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Are you a Snoopy fan? Sometimes he gives us a really good message. I have just read a message which I thought was really helpful. He said: ‘Keep looking up …….that’s the secret of life.” In the Book of Proverbs verse 25 says: “Keep your head up, your eyes straight ahead, and your focus fixed on what is in front of you.”

In Psalm 121 King David says in the first line: “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” When David became king, he wanted to remember that even in the darkest places, God was still there, leading him, protecting him, fulfilling the promise He had given him when he was a youth, even when it seemed impossible. There are other examples in the Bible where individuals lifted up their eyes and saw God. Three examples to illustrate this: First for the apostle Peter, the “hills” he looked to might have been a memory of the problems he had when he followed Jesus as a disciple, knowing that Jesus loved him and protected him and eventually filled him with His Holy Spirit to do miracles and preach with power. Secondly: For Jesus, the “hills” He looked to were the cross of Calvary that He had to endure for the joy that He knew was set before Him on the other side. Third: For Joseph of the book of Genesis, the “hills” he looked to in Chapters might have been a memory of his years in the dungeon, waiting for God’s purposes to be fulfilled.

Now I invite you to do something yourselves: Lift up your eyes to your own “hills.” What are your own hills? They might include your times of greatest darkness and despair, when it seemed that God had forgotten you, but when afterwards you could look back to see that He was really holding you. He was there.

There is no doubt, however, that if any one of us lifts up our eyes to the heavens we would see the same events that have always been there for us to see: the sunrise or sunset, the moon and the stars, clouds drifting across. Jesus saw them as did all people during their lives. King David wrote about 1000 years before Jesus “The heavens declare the glory of God”, so, wherever we live and whatever we are doing, always try to remember to do as Snoopy says “Keep looking up!”

I am looking forward to a welcome break, and please God, I am looking forward to it.  This weekend we have harvest festivals, and at St George’s a special celebration of our return to more normal circumstances.  A ceremony of Remembrance for those who have died during this difficult time will take place.  After that mass we will have lots of refreshments and an opportunity to catch up with one another and to support our charities.

This is a very important time.  Still coming to terms with the circumstances that we find ourselves in, thanking those who have contributed to us in the past.  Now it calls for a new beginning, a new generation.  Streaming has served us well, but it also has a great weakness providing an outlet for window shopping.  It will be very helpful, first for those who are housebound, but also a time to participate in our liturgy as preparations continue for the celebration of sacraments.  Our response is essential for our future with the limited number of priests and the great need for the ministries that will strengthen and enrich the life of the church.  We truly need a new generation, where belonging and participation will be crucial in the development of what must be a community of faith and streaming will have it benefits.

Parliament in Your Parish – Fri 17 Sep 11-1 pm Parish Hall

We are delighted that our MP, Maria Caulfield, has agreed to come to St Thomas More Seaford on Friday 17 September to engage with us as Christians from the Lewes constituency on issues such as the causes of poverty, inequality and the climate emergency in anticipation of the COP 26 meeting in Glasgow in November.

Parliament in Your Parish is a CAFOD initiative responding to Pope Francis’s challenge in Fratelli tutti (2020) to Christians to ‘rethink the future of our common home’ in light of the global Covid pandemic. Members of Seaford, Lewes and Polegate parishes and other churches are also invited to come along. A Parliament in Your Parish meeting has taken place or is planned with MPs from over half the 26 constituencies in Arundel & Brighton diocese so far.

Please do put the date in your diaries — Fri 17 September, 11 am – 1 pm — and come along. Full briefing notes will be provided and non-verbal presence and support is welcomed along with those happy to ask questions or engage in discussion! Please let Vicky Cosstick know on [email protected] or 07798 803410 if you would like to come.

St George’s Food Bank donations – we are asking all parishioners to continue to support our local foodbank by bringing donations and leaving in the basket at the back of Church.  The September offerings will be taken away following Harvest Sunday on 26^th September and we hope to have plenty to give.  Items urgently required are: Tinned Meats/Fish, Jam, custard/rice pudding, Tinned fruit (not peaches), Crisps and Shampoo/Conditioner. 

Following on from last week:-

Where was the father? – the second instalment of last week’s story..

The father was about thirty feet away from the boy all through the night. He was in the forest, next to trees that sheltered him, and he watched his son, but he would not leave his son, because he knew the great danger and he knew that his boy could really have been destroyed by the wild animals in the forest.

But he stayed with him, but the boy never knew it, never thought of it. And so, when the little boy came home, he bragged to his brothers and sisters, “Yes, I have done this wonderful thing and it’s my honour and now I am a man in the tribe.” And they gave him a sword and they gave him a shield and everything.

