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TULIP TREE NEWS

26th April 2020HE IS RISEN INDEED ALLELUIA

This service has been sent by Jill and we hope you will join in as we pray together this season of Easter.

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A Service of the Word about The Road To Emmaus

I don’t know about you but I am starting to find this never going anywhere a bit tedious, I know that we must continue to stay at home for everyone’s sake especially the hospitals, but it is difficult. It’s fine being in touch by telephone etc. But that doesn’t really tell you how people are, because much of what we know about people when we are talking to them is conveyed through body language not speech so at the moment we have to be doubly careful not to upset each other.

Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with youand also, with you.This is the day that the Lord has made.Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Hymn

Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son,endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won;angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away,kept the folded grave-clothes where thy body lay.Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son,endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won.

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Lo, Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb;lovingly he greets us, scatters fear and gloom;let the church with gladness hymns of triumph sing,for her Lord now liveth, death hath lost its sting:Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son,endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won.

No more we doubt thee, glorious prince of life;life is naught without thee: aid us in our strife;make us more than conquerors through thy deathless love;bring us safe through Jordan to thy home above:Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son,endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won.

Prayers of Penitence

Christ our passover lamb has been sacrificed for us.Let us therefore rejoice by putting away all malice and eviland confessing our sins with a sincere and true heart.

Lord God, we have sinned against you; we have done evil in your sight.We are sorry and repent. Have mercy on us according to your love.Wash away our wrongdoing and cleanse us from our sin. Renew a right spirit within us and restore to us the joy of your salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

May the Father forgive us by the death of his Son and strengthen us to live in the power of the Spirit all our days. Amen.

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CollectAlmighty Father, who in your great mercy gladdened the discipleswith the sight of the risen Lord: give us such knowledge of his presence with us, that we may be strengthened and sustained by his risen life and serve you continually in righteousness and truth; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore, I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

Thomas Merton

ReadingsActs 2.14a,36-41 and Luke 24, 13-35

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The walk on the road to Emmaus has always been one of my favourite stories about the Resurrection of Jesus. The disciples must have been so upset at what had happened and have left, probably before dawn, to get out of Jerusalem as early as possible so they would have left before the women went to the tomb to lay the body out.One thing that we do know is that whilst there were twelve apostles, there were a lot more disciples, the words seem to be used interchangeably, but they are different.I have often wondered what they were like these two disciples, one we know was called Cleopas or Clopas, depending on how it was spelt, could be either. Who the other one was we don’t know. It is always presumed that it was another man, but I read an interesting article the other day, that thought that perhaps it was Clopas’ wife that was with him. Clopas’ wife, another Mary, is

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mentioned as being at the crucifixion with the other women in St. John’s gospel.Jesus walked with them and opened the scriptures, about Himself and God’s love for Humanity, to open is I think must more descriptive than taught or explained, but it wasn’t until he broke the bread at the Inn that they realised who it was who was with them. You do not expect the person you are mourning to be eating with you. Whoever Clopas’ companion was, the pair of them rushed back to Jerusalem to tell the others the good news which, of course, Mary had already told them.This story always makes me feel that it applies to me somehow, No one special, someone who is trying to be a disciple and has met Jesus on my journey through life, which I expect is true for most of us.Through meeting Jesus on our journey we have the way to God, If we are called then we also must follow him into the dangers of the world outside. We cannot shut out the pain of the world, putting a wall around ourselves so that we never see or feel what is happening to other people, especially at the moment, many of us might be staying at home and seeing people from a distance, but we are still concerned and praying for our world.Jesus never shut himself away from us; he entered into our world and still does, so when we meet him on our journey, however we recognize him, and we do somehow, we follow both as individuals and as a part of the community of God.

