The Parish of Great Berkhamsted

St Peter’s Church

Passion Sunday

9 March 2008

Welcome to St Peter’s Berkhamsted.  If you are new to the parish or this service, please feel confident to introduce yourself to a “welcomer,” one of the Clergy or sidesmen. 

Communicant members of all Churches are invited to receive Holy Communion.  If you are not receiving Communion, please come to the Altar rail for a blessing but carry a book so the minister knows.

The Sunday School, Pathfinders and Crèche run in the Court House from 9:30am.  Children are welcome to stay in the service. There are children’s games at the rear of the church.

Coffee and biscuits are served in the Court House after the 9.30am service.   All are invited.  Please do come if you have time.

9:30am service details: Hymns, Psalm, Collect, Readings, Anthem, Post Communion Prayer & Voluntary will be found on the Insert.

Music at Choral Evensong 6:00pm this evening:

Hymns:         NEH 78, 94

Psalm: 30

Responses:   Plainsong

Canticle:       Plainsong

Anthem: Verily I say to you  Thomas Tallis

       Voluntary:    Chorale Prelude O Mensch, Bewein' dein' Sünde Gross BWV 622  JS Bach

Website:  http://stpetersberkhamsted.org.uk

Notices

PALM SUNDAY 9.30am EUCHARIST next SUNDAY 16^th MARCH
Please come into church to collect your service books and palm crosses.  For those who wish, we will then be assembling on the grass to the north of the church, weather permitting, (the Court House if not) prior to processing into church.
Please do NOT gather in the car park as cars may still be parking!

§ LENT GROUPS  continue.  The Wednesday group, led by John Malcolm (874993) meets 8:00pm in the Court House and is preceded by Eucharist in St Peter’s at 7:30pm.

§ LENDING LIBRARY FOR LENT  A wide variety of books, including several specifically for Lent, can be borrowed for any length of time on a self-service basis. Penny Abbott 873205

§ PRAYER AND THE 50 HOUR WEEK evening meetings on Prayer in a busy working life:  2^nd meeting next Tuesday 11^th March  8:00pm in St Peter’s after 7:30pm optional Eucharist.   The 3^rd and last meeting is on 1^st April.  Richard Hackworth would like to know if you are coming (richard.hackworth@dsl.pipex.com, or 863990).

PLEASE SIGN THE MAUNDY THURSDAY VIGIL LIST

§ COWPER SOCIETY TALK  7:30pm in the Court House  tomorrow Monday 10^th March Aymeric Jenkins ‘Romanesque Architecture’  with retiring collection for the organ fund.

6:30pm next Sunday 16^th March Chiltern Chamber Choir Baroque & Renaissance at St Peter’s.  Directed by Adrian Davis with Kate Semmens soprano, Jon Lee organ, Philippa Schofield ’cello & Brückewasser Posaumenchor brass ensemble;  Striggio 40 part motet and more from Anerio, Gesualdo, Lassus, Lotti, Monteverdi, Shutz & Victoria

Presented by the Cowper Society.   Tickets £12/10 (under 18s free) from Cole Flatt & The Way Inn

§ GRIEF AND LOSS SUPPORT GROUP MONTHLY LUNCH 12.30pm Wednesday 19 March at The White Horse, Bourne End.  Whether bereaved recently or a few years ago you will be very welcome to join us.  If you would like to attend, need help with transport or would like further details, please contact Sylvia Banks 871195

ELECTORAL ROLL Annual Revision - If you are not already included, are over 16 (or soon to be), baptised and a regular worshipper here, you are eligible.  Where possible those on the Roll should be in Stewardship.  Stewardship forms, Electoral Roll forms and the first draft of the 2008 roll are now on display in church. Amendments are invited. 
No new names can be added in the two weeks before the
Annual Parochial Church Meeting 11:00am Sunday 6^th April in the Court House

§ ANNUAL ROTA REVISIONS If you would like to be a sidesman or know that you cannot continue as sidesman until April 2009 please tell the churchwardens before the APCM
Cleaning rota: Please call the office (details p4) and add your name to one of our six teams.

§ THE SATURDAY COFFEE BAR is becoming the success of the town and is now taking in excess of £100 every week.  There are plans to build on this success but help is needed.  Please volunteer to help 3 hours once a month or bake the cakes that pull in the crowds!  Phone Kathie Lally 863526

§ The Way Inn currently has Evangelicals Now newspapers and the Church Times on sale for  a 4 month trial.  They also invite customers to chose from a stunning range of Easter cards.

