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All Saints Parish Newsletter

 Dear Friends,

Sunday’s readings include these words from Revelation:

"Lo! He is coming with the clouds;

   every eye will see him,

even those who pierced him;

   and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail."

These echo words we heard at the end of the St. John Passion on Good Friday: "and they shall look on him whom they have pierced."

We hear them in conjunction with St. John’s acccount of the appearances of Jesus to his disciples on the day of his resurrection and eight days later. On the first occasion, he shows them his wounds; on the second, he invites Thomas to touch his wounds to prove that he is risen.

We hear these words too in Charles Wesley’s great Advent hymn, "Lo! He comes with clouds descending." Its second verse goes:

"Every eye shall now behold him

   Robed in dreadful majesty;

Those who set at naught and sold him,

   Pierced and nailed him to the tree,

                  Deeply wailing,

Shall the true Messiah see."

Disciples who had abandoned Jesus must have viewed his risen apperance to them with mixed feelings. How would he treat them?

Wesley continues:

"Those dear tokens of his passion

   Still his dazzling body bears, 

Cause of endless exultation

   To his ransomed worshippers:

        With what rapture

Gaze we on these glorious scars!"

The disciples found not reproach or punishment but empowering with the Spirit for the mission which Jesus was entrusting to them.

We come to worship, to hear the Gospel. That Gospel makes us conscious of our sin and failure. But that is not the last word. We are not condemned and damned for our betrayals and denials but "ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven."  We can "Go in the peace of Christ."  But we too are entrusted with our share in Christ’s mission.  We are to "Go in peace to love and serve the Lord,"

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Alan Moses

This Week

SATURDAY EVENSONG –
At All Saints 13th April at 4pm, sung by former choristers.

Each year, former choristers from the days of the Choir School gather for a reunion and to sing Evensong in All Saints under the direction of Louis Halsey, one of their number. This year they will sing a setting of the evening canticles specially composed for them by Dr. Harry Bramma who will be playing the organ at the service.

FEAST OF THE ANNUNCIATION –
Tuesday 16th April at 7pm

This is one of those years when Lady Day  falls during Holy Week and has to be transferred. The official date is 8th April. As this falls during the school holiday, Fr. Gerald has transferred it again to Tuesday 16th April.
High Mass and Procession at 7.00pm.
Preacher: the Very Revd. David Ison, Dean of St. Paul’s.

ANGLICAN CATHOLIC FUTURE LAUNCH –
Thursday 18th April at 6.30pm Mass

Church of the Annunciation, Bryanston St.
Celebrant: The Bishop of Ely
Preacher: The Revd. Dr. Peter Groves, Vicar of St. Mary Magdalen, Oxford.
The mass will be followed by refreshments and an introduction to Anglican Catholic Future.
It will be helpful if those who intend to come could let us know, either through the events page on the website -www.anglicancatholicfuture.org or by email to the Parish Offices of All Saints or St. Matthew’s, Westminster.

VOCATIONS DAY  –
Saturday 20th April, 10.30am-4pm

for men and women in the catholic tradition who are considering a vocation to the priesthood. With the Revd. Lucy Winkett and the Revd. Bernard Silverman.
Those wishing to attend should contact St. Matthew’s, Westminster.

ALL SAINTS CABARET NIGHT –
Sunday 21st April at 7.30pm

The choir will be staging another cabaret night in aid of the All Saints Restoration Fund.  It will be at the Phoenix Pub in Cavendish Square, within easy walking distance of the church. 
Tickets (£15 each) are on sale online at: http://www.purecharity.org./fundraiser/DC.388 or in the courtyard from Chris Self or Dee Candlin-Prior after High Mass.   

POETRY TEA at Pamela’s
Saturday 27th April at 3pm on the theme Beginnings and Endings

ORGAN RECITAL – Tim Byram-Wigfield – newly appointed Director of Music at All Saints
Sunday 26th May after Evensong and Benediction

Programme includes: 
Prelude & Fugue in G BWV541 – JS Bach
Vater unser im Himmelreich – Georg Bohm
Scherzo from A Midsummer Night’s Dream op 61 – Felix Mendelssohn-Bartohldy arr Gordon Nevin
Priere op 47 – Joseph Jongen
Final from Symphonie no 8 op 42 – Charles Marie Widor