10/4/22
News from the Benwell & Scotswood Team
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Strange devotion, Francisco de Goya
red chalk on paper, Museo del Prado, 1815
Dates for your diary
Holy Week 10-16 Apr (details below)
Wed 20 Apr - Interfaith Iftar Meal, 7.15pm at St James
Sun 1 May - Hub service moves to St James
11am at St James'
Sun 7 May - Howay day (new date)
10am - 1pm
News
Holy Week begins!
Join us from this Sunday for the most special time in the church's year. As we journey through Holy Week we recall the story of Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection.
Below is a timetable of the week's events:
Sun - 11am, Palm Sunday at Ven Bede
Mon - 9pm, Compline at Ven Bede
Tues - 9pm, Compline at Ven Bede
Wed - 1pm big church clean at St James
9pm, Compline at Ven Bede
Thurs - 7.30pm Maundy Thursday at St John's (The Watch continues until 12am)
Fri - 1pm, stations of the cross; at St Margaret's
2pm, Liturgy of Good Friday
Sat - 8.30pm, The Easter liturgy, at St James'
Sun - 11am, Easter morning service at Ven Bede
Flowers for Holy Week
We are welcoming donations towards the flowers for Holy Week and Easter to get our churches looking great.
Please just speak to Elspeth Kirkwood or Liz and Olwyn if you would like to make a donation or if you would like to help with creating the displays.
The big church clean - Wednesday from 1pm, St James
To get St James looking great for Easter, join us on Wednesday afternoon to get it clean and shiny! Many hands make light work!
The Maundy Thursday Watch
Our Maundy Thursday service is at St John's at 7.30pm. After the service, the church remains open until midnight. This is when we remember how the disciples tried to stay awake to pray with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.
You are welcome to come and go as you please during the night, but to make sure there is somebody there at all times, we need some volunteers willing to sign up to half an hour slots from 8.30pm - 12am. There will be a sign-up sheet at the back of church on Sunday or drop us an email at church@benwellscotswood.com
Interfaith Iftar Dinner - St James, Wed 20th April, 7.15pm
If you would like to come please rsvp to yapiciismail28@gmail.com
Joint with the Dialogue Society, we are hosting an Iftar meal at St James. Join us for some incredible Turkish food provided by our friends, music, art, and more!
The Dialogue Society exists to build community across different faiths, ethnicities, and backgrounds.
An Iftar is a meal to break your fast after sundown during Ramadan. We will also be hosting the meal during Easter week and simultaneously recognise the importance of this time of year for other religions with Passover, Holi, and Vaisakhi.
Worship Texts
The Collect
Almighty and everlasting God,
who in your tender love towards the human race
sent your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ
to take upon him our flesh
and to suffer death upon the cross:
grant that we may follow the example of his patience and humility,
and also be made partakers of his resurrection;
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.
Amen.
Liturgy of the Palms
Luke 19.28–4 After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, “Why are you untying it?” just say this: “The Lord needs it.” ’ So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’ They said, ‘The Lord needs it.’ Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying, ‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!’ Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, order your disciples to stop.’ He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.’
The Passion Gospel
Luke 23.1–49 Then the assembly rose as a body and brought Jesus before Pilate. They began to accuse him, saying, ‘We found this man perverting our nation, forbidding us to pay taxes to the emperor, and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king.’Then Pilate asked him, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ He answered, ‘You say so.’ Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, ‘I find no basis for an accusation against this man.’ But they were insistent and said, ‘He stirs up the people by teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he began even to this place.’ When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. And when he learned that he was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him off to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had been wanting to see him for a long time, because he had heard about him and was hoping to see him perform some sign. He questioned him at some length, but Jesus gave him no answer. The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. Even Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him; then he put an elegant robe on him, and sent him back to Pilate. That same day Herod and Pilate became friends with each other; before this they had been enemies. Pilate then called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people, and said to them, ‘You brought me this man as one who was perverting the people; and here I have examined him in your presence and have not found this man guilty of any of your charges against him. Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us. Indeed, he has done nothing to deserve death. I will therefore have him flogged and release him.’ Then they all shouted out together, ‘Away with this fellow! Release Barabbas for us!’ (This was a man who had been put in prison for an insurrection that had taken place in the city, and for murder.) Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again; but they kept shouting, ‘Crucify, crucify him!’ A third time he said to them, ‘Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no ground for the sentence of death; I will therefore have him flogged and then release him.’ But they kept urgently demanding with loud shouts that he should be crucified; and their voices prevailed. So Pilate gave his verdict that their demand should be granted. He released the man they asked for, the one who had been put in prison for insurrection and murder, and he handed Jesus over as they wished. As they led him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and they laid the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus. A great number of the people followed him, and among them were women who were beating their breasts and wailing for him. But Jesus turned to them and said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For the days are surely coming when they will say, “Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.” Then they will begin to say to the mountains, “Fall on us”; and to the hills, “Cover us.” For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?’ Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. [[ Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’]] And they cast lots to divide his clothing. And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, ‘He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!’ The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, and saying, ‘If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!’ There was also an inscription over him, ‘This is the King of the Jews.’ One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, ‘Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!’ But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’ It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.’ Having said this, he breathed his last. When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, ‘Certainly this man was innocent.’And when all the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating their breasts. But all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
Intercessions
To add names to the prayer list please email church@benwellscotswood.com
Prayers for others:
Violet
Nadia
Batoul Malayeri
George Irving
Alistair
John Nicholson
Alan Robson
Peter Wilson
Michelle Wilson
Liz Holliman
Joan Finley
James, Christina, Anastasia, and Xavier
The Riches Family
George Snowden
Claire Mozaffari
Herbert Agbeko
Baptisms
Preston Clark
Those preparing for baptism at Easter
Rest in peace
Mark Coulson
Jace
Other intentions
Ukraine, Yemen, Ethiopia and all places at war.
Post Communion prayer
Lord Jesus Christ,
you humbled yourself in taking the form of a servant,
and in obedience died on the cross for our salvation:
give us the mind to follow you
and to proclaim you as Lord and King,
to the glory of God the Father.
Amen.