JUNE 2020 60p

Lymington

Parish News

Lymington Parish News

St Thomas’ and All Saints’ Churches

St Thomas’ Church All Saints’ Church

St Thomas Street All Saints Road

Lymington Lymington

SO41 9ND SO41 8FD

Services

For details of Sunday and midweek services, please see the Diary inside.

Enquiries

There is a great deal of information to be found on our website: www.lymingtonchurch.org To enquire about weddings, baptisms, funerals, church and hall bookings please contact our Parish Office which is open at St Thomas’ Church, Monday to Friday, 9.30a.m.—11.30a.m. You can ‘Meet the Vicar’ by appointment on Tuesday evenings. Administrator: Mrs Gill Maunder: office@lymingtonchurch.org 01590 676194

Contacts

Vicar: The Revd Canon Peter Salisbury (day off Friday) peter@lymingtonchurch.org 01590 673847 Churchwardens: Mr David Bridges, 01590 678732 Mrs Maureen Harris, 01590 674458 Licensed Lay Ministers: Mr Douglas Marcuse, 01590 642340 Mr Malcolm Ward, 01590 679651 Organist & Choir Director: Mr Martin Penrose, ARCO, LTCL, penrosemusic@aol.com 02380 864439 Verger & Sacristan: Amanda Swaap 07743 719044 amandarjohnson69@gmail.com Tower Secretary: Mr Larry Stace, 01590 682417

Magazine

Publication date: 1st of each month. Please submit copy to the editor by the 6th of the previous month. Editor and Advertising: Nigel Mussett, nigelmussett@gmail.com 07531 179544 or 01590 718438 Subscriptions: Susan Canter-Visscher 01590 679666

Regular Services and Events

The normal pattern for services on a Sunday is:

ST THOMAS’ 8.00 a.m. Prayer Book Communion (BCP)

9.15 a.m. Choral Communion (CW)

10.15 a.m. Shared refreshments

11.00 a.m. Life & Soul Informal Service

WEEKDAY SERVICES

REGULAR WEEKLY EVENTS

Monday 12.30 p.m. Lunch Club - STH

Tuesday 10.00 a.m. Toddler Group - STH (term-time) 6.00 p.m. Meet the Vicar (by appointment) - STC

Wednesday 10.00 a.m. Poetry Corner - STH 10.15 a.m. Vistas Café; Soup & Sandwich Lunch - STH 7.30 p.m. Bell Ringers’ Practice - STC

Thursday 10.00 a.m. Stitch and Knit - STH 10.15 a.m. Vistas Café - STH

Friday 9.45 a.m. Friday Fellowship - STH 10.15 a.m. Vistas Café - STH 7.00 p.m. Full Choir Practice - STC

Saturday 9.00 a.m. Prayers for the work of the Parish - STC

ST THOMAS’

Wed. (CW) 11.00 a.m.

Thurs. (BCP) 11.00 a.m.

Friday (CW) 8.00 a.m.

OTHER LOCATIONS

1st & 3rd Thurs. 10.30 a.m. Solent Mead

2nd Friday 11.00 a.m. Court Lodge

3rd Wednesday 11.00 a.m. Farringford

Monthly 11.00 a.m. Linden Ho.

PARISH DIARY

CORONAVIRUS ALERT!

Following directions from HM Government and the Archbishops, all public

gatherings and worship at Church will be suspended to help limit the spread of

COVID-19. Please see the St Thomas’ Church website for current updates:

www.lymingtonchurch.org/COVID-19

Dear Friends,

At first there's so much to learn: new ways of communicating, the occasional new gadget required (you know me, quite a fan of gadgets!) and above all of just getting everything to work. Well, the novelty has definitely worn off

now! My complaints are:

1. It's incredibly time-consuming. Sarah and I were out videoing in the churchyard the other day. We just kept having to re-do everything over and over again. Sarah said, “Of course, the person we need right now is David Fenton, with all his experience in the BBC he could give us a few tips.” So, as though scripted, David Fenton came a-walking his dog through the churchyard just moments later. Tips he did have: avoid contrast, get the light behind the camera, take that silly hat off, etc., etc. And very reassuringly he said that even the professionals at the BBC reckon on an hour filming for one minute watching. For me, not a professional, it's even worse and just the 'leading the service' part of a Sunday service takes more than a day to achieve.