So, we say The CreedI believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the

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Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead.On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Let us prayOur Intercessions today are from Jenny Sparkes

Risen Christ, two friends, bewildered and not recognising you, yet walking at ease in your presence, talked of the shameful execution of one they thought was the Messiah, the rumours of your empty grave, and your re-appearance . You reminded them of prophecies they overlooked: of service, suffering and an ignominious death rather than power and dominion. As you turned their scale of values upside down, come to us now, and make us understand. As the word of God disturbed and burned within prophets until it found utterance, so your words burned within them, forcing them to admit that through the horror, disfigurement and humiliation of crucifixion God’s truth and love are vindicated. Searing word of God, come to us now and burn within us.

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Invited into your friends’ home, and taking your place at their table, you took bread, broke it and gave thanks, the very act by which they were to remember you – and they did. Living Christ, Bread of God, come to us now and nourish us with your life.

Loving God, you show yourself to those who are vulnerable and make your home with the poor and weak of this world. Warm our hearts with the fire of your Spirit. Help us to accept the challenges of Coronavirus. Protect the healthy, calm the frightened, give courage to the sick, comfort the dying and console the bereaved. Strengthen those who work in our NHS and in Care Homes tending the sick. May we, trusting in your steadfast love, be united with one another in conquering disease and fear. AMEN

We remember today all those members of our congregations who are sick and especially those who have asked for our prayers; John and Jenny, Celia and Norman, Gina, Helen, Wendy and Dorothy and Carol and any others known to us.

Hymn

There is a redeemerJesus, God's own SonPrecious Lamb of God, MessiahHoly One

Thank you, oh my fatherFor giving us Your Son

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And leaving Your Spirit'Til the work on Earth is done

Jesus my redeemerName above all namesPrecious Lamb of God, MessiahOh, for sinners slainThank you, oh my father

When I stand in GloryI will see His faceAnd there I'll serve my King foreverIn that Holy PlaceThank you, oh my father

We say together the Lord’s Prayer

Meet us, Lord, on the road to Emmaus, Guide us on the path toward our destination, and renew our strength as we continue to walk and commune with you.Open our eyes, so we see the signs of your presence around us;open our hearts, so we may receive your peace and love; and empower us to pass on to others the grace you have shared with us so freely.

Mennonite Brethren

Eternal God, our beginning and our end, accompany us in this day’s journey.Dawn on our darkness, open our eyes to praise you for your creationand to see the work you set before us today.Take us and use us to bring to others the new life you give in Jesus Christ our Lord.

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Glory to God, whose power, at work among us, can do infinitely more than all we can ask or conceive; to him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus, for ever and ever. Amen.

The following hymn was broadcast last Sunday in Morning Worship on Radio 4 - When we can meet again. Sue would like us to learn it, she is learning the music!

When I fear my faith will fail Christ will hold me fastWhen the tempter would prevail He can hold me fastHe will hold me fast, He will hold me fast,For my Saviour Loves me soHe will hold me fastI could never keep my hold He will hold me fastFor my love is often cold He must hold me fast 

I am precious in His holy sight He will hold me fastThose he saves are his delight He will hold me fast.

He’ll not let my soul be lost. Christ will hold me fastBought by Him at such a cost He will hold me fast 

Geoff has had no further news from Richfords as we go to press and we hope to have more news next week on the flood damage in St Dubricius

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Travelling Light have produced their first newsletter called ‘Inspirations’ Robin and Carole say “It is always good to keep connected and we hope that in some small way it will help to keep us together especially in these strange times of isolation and ‘lockdown’, when we can’t meet together or share a retreat together.

All of us need encouragement. We hope that these newsletters, which we intend to produce every 4 to 6 weeks, will be a source of encouragement and will help us to stay connected.We hope to reproduce parts of Inspirations over the coming weeks, by kind permission of Travelling Light, but if you would like to receive a copy of the first issue, please email (robinpilgrim08@gmail.com)Or see www.travelling-light.org.uk

A reminder from Carol PirieAs  Christian Aid week won’t be happening, the committee still intend to organize a special service for that week....10 May.  The new vicar at Mitchel Troy has offered to stream a service with Christian Aid as the theme. As we all know, the problems being faced in the developing world by the virus, and their minimal health services, is a situation about to explode....so somehow the appeal of C Aid is even more relevant.   I know we have major problems to face here but at least we have a functioning NHS, although that is also under huge strain.

