Category: Advent
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News for 24th November
“So You Are a King?”
Thus, Pontius Pilate famously quizzed Jesus when the Jewish leaders brought Jesus to him to demand that he be put to death.
But Jesus did not give an unequivocal answer. Rather, he pushes the question back to
Pilate, “You say that I am a king.” And then, Jesus goes on to explain to Pilate what his
purpose in the world was from the very beginning. “For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. ”
We assume that when Jesus says that “this” was what I was born to be, the “this” refers to being a king. But he doesn’t say that explicitly.
I think this is a very significant detail. Pilate, the Jewish people, and we ourselves, all have our own, very worldly, understanding of what a king is, and what a king does. And what kings are, and what they do, are both inextricably linked to power. Power relative to their subjects, and power over their subjects. We all know from history that such power is more often exercised with brutality than with love.
As we celebrate the feast of Christ the King today, we must, I think, be careful to distinguish between what this image means, and what it does not mean. Christ is king not of nations, or peoples, or empires, but of the whole universe. And his kingship over all creation is expressed not through domination, but through salvation.
Jesus is the king who rules through being a servant – and a servant is one who has a
purpose and function, not one with unbridled power to impose his will. Jesus’s purpose is “to testify to the truth”, the truth that it is through the suffering of the cross that we, and indeed the whole universe, are saved.
Fr Stephen
Notices
- We have PCC Meeting immediately after Mass.
- We have started the ‘Warm Welcome’ and its on every Wednesday, from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm.
- Please speak to Susan if you would like to attend the Advent Service at St. Paul’s Cathedral on Saturday.
- We are happy to announce that we will start using the English Hymnal on 1st December. We are grateful to David for his generous donation.
- We need volunteers to work as sides people to support the Church Wardens before, during and after worship by welcoming people to church.
- Please support the church generously through your giving at
stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving
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News for 17th December
Carols, & powerful joy of Jesus!
As I sit to write this week I am smiling as I think of singing out loudly at the Ace Cafe this morning.
We left St. Anselm at 8am and arrived at the Ace to tea, coffee, and bacon sandwiches (well I did!)
A group of people who had never met congregated and started to practice Hark The Herald Angels Sing
We were lucky to have a great guitar player with us and even luckier to find someone who could play the drum. I say drum… it was an upside down empty tub of Hellmann’s mayonnaise!
We did not sound glorious.
We were not note perfect, we were gruff, out of tune and by any professional standard – a very poor choir.
But the smiles on our faces were enormous! The simple act of singing together brought out joy that was hidden somewhere deep down inside. Somehow, singing of the coming of Jesus enabled us to see one another in this joyful light and to put aside the usual London reserve.
People watched us as they munched their own breakfasts and builders and businessmen alike looked up and smiled – and even joined in!
The reason we were singing was part of a BBC Radio London series on carol choirs across London and how they make people smile and feel included.
I love these moments of pure Christian joy when the love of Jesus is shown in it’s simplest form… joy.
Be joyful this week amongst the business ahead. If you feel yourself getting grumpy… just sing a carol!
Fr. Matthew
Downloads
Readings for Sunday 17th December
Other news
The Indian Orthodox church who use the church on Sunday afternoons have invited us to join them for carols by their children and some refreshments THIS Sunday 17th December, 3pm – 5:30pm. Fr. Matthew & Fr. Josiah will be in attendance.
Holy Hour will be at 5pm on Sunday and I really encourage you to come to this last one before Christmas. An hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament will put you in exactly the right place for the busy period ahead.
Services for next Sunday and for Christmas Day are listed on the pew sheet and on the website. Do try to come to the carols and crib service at 3pm on Christmas Eve. It’s a lovely service that will warm your heart ahead of the big day.
Midnight mass will be as usual at 11:30pm on Christmas Eve – a power service to welcome and celebrate the incarnation of Jesus Christ!
Please support the church generously this Advent through your giving. stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving
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Advent & Christmas ’23
We have a wonderful collection of services and events over the Advent and Christmas season this year. Please do join us for these, and many other services this year.
17th December
- 10am – Children’s Christmas Mass
- 3pm – Carols with St. Mary’s Indian Orthodox Church at St. Anselm
Christmas Eve
- 10am – Parish Mass
- 3pm – Crib & Carol Service
- 11:30pm – Midnight Mass
Christmas Day
- 10am, Christmas Day Mass
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News for 10th December
Holy Hour, desiring God.
Last week we began our Advent dedication of Holy Hour on Sunday evenings.
It was really lovely to share an hour of silence with you all before the Blessed Sacrament and to pray in earnest for the life of the parish.
As I sat and prayed I was moved by a prayer of St. Anselm that I commend to you all this second week of Advent.
“Let me seek you by desiring you, and desire you by seeking you; Let me find you by loving you, and love you in finding you.”