2. It hurts my eyes and my head. Do you find it easy using Zoom? I sometimes think the people who join us just using their landline phones have the best approach. The strain of watching all the different pictures of people, and inevitably keeping an eye on MYSELF to make sure I'm still in frame and don't have a house-plant growing out of my head, makes my eyes hurt after 30 minutes or so. And trying to hear what people are saying is made SO much harder by the fact that their lips aren't quite moving in time with what they're saying, and every now and then a random word is dropped or repeated or garbled. You need to attend with all your concentration just to make out what's being said. Exhausting!

3. It's not really real. I LOVE talking to people, meeting with people, shaking hands, hugging people (in moderation!), exchanging knowing looks, being together in silence. Zoom is great, a phone call is great, but... I did one 'sermon' with a green screen background. That meant I could choose LATER what I was apparently standing in front of (also see 1 above). But I wasn't really; I was just in my sitting room in front of some green fabric we rescued from the spare room. Literally unreal!

One thing all my complaints have in common is that they are trivial and insignificant. I live in walking distance of one of the most beautiful places on the planet. I live in a beautiful house and garden. I live with my lovely wife who is a constant joy and delight. And there's our cat Reggie. And the chickens.

Complaining is great; the Psalmist does it a lot. It's just really important to remember how it turns out: “You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness.” Psalm 30.11

Wishing you every blessing, Peter

As I write we have now experienced over eight weeks of ‘lockdown’ and there are now guidelines, albeit ambiguous, for tentative easing of restrictions in certain aspects of our communities. Some of us benefit, though many still experience being ‘locked in’, while the whole congregation is as yet ‘locked out’ from our church. An extraordinary time we shall never forget.

Our bishops keep us both informed and advised. There is news of churches opening at some future date though initially for private prayer. For those not able to access the variety of spiritual support available on line, we are grateful for the various worship services continuing through radio and television. The peaceful clear air has benefited the many birds and flowers which have continued to flourish attractively in our churchyard. The church interior, however, once closed, soon began to feel different on my routine security checks. It’s not just the absence of the cross but a changed atmosphere: the sudden cessation of the many people entering each week to acknowledge in some way God’s meaning in their lives. The church is indeed the people! Happily, God doesn’t always need buildings; prayers and serving many in our community has continued and widened. We are encouraged by, and grateful to, all those who have supported and encouraged church members and others of the wider parish. Thank God for telephones!

The collaboration between Peter and Rachel has enabled joint streamed services of St Thomas’ and St Mark’s and they have reached far more people than anyone might have imagined. This combination of newly quickly-learned skills might in some way have a place in our future ministry and mission. The excellent technical support for our inspired Sunday worship has also enabled participation by members of both churches with music and Bible readings, and has even included people of churches in Syria and Uganda.

However, we are only too aware that for those with no internet access staying connected hasn’t been so easy. We are heartened and grateful to all who in various ways continue to support and care for members of the church family. Please let us know if you or anyone you know would like any kind of contact or support, or have prayer requests. Contact the Churchwardens on 674458 or 678732, or leave a message at the church office.

Meetings of committees, groups for prayer as well as for coffee have met virtually thanks to ‘Zoom’ - an acceptable substitute for real meetings for now. Despite all the excellent good will and adaptations to the current situation, there is no doubt that we are all hoping and praying for the time when we can resume important ‘normal contact’ and meet together, not least for our shared worship. Prayers continue for those affected by the Corvid-19 virus, all on the front line of caring, those experiencing uncertain futures, the Basics Banks teams and the people they support, as well as those unwell and who are bereaved. These weeks of uncertainly, anxiety, and for some even fear, have coincided with the marking of VE Day, remembering those six years of insecurity requiring obedience and sacrifice… and also, the time leading to Pentecost. The disciples were fearfully locked in, uncertain of the future but waiting as Jesus had directed them. They too had no idea for how long or what was to come. All they could do was to constantly remember Him and simply to trust Him. They prayed. In the weeks ahead may that continue to be an encourag-ing example for us all to follow. Maureen Harris

THE ORGANIST PIPES UP!

The recent commemoration of the VE Day celebrations reminded me of the vital work done by members of ENSA – the Entertainments National Service Association.

Many of their number were or went on to become household names, but pianist Viola Tunnard, who joined ENSA in 1939, is sadly rather forgotten these days. I first came across her name some years ago now when I read singer and comedienne Joyce Grenfell’s wartime memoir The time of my life – Entertaining the troops.

