Services this weekend (26th–27th April)
Please note a change to services this weekend.
Saturday 26th April — No service
Sunday 27th April — Divine Liturgy followed by the meal, 10 am.
Future weekends will return to the usual pattern.
Dear Friends
Christ is risen!
These days are beautiful, the Light of the Resurrection illumines all. All is different, changed, transfigured: we come out from the asceticism of the Fast and rejoice in the rising of our Lord.
And we return to our everyday. The drudgery returns, we want to get through the variable weather of spring to the promises of summer ahead—perhaps looking forward to a foreign holiday or, hopefully, some well earned annual leave. Bank holidays approach and children look forward to outdoor activities at schools.
We must, therefore, ask ourselves the questions: has the Resurrection made any difference to our lives? Have we now completed our “religious observance” for this year and can return to our usual activities?
The Resurrection, if false, would have little to no effect on my life, if true it would change my life completely. And I must look at the facts of my life—do my behaviour, my actions, my schedule, my giving and generosity, my love for others, my stewardship, demonstrate my faithfulness to Christ risen from the dead or not? Because Christ’s Resurrection has implications, we will rise too; Christ’s Resurrection is the first-fruits—the foretaste, the assurance, the certainty—of the general Resurrection.
“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.” says the Apostle, for what he had personally done before his conversion to Christ counted as nothing next to what he has received from the Lord.
Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faithfulness in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faithfulness;
For St Paul, his goal was to be united with Christ in His death that he may be united to Him in His Life.
that I may know Him and the power of His Resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
if, by any means, I may attain to the Resurrection from the dead.
— Philippians 3:7–11
The great Apostle Paul sees himself as struggling for the Resurrection that he be changed by it and transformed by it, that Christ’s Resurrection become his own. And he offers all he has for the glory of God.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we cannot all be as St Paul and travel the known world preaching the Gospel, we cannot offer to God what we do not have, but we can offer what we have for His glory. And our faithfulness to the Resurrection needs to run deep—we need to honour God and honour our neighbour because Christ is risen, we need to love God and love our neighbour because Christ is risen, we need to serve God and serve our neighbour because Christ is risen! And in working on behalf of God and of our neighbour we show our fidelity to Him and demonstrate to the world that we are children of Light, children of Joy, children of the Resurrection, and inheritors of eternal Life.
Let us make our fidelity more than skin deep and entrust our whole selves and each other to Christ our God Who has defeated death, sin and idolatry and brings us to an abundance of Life.
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
Come and see!
I wish you all a joyful Pascha: may the Light of the Resurrection shine in our hearts.
There has come an opportunity to establish a new mission community in Chichester. Once running, we hope to serve a Liturgy there on certain Saturdays. Our Father in Christ, Metropolitan Silouan, has blessed this outreach and has entrusted it to the heavenly patronage of the Holy Great Virgin-Martyr and Vanquisher of Demons Margaret of Antioch (feast day 17th July).
If you are interested in supporting our parish’s mission, please let me know, and I will update you as we make progress.
Holy Mother Margaret, pray to God for us!
We serve a meal following the Liturgy on Sundays. All are welcome.
Do you, or someone you know, want to join our mailing list and receive our weekly email? Then let me know.
Sermon
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God.
Hades is perplexed, for he has swallowed a man and encountered God, he took what was human and discovered divinity, he took the creature made of dust and encountered the Creator. And his power is annihilated, his dominion abolished and his snare against humanity is destroyed.
And yes, I will still die—unless the Lord returns first I will enter the tomb as did our forefathers; the Lord does not stop our dying. Christ has not died instead of me, in place of me, Christ died to show me the path through death to Life. And if I hear the Word of the Lord, if I do the Father’s will, if I encounter Christ on that mountain which He has appointed and I join the Disciples, “And when they saw him they worshiped Him,” yes indeed, for worship is the appropriate action before our Lord and Saviour: “but some doubted.”
And I am drawn back, “some doubted.” Yet it is not wrong to doubt. I still need to make this my own, to have my assurance—the Church is not scandalised by doubt but encourages her faithful to work through their doubts, to question for themselves, to come to their own conclusion. And having examined the evidence, if I want to be faithful to the Lord and the Resurrection He has a task for me, work for me to do.
…
Read this Sermon, Some doubted.
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In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, Amen.
Christ is risen!
The beloved disciple starts his Gospel, which we have heard, not with a new character but one with Whom the Old Testament is familiar.
“After these things the Word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision.” (Genesis 15:1)
“And Moses gave their redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the Word of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.” (Numbers 3:51)
“So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the Word of the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 34:5)
“Now the Word of the Lord came to Samuel.” (First Kingdoms 15:10)
For St John is presenting to us that this Word of the Lord, Who appears also as the Angel of the Lord, Who visits and stays with Israel at various times and seasons, Who is God but is distinct from God, since God Himself says to Moses,
“Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.
Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him.
But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.”
— Exodus 23:20–22
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Read this Sermon, The Word.
Archive of Past Sermons.
Services this week
Friday 25th April
Discussion on the Prophecy of Isaiah, 8 pm
Online only
Saturday 26th April
No service
Sunday 13th April
Divine Liturgy, 10 am
At 3rd URC Scout Hall, Chandlers Ford
Online session is via Google Meet: please get in contact for the details.
Please join us: all are welcome, come and see.
Attending Church
We meet at 3rd URC Scout HQ, Kings Rd, Chandlers Ford SO53 2EY. The Scout hall is behind and to the left of the URC Church. Come and See.
Can I help you?
I am here for you, you need only ask. Is there a way I can support your life of faith? Get in touch.
Can you help the parish?
Yes, absolutely. Offer yourselves to the Lord: pray! Make available to him all your talents and ask him how he would like you to use them — listen for his reply.
Your prayers!
With love in the risen Christ
Fr Alexander
[email protected]