Further to the Scottish Government’s announcement last week allowing places of worship to reopen from 26th March, subject to continued improvement in the Covid-19 statistics, it is our intention to reopen our church buildings on Sunday 28 March. We will still be subject to the restrictions we were following before Christmas – a maximum of 50 in attendance in Melrose, 20 at Bowden, with the requirement for distancing, face masks, hand sanitising, trace and protect, no singing etc. Looking ahead to Easter we will not be able to have a service on the saddle of the Eildons however the provisional plan is…
Sunday 28 March, 9.30am – Palm Sunday Service in Bowden Kirk
11.00am – Palm Sunday Service in Melrose Church
Thursday 1 April, 7.00pm – Maundy Thursday Service in Melrose Church
Friday 2 April, 7.00pm – Good Friday Service in Melrose Church
Sunday 4 April, 9.30am – Easter Sunday Service in Bowden Kirk
11.00am – Easter Sunday Service from Melrose Church
All services in Melrose Church will be live streamed.
Sunday worship
As you are aware we are transitioning to a new website which is not proving straightforward… so our Sunday Service will be posted on both Facebook and Instagram at 6.00pm on Saturday evening. You can watch it anytime thereafter. You can also listen by phoning 01896 808551. In our worship during Lent we are looking at the events of Holy Week through a series of objects. On this fifth Sunday of Lent our focus is the crown of thorns.
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Bowden-and-Melrose-Parish-Church-432876940395760
Instagram – bowdenandmelrose
Lent
During Lent you are encouraged to follow our daily reading guide through Mark’s Gospel. A recording of the reading and a short reflection is being posted each day on Facebook and Instagram….and on the website as soon as possible…
Moderator’s Service
As in previous weeks the Moderator, Rt Rev Martin Fair, has curated a service. You may wish to join church folk from around Scotland in worship. The YouTube link goes live at 3am on Sunday morning. https://youtu.be/u6FBYlyoEtM
Television and Radio
There are other worship opportunities on Sunday. On BBC 1 Scotland at 11.30am you can watch Reflections from the Quay. Presenters Rev Neil Glover of Aberfeldy and writer Fiona Stewart continue Lent thoughts, considering how new life comes from letting go of the old. Music is by Tim Eday and Ross Ainslie. On BBC Scotland at 12noon Canon William Maclean of Our Holy Redeemer RC Church in Stornoway leads a service titled Lent – A Time of Grace. This week Songs of Praise is on BBC 2 at 1.15pm. New Every Sunday is at 7.30am on Radio Scotland and Sunday Worship at 8.10am on Radio 4. Both will be available afterwards on BBC Sounds.
Prayer
This Sunday Christians across the country – and further afield – will once again join together in prayer and reflection at 7pm in response to the pandemic.
Living God, in whose image we are made,
Hear us we ask, through Your Son who prays for us.
Hear us, as we recall all we have endured as community and nation
In the year that has passed.
Lord, in Your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Living God, who knows us in all our suffering,
Hear us we ask, through Your Son who prays for us.
Hear us, as we reflect across the nation
And remember those who have suffered the deepest loss.
Lord, in Your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Living God, whose name is Love,
Hear us we ask, through Your Son who prays for us.
Hear us, as we reach out our hand to those who suffer still
And stand with them in the face of all that is to come.
Lord, in Your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Living God, who gives good gifts to all Creation,
Hear us we ask, through Your Son who prays for us.
Hear us, as we give thanks for those who, in hospital and in care home,
Have cared for the dying and the sick.
Lord, in Your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Living God, who inspires hope,
Hear us we ask, through Your Son who prays for us.
Hear us, as we acknowledge and give thanks for all who have created the vaccines
That give hope to the peoples of all nations.
Lord, in Your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Living God, who gives light to the world, even in the face of darkness,
Hear us we ask, through Your Son who prays for us.
Hear us, as we bow in the presence of the One who,
In the days of His flesh, shed tears for us.
Lord, in Your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Offering
Our buildings may be closed but the work of the church continues. Thank you for your ongoing support. Many of our members now make their offering by standing order and we would encourage you to do so! Please contact Helen to set this up – bowden.melrosepc@btinternet.com Alternatively you can send or deliver your offering to the church, or you can make an online offering to Bowden and Melrose Church via the Church of Scotland website. https://cos.churchofscotland.org.uk/donate/?cong=040271