Viola became Joyce Grenfell’s accompanist and together they gave dozens of concerts throughout North Africa and the Middle East. Conditions were not easy, and Viola often had to turn her hand to piano tuning and repair to maintain the rather dodgy pianos with which they were supplied. A favourite solo request was apparently the ‘Warsaw Concerto’, written by John Addinsell for the 1941 film ‘Dangerous Moonlight’.

The daughter of a Norfolk clergyman, she was born in 1916 and later won a scholarship to the Royal College of Music where she studied piano and violin and counted Herbert Howells among her teachers.

After the war she returned to the world of classical music and was a close collaborator with the composer Benjamin Britten. She played for several premieres of his chamber works and accompanied singers such as Peter Pears and Dame Janet Baker.

In her final years she suffered with motor neuron disease, from which she died in July 1974. A music bursary was set up in her memory and one of the contributors was Joyce Grenfell, who donated £10,000.

Martin Penrose

We should like to wish

Happy June Birthday to ...

Join us on Sunday 21 June

We can’t meet face to face so join us for Worship songs, Bible readings and craft activities

from 9.0am at www.lymingtonchurch.org

To find out more about Messy Church visit: www.messychurch.org.uk

St Thomas’ Church Lymington

Tyler Bryant + Poppy Roberts

Finley Bennett + Peter Loveless + Anna Wills

Edward Grealish + Mia Walker-Ralph

Freya Hampton + Violet Foreman

Edward Westbrooke

This month's cover: Wild Gladiolus on the New Forest in June. Photo: Nigel Mussett

‘Father God’

Easter Dawn of Hope

The pathway empty on that pre-dawn journey,

The darkness interrupted by the odd house light.

I was not alone on that early morn,

Blackbirds and robins tweeted and sang.

I floated in a meditative peace along the way,

Time and tide and nature by my side.

The smells of the woodland and sea wall plants,

The expectation of that glorious rise.

The light and colour ever changing ,

Building to a crescendo and first heat of ray.

Bang on time Alleluia, bang on time.

The joy of pure love exuding.

The ray crept towards me over the mud flats,

The meandering sea wall path the ray followed.

The mist broken, the scattered mind clear,

Jesus Christ is risen, he is risen indeed.

Alleluia

Derek Lee

We have managed to ring every Sunday during 2019 and up to the recent lockdown for the Coronavirus outbreak in March 2020. As with the rest of the church and country we are observing all the recommendations.

We have a core of nine regular ringers, the majority of whom have to travel to St Thomas’ in order to ring. Accounting for sickness, family commit-ments and holidays, this can sometimes leave us short of ringers as we have eight bells.

The commitment which our regular ringers give to get up early in order to start ringing at 8.45 on a Sunday morning is commendable. We have, however, usually managed to ring on six bells for the majority of Sundays or, on a rare occasion, four bells — as our late Tower Captain Rex Corke would call it, “Three blind mice and one on cover bell”. Our situation has been eased considerably by Vicky and Rob who have joined the Band since moving to Lymington, bringing with them a wealth of ringing experience.

We have rung for most of the weddings which have taken place in 2019 and have had many visiting groups of ringers from all over the country coming to ring our bells.

This year our post- Christmas meal was held at Lanes Restaurant where we enjoyed a relaxed lunchtime meal in good company and with some fine food.

Andy Dibb

Bell ringers’ Christmas Lunch, 18 January. Photo: Kate Mussett

BELL TOWER CHIMES

Sarah Standage writes… The members of Poetry Corner have just celebrated their second birthday. Unfortunately, as the measures of social distancing and self-isolation are in force, this means that we have not been meeting at Vistas Café. Instead, we have gone on line. Each week I collate the members' choices of poems and send them out in an email; it has been a good way to keep in contact. We continue to read a variety of poems, including some on the current situation of lockdown. We look forward to meeting up again when the crisis is over and we can plan our next outing. There are some talented poets in the group and I would like to share their work with you.