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We hope to have more details which we will include next weekThis week we have a fascinating account of Michele and Malc’s escape from Spain

Our holiday in Nerja on the south coast of Spain was not quite what we expected.

Two days after we arrived the Spanish Government declared a State of Emergency due to the Coronavirus which had mainly affected Madrid. Later there followed a total lockdown. Schools, beaches, parks, swimming pools, shops, restaurants, sports, bars and even hairdressers had to close for two weeks. We had been told to stay indoors and not socialise with anyone. Even dog walking was limited. We could go shopping for food - one at a time wearing latex gloves and masks. 

Thankfully, we have lovely neighbours in Spain with whom we could chat at a distance. One of them sent us a video of the town centre taken by a drone. What was usually a vibrant, noisy bustling centre turned into a ghost town. It was quire surreal.

We are fortunate that our house is very peaceful; overlooks the countryside and is well away from any roads. We had books to read and a reliable fibre broadband. Doubly fortunate that the weather was glorious! We initially planned to stay in Spain.

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Soon Brittany Ferries advised us that they were stopping all routes to Spain and France. As we had our dog with us, we had to return on a ferry. Knowing that Malc had to return for a hospital appointment, our kind neighbour even offered to look after Augusta so that Malc could fly home. Then we were told that all Spanish hotels were closed and the French ones were about to be told to close.

We were advised by the Spanish Police that the French border was closed and all roads would be closed to private cars.

We contacted the British Embassy in Madrid and they were brilliant. They assured us that the Spanish/French border was open for British people returning home. They emailed us all the necessary documents in Spanish, French and English together with Official Declaration for driving through France.

That evening, against the advice of our neighbours and the Spanish Police, we decided that we needed to try to get home. We packed up the house; made provisions for three days; took pillows and blankets in case we had to sleep in the car. We planned our journey, not knowing if we’d even get out of Nerja!

As dawn broke the next morning, we started our drive to the French border, fully prepared to explain to the authorities why we were heading for Calais. All of the entrances to the motorways were policed

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by the Guarda Seville, but they ignored us. For many hours we were the only car on the motorway.

After driving for eleven hours, with two short comfort breaks for Augusta and ourselves, we arrived at the French border and experienced our first, rather unexpected, act of kindness as the armed guards smiled and wished us a good journey.

We stopped in a small French village, Bidart, and were allowed to stay with Augusta in an hotel as the only guests. The owner actually opened the hotel for us and was so helpful and kind to us. 

On Monday we had to find a vet to administer a tapeworm tablet to Augusta - this is a legal requirement for getting back into the UK. We found one in Bordeaux, who was very kind and helpful, but poor Augusta had to have a Certified Health check due to the Coronavirus.

Luckily, Malc found an hotel in Abbeville, which was another eight hour drive. Again we were met with so much kindness. The following morning the owner laid out a very substantial breakfast for us to have in our room before heading for Calais.

When we arrived at the port in Calais, we were unsure how long we would have to wait, but we got on a freight ferry virtually straight away and sailed at 11 am. The staff were so helpful and even offered

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us a meal but, after our huge breakfast, we settled for coffee.

Throughout all of this the star of the journey was, eight month old, Augusta our golden retriever.

It was a very exhausting and quite emotional journey. I am so very happy to be home and close to family and friends even though we are on lock down again.

Sticky Little Fingers News

Joy says: We are coping ok with lockdown, never get bored but will be glad when all over especially for those suffering. I so miss my little people and coming to Sticky Little Fingers with them. Have to make do with lots of Face Time but it’s not the same as a squish and a cuddle. Hudson is saying more words all of a sudden and has masses of hair! Carly is amazing. I pop round with shopping and baking when I can and handover on doorstep. Brody puts his arms out and shouts at me & gets so upset when I can’t pick him up. Poor little mite doesn’t understand. Teejay is old enough to comprehend the situation. 