Prayer is a DOING task. It is not something we do when all else fails, but something we DO expecting it the change things.
In praying we expect God to turn up.
I think a lot of people struggle with that part of prayer.
Prayer can sometimes feel like shouting into the void, but time and time again scripture shows us the great and real power of prayer.
The only way to understand the power of prayer – and the deep love that God has for you – is to DO it, and to DO it desiring what God has planned for you and those around you.
Holy Hour is not a time to sit quietly and collect your thoughts – good though that can be.
It is a time to concentrate on desiring God, of seeking God in your life and in that desire and seeking – in prayer – finding God’s love (and plan) for YOU.
Fr. Matthew
Downloads
Readings for Sunday 10th December
Other News
During Advent we will hold a ‘holy hour’ before the Blessed Sacrament this Sunday at 5pm (please note the time change).
NEXT week is our special mass led by our wonderful Children. They will offer the readings, the prayers and a little something especially for Christmas. Please do come along and support them, and maybe bring some new friends.
The Indian Orthodox church who use the church on Sunday afternoons have invited us to join them for carols by their children and some refreshments THIS Sunday 17th December, 3pm – 5:30pm. Fr. Matthew & Fr. Josiah will be in attendance.
As we move towards planting a new church at The Ace Cafe in the new year we’ve been asked to provide a choir for BBC News on the 14th December at 9am at The Ace to sing out the morning news with Hark The Herald Angels Sing. There will be a minibus leaving St. Anselm at 8am on Thursday and we will have breakfast together after the carols before returning to Hayes.
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News for 3rd December
Holy Hour, time before Christ.
As we start Advent we’re introducing a new service on Sunday afternoons at 4pm. Holy Hour.
What is a Holy Hour? Why is it important? How can it help us connect with Jesus?
A Holy Hour is a time of silence in prayer and contemplation before the Blessed Sacrament.
It was a Bishop in the USA who first introduced me to the idea of a Holy Hour,
Bishop Fulton Sheen said that the purpose of the Holy Hour—a sustained, uninterrupted hour of prayer in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament—is to encourage a deep personal encounter with Christ.
“Looking at the Eucharistic Lord for an hour,” he wrote, “transforms the heart in a mysterious way.”
In Advent we wait, we hope, and we look.
The Holy Hour enables all three of these things and trains our hearts to wait on the Lord, to hope in the Lord and to Look upon the Lord.
For each one of us those things will manifest in a different way.
What does waiting on the Lord mean to you? Ask this question before the Blessed Sacrament.
What does hoping in the Lord feel like for you? Ask this question before the Blessed Sacrament.
What does looking on the Lord prompt you to pray for? Ask this question before the Blessed Sacrament.
You’ll be able to join in this special time online as well as in person, but do try to find at least one Sunday in Advent to come in person and experience the powerful presence of Jesus.
Fr. Matthew
Downloads
Readings for Sunday 3rd December
Other news
Christmas concert with The Yiewsley and West Drayton Band is on Friday 1st December at 8pm, in St. Anselm. Ticket costs £5 and are available on the website.
During Advent we will hold a ‘holy hour’ before the Blessed Sacrament each Sunday at 4pm.
NEXT week is Sunday School and we are planning to present a special children’s mass on the 17th December so we will need all the children NEXT Sunday at 11:30am.
Thursday Fun & Fellowship this Thursday! Come along and play some games and get to know new people.
The Indian Orthodox church who use the church on Sunday afternoons have invited us to join them for carols by their children and some refreshments on Sunday 17th December, 3pm – 5:30pm. Fr. Matthew & Fr. Josiah will be in attendance.
As we move towards planting a new church at The Ace Cafe in the new year we’ve been asked to provide a choir for BBC News on the 14th December at 9am at The Ace to sing out the morning news with Hark The Herald Angels Sing. If you’d like to be part of this please speak to Fr. Matthew.
Please support the church generously this Advent through your giving. stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving
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News for 26th November
Christ the King.
When we think of Jesus as King I often wonder if we are missing a great deal of His teaching.
Jesus told us time and time again that He wasn’t the King that the Jewish people were expecting – coming with horses and chariots to free them from the rule of the Romans.
He entered Jerusalem in triumph on Palm Sunday not with horses and chariots – but on the back of a donkey.
So why then do we enthrone Him on this very special Sunday? Why do we show him upon a throne, decked out in regal attire and ruling over us as an earthly King?
The point of this elevation is to highlight Jesus as ‘Christ’ which in itself is a royal title meaning ‘King’ – although of course not in the way that the secular world understands (even Pilate misunderstands it when he called Jesus ‘King of the Jews’).
It is a way of understanding Jesus as King of Heaven and the world to come. He sits enthroned on David’s throne (Lk 1:30-32) as promised by the Angel Gabriel.
