Dear Friends,
As we approach Holy Week and are not able to physically join together for worship and reflection, I attach a few resources, you may find useful.
- The Liturgy for Morning Prayer. I host a service using Zoom, Monday to Friday at 9am. Do let me know if you wish to join and I will send an invite. You do not have to commit to every service, just join me as and when is convenient. (I believe one invite gives you access to any day – I’m still learning!). During Holy Week we will use ‘The Suffering Christ’ and after Easter ‘New Life the Lord’. You can obviously use these at home without joining the Zoom call and be confident that you are ‘plugging in’ to many others praying throughout the Scottish Episcopal Church and wider Anglican Communion. If you would like a printed copy and don’t have a printer, I could try to get a copy to you, or you could pick one up from the porch of the Rectory.
- On Good Friday we would ambien online usually have a 3-hour vigil of readings, reflections and music, ending with the Liturgy of the Good Friday Sacrament. I have condensed this service into a booklet to use beginning Saturday, April 4th, ending on Good Friday, with a reading and reflection for each day to help us journey to the cross.
You should be receiving our usual order of service each week to help us worship in our homes, remembering, and praying for, all those who would usually be around us.
The SEC broadcasts a service each Sunday at 11am which you can access on Facebook or YouTube. Alternatively, you can watch it a little later, when it will be downloaded on to their website.
https://www.scotland.anglican.org/how-to-join-our-online-sunday-worship/
Other resources available:
Pray as you Go – a daily 15-minute audio recording of Ignatian prayer and reflection:
https://pray-as-you-go.org/home/
BBC Radio 4 Daily Service: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006wzfs/episodes/player
Evening Prayer from Taizé, live at 7pm: http://www.taize.fr/en_article27540.html
Celtic Daily Prayer: www.northumbriacommunity.org/offices/midday-prayer/
For the youngsters amongst us, the diocesan youth worker is placing resources here:
https://edinburgh.anglican.org/youth-and-children/
I trust that you will all receive your Palm Crosses and Easter Card by Palm Sunday. Apologies for putting them both in the same envelope, I was trying to save money. To celebrate the day, some people are putting green leaves on their front door with their palm cross above it. Maybe we could follow that at Easter by putting an Easter wreath on the door, similar to Christmas?
Marie continues to work from home but Caroline and Philip have been furloughed under the government scheme, until the situation changes. Neither will lose out financially and agreed to do this. I would appreciate if you would not contact them, regarding anything to do with their duties at church, for the moment. Thank you.
Be assured that you are all in my thoughts and prayers and I will endeavour to keep communication channels open and inform you of relevant information or resources when I can. Don’t forget to check our website, Facebook, Instagram and twitter too.
Stay safe and remain strong in faith.
Love, Nicki