Prayer Diary

A daily reminder to pray for the Church, Country, Parish & community in Berkhamsted.

Sunday 9^th March Passion Sunday For the Sick Memorial	+Rowan Williams , +Dirokpa Fidele, Bp of Kinshasa and Bukavu. +Christopher Bp of St Albans & Staff For Geoffrey Tristram of the Society of St John the Evangelist and for all those who are living in a Religious Community Judith Hill, Harry Arnfield, Christina Billington, Angela Morris, Tom Montague, Arthur Williams, Rene Dunford, Baby Alex Wright, Clare Wallington William Baily
Monday 10^th John 8 1-11 Sick, Anxious & Bereaved	+Johannes Angela, Bp of Bondo, Kenya St Peter’s Church cleaners and Sidesmen and women Volunteers Rene Dunford
Tuesday 11^th John 8 21-30 Sick, Anxious & Bereaved	+Nathaniel Angieth, Bp of Bor, Sudan Christian Aid Lunch in the Court House The hungry and starving.  Water Aid Tom Montague, Harry Arnfield
Wednesday 12^th John 8 31-42 Sick, Anxious & Bereaved	+Trevor Mwamba, Bp of Botswana, Southern Africa The Petertide Fair, management group and Paul Jullien Stewardship and charitable giving in England and Wales Arthur Williams
Thursday 13^th John 8 51-59 Sick, Anxious & Bereaved	+David James, Bp of Bradford, England Intercessors, the encouragement of a daily prayer life.  Richard Hackworth  Religious communities Christina Billington, Baby Alex Wright
Friday 14^th John 10 31-end	+James Njegovan, Bp of Brandon, Canada Youth Volunteers in the Parish of Great Berkhamsted Adult support of young people involved in the parish Those of our family & friends departed this life
Saturday 15^th John 11 45-end Sick, Anxious & Bereaved	+Mauricio Andrade, Bp of Brasilia, Brazil All who help to promote FairTrade Berkhamsted People employed on the minimum wage, trade unions, fair employment Judith Hill, Angela Morris
Palm Sunday		Readings:  Isaiah 50:4-9a      Philippians 2:5-11       Matthew 21:1-11

Please support THE SECOND CHRISTIAN AID LENT LUNCH
next Tuesday 11^th March  12-2:00pm in the Court House

This year’s second (and last) chance to surrender yourself to a bowl of delicious home-made soup and stretch yourself to a generous donation to Christian Aid!

ST PETER’S	Today Sunday 9 March	next week Sunday 16 March
SIDESMEN	8:00am    Frank Allum 9:30am    Kathie & Stephen Lally               Ian Imber, Judith Limbert 6:00pm    (choral) Barbara Conway	8:00am    Elizabeth Jackson 9:30am    Sheila Miller, Helen Pope               Elinor & Michael Mumford 5:00pm  Evening Prayer
INTERCESSOR	9:30am	9:30am    Chrichton Limbert
CHALICE	9:30am    Chris Hunt, Jane Morgan, Paul Jullien	9:30am    Jane Morgan, Frank N, Philippa S
CRÈCHE	9:30am    Rachel Dell, Nicola Beadle	9:30am    Hilary Ozcan, Hayley Gerry
SERVERS	8:00am    Libby Grundy 9:30am    David Crawley (MC)               Simon Good (Cr)               Ron Fisher, Ted Lewis	8:00am    Mike Hart 9:30am    Rachel Hill (MC)               Alex Evans (Cr)               Will Morgan, Sam Limbert
READINGS	8:00am    Patrick Lepper 9:30am    Alan Conway, Barbara Conway	8:00am    Elizabeth Prosser 9:30am    Adrian Davis, Mary Curzon-Swallow
CHURCH CLEANING  10-15 Mar: Catherine Imber, Helen Pope, Christopher Green, Pearl Wiggins, Richard Davies

This Week’s Diary 

In Church                                                                                          O= services where the PA Loop system is in use

