Palm Sunday 2019 – you’re invited

An invitation to lunch in Palm Sunday

This Sunday is Palm Sunday, the time we begin our Easter anticipation by remembering Jesus’s arrival in Jerusalem on a donkey,as the crowds joyously shouted hosanna, and waved palm fronds.

To help us celebrate in style all our churches are gathering together on Sunday morning in Upton for a special “benefice” service. We’ll start at 10:45am at the Pepperpot, followed by a march of witness through the centre of Upton to the parish church where we’ll have our Palm Sunday service at 11am (with a special drama supplied by the Open the Book Team). There’ll also be Sunday School for the children, communion, and then afterwards a “bring and share meal” in church.

By its very nature, a Bring and Share meal is a step of faith – we may all bring quiche – which is great if you like quiche! But rather than over-organise or tell you what to bring – let’s simply trust that the Lord will guide us as to what to make and bring and help us enjoy sharing it with one another! It would be lovely if visitors felt they could join us, so why not consider making sufficient food for yourself and another person?

To give us plenty of space to eat and mingle, we’re going to eat in Church rather than the Parish Rooms. The downside of this is that we won’t be able to reheat food, so please plan what you’re bringing in the light of that. There will however be hot drinks available.

If you are joining us at the Pepperpot but don’t want to carry food up the street, you can leave it on the tables we’ll provide in the parish church beforehand.

I hope to see you on Sunday, and if not, then perhaps at one of our Easter Services. If you want to know more about what’s going on in a church in your community over Easter, visit the Easter page on our website.

Rev’d Barry Unwin

How does God feel about the Grenfell tower disaster?

How does God feel about the Grenfell Tower disaster?

A few days after 9/11, I heard a Christian preacher describe the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre as a punishment from God.

I heard something similar said of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. One particularly graceless American preacher called it a punishment on Sweden for passing laws promoting same-sex marriage (with 550 deaths, Sweden suffered more than any other Western nation in the disaster, which presumably means the other 230,000+ people killed were just collateral damage).

Humans are inquisitive people. When disaster strikes, we’re hungry to know “Why?” So I won’t be surprised if in the next few weeks I hear someone trying to satisfy that hunger by suggesting the fire was a punishment from God for the sins of “X” (where X is whichever group they hate most). But was it a punishment from God? Are these preachers right? Does God arrange lurid disasters to punish individual sins?

Let me say straight away, God did not destroy the Grenfell Tower to punish the residents. I’m confident of this because of two incidents in the life of Jesus that tell us how God feels about disasters like Grenfell Tower.

The first incident is a conversation Jesus had about two tragedies that had happened in Israel.

  • Some pilgrims from Galilee were offering sacrifice in the Temple and for reasons unknown, the Roman governor Pontius Pilate had them executed in a particularly sacrilegious and offensive way (Luke 13:1).
  • a tower in the Jerusalem suburb of Siloam, collapsed killing 18 people (Luke 13:4).

Jesus is asked the same question about both tragedies: are the victims more wicked than other people, and therefore being punished for their sin? Is this a punishment from God?

And Jesus answers

I tell you No!”

He’s so emphatic about it, because he wants us to understand that people who fall victim to tragedies, whether they’re caused by human evil or a natural disaster, are not victim of some special punishment from God.

So how does God feel about Grenfell? To answer that, let’s look at our second incident from Jesus’ life, which also happened in a Jerusalem suburb, this time Bethany, in the aftermath of the sudden death of one of Jesus’ friends, Lazarus.

John the gospel writer records how as Jesus arrives at the funeral, he sees the tears of Lazarus’ sister Mary and of the other mourners, and:

was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.

‘Where have you laid him?’ he asked.

‘Come and see, Lord,’ they replied. Jesus wept.” (John 11:33-35)

“Jesus wept” is the shortest verse in the Bible, yet I hope you can grasp just how significant those two words are. God wept at the grave of his friend Lazarus.  He understands how precious human life is. He understands how tragic it is when lives are lost. He understands how we feel, and he weeps with us.

That’s how God feels about Grenfell too. He weeps, just as he weeps with those mourning the victims of the Borough Market stabbing and the Manchester Bombing. He weeps over the many Muslims killed in the Quetta bombing in Pakistan. He weeps over the slaughter of Coptic Christian pilgrims in Egypt. God weeps over all human death. One day he’ll weep over my death, and yours.