Hudson’s sister, Bella, is 9 and has donated some Princess and Disney duvet sets to be used for scrub bags. Bella thought the key workers children would like to see their mummies with pretty girlie bags. 

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Hudson working from home!

Lisa writes Having two children, aged 2 and 9 months, isolation has been both a challenge and a pleasure. The main challenges being that you cannot explain the current situation to the children to help them understand why we are no longer seeing loved ones and friends. Another being the constant supply of activities required for children who only engage for short periods of time! We definitely miss our weekly outings to Sticky Little Fingers. 

The pleasure of this experience has been being able to slow down and enjoy each of the activities and not fret that we are running late for something. Spending time as a family has been lovely especially after being blessed with beautiful weather. We know that in time we will be able to return to seeing family and friends but for now we shall continue to Stay Home and Stay Safe. 

+The coming weeks will be difficult for us all as Offerings will be greatly reduced. Envelopes can be kept until the church re-opens, but it would be greatly appreciated if offerings could be made direct to our bank account,

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please ask for details. Thank you to those who have already done that.+

WOODS OF WHITCHURCHHurrah for Lucy who continues to expand the range of things available!You can now select a delivery date for your online orders. Free on orders over £40.Deliveries are on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The delivery area is Monmouth, Ross on Wye and nearby villages. If you want to check that you qualify for free delivery before placing your first order then just give Lucy a call and she can confirmwoodsofwhitchurch.myshopify.com 01600 891021

Whitchurch Spice Tandoori (The Crown), is taking orders and delivering.  It doesn’t have a website but has a Facebook page of the same name.  Tel. 01600 890808.  Mobile: 0742240477

Monmouth ContactsEvans of Monmouth, fresh produce....01600 712005 Full House, Chinese. ......01600 712888 Indian Summer, Indian. ...01600 228200Mundy and Jones, Greengrocer. ....01600 772242 Neil Powell, Butcher…..01600 716655Wigmore’s, Bakery.............01600 712083 Yummiest Pizza, pizza and burgers..01600 716655

Easter Bible Quiz - Answers Next Week!

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1. What was the Jewish feast which was being celebrated the week Christ was crucified?2. When Jesus entered Jerusalem during what is known as His Triumphal Entry, what animal was He riding on?3. Why is the Sunday before the resurrection called Palm Sunday?4. Which disciple cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant in an attempt to protect Jesus from being taken as a prisoner?5. What was the name of the high priest’s servant who had his ear cut off by the disciple and subsequently reattached by Jesus?6. How many times did Peter deny Christ after the abandoned the Lord?7.  How many pieces of silver did Judas trade the life of Jesus for?8. How did Judas identify Jesus to the soldiers?9. In repentance Judas returned the money to the priests that he was given as the price of betrayal of the Lord and then did what?10. The priests took the money that Judas had returned to them and did what with it?11. Who was surprisingly released before Pontius Pilate sentenced Jesus to death?12. What did Pilate’s wife counsel him to do concerning Jesus?

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13. A man named Simon was compelled to carry the cross of Jesus. In Mark 15 we are told the names of Simon’s two sons. What were their names?14. What was the inscription above the cross?15. Can you quote 4 of the 7 statements recorded in the Bible that Christ said from the cross?16. Following the statements of Jesus on the cross, there was a statement by a Roman soldier concerning Christ. What was it?17. What happened in the Temple as a sign that the death of Jesus had made way for the individual believer to approach God?18. When Jesus died there was darkness in the land. How long did it last?19. In John 19 two men helped prepare the body of Christ for burial. One is said to have been a secret disciple and another secretly came to Jesus early in His ministry to ask question. Who were these men?20. Who was the first person to see the risen Christ?

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