Waiting for better times by Matthew Daish

Silver raindrops sailing the falling leaves of Autumn brown and cascading green sparkling onto soft-hard earth, Like a pearl plunging into the Strongest of Seas flashing through the bubbly wash bound to burst into clouds of joy Lost, in wait for the sunshine sailing contently along

We didn’t see this coming - an acrostic for today by Sarah Standage

Can you believe this is happening? Our lives turned upside down Raging temperature, dry cough, pneumonia Oh! I hope you don’t have those symptoms Nasty virus which originated in Wuhan Apply caution daily please Visitors discouraged Isolate yourself at home as in Rome; St Peter’s Square deserted— Unlike Waitrose on Sunday morning! Social distancing important

Church of England suspends services Out goes routine and stability Ventilators in high demand I phones and technology a blessing for contact Doubtless they will say in the future that 20 19 was a good year and 2020 wasn’t.

Keeping Mum Safe by Patricia Bishop My lovely daughter hovers there, a good two metres off beyond the shopping; her glove has briefly touched the bell. Her anxious, searching gaze smoothes down to mirrored smile - We both relax, rejoicing once again to find each other well. But… No homely hugs, familiar spontaneous signs of our affection: No mutually encircling arms enfold in warm embrace. “Keep back”, she says, “remember, after you unpack the bags, wash your hands; and do not put them up to touch your face.” Transfixed by her stern distance, my stricken heart forgets to feel Till suddenly it beats, bedazzled; I see, now, how her Tough Love is Real.

Solitude – if it wasn’t for the sparrows. Or Lots of excuses by Celia Swan Lockdown. Solitude. Time to finish my play. If it wasn’t for the sparrows, in and out of the hole they’ve made in my roof, endlessly chuntering as they build their nest. What will happen when it rains? Lockdown. Solitude. Silence. That second draft? If it wasn’t for my neighbour leaning over my gate, talking ozone layers, and my spinaches have slugs. Lockdown. Solitude, Scene One? If it wasn’t for the emergency plumber. Wanting to know where everything is. To tell me how much he enjoys his work. Meeting people. Lockdown. Solitude. Try a monologue. If it wasn’t for the sparrows.

Sequel 2020 by Sylvia Pepin

My, oh my! Yawned the bluebell Stretching his head up towards the sun. It swarm he announced Where where shouted the bees Furiously circling him hunting hunting. No No he shouted back I said it’s warm, oh wake up replied the bees Hang on Said the bluebell... I’m just coming to!

We think you should have stayed asleep Though we are pleased to see you your nectar is so sweet. Why? Well... you see it’s the humans. What’s the humans? Well how can we put it to help you... Umm do you remember when there was an evil thing That started killing off us? Ye...s I think so. Well there is an even bigger one killing off humans. Oh Yes it seems to be following a selection process, The weakest and the old are affected worse. Yes that happened to us too, But now look… we are recovering We seriously were looking for a swarm when you woke up So that must mean that there is a new queen And there will be many more bees now. That will be good for all the flowers. Oh, that is really good news. We must pray that the humans recover from this too.

Could you write a plausible story to include: A Doctor — A Mountain — An Aeroplane?

Well, the true story has already been written! The players are detailed below and the action is taking place right now in Chin State, north-west Myanmar.

The Doctor The doctor is Dr Sasa, born in Lailenpi, a small remote village on top of a mountain in Chin State. It was a very poor village where life was particu-larly tough and where it was not uncommon for both a baby and mother to die in childbirth. Deaths also occurred from preventable illnesses like diarrhoea. There were chronic food shortages, limited opportunities for education and no health care. At a young age, Dr Sasa was distressed that so many of his family, together with other people in the village, were dying unnecessarily and he vowed to change the situation by training to become a doctor. He had to work hard, first by attending high school in Yangon and then going to India to attend university and finally travelling to Armenia to train as a doctor. He learnt a new language in each of the countries he visited, finally graduating in 2008 and then returning to his home village. With the help of a number of contacts, he set up a charity called Health and Hope, based in Myanmar and the UK.

MISSIONARY

AVIATION

FELLOWSHIP

Dr Sasa attending to a patient in Lailenpi

Through a number of God-inspired occasions he met just the right people at the right time ’by coincidence’. He was particularly fortunate in being invited to the UK where he met Prince Charles, Patron of Health and Hope, and who has always shown a great interest in their work. The charity is based on providing education and medical care. New buildings were erected and every young person was given the opportunity of a free education. The first medical care was given for traditional birth attendants and community health workers. This training has now been given to 551 partner villages in the area. A Community Health Finance Initiative has been set up to help develop a source of income and there is also now a clinic in Lailenpi.

