In the potter's hands

With one things and another, we have only just got round to planning the First Sunday Thing for next Sunday. The beginning of Jeremiah 18 (the Old Testament reading set for the day) will provide our theme. It speaks of us as clay in God's hands. Like any potter, he is free to re-shape the vessel when it appears spoilt. We've bought enough air drying clay for everyone who wishes to shape a small vessel and to take it home - if it doesn't look perfect then all the better. We will also try to collect in a large pot suggestions about things we spoil to help focus our prayers of Confession. And we thought a tour of the Organ would be a good additional feature of the service for those of any age who would like to climb up and have a play. We meet 10.30-11.30 in St Nicolas' for activities leading into a short act of worship.

Lammas

The Saxon habit was to use the first wheat of the Harvest to bake the bread for the 'Loaf Mass' on 1st August. This ties in better with the Hebrew habit of offering God the whole of the 'first fruits' of the Harvest rather than our modern custom of waiting until 'all is safely gathered in' before sparing a small safe amount for the Festival offering. So part of our celebration of 'rich lives' on Sunday was making models of people out of bread sticks: we offered our bread and our humanity together in our service on Lammas Day.