That’s why in our first incident, Jesus turns the crowd’s attention from the disaster back to their own lives, by saying,

But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

His point is that we’ll all die, and incidents like Grenfell or Siloam are an uncomfortable reminder that death can be so sudden that we’ll have no time to wrestle with life’s big theological questions before it claims us. Better to think about who you are trusting for eternity now! Is your hope for the future in the loving God revealed by Jesus, who will weep over your death? Or is it in something else altogether: perhaps  that vengeful God who doesn’t care about the collateral damage; or even just in blind chance?

However you answer that question, I hope your thoughts and prayers will be with those so affected by the disaster: pray for those who mourn, for those who have lost their homes and possessions, and for those investigating the fire, who in the face of enormous public scrutiny and finger-pointing, will be charged with finding a human answer to the question “Why?”

Financial donations to help the survivors of the Grenfell fire can be sent to:

 

Beer & Ethics

Join us for Beer and Ethics!

What? – A chance for some grown-up discussion on issues that people encounter every day in their professional lives.

Who with? – Members of our own community and wider church

Where? St Mary’s Church heated Lechmere Chapel, with a beer in the hand (or a glass of wine) a

When?  Starting 8pm, then from 9.00pm in the Three Kings afterwards for further chat.

Why? Traditionally Lent is time for reflection and thought, and discussion , so why not?

Topics and Dates

Wednesday 8th March PROFESSIONAL SPORT
Peter Walton, Scottish Rugby, Newcastle RC coach English U18 Coach & Manager

Monday 13th March CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Sir Nicholas Lechmere, High Sheriff for Worcestershire

Monday 20th March THE CHURCH, MARRIAGE, and SEXUALITY
An opportunity to discuss the outcome of General Synod with Sue Adeney, member of General Synod.

Tuesday 28th March PLANNING & HOUSING
Mrs Nickie Inchbald Group Chair Rooftop Housing Assoc

Thursday 6th April MEDICAL ETHICS LIVING ORGAN DONATION
The Rt Revd Graham Usher, Bishop of Dudley and board member of the Human Tissue Authority

Everyone is welcome!

Remembrance Sunday 2016

Remembrance Sunday – 13 November

We have three opportunities across our churches to give thanks to God for those who have given so much for our freedom.

On the east side of the river, there’s a Remembrance Sunday service at St Mary’s Church in Ripple at 10:50am.

In the Hanley’s and Welland, our service is at Hanley Swan Church at 10:50am.

And in Upton and the Hook, our service is at Upton Parish Church, beginning at 10:45am. This will be a joint service with our partners in Upton Churches Together.

Please join us at any of the services.

Why a Bright Lights Party?

On Halloween this year we’re hosting a Bright Lights Party at Upton Parish Church. It’s going to be a great family fun night with bouncy castle, games, big screen video games, food and loads of fun.

To find out about tickets go to our online booking page here.

And if you want to know more about why a Bright Lights party – take a look at this short video.

 

Music at St Peter and St Paul, Upton – September – December 2016

Between September and December we’ve a number of concerts and recitals at St Peter and St Paul’s Upton

 

Wednesday September 7th –  12.30 pm – Organ Recital by Paul Derrett

Paul was Director of Music at Upton and now has a career as an internationally known recitalist. It is good to welcome him back to St Peter and St Paul.

 

Saturday October 1st  – 10.00 am – Come and Sing Messiah

An opportunity to enjoy a day singing this great work with soloists and instrumental accompaniment under the direction of John Holloway.

 

Wednesday October 26th – 12.30pm – Organ Recital by John Hocking

John makes a welcome return to Upton after his enthusiastically received recital last year.

 

Saturday November 5th – 7.30 pm  – Hanley Voices – Fauré Requiem

One of the great favourites of the choral repertoire presented by our excellent local choir under the inspired direction of Ben Sawyer.

 

Wednesday December 7th – 12.30pm – Organ Recital by John Wilderspin

John is organist for the Worcester Cathedral Voluntary Choir and director of the Silurian Singers.

 

Sunday December 18th – 4.00 pm – Service of Nine Lessons and Carols

The high point of the church choir’s musical year. Join us to sing well loved carols and to enjoy the best of Christmas music.

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