The Mountain

The mountain is where the village of Lailenpi is situated, a rugged tropical jungle area with little way in or out. The basic roads are only passable in the dry season, leaving the villages virtually cut off during part of the year. This means that if any medical emergencies occur during this period they must be dealt with within the community itself. Health and Hope had to look for a solution.

The village of Lailenpi

An Aeroplane - the solution

Those readers who support The Missionary Aviation Fellowship will recognize the aeroplane. MAF has opened up a new programme in Myanmar, not only to serve Lailenpi but other airfields in due course. In Lailenpi, in spite of the size of the project and having to remove over 40,000 cubic metres of soil and rock each month, the runway is due for completion by early June this year with the first flight scheduled to follow shortly afterwards. This will reduce the road trip, when possible, from a three to four day journey to just ninety minutes by air and prove to be a real blessing, providing a quick connection to modern facilities when emergencies arise.

More detailed information about the project can be found at:

www.healthandhope.org www.maf-uk.org/places

www.lailenpiairport.com

Sandy White

© Images by courtesy of Health and Hope (1 & 2) and MAF (3)

Pomegranate

The accounts in the Old Testament indicate that the ephod must have been a rather splendid looking garment (Exodus 28). It was worn by the High Priest Aaron when he entered the holy place of the tabernacle. Made from fine blue linen, intermingled with gold, it was a short outer garment joined at the shoulders and held together by an embroidered girdle. On the shoulder were mounted two onyx stones which bore the names of the twelve children of Israel. The hem was embroidered with pomegranates in blue, purple and scarlet alternating with bells made from gold.

The pomegranate, from the Medieval Latin pomme (apple) and granatum (seeded), is native to western Asia and the Near East, an area extending from Iran to northern India. Its scientific name is Punica granatum. It was widely cultivated and valued by early Man, later becoming naturalised in the Mediterranean, the tropics, sub-tropics and the Americas. It was probably what western writers later called an “apple” - the apple we know today was not generally developed from wild types until the 16th century AD. It featured widely in eastern designs and decorations and was highly valued medicinally and as a food, providing both juice and solid nourishment. The bark of the tree and the skin of the fruit produced tannins and a red dye used in the production of Morocco leather.

The red flower attracted attention and the fruit was taken universally to represent abundance and fertility. It frequently turns up in classical myth-ology and in the Bible we read that it was one of the many riches promised to the Israelites before they entered the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 8.7-9) - it was not just a land “flowing with milk and honey”! In the Christian era it came to represent not only resurrection and immortality but also the church: many seeds united into one body.

The Spanish town of Grenada incorporated the fruit in its coat of arms. It was also a symbol used by Catherine of Aragon and it is perhaps no surprise that it was also included in the arms of the College of Physicians (now the Royal College) founded in London by Henry VIII in 1518.

Nature Notes

Pomegranate flower

Attribution: Diako 1971/CC BY-SA

Wikipedia

The pomegranate tree only grows to a height of about 10 metres (approximately 32ft). It has glossy deciduous leaves and in the northern hemisphere the fruit is harvested between September and February. The ripe fruit is covered with a tough red skin and its interior is divided into several chambers arranged in two layers and in which the hard seeds are embedded. Early uses in medicine involved using extracts from the bark of the root as a treatment against tapeworms while the skin of the fruit and petals proved to have astringent properties, causing a shrinkage of body tissues which helped to reduce bleeding and dry up secretions. Each seed is surrounded by a crimson flesh from which a juice can be obtained for making into a refreshing cold drink or fermented into wine. The seeds are full of nutrients which is why pomegranates are sometimes now referred to as a ’superfood’. NJM

Granada, Spain Ripe pomegranate fruit (x½)

Pomegranate - vertical section Pomegranate - cross section

withered stamens

withered sepals

18. The Revd William Pickering Reid 1822

Heraldry in St Thomas’ Church

In the absence of any further verifiable information at present, we can take this opportunity of looking at the heraldry on the hatchment in some detail.

The hatchment for William Pickering Reid. Photo: William Payne, from the church archives.

Amongst the collection of eleven hatchments in the church is one for William

Pickering Reid who died in January 1822 at the age of 57 years. At the present time we know very little about him and with no access at the moment to the records and archives at the County Record Office, the local Museum and Library, I am unable to provide much in the way of biographical details to accompany this article. There is no memorial to him inside the church but he is probably buried somewhere in St Thomas’ churchyard.

