Subject: News from the University Church

 

Now the Green Blade Riseth…


by the Revd Hannah Cartwright


Having reflected on some Lenten hymnody, it now seems apt to bookend the season with an Easter hymn. There are many excellent and rousing Easter hymns of course but Now the green blade riseth is perhaps one of the most understated and yet evocative:

‘Now the green blade riseth, from the buried grain,

Wheat that in dark earth many days has lain;

Love lives again, that with the dead has been:

Love is come again like wheat that springeth green’


For me it brings to mind images of Christ gently stretching in the first morning light on Easter Day or walking in the quiet of the garden ready for Mary’s arrival (taking us back to the Garden of Eden where God walked with Adam and Eve freely before the Fall). I find it a rather more gentle image to have of the Resurrection than the triumphal ‘bursting from the tomb’ we find in Thine be the Glory; as fabulous as that also is.


St Paul speaks about the resurrection of the body as like a seed being sown in the earth; an idea which the children who visited our ‘Explore Easter’ event played with by planting sunflower seeds which (if well-watered and on a sunny window sill) should just about be beginning to show some early shoots. Paul notes that we are sown a physical, perishable body but we are raised a spiritual, imperishable body – not ghost-like and floating about, but a new and unlimited physicality, consistent with the Resurrection encounters which the disciples had where Jesus was able to appear in rooms without using the door yet still eat fish on the beach and walk with friends on the road. His was a body recognised not by its close resemblance to the person they saw before his death, but by its distinctive marks of his love and the way he broke bread.


It is this Love which springs up afresh for us each morning, not only on Easter Day. Every day is an opportunity to step into resurrection; to let the presence of Christ grow within us like a seed. Initially that growth may be unseen, but soon it pushes through and we witness the first tentative shoots of faith. If we nurture that faith, water it well and keep it facing towards the Son – perhaps we too will come to know what resurrection feels like.


‘Love is come again like wheat that springeth green’.

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Ecohints of the week

We are so proud of being a Silver Ecochurch and the Green Team at SMV is encouraging whole church participation in taking actions towards caring for Creation. Each week in epistle, we will provide one nudge to help us all live more lightly.


Keep a country which has been badly impacted by climate change in your prayers this week From floods to landslides to drought, there are so many places in the world that are experiencing the effects of climate change. Our prayers could consider how our actions are causing these effects. If you manage to take this action, let us know HERE

Click the image to see our events for Trinity 2023

Notices


SUNDAY FORUM - 12PM, TODAY (OLD LIBRARY)

We believe that we are all fearfully and wonderfully made in God's image, yet the world can be a hostile place for those whose gender and identity journeys do not conform to the gender binary or other 'expected norms'. Chrissie Chevasutt, Outreach and Development Worker for Trans, Intersex and Non-Binary people for St Columba's United Reformed Church, will be leading us to consider the question 'what does it take for trans, non-binary and intersex people to flourish?'


LATIN COMMUNION - 8AM, THURSDAY 20 APRIL

Very soon after the first English Prayer Book appeared in 1549, it was translated into Latin; the use of which continues today at the University Church. The Revd Dr Katherine Price will celebrate Holy Communion at the beginning of this new term.


THURSDAY LUNCHTIME CONCERT - 1PM, THURSDAY 20 APRIL

This week's concert will feature violin duo Elizabeth Merrifield and Leo Panish, playing a programme to include Jean-Marie Leclair and Mieczystaw Weinberg.


PARISH LUNCH - 12PM, SUNDAY 23 APRIL

Our first Parish Lunch of the new term will be held next Sunday in the Old Library.

Whether you are new to St Mary's or have been here a long time, all are very welcome. Please speak to Katie Hicks if you would be able to prepare a dish.


THE STORY OF AN ICON - THURS 27 APRIL | 4.00pm - 5.30pm

Joanna Tulloch is a poet, artist, and icon painter who lives in Oxford. She will talk about how she became interested in icon painting and will give a presentation of various hand-painted icons, some by her and others the work of Greek and Russian icon painters. The main focus will be on icons of the Virgin Mary (known as the Mother of God in Orthodoxy), including their history, characteristics, and meaning. This talk is part of our Volunteer Monthly Series and everyone, volunteer or not, is very welcome to attend.


ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING - 12PM, SUNDAY 30 APRIL

The APCM is an opportunity for all who are on the electoral roll to reflect on the past year of life at St Mary's and to vote on important matters and appointments for the year ahead. All on the electoral roll are warmly encouraged to attend.


WHAT'S ON FOR TRINITY TERM

The Trinity Term 'What's On' guide is available on the website and will soon be available in print. Take a look to find out more about what's on this coming term.


BAMPTON LECTURES - 23 & 30 MAY

The Revd Dr Willie James Jennings will give this year's Bampton lectures titled:

'Jesus and the Displaced: Christology and the Redemption of Habitation'. Taking the work of the great African American theologian and mystic Howard Thurman in his famed text, Jesus and the Disinherited as inspiration, these lectures focus on the problems of displacement - geographic, racial, social, and environmental - and how a fresh consideration of the landed life of Jesus might speak to these problems.


HOLYWELL CEMETERY GARDENING DAY

There will not be a Gardening Day in April. The next one will take place on 13 May. 


ELECTORAL ROLL

If you are baptised and over the age of 16, and are either resident in the parish or have regularly attended worship here for the last 6 months, you are eligible to join the church electoral roll. This enables you to attend and vote at the annual parochial church meeting and to stand as a member of the PCC. We update the electoral roll annually so if you would like to join or to amend your details, please pick up a form from the back of church.


BAPTISM AND CONFIRMATION CLASSES

If you are considering taking the next step in faith and would like to be baptised or confirmed at Pentecost (28th May), it would be wonderful to hear from you. Please be in touch with Hannah for an informal chat and put the following dates of baptism and confirmation preparation classes in your diary, all 5.30-6.30pm: 18 April, 25 April, 9 May, 16 May. On 23 May will be a rehearsal. To make it as accessible as possible we will be taking a hybrid approach with some sessions in the Old Library and some on zoom.


SUPPORTING OUR MINISTRY   
If you would like to support the ministry of the University Church, you may wish to make a cash donation at the offertory or via the contactless card machine by the High Street entrance. You can also make a donation online (please use the QR code) through the Parish Giving Scheme or by sending a text: Text "SMV X" to 70085 to donate £X. E.g.: "SMV 5" to 70085 will donate £5.00. Texts cost £X plus one standard rate message. Thank you!

St Mary's Church, High Street, OX1 4BJ, Oxford, United Kingdom

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