will support Embrace’s Christian partners in the immediate aftermath of this humanitarian crisis and to help to heal the wounds it’s caused across Israel – Palestine.
Sunday Worship
Sunday 4 August 2024
Trinity 10
Green
Readings
Ephesians 4.1–16
4I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
7 But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8Therefore it is said,‘When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people.’9(When it says, ‘He ascended’, what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.) 11The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. 14We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. 15But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.
John 6.24–35
24So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ 26Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’ 28Then they said to him, ‘What must we do to perform the works of God?’ 29Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’ 30So they said to him, ‘What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? 31Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” ’ 32Then Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ 34They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’
35 Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Intercessions
Prayers for others:
John Nicholson
Malcolm Smith
Paulette Thompson
John Peterson
Maria Hawthorn
Herbert Agbeko
Ellis Nelson
Pauline Nelson
Michelle Wilson
Peter Wilson
Alan Taylor
Maureen Taylor
Irene Foskett
Lorraine Atkinson
Pat Law
Moe and Mary
Hilary Dixon
Lynn Mosby
Nelly
Irene Scaife
Baby Alice Rose, Jodie and family
Other
The ongoing situation in Russia, Ukraine, Gaza, Iran, Sudan and all other places at war.
Those preparing for baptism.
If you would like to add someone to the prayer list please email church@benwellscotswood.com
The name will stay on the list for 1 month unless requested to be long-term.
Sermon
Revd David
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
I am the bread of life whoever comes to me will never be hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
I think most of you will know by now that I am shortly retiring as the Team Rector for the Benwell and Scotswood Team, and that next Sunday will be my ’goodbye service’. I hope many of you will be able to be there, as Elspeth and I say our thankyous and goodbyes. I won’t anticipate that now, but as we have Yvonne coming to preach then, this will be my last sermon as Team Rector, so there is room for a little reflection.
Knowing about my retirement has led to a lot of gentle questioning. I would have hoped it would have been along the lines of, ‘surely you aren’t old enough’. But sadly, no, it’s more usually ‘we thought that must be about time ’. Oh well, it can’t be helped, speaking the truth in love is, after all, what St Paul says we must do. What comes next, is usually along the lines of, ‘Will you still be a priest? What will you do? Have you got any plans?’
To answer the first and easiest question. Yes, I will still be a priest, just as, when we are baptised, it is a once for always gift, so when we are ordained as deacon, priest or bishop it is permanent. Theologians use the word ‘indelible’, just like indelible ink, it doesn’t come off. On retirement though, I will lose the licence that the bishop gave me when I was made Team Rector. Being a priest is always a shared responsibility, when I was made Rector here, as on all such occasions, the bishop made this clear, saying, ‘receive the cure of souls which is both yours and mine’. So, although still a priest, without that licence, I will no longer be able to take services.
Fortunately, that is not the end of the story, in fact, as we know well in this parish, retired priests do still take services, and indeed have a vital ministry supporting their full and part time colleagues. To do that, they must apply to the bishop, for what is called a PTO, not please turn over, but Permission to Officiate. However, it is up to the bishop to grant that (or not), and more seriously, we are strongly recommended not to apply, for at least six months after retirement. ‘Give yourself some space’, is what we are told.
So, the next questions, ‘What will you do? Have you got any plans?’ Are a bit harder to answer, as part of the answer has got to be, ‘we will have to wait and see’. We do know we will be moving to Wallsend, and in due course, will want to be involved with local church and community things.
Last week, as we celebrated five people being baptised, and our patron saint, St James, Chris talked about pilgrimages, and Christian life as a pilgrimage that begins with our baptism. Being a pilgrim means having a goal, but that is not necessarily the same as having a plan. The journey can take different twists and turns, the pilgrim must be ready to accept whatever God gives, day by day. In today’s gospel, we heard Jesus’ word to his people, assuring them of provision for the journey, I am the bread of life whoever comes to me will never be hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Bread for the journey, as a priest, the greatest joy and privilege is, as Chris is about to do, to celebrate at the altar. To preside at this Holy Sacrament, the Eucharist, the Mass, the Lord’s Supper, the Holy Communion, whatever name we give it, for this is the place, where the hungry, do indeed receive the bread of life. Our 1st reading recalled how,Christ loved us and gave himself up for us a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. In this sacrament, that sacrifice is made present, not something past and forgotten, but living and real. Past, present and future are all here, the love Jesus showed in his Cross and Passion, the love vindicated in the Resurrection, the love glorified in the Ascension is made real in our worship and flows into our lives.
‘Live in love as Christ loved us’ that was what the reading instructed to do, that task is set before all of us, wherever we are on that pilgrim journey. How could we hope to do that were it not for what we receive as we come to His table? Here is forgiveness for all that is past, food for the present, and a foretaste of the heavenly banquet, a pledge of hope for the future. Of course, we shall miss you all, but the fellowship and communion we have found here will continue to be a blessing, and as all of us move on, on our different journeys, this wonderful gift will continue to be offered for us. We are assured we do not travel alone and at the end of the journey there will be joys, beyond all telling. Amen.