We do, however, know that he was married to Elizabeth, née Higgs, and at the time of his death he was living at Woodlands, a property he owned at Eling and where he was possibly the Vicar. From a copy of his Will at The National Archives we learn that he had a brother called David, also a clergyman, two older sisters, Elizabeth and Jane, and two married younger sisters, Mary Cole and Ann Edgar. There is no reference in his Will to any children that he may have had.

It will immediately be noticed that the background of the hatchment is black on the dexter side and white on the sinister, indicating that this is for a married man who pre-deceased his wife. Moreover, the shield is divided into two halves, with William Reid’s arms on the dexter half and his wife’s on the sinister half. The blazon reads:

Quarterly: 1 and 4. Argent an eagle displayed sable charged on the breast with an escutcheon gules (Reid); 2. gyronny of eight or and sable (for Campbell of Argyll); 3. or a lion rampant sable ducally crowned or (for ?). Impaling: argent a chevron between three harts lodged gules (for Higgs of Gloucestershire).

Helm: that of an Esquire.

Crest: An eagle rising wings addorsed inverted proper.

Mantling: Gules and argent.

Mottoes: IN SUBLIME (above the crest, for Reid) - ‘Upwards’ RESURGAM (beneath the shield) - ’I shall rise again’

Quarters 1 and 4 show the white field charged with an eagle with wings and legs displayed, that is, expanded on both sides and facing the viewer, wing tips pointing upwards and the head facing to the right. The red (gules) shield (escutcheon) on the breast of the bird is probably a mark of difference to denote this particular branch of the Reid family. The second quarter comprises a repeated pattern of triangular segments called gyrons, a condition known as gyronny. Here there are eight gyrons in yellow (or) and black (sable). In heraldry, a single gyron is usually shown as the lower half of the first quarter; when the pattern is repeated, it proceeds in a clockwise direction. In this example we have the arms of a branch of the Campbell family which included the Duke of Argyll and to whom the Reid family seems to have become related by marriage in an earlier generation. The third quarter shows the arms of a family which has to date not been identified. It comprises a lion rampant — standing upright on one hind paw, the other three paws and the tail elevated and the head facing to the right. Ducally crowned or refers to the golden crown coronet on top of its head, suggesting a connection to the Duke of Argyll. There is a reference to the coronet in William Pickering Reid’s Will.

The sinister half of the shield represents the arms of Higgs, his wife’s family. The white field is charged with a chevron and three deers (harts). The animals are lodged, meaning they are lying down at rest, with their legs tucked in beneath the body. Since both charges are red (gules), the colour is only specified once. Heraldic language is both precise and concise, avoiding all unnecessary repetition. The wreath on top of the helmet is painted in white and black, the two principal colours of the Reid arms. The helmet is that of a gentleman and on top of this is the crest, a rather splendid eagle shown rising wings addorsed inverted, that is, standing up ready to take flight with its wings shown back to back and tips pointing downwards. Proper means that the bird is painted in its natural, not heraldic, colours. Nigel Mussett

When the field of a shield or part of a shield is divided into four, a practice known as quartering, the quarters are numbered as shown.

1 2

3 4

The Beatitudes

The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5, 6 and 7) begins with the “Beatitudes” of Matthew 5.3-12. Nowhere else are human pretensions exposed and punctured with such abrupt authority — a daring and paradoxical challenge, indeed — a body blow to the natural human comfort zone.

With the opening utterance of his Sermon, Jesus captures the moral high ground in a single sentence — and more than the moral high ground! Above and beyond, but also within the grasp of mortality, is a condition which Jesus calls “The Kingdom of Heaven”. Those who belong to it have a status which is categorically different from moral superiority. They are “Blessed”.

This blessedness is not attained through fame and celebrity, status and power — such avenues as appeal to the materialist. Above the vain aspirations of the secular world there is a Kingdom which is entered on foot in pilgrim humility: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”

More challenging than that, eight further parallel declarations are made by way of definition and clarification of this original headline. They all begin with the word “Blessed”. They shake, analyse and reinterpret the whole human situation. Yet for all their preposterous novelty, they also have an Old Testament root: “Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly…” (Psalm 1.1).

