TowerPod: St Mary's Marston Moreteyne and Lidlington

<p>Dear Reader,</p><p>I hope you enjoy listening to the sermon podcast above… </p><p>Now Lent is almost upon us. Let’s make it a special ‘worry free’ time of turning away from the many distractions of life to the one true Source of peace, our Saviour Jesus Christ.</p><p>May I invite you to begin a holy Lent - come to our A<strong>sh Wednesday Service</strong> with the Imposition of Ashes on 18th February at 7pm. </p><p>* This Lent our Devotional is <strong>Draw Near: life giving habits for Lent 40 </strong>daily reflections.<strong> Download</strong> the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.churchofengland.org/faith-life/exploring-faith/everyday-faith">Everyday Faith</a> app to take part. You can also <a target="_blank" href="https://www.chpublishing.co.uk/drawnear">order a booklet</a> if you prefer.</p><p>* Alternatively why not try <strong>Wisdom in the Desert</strong> beginning on 16 February where you will meet the desert Mothers and Fathers of the church? They were early Christian pioneers, seeking God in the solitude of the Egyptian wilderness. <a target="_blank" href="https://lectio365.com/the-app/">Download Lectio 365 app</a> There is also a Family version - download <a target="_blank" href="https://www.24-7prayer.com/resource/lectioforfamilies/">Lectio for Families</a>.</p><p>Blessing of Lent to you.</p><p>Andrew+</p><p>News</p><p>We’ve started our weekly <strong>Energize group for children</strong> at our new Service time of 10.00am (no more services at 9.30am). We have a ‘family corner’ with a sofa as well at the back of church and a rug for little ones to play on.</p><p>Once a month we’ll have a <strong>‘Together’ service</strong> where children and families will take part in the service together.</p><p>15th March – Mother’s Day </p><p>5th April – Easter </p><p>24th May – Pentecost </p><p>21st June – Father’s Day </p><p>6th September – Back to school </p><p>11th October – Harvest </p><p>29th November – Advent </p><p>6th December – Christingle </p><p>Social Events</p><p><strong>Saturday 7th March</strong> </p><p><strong>Family Silent Disco 4:00pm – 6:00pm</strong></p><p>Soft drinks & snacks. Glitter galore & glow sticks</p><p><strong>Adults-Only Silent Disco (18+) 7.30pm – 11.00pm</strong></p><p>Bar fully stocked, cocktails, beers and wine Proper street-food from outside caterers: burgers, hotdogs, sausage rolls, and grazing boxes to keep you fuelled!</p><p>Advance tickets only: book <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/stmarystickets"><strong>bit.ly/stmarystickets</strong></a></p><p><strong>Matthew 6:25–34 NIV</strong></p><p>“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?</p><p>“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://stmarysmarstonmoreteyne.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1">stmarysmarstonmoreteyne.substack.com</a>

<p> St Andrew and St. Peter, by Fernando Gallego, 1480-1488</p><p><strong>John 1:29–42 NIV</strong></p><p>The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”</p><p>Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.” The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”</p><p>When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”</p><p>They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”</p><p>“Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”</p><p>So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.</p><p>Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.</p><p>Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://stmarysmarstonmoreteyne.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1">stmarysmarstonmoreteyne.substack.com</a>

<p><strong>Matthew 3:13–17 NIV</strong></p><p>Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”</p><p>Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfil all righteousness.” Then John consented.</p><p>As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. *And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://stmarysmarstonmoreteyne.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1">stmarysmarstonmoreteyne.substack.com</a>

<p>Matthew 2:1–12 NIV</p><p>After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”</p><p>When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:</p><p>“ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,</p><p>are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;</p><p>for out of you will come a ruler</p><p>who will shepherd my people Israel.’”</p><p>Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”</p><p>After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://stmarysmarstonmoreteyne.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1">stmarysmarstonmoreteyne.substack.com</a>

<p> “Saint Joseph and the Infant Christ” by Giovanni Battista Gaulli</p><p></p><p><strong>Matthew 2:13–18 NIV</strong></p><p>When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”</p><p>So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”</p><p>When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:</p><p>“A voice is heard in Ramah,</p><p>weeping and great mourning,</p><p>Rachel weeping for her children</p><p>and refusing to be comforted,</p><p>because they are no more.”</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://stmarysmarstonmoreteyne.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1">stmarysmarstonmoreteyne.substack.com</a>