SUNDAY 9 MARCH Passion Sunday	8:00am      EUCHARIST O(The Revd Luke Geoghegan) 9:30am      SUNG EUCHARIST O (The Revd Luke Geoghegan) Crèche, Sunday School & Pathfinders 6:00pm      CHORAL EVENSONG O (Fr Michael Bowie, Pr John Malcolm)
Monday 10	7:30am      Morning Prayer 5:00pm     Evening Prayer	6:00pm     EUCHARIST 8:00pm     Quarter Peal
Tuesday 11	7:30am      Morning Prayer 9:30am      EUCHARIST, All Saints’ 10:30am    Organ: Bill Thom (11:30am) 5:00pm     Evening Prayer	5:15pm     Choir Practice (6:15pm) 7:30pm     EUCHARIST before 8:00pm     Meeting Prayer & the 50 hour week (Richard Hackworth)
Wednesday 12	7:30am      Morning Prayer 8:00am      EUCHARIST 10:00am    Access Victoria School	10:30am   Victoria School Palm Service 5:00pm     Evening Prayer 7.30pm     EUCHARIST
Thursday 13	7:30am      Morning Prayer 11:00am    EUCHARIST O	5:00pm     Evening Prayer 7.45pm     Chiltern Chamber Ch. reh (10pm) 8:00pm     Bellringing (9:15pm) south door
Friday 14	7:30am      Morning Prayer 9:15am      EUCHARIST	5:00pm     Evening Prayer 7:00pm     Choir Practice (8:30pm)
Saturday 15	9:30am      Morning Prayer 10:00am    EUCHARIST	3:00pm     Organ: Jon Lee (5:00pm) 5:00pm     Evening Prayer
SUNDAY 16 MARCH Palm Sunday	8:00am      EUCHARIST O(Fr Michael Bowie, Pr The Revd John Pritchard) 9:30am      Blessing of Palms outside church followed by Procession into church for SUNG EUCHARIST O (Fr Michael Bowie, Pr The Revd John Pritchard) Crèche, Sunday School & Pathfinders 11:00am    staging going up       1:30pm  Players and choir rehearsal 5:00pm     Evening Prayer        5:45pm  Access (Front of House – Cowper Society) 6:30pm      Concert of Renaissance and Baroque Music Chiltern Chamber Choir

Other Church Activities

Sunday          Sunday@5  5:00pm Sunnyside Church.  Next Sunday 5:00pm St Mary’s Northchurch

Tuesday        Chuckles Toddlers 10-11:30am All Saints’.  This week: Songs Jenny Wells 870981

Wednesday Pathfinder Games Club (yrs 5-8)  7 – 8:30pm All Saints’ Hall.  Jimmy Young 384929

Julian Meeting 11:30am 57 Meadow Rd.    Half hour of quiet prayer.  Jenny Wells 870981
Lent Group 8:00pm The Court House.  John Malcolm 874993

Thursday       T.E.s (youth club for yr 9+) 7 – 9pm Court House.   Jimmy Young 384929

Home Group 8.00pm at 8 Plover Close.  Linda Bisset 862115 

Buildings Committee  8:00pm at 17 Cowper Road.  Christopher Green 863241

Friday           Little Fishes Toddlers 9.30-11.30am Court House..   Nicole Addy-Varndell 864094

Saturday        Association of Berkhamsted Churches Prayer Breakfast  8:00am at All Saints’

Future Dates

The Cowper Society presents in the Lady Chapel at St Peter’s
Sunday 30^th March, 7:30pm RECITAL Edward Beckett flute & Martin Jones piano with retiring collection in aid of organ fund.

1^st Apr    7:30pm    Eucharist – 8pm Richard Hackworth Prayer & the 50 hour week, St Peter’s

19^th Apr  7:30pm    Alexander Ardakov Piano recital, St Peter’s

2^nd – 5^th May          Fr Michael is leading the Parish Pilgrimage to the Shrine of our Lady of Walsingham

7^th June   7:30pm    bridgewater sinfonia with Chiltern Chamber Choir: Vaughan Williams, Mahler, St Peter’s

28^th June 7:30pm    Chandos Chamber Choir Brahms Requiem, with Jon Lee & Gavin Roberts piano, St Peter’s

PEW LEAFLET notices, in writing:  The Parish Office, The Court House, Berkhamsted   HP4 2AX
email ChurchOffice@greatberkhamsted.org.uk tel.878227 & rota swaps by 2pm Wednesday please
PARISH OFFICE hours this week:  9:30am-5:00pm Tue & Wed;  9:30am-12noon Thu & Fri.

For all pastoral matters please contact Fr Michael Bowie 01442 864194 or

The Revd John Pritchard 01442 870016.   Fr Michael takes Thursdays off and John takes Tuesday off.