Therefore, should anybody ask “But who are the ’poor in spirit’?’’, the answer is already provided in these succeeding definitions: “they that mourn”; “the meek”; “they that hunger and thirst after righteousness”, etc.

At the end of the Beatitudes Jesus does not hesitate to involve himself with his hearers. Precisely because the programme he outlines runs directly contrary to popular persuasions, in a secular world those who are convinced by the pronouncement of Jesus must be strangers, foreigners and aliens. Their allegiance to him and the Kingdom he announces will be tested (Matthew 5.11-12).

William Cummings

Looking ahead in anticipation…

28 As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. 29 But they urged him strongly, saying, ‘Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.’ So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?’ 33 That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. 34 They were saying, ‘The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!’ 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread. Luke 24.28–35

Jesus teaches us to pray: ‘Give us this day our daily bread.’ Give us this day just enough and help us to be content and to trust you for tomorrow. An antidote to consumption.

Give us this day the living bread - Jesus. Food and drink and possessions do not, in the end, satisfy our deepest needs.

Give us this day the bread of life: the signs of God’s love which we can receive and touch and taste; and the body and blood of Christ in Holy Communion.

And give us thankful hearts to offer our lives in response to all of God’s gifts to us. May we, too, recognize Jesus in the breaking of the bread.

Almighty God, we thank you for feeding us with the body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ. Through him we offer you our souls and bodies to be a living sacrifice. Send us out in the power of your Spirit to live and work to your praise and glory. Amen.

From: CofE Easter Pilgrim daily reflections

Malcolm Ward

A DELIVERY SERVICE IS AVAILABLE DURING THE

CURRENT LOCKDOWN.

Contact us for a copy of the full menu and prices.

01590 672777

info@lanesoflymington.com

The reason why a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue. Anon.

Don’t accept your dog’s admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful. Ann Landers

The average dog is a nicer person than the average person. Andy Rooney

A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself. Josh Billings

We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare. In return, dogs give us their all. It’s the best deal man has ever made. M. Acklam

Dogs love their friends and bite their enemies, quite unlike people, who are incapable of pure love and always have to mix love and hate. Sigmund Freud

I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult? Rita Rudner

If your dog is fat, you are not getting enough exercise. Anon.

Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. Robert A. Heinlein

Have you ever considered what our dogs must think of us? We come back from a grocery store with the most amazing haul — chicken, pork, half a cow. They must think we’re the greatest hunters on earth! Anne Tyler

If you think dogs can’t count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket and give him only one of them. Phil Pastoret

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. Anon.

My goal in life is to be as good a person my dog already thinks I am. Anon.

CANINE PSYCHOLOGY

Submitted by Ken Mumford, Swindon

At a concert, the conductor turned to the audience and noticed two dogs and a cat sitting in the front row. The conductor said, “I do not often have animals at my concerts. What are your names?” “Bach,” the large dog replied. “I Offen Bach,” said the other dog . “And I am Debussy,” replied the cat.

THE WRONG END OF THE STICK?

A clean cup of coffee

Before sitting down for a coffee one morning a customer brushed the crumbs from his seat while his partner wiped a spillage on the table with her napkin.

The waitress came over and asked what they would like to eat.

“Nothing, thank you,” said the man. “I’ll just have a black coffee. An Americano.”

“I’ll have a black coffee, too, please,” said the girl. “And please make sure the cup is clean.”

The waitress nodded and went off to get the coffees.

Several minutes later she returned and said, “Two Amerianos. Which one of you wanted the clean cup?”

07496 081015

www.so41catering.co.uk

Private Hire

Supper Clubs

Weddings

Buffets

Food Truck

Event Hire

St Thomas’ Church Lymington

The café is temporarily closed during the present

coronavirus outbreak

@so41catering

Ellis & Co. - Insurance Services

Independent Broker offering sound advice for Commercial Liability

Household Motor and Property insurance

Real people - Reliable service

Elgars Court, 17a High Street, Lymington SO41 9AB

www.ellisinsurance.co.uk email: robert@ellisinsurance.co.uk

Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority

LYMINGTON PARISH NEWS

Regular subscribers have their copies delivered to their home address each month by one of our team of distributors. Whilst the church is temporarily closed for the

duration of the current COVID-19 pandemic, new subscribers are welcome and can ensure that they obtain their copy by subscribing for the remaining months of 2020.

Please contact the Editor or Susan Canter-Visscher: details may be found at the front of the magazine.