The feast today marks the end of Ordinary Time, next Sunday we begin Advent and the start of another liturgical year.
We end Ordinary Time on a high – with a Feast and a celebration of Jesus Kingship – and a reminder of what Jesus commands us to do in scripture.
Jesus commands us to feed the hungry to give drink to the thirsty, to clothe the naked, to harbour the harbourless, to visit the sick, to ransom the captive and to bury the dead.
How will you respond to Jesus command this advent?
Fr. Matthew
Downloads
Readings for Sunday 26th November
Other news
Christmas concert with The Yiewsley and West Drayton Band is on Friday 1st December at 8pm, in St. Anselm. Ticket costs £5 and is available on the website.
THIS week is Sunday School and we are planning to present a surprise package in December so we will need all the children THIS Sunday at 11:30am.
Children’s Mass for Winter Term will be on Sunday 17th December at 10am.
Thursday Fun & Fellowship this Thursday! Come along and play some games and get to know new people.
The funeral of Norma Pigott will take place here at St. Anselm this Wednesday November at 11am.
The Indian Orthodox church who use the church on Sunday afternoons have invited us to join them for carols by their children and some refreshments on Sunday 17th December, 3pm – 5:30pm. Fr. Matthew & Fr. Josiah will be in attendance.
Please be aware that mass will be in the evening on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.
The prayer list will be re-published next Sunday. If you would like to remain / have a name on the list please be in touch with Susan this week.
Please support the church generously this Advent through your giving. stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving
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News for Christmas Day
The Arrival.
A very merry Christmas.
It has been a momentous year in the life of St. Anselm. We have had high points and low points, there have been times when we’ve wondered if things were going to work out and there have been times we’ve shared happiness and joy at the new things happening.
We welcomed our new mission priest and his family, we’ve welcomed new people who have become part of our loving family and we’ve grown in both numbers and depth of love in Jesus.
We have much to be grateful for and even more to be excited about.
Christmas is a time to be excited, it is a time to put aside the cynicism and doubt we collect as we grow older and to re-capture the simple joy and expectation of children on Christmas Eve.
Be happy. Be joyful. Be expectant of how things will improve in your life in the coming year.
Most of all be joyful at the love of Jesus working in your life. When cynicism and doubt threaten to raise their ugly heads picture the Holy Family in the stable, surrounded by animals and embraced in their love for one another.
Be peaceful, be full of love.
Fr. Matthew
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Other news
All of us here at St. Anselm wish you a very happy and a very merry Christmas with all our best wishes and prayers for a wonderful new year.
It’s a very quiet week in church, but please do use the calendar to pray at home.
Thank you to everyone who has worked so hard to make the church beautiful and welcoming over Christmas. People have been welcomed to a warm, clean and loving space, and that is down to a great deal of hard work – thank you.
Don’t forget we’re running Alpha from the 19th January. If you don’t know what Alpha is or want to sign up, head to the website at stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/alpha It’s a place to ask big questions about life, faith and love. We start each session with a hot meal and good chat.
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News for 18th December
The Arrival.
Conclusion.
For the past three weeks we have been on a journey of preparation which has led us into what Advent is about and what to expect during advent, the importance of scripture in our Christian journey by availing ourselves to the hearing, reading, marking and inwardly digesting the scriptures. We completed last week by focusing on knowing Jesus, loving Him and serving Him and indeed our own St. Richard of Chichester (1197-1253) made it simple for us with his prayer “…may I know you more clearly, love you more dearly and follow you more nearly, day by day”.
This week we conclude by meditating on one of the most popular biblical quotes “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16).
God first showed us love by giving us His only begotten Son, he first showed us love by first extending a hand of unconditional love. In showing His love He first acted, and it is our turn to respond to this act of love. God expressed this love so that we will not perish but be guaranteed eternal life.
His son is going to be with us very soon and His coming is all about love, making things right and bringing us salvation. How do we express love to those around us? Are we ready and willing to give of our best to make others have some comfort? Are we ready to do something to help the less privileged in our community going through hard times in the cold? How are we expressing the love that God has shown us to those we come across? Let us meditate on this and ask God to speak to us to show love to the suffering.
Fr. Josiah.
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Other News
Please make a special effort to come to our Advent & Christmas Carol service on Sunday evening at 6pm. You’ll get to see (and use) our new coffee bike which Fr. Matthew is picking up and will be arriving with at the end of the 10am Mass – be there to witness him trying to drive it into church!
Advent & Christmas Dates:
- Advent Course, Thursdays after mass (10:30am)
and online via zoom (7:30pm) – 22/12 - 18th December – Advent & Christmas Carols, 6pm
- 24th December – Crib & Carols Service, 3pm
- 24th December – Midnight Mass, 11:30pm
- 25th December – Christmas Day Mass, 10am
- Advent Course, Thursdays after mass (10:30am)