Why do I tell that story?

What saved that little boy?

The presence of his father. The presence of his father shielded him, took care of him, without him even knowing it. But if it wasn’t for the presence of the father, terrible things could have happened to that child, and yet he himself never knew it. Now, if you think of that, you must remember that this is the presence of God among us. God is hidden, in a way, but not hidden. He is always there when we open our hearts to Him and ask.

But it is we who must search and we who must find and we who must strive with great honour and fall into the arms of a God who has always, always, taken care of us and will continue to take care of us all our lives.

Those are just two little examples. And what does it mean? It means that we are not alone, that God is with us and it is the presence of God that is with us. And then, one day in the not too distant future, Jesus will give us a sign and symbol that will be the best of all. And he will bring them, his little disciples, into the room and he will bless the bread and say, “This is me. This is myself. I give it to you. Take it and eat it.”

And he will bless the wine and say, “This is my blood poured out for your healing and your salvation. “Never again must you be afraid of the darkness. Never again must you walk away from what is your responsibility. Never again. “Why? “Because I am with you all days, even to the end of the world.”

A very special memory; a lovely event.

Last Sunday at St George’s Church we celebrated the baptism of “Jamie-Leigh”.  Please God, it will continue on the trajectory that it was  launched on.  She established contact with us when the coronavirus had first afflicted us, with the limitations that were established to provide the safety that was needed to counter the effects of the virus.  She began to tell her story and we recognised a great point of connection.  She was a carer for our Mary Parhon and still is.  We have really missed Mary every Sunday from our morning mass at St George’s.  When I met Mary in her home during lockdown, she was as lovely as ever – and as ever she was not going to allow the virus to cause her to change her behaviour, she insisted upon greeting me with a big hug, no social distancing for Mary, and as a consequence her carers have to modify her outings.  She is a great witness for the value of screening services as she too chooses her Sunday morning services.

As part of our preparation for Jamie-Leigh’s baptism that had to be modified, very rewarding and seeds for a new generation.  It highlights our faith and what is at the heart of it, how we share it and how we renew it.   Our faith, how we live it – How we believe it – How we renew it and when choosing the best reading from scripture for her to read at her service of baptism.  One suggested was a reading from the first moments of St John’s letter, and like the first moments of His gospel – compelling.

John 1-4

The Incarnate Word

Something which has existed since the beginning, that we have heard,

and we have seen with our own eyes; that we have watched

and touched with our hands:  the Word, who is life —-

this is our subject.  That life was made visible;

we saw it and we are giving our testimony,  telling you of the eternal life

which was with the Father and has been made visible to us.

What we have seen and heard we are telling you

so that you too may be in union with us, as we are in union

with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

We are writing this to you to make our own joy complete.

We are now really looking forward to our special event on Sunday 26th at St George’s.

Please God,  we will step out as a new generation looking forward to sharing our lives with hope.

CAFOD is responding to significant crises across the world this week. We are working with local Church organisations in Haiti to deliver emergency aid to people affected by the catastrophic earthquake and tropical storm.  In the tragic situation in Afghanistan, we are working to ensure the safety of our local partners and their communities. We are supporting local aid workers to deliver urgent food and water supplies to hundreds of thousands of people facing extreme hunger in Tigray in Ethiopia, South Sudan and north-east Nigeria.  You can read more about how we can all express solidarity with our sisters and brothers affected by these emergencies on the CAFOD website: https://cafod.org.uk/News/Emergencies-news. Your compassion, generosity and prayers have helped us to stand together and enable us to continue to support communities in these difficult times.  Thank you.

Marriage Anniversaries Mass:  Anyone celebrating a wedding anniversary that has particular significance for them is welcome to join the annual celebration of marriage at St Joseph’s Church in Guildford.   This year the celebration, with Bishop Richard, is on Saturday, October 9^th with Mass at 11.30.

In order that we can be Covid compliant we do ask that everyone books their space via our website. Please use the following link Diocesan Marriage Anniversaries Mass and Reception (09-Oct-2021) · ChurchSuite Events or contact the Diocesan Marriage & Family Life  Adviser, Katherine Bergin at [email protected]  (Places are limited to 150).  We so look forward to celebrating with you!

If you need a notice read out after Mass please email or phone Jean by Saturday mornings.  [email protected] Tel: 842824.

St George’s Teas and Coffees after mass – we would like to start this again from Sunday 5^th September.  We need help to run this weekly, two people are needed each week. If you would like to do this with a friend or be paired with another parishioner please let Sandra know as soon as possible.