St James, Bramley

We shall be remembering the events of the first Good Friday and Easter Day during the coming week at various events:

Maundy Thursday, 18th April:

• 19.00: Fellowship Supper in Cross House: a simple meal of soup, bread, cheese and fruit, as we remember Jesus’ Last Supper with His friends.
• 20.00: Holy Communion in the church

Good Friday, 19th April:

• 10.00: Children’s Good Friday service: explaining what happened and why Jesus chose to die on the cross.  Part of the service will include building an Easter Garden.
• 14.00: An Hour at the Foot of the Cross: hymns, Bible readings and prayers, as we remember Jesus’ last hours of pain and suffering.

Easter Day, 21st April:  

• 10.30: Easter Family Communion, celebrating the joy of the risen Christ together as a church family.

We very much hope that you will come and join us at one of these services as we celebrate this glorious festival together.

On most Sundays, we have three morning services, each one reflecting a different style of worship – but all three committed to worshipping the same Lord and reflecting on His word, the Bible.  Our aim is that the variety of styles will allow everyone to find an approach to worship that matches their own preference, so that they can glorify God in the way that suits them best.

8.00 Holy Communion: A quiet, reflective service without music.  We always have a short (8-10 minutes) address on the Bible, following the same theme as the other two services.

9.00 Sunday@nine: A very informal, lively and relaxed service which takes place over in Cross House, our church hall, with upbeat music led by a small band.  Coffee/tea and breakfast pastries are served from 8.45 and throughout the service.  Children and babies are welcome at all the services, but at this service we have activities for younger children (3-8 years) in the Shell Club and for older children (8 and up) in JAM (“Jesus and Me”).  There are soft toys and cushions for tinies at the back of the hall.  The sermon is always based on a Bible passage and is the same as that preached at 10.30.

10.30 Worship: A more structured Church of England morning service, using words from Common Worship or the Book of Common Prayer, and with more traditional hymns accompanied by our lovely organ.  The sermon, as mentioned, is the same as that preached at 9.00, and focuses on a passage from the Bible.  Children and babies are very welcome, but there is no particular provision for them at this service.

These are the services this Sunday, 14th April, Palm Sunday, in Bramley and Little London

• 8.00 Holy Communion, according to the Book of Common Prayer – St James
• 9.00 Sunday@nine – Cross House
• 10.30 Holy Communion – St James

We do hope you will join us for one of these services, when we shall be continuing our Lent sermon series looking at the Servant Songs of Isaiah: this week, we focus on the passage in Chapter 53, verses 10 to 12.

A million people march in London to protest against Brexit.  All around them as they march, people wave placards and shout slogans in contradiction of those opinions.  Our society is very vocal in its support for something or its opposition to something else.  And we get rightly indignant over anything we see as injustice, prejudice or oppression of minorities, with demonstrations in Trafalgar Square addressed by politicians who support those opinions.

But when the greatest injustice of all time was perpetrated – the trial, condemnation and summary execution of Jesus, a completely innocent victim – no voices of protest were raised.  And noticeably, at no time did Jesus Himself protest his own innocence or rail against the wickedness of those who clamoured for Him to be put to death.  “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth,” Isaiah prophesied of the Suffering Servant in chapter 53.

Why did Jesus not protest against His treatment by the authorities and the mob?  Because it was always God’s plan and intention that Jesus should give His life “as a ransom for many”, the righteous for the unrighteous, the innocent for the guilty.  Jesus kept silent and went willingly to the cross so that we could be spared.

Monday		Luke 4:14-21
Tuesday		Matthew 20:17-28
Wednesday		Luke 24:13-27
Thursday		Acts 2:22-36
Friday		Romans 5:1-11
Saturday		Philippians 2:5-11

Our parish of Bramley and Little London is part of a group of parishes known as a Benefice. We work together, sharing resources and helping one another out when needed, while also retaining our individual styles and preferences as we worship the living God.

There is just one service elsewhere in our Benefice next Sunday, 14th April, Palm Sunday:

• 10.00am, St Leonard’s, Sherfield on Loddon: Morning Worship and Sunday Club