14th Sunday after Trinity
Bible readings: James 1.17-end & Mark 7.1-8, 14-15, 21-23
Moses intended his tabernacle to be a mediator between God and His people, a place where people could commune, celebrate, and be reoriented into God’s Will. The law was always tethered to the spiritual; to follow the law was to be in harmony with God. In the life of Christ, some of the Pharisees have forgotten the law’s Holy Source, and enforce the law for its own sake. The tradition and custom is occupying the Divine place: it has become a false idol.
Christ knows that the way for the people to come back into God’s grace is not through subjugation to law, but through the sanctification and washing of our hearts. It is no use cleaning what is external, if we have not cleaned what is internal. What use is there in cleaning a car when the engine is broken? Or putting a wet paper towel on a fractured bone? Or cleaning a pot when the heart is unclean (as the Pharisees insist)? We clean the inside of a cup, since we are its maker. God wants to clean the inside of us, since He is our Maker. Christ knows all the foulness that lurks within some of the Pharisees as they demand the cleaning of the hands; he sees their unclean nature; he sees their hypocrisy. Now, if we sanctify our hearts, those evil spirits within us such as pride, adulterousness and covetousness will scatter with their tails between their legs. Then we will wash our hands, our pots and our homes, as our purity and cleanliness radiates out from within. – Tristan
Weekly newsletter/blog and website
Please send all information for the Sunday newsletter/blog by Wednesday evening to Josie at penleeclusternewsletter@gmail.com and communications@penleecluster.org.uk. If you would like to write the biblical reflection for the newsletter on any particular week, please contact Josie for details of upcoming Sunday readings. Thank you to Tristan for contributing the reflection for this week. – Josie
Some ‘nuggets’ from Archdeacon Clive’s meeting with our PCCs
Clive began by praying that God’s Holy Spirit would enable our words and thoughts to be in tune with his will and I really felt this prayer was answered. Our aim was to clarify the concept of Oversight Ministry – a term now being used for the work of a priest appointed to lead the churches of a multi-parish group. Some people were unfamiliar with it and wanted clarity about what this implied about the way things would operate under such a ministry.
The term is the equivalent of the Ancient Greek word which literally means an overseer, one who takes care of a group of people and their functioning as a group. It is the word from which we get ‘episcopal’, referring to the role of a bishop. So such a Minister, like all who hold a bishop’s licence to minister in his name, is there to care for, lead and support the people of those churches. The role also, crucially, involves being one who prayerfully helps people to discern the many gifts which members have and to discover ways in which those churches can grow, reach out and flourish as agents of God’s loving purposes. In his Good Shepherd parable Jesus spoke of bringing back a sheep lost from the fold. Given that for us there are many more outside the fold than within it our discussion discerned that – to scale up the shepherd’s role – the minister should enable us as disciples of Jesus to share in that task in a large variety of ways.
Clearly such a Minister cannot do the same in four churches as in one, but we in our Cluster have already had, from Sian and Andrew, exactly that kind of ministry. They have seen the skills and characteristics of our people and enabled them to take a lead in many diverse areas of parish life, such that far more has been achieved than the two of them could have done alone. This means we should describe in our profile the ways in which we currently operate and look for someone who will embrace that model and work alongside us to increase the effectiveness of our work and witness.
That is why I felt that the outcome was really affirmative and encouraging as we begin our search for our new priest. I was stimulated to think about how we at St Mary’s might find further ways of arranging lay-led worship and study – and pondered the thought that a Eucharist on a Saturday evening (which came up in discussion) was worth considering too. In fact I awoke at 4.45am and continued to think…..so I got up for a cup of tea, let my thoughts develop and was excited to find several ideas emerge. Watch this space!
Thank you, Archdeacon Clive, for enabling a wide-ranging discussion which I found very affirmative of all that has been done here in the Cluster and for your closing invitation to keep in touch and saying that your door (for which read email!) is ‘always open’. We shall be glad of your guidance into the future. – Lesley
Fr Philip Dyson – Funeral
Father Philip’s funeral will be at the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady in Penzance. He will be received into the church during Sung Evening Prayer for the Dead at 6.00 p.m. on Wednesday 25th September. His Requiem Mass will be the following day at 12 noon, 26th September followed by burial at Penzance Cemetery.
Festival of the Sea – Minack Theatre
To celebrate 200 years of the RNLI, the Minack is staging its first ever 2 week festival of events – on the theme of the sea and all things oceanic, from 1st to 15th September. For more details, please see here: https://www.minack.com/whats/festival-sea?dm_i=4PGO,YBUK,5FURPI,4EZXG,1
Climate And Other Things
Lockdown 3
A Selection of Paintings by George Dow
St Mary’s are delighted to continue hosting an exhibition of George’s paintings, entitled ‘Climate And Other Things’, until Monday 30th September. The exhibition will be available to view daily from 10am-12pm. The ten paintings on show use a variety of media, and several specifically focus on the effects of the climate and biodiversity crisis which will hopefully provoke a reflective response in viewers. All sale proceeds will be donated to St Mary’s.
