All as one

The worship on Sunday seemed to have a beauty about it. There was one group weaving together huge pieces of cloth like Maypole dancers. There was one leader taking us through gestures to represent our prayers like sign language. There were handbell ringers chiming in order with one another to produce a tune none of them could have made on their own. We celebrated God as the love between Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We celebrated Christian people who had come separately but who worshipped as one.

A group will be meeting together on Saturday morning (10.00 at St Michael’s) to plan for 5th July and 2nd August if anyone else wants to join us or send comments, feedback or ideas. With a larger number of toddlers than usual this time, some of us wondered whether we could plan an activity in which those gathering on the creche carpet could take part while the other adults and children choose the different activities in which to participate in the first half hour of the service before we all come together for the worship in the second half.

An icon next Sunday

At each First Sunday Thing some people have been creative in preparing a work of art. For Trinity Sunday next week the inspiration will be the icon tucked away near the south door of St Michael’s. Orthodox Christians are careful not to try to paint icons of God (because of the extreme likelihood that they would get it wrong and thus misrepresent God) but they do allow themselves to paint an icon of the Baptism of Jesus - with the Father present (his voice is heard), the Son present (Jesus being baptised) and the Spirit is present (coming down like a dove).

Discovering trees

One of the activities available in the first half of the First Sunday Thing on 7th June will be a ten minute walk in the churchyard discovering the trees, among them an unusual number of Walnut trees. St Nicolas' churchyard is a wildlife haven well known for its spring flowers, but it would be an interesting copse even if there were no church or graves within it. This Walnut stands near the Vicarage, two very ancient ones look as if they are almost toppling into the moat in the south west coner, and the newest one stands on a mound near the main entrance to the churchyard where it was planted to replace one which fell in the 1990s

Planning for 7th June

Our next First Sunday Thing will be on Trinity Sunday - the great celebration of the unimaginable mystery of God made known to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is something to marvel at rather than puzzle about. One group wants to develop a dance which weaves three different pieces of cloth together. St Nicolas’ Handbell Ringers want to demonstrate how several different people make music by playing as one person. There will be other more conventional activities as well, but those two should both make significant contributions to the act of worship with which we will finish.

Humber Bridge Cross

Our churches are quite widely used by different community groups. Bringing the church and community groups close together sometimes has unexpected results. Walk Well (a health promotion scheme) use St Michael’s as a base every Tuesday morning. This is how some of them spotted the fact that some members of St Michael’s were taking part in the annual sponsored walk across the Humber Bridge for Christian Aid Week. Instead of just a few people the group from this parish became a coach load, and at least £1000 extra was raised for Christian Aid as a result. This year the last two places on the coach were taken up by people who’d come to last week’s First Sunday Thing, heard this story and decided to join in.

Stong defender

This is (a rather poor photograph of) the stained glass window one of the groups produced at the First Sunday Thing this morning. The wild animals are important because the artists were not going for a representation of a meek and mild Jesus cuddling a pet lamb. They were going for Jesus the Good Shepherd who did not run away when the wolves came.

We had slightly fewer people this month. This might be because of the Bank Holiday Weekend. And my bright idea that learning how to chant Psalm 23 would make a good music slot proved to be a taller order than I’d expected. But despite these things a good time seemed to be had by all.

Christian Aid Week

The other main focus at the First Sunday Thing next Sunday (3 May) will be preparing for Christian Aid Week (which follows a week later on 10-16 May this year).

One of the activities available in the first part of the service will be to call in at a stall staffed by those who will be raising money in the parish that week. Some of them do the door to door collection - few people really enjoy doing this but they can provide tips about how to tackle it. Others take part in the annual sponsored walk across the Humber Bridge - and they raised £1500 last year because they got lots of those involved in the Walk Well health promotion scheme to join them.

Another of the activities available will be to call in at a stall where they will have publicity material about the theme for this year’s Christian Aid Week and will be using this to prepare some prayers for the service.

It will be good to have this important point of the year and of our Christian discipleship highly visible in our thinking and our worship.