Passion SUNDAY                                                  9^th March 2008

Litany  leaflet

Hymns NEH

Offertory   281

Post-Communion   83

Collect

Most merciful God, who by the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ delivered and saved the world:  grant that by faith in him who suffered on the cross we may triumph in the power of his victory;  through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.   AMEN

First Reading Ezekiel 37:1–14

A reading from the book of the prophet Ezekiel. 

The hand of the LORD came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the LORD  and set me down in the middle of a valley;  it was full of bones.   He led me all around them;  there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry.   He said to me, ‘Mortal, can these bones live?’   I answered, ‘O Lord GOD, you know.’   Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones, and say to them:  O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.   Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones:  I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.   I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live;  and you shall know that I am the LORD.’ 

So I prophesied as I had been commanded;  and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone.   I looked, and there were sinews on them,  and flesh had come upon them,  and skin had covered them;  but there was no breath in them.   

Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath:  Thus says the Lord GOD:  Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.’   I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude. 

Then he said to me, ‘Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel.   They say, “Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.”   Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD:  I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people;  and I will bring you back to the land of Israel.   And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people.   I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil;  then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken and will act, says the LORD.’ 

This is the word of the Lord

(Reply  Thanks be to God)Psalm  130   ¯

R Out of the depths have I cried to you, O Lord

Out of the depths have I cried to you, O Lord;  Lord, hear my voice;

let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication. R

If you, Lord, were to mark what is done amiss, O Lord, who could stand?

But there is forgiveness with you, so that you shall be feared.  R

I wait for the Lord; my soul waits for him;
in his word is my hope.

My soul waits for the Lord, more than the night watch for the morning,
more than the night watch for the morning  R

O Israel, wait for the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy;

With him is plenteous redemption and he shall redeem Israel from all their sins. R

Psalm  130   ¯

Second Reading  Romans 8:6–11

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans. 

To set the mind on the flesh is death,  but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.  For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God;  it does not submit to God’s law – indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 

But you are not in the flesh;  you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit  of God dwells in you.  Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ  does not belong to him.  But if Christ is in you,  though the body is dead because of sin,  the Spirit is life because of righteousness.  If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also  through his Spirit that dwells in you. 

This is the word of the Lord

(Reply  Thanks be to God)

Gospel  John 11:1–45  

The Lord be with you 

(Reply  And also with you)

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.

(Reply  Glory to you, O Lord)

A certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.  Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume  and wiped his feet with her hair;  her brother Lazarus was ill.  So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, ‘Lord, he whom you love is ill.’  But when Jesus heard it, he said, ‘This illness does not lead to death;  rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’  Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 

Then after this he said to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judea again.’  The disciples said to him, ‘Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?’  Jesus answered, ‘Are there not twelve hours of daylight?  Those who walk during the day do not stumble,  because they see the light of this world.  But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.’  After saying this, he told them, ‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep,  but I am going there to awaken him.’  The disciples said to him,  ‘Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.’  Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death,  but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep.  Then Jesus told them plainly,  ‘Lazarus is dead.  For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe.  But let us go to him.’  Thomas, who was called the Twin,  said to his fellow-disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with him.’ 

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.  Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away,  and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother.  When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home.  Martha said to Jesus,  ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.  But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.’ 

Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’  Martha said to him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’  Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life.  Those who believe in me,  even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.  Do you believe this?’  She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah,  the Son of God, the one coming into the world.’ 

When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, ‘The Teacher is here and is calling for you.’  And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him.  Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him.  The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out.  They followed her because they thought  that she was going to the tomb to weep there.  When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’  When Jesus saw her weeping,  and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved.  He said, ‘Where have you laid him?’  They said to him, ‘Lord, come and see.’  Jesus began to weep.  So the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’  But some of them said,  ‘Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man  have kept this man from dying?’ 

Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.  Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’  Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, ‘Lord, already there is a stench  because he has been dead four days.’  Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed,  you would see the glory of God?’  So they took away the stone.  And Jesus looked upwards and said, ‘Father, I thank you for having heard me.  I knew that you always hear me,  but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.’  When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice,  ‘Lazarus, come out!’  The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth.  Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’ 

Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.

This is the Gospel of the Lord

(Reply  Praise to you, O Christ)

Choir Anthem

Solus ad Victimam  Kenneth Leighton

Post Communion Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, you have taught us that what we do for the least of our brothers and sisters we do also for you:  give us the will to be the servant of others as you were the servant of all, and gave up your life and died for us, but are alive and reign, now and for ever      AMEN

Voluntary

Da Jesus an dem Kreuze stund  S Scheidt