Prayer may God help us heal this burning earth.
St. Peter’s Newlyn
Church closure for September maintenance works
St. Peter’s will be closed for approximately four weeks from Monday 9th September while rewiring and lighting works take place. During this time, people from St. Peter’s (and anyone who wishes to join them) will be meeting every Wednesday at about 10.30am at Duke Street café, for coffee. a catch-up and to keep in touch.
Faith Covenant
There is a proposal to draw up a Faith Covenant between Cornwall Council and Cornwall Faith Forum and Churches Together in Cornwall. This proposal is currently out for consultation and we are seeking for as many people as possible to complete a simple on-line questionnaire, which you can do here: https://letstalk.cornwall.gov.uk/faith-covenant/surveys/faith-covenant-for-cornwall-survey. Closing date 5th September – Churches Together in Cornwall
Debt Advice
The Salvation Army offers debt advice services to people in this area. They are free, confidential and impartial. Please dial 01752 643955 to speak to a Debt Advisor from 10.00am until 4.00pm Monday to Friday or email cornwalldas@salvationarmy.org.uk.
Celtic Morning Prayer
Each weekday morning on zoom at 8am. The zoom meeting ID is 815 4586 0947. If you would like to attend, please email Keno at admin@penleecluster.org.uk (or call on 01736 331633) for the passcode, which you will need as well as the meeting ID given here.
Prayer Requests
If you are concerned about someone and would like their name included in the Prayer Request Group’s weekly prayer list, please do email Mel at mlevesconte@hotmail.co.uk by 7pm on Tuesday evenings. Thank you.
THIS WEEK…
Julian Meeting
The Julian Meeting will be in Paul Church this Sunday 1st September, at 6.00pm.
Opening reflection. The end of August feels like the end of summer. In this there is sadness, but also completion; a kind of ripeness, made tangible in the huge bunches of blackberries. At once it feels satisfying and full of unreached possibility. There seems to be so much abundance in every moment, this moment, this present moment. However much we focus, simplify, or scale it down, there is still to much possibility. So much that we miss. A pile of summer books, unread, seems a sad symbol of this incompleteness. But, at a deeper level, we understand that life is not about incompleteness, life is more like dance, or music – something that lives in time, in movement.
The Quiet Path by Andrew Rudd – contemplative practices for daily life.
Paul Church Summer Talk
‘Breaking cycles of deprivation and social exclusion in Penwith’ – Sharon Rich, Executive Director of Trelya
Tuesday 3rd September
Trelya is a charity based in Penzance, working in one of Cornwall’s most under-resourced communities. Trelya tackles the structural inequalities and barriers that fuel cycles of deprivation head on. The charity aims to equip children and families with the skills and resources they need to break free and build positive, happy, healthy and fulfilling futures. £5.00 entry. Nibbles/wine 7pm, talk at 7.30pm, followed by debate and more nibbles/wine.
Poverty Forum Meeting at Hayle
Tuesday 3rd September
Three times a year Cornwall Poverty Forum takes a break from zoom and holds an in-person meeting. The one in ‘the West’ for 2024 will be held on September 3rd at Hayle Salvation Army starting at 10.30am. All Welcome.
Do you have lived experience of poverty and are willing to share your story? Or do you want to find out how you could help make Cornwall a fairer and more just place in which to live and work ? Then come along on 3rd September. Contact Andrew Yates at Andrewy@cornwallindependentpovertyforum.com for more information, or look at the website: www.cornwallindependentpovertyforum.com
COMING SOON…
Psalm Group – Thursday 3rd October [Revised start date]
The psalms have been called the ‘prayerbook of the church’, an extraordinarily rich resource of texts covering the full range of human emotion and religious experience. They are notable for their depth and their honest engagement with struggle, despair and joy. Starting on 3rd October, following the Thursday morning communion service at St. Mary’s, you are invited to a group where we’ll take one psalm per week to read and discuss. Some weeks it may be a meditative experience and on others it may be a general discussion: we’ll be led by the group and the psalm itself. Everyone is welcome. – Josie
Creation Care Celebration Service – Saturday 28th September
Several churches have qualified for Eco Church and Kernow Green Church Awards this month. Awards will be presented by Bishop Hugh at this year’s Creation Care Service of celebration which takes place at 2pm on Saturday 28th September at St Andrew’s Church in Redruth. There will be musicians, cake and chat!
