Update on Sunday Worship

Sunday 10th May

The Sixth Sunday of Easter

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Sunday
9:15 am  Holy Communion with APCM at St Lawrence, Towcester
9:15 am  Holy Communion with APCM at St Michael's Bradden
10:15 am  Benefice Sunday Worship via Zoom
11:15 am  Family Communion at St Bartholomew's, Greens Norton

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Our weekly news contains details of services for this and next weekend, as well as daily bible readings, prayer requests and notices for forthcoming events. 

Looking ahead to events and services that are happening please do look at the monthly calendar for May

Copies are available in churches for collecting especially for those who do not have emails. 

Dear all,

Ascension Day Thursday 14^th May our service is at 7.30 pm at greens Norton. Please do email / let me know if you would be prepared to read on of the readings at that service. (the readings are Acts 1.1-11 and Ephesians 1.15-end) It’s good for these benefice services if we have voices from across the benefice.

In the gospel, this coming Sunday ( the Sixth Sunay of Easter), Jesus says to us what he said to his disciples,  ‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments’. Listening to Jesus’ words and making an effort to act on them is what marks out the disciples of Jesus. To be a disciple means to be someone under discipline; disciple and discipline come from the same words. Being human, we may recoil from that and want to go our own way. We know don’t always live up to our discipleship and need God’s help to do better.

Then there is that little word “if." If you love me…. What comes to mind? Maybe those conversations when we have felt some pressure to do something, ‘If you loved me, you would do …..dot dot dot. This seems rather odd and out of character. We are much more used to hearing about the unconditional love of Jesus.
 
When the disciples were hiding behind locked doors in fear, Jesus simply stood there among them, and without criticising them, simply spoke words of peace.  On the road to Emmaus, Jesus, appeared as a stranger, patiently talking to the disciples about the meaning of scripture. And at the table, when they recognised him, there was no condemnation about how long it had taken them. The post-Resurrection appearances strongly suggest that the risen Jesus loved his disciples unconditionally.

‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments. Perhaps the emphasis should actually be on the word ‘keep' / obeying the commandments.. We can remember the new commandment that Jesus gave to his friends in the previous chapter: "A new commandment I give you, that you love one another even as I have loved you"? Jesus is not talking especially of a specific set of rules but rather, of following his way of life. What is involved here is Christian discipleship.

We can’t truly call ourselves disciples of Jesus if we don’t listen to his words and make an effort to live by them. We may think of God's commandments as guiding us in learning how to love him and each other.

With every blessing,
Greg

New Bishop of Brixworth Announced on Friday Morning

The next Bishop of Brixworth will be The Venerable Dr Alex Hughes, currently Archdeacon of Cambridge in the Diocese of Ely, Downing Street has announced today.

Alex discussed his appointment with the Revd Becky Dyball, Bishop's Missioner which you can watch here.

Today (Friday 8 May) we welcome Alex to the Diocese starting at Bishop Stopford School in Kettering where students will interview Alex and discuss his hopes and aspirations for his new role. Following this, Alex will meet with clergy from Wellingborough and Kettering deaneries before visiting the Nine Bridges Benefice in Peterborough to hear about community engagement in a rural benefice on the edge of the city. The day will conclude with evensong at Peterborough Cathedral.

Alex brings a wide breadth of experience from across the Church of England, having served in parish ministry, diocesan leadership and episcopal support roles. He was ordained in the Diocese of Oxford in 2000 and served his curacy at Headington Quarry before becoming Chaplain to the Bishop of Portsmouth. From 2008 to 2014 he was parish priest of St Luke’s and St Peter’s in inner-city Portsmouth and since 2014 has served as Archdeacon of Cambridge.

Speaking about his appointment, Alex said: “I am really drawn to this particular moment in the life of the Diocese of Peterborough. It is a time of change and possibility and I am excited to be part of shaping what comes next. I am convinced that this vital work is deeply spiritual: it is about clearing paths and building channels for the Spirit to move.’

As Bishop of Brixworth, Alex will hold responsibility for different ministry areas, including education, something that Alex describes as being ‘in my DNA’. Both his parents were teachers, and he has held significant governance roles within church schools, including chairing governing bodies at both primary and secondary level and holding the role of Chair of the Diocesan Board of Education in Ely Diocese for 12 years.

Alongside his work in education, Alex has experience of both urban and rural ministry. As Archdeacon of Cambridge he has oversight of a large and diverse area, including the city and its rural surroundings. ‘My favourite day of the week is Sunday’ he says, ‘I love being out among the parishes, whether it's a big service with hundreds of people or just a tiny little village church with 3 or 4 faithful worshippers and a cat.’

Having been born into a Christian household Alex does not have a ‘moment’ of conversion but remembers feeling a very strong confirmation of his Christian identity during a camp in Peterborough in the summer before he started secondary school;
“I didn’t have a dramatic conversion experience,” he said, “but at that moment I knew clearly that I was a Christian, and that was the identity I was taking with me into the next stage of my life. It feels quietly significant to be returning to Peterborough many years later in this way.”

Throughout his life and ministry Alex has enjoyed the full range of church traditions, including visiting 3 different churches across the week whilst at university, which alongside his varied roles he describes as giving him ‘an unusually wide appreciation of the Church of England’.

Welcoming Alex to his new role, Bishop Debbie said; “I am delighted to welcome Alex to the Diocese and look forward to working closely with him. His deep sense of God’s call was clear throughout the process, and I am grateful to everyone who prayed for us. It will be a joy to get to know him better and to discern together God’s will for our life and mission.”
Alex is married to Sarah, a psychotherapist, and they have two sons, Thomas and Joseph. A keen musician, Alex finds joy in listening to live music in all its forms, from rock and roll to classical orchestral pieces. An enthusiastic runner, his other favourite mode of transport is his beloved motorbike.

Alex will be consecrated in July and will take up his role in the Diocese in the autumn. 

Worship for this coming week