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The Coker Ridgeway
weekly
8am Holy Communion (BCP) East Coker CH
9.15am Family Service Pendomer tba
9.15am Family th
Communion Closworth DW/MW
19 October 2014
(The Parishes of East Coker, Sutton Bingham, Closworth, West
Coker, Hardington Mandeville, East Chinnock and Pendomer)
Sunday 19th October. Eighteenth
Sunday after Trinity Green Proper 24
8am HC (BCP) Hardington DW
9.15am Family Service Pendomer DW
9.15am Family Service E Chinnock
David Bakewell
10.45 HC (BCP) Sutton Bingham tba
10.45 Sung Eucharist East Coker CH
10.45am HC (CW) West Coker DW
6.00 Evensong E Coker Keith Stevens
6.30 Service of Prayer for Healing and
Wholeness Hardington DW
Collect for The Eighteenth Sunday
after Trinity
Almighty and everlasting God,
increase in us your gift of faith that,
forsaking what lies behind and
reaching out to that which is before,
we may run the way of your
commandments and win the crown
of everlasting joy; 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.
Sunday 26th October The Last Sunday
after Trinity Green Proper 25
8am HC (BCP) E Chinnock Trevor Farmiloe
9.15am HC (CW) Pendomer CH
10.45am Sung Eucharist East Coker CH
10.45am Family Service Hardington
Daphne Creed
10.45am Morning Worship (CW) W Coker
6.30pm Evensong Closworth Geoff Doye
Sunday 2nd November All Saints' Sunday
Gold or White
8am Holy Communion (BCP) W Coker DW
9.15am HC (BCP) Sutton Bingham CH
9.15am HC (CW) East Chinnock DW
10.45 Sung Eucharist & Sunday School
East Coker CH (Commemoration of those
we love but see no longer)
10.45 Family Service & Commemoration
of All Saints W Coker
10.45am Matins (BCP) Hardington DW
6pm Evensong East Coker Geoff Doye
www.CokerRidge.org.uk
Rev’d David Wilson 862328; [email protected]
Rev’d Charles Hatton 862125 [email protected]
Diary
Mon 20 Oct 12.15 Bell ringers E Chinnock
Tues 21 Oct 10:30 Coffee Morning East Chinnock Village Hall
10:30 Little Wheelers (Parents and children) E Coker V H
Wed 22 Oct 10:30 E Coker Bible Study group. Windy Ridge, Burton Lane, E Coker
10:30am Coffee Morning Ridgeway House, Hardington
11:00 ECCF Coffee Stop Gospel Hall, E Coker
15.15 Seekers after school club, W Coker School
Thurs 23 Oct 14:30 Fruitfulness on the Frontline (6 Weston Close, East Chinnock)
18.00 Wedding Rehearsal East Coker - Revd Trevor Farmiloe
19:30 Deanery synod with the Bishop. Holy Trinity, Yeovil see p4
Fri 24 Oct
19:30 The Man Jesus - Simon Callow (see p4) Electric palace, Bridport
19.30 Larkrise to Candleford. St Mary’s, Hardington
Sat 25 Oct
11.00 Hardington Village Hall Coffee Morning
13.00 Wedding St Michael, E Coker - officiant Revd Trevor Farmiloe
14.00-16.00 E Coker Winter Fayre
19.30 Larkrise to Candleford. St Mary’s, Hardington
Tues 28 Oct 10:30 Little Wheelers (Parents & Children) East Coker VH
19:45 Benefice Choir Practice (St Mary’s Hardington)
Wed 29 Oct 11:00 ECCF Coffee Stop Gospel Hall, E Coker
Thurs 30 Oct 14:30 Fruitfulness on the Frontline (6 Weston Close, East Chinnock)
19.30 I am the Lord who heals you. St James church Yeovil BA20 2EZ
see note on p4
Fri 31 Oct
10.00 Charity Coffee Morning. Forrester’s Arms, Holywell
Sat 1 Nov
11.00-11.45 Ringers East Chinnock
12.15 Confirmation Rehearsal, Wells Cathedral
14.00 Confirmation with Communion. Wells Cathedral
Mon 3 Nov
14.00 Hymn choosing. Amberlea, East Chinnock
19:30 Midweek Meeting for Bible study & prayer I Peter,
W Coker Rectory
Tues 4 Nov
10:30 Coffee Morning East Chinnock Village Hall
10:30 Little Wheelers (Parents and children) E Coker V H
19.30 Benefice Council. St Mary’s, Hardington
Wed 5 Nov 11:00 ECCF Coffee Stop Gospel Hall, E Coker
14.00-14.20 Informal prayer for Benefice - All Welcome. St Michael’s
Lady Chapel, E Coker
15.15 Seekers after school club, W Coker School
Thurs 6 Nov 14:30 Fruitfulness on the Frontline (6 Weston Close, East Chinnock)
Sat 8 Nov
10.00 Remembrance Service rehearsal, St Martins
Lectionary Readings for today
1 Thessalonians 1.1-10
1Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace.
2 We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers,
constantly 3remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and
labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4For we know,
brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, 5because our
message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in
the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of people we
proved to be among you for your sake. 6And you became imitators of us and of
the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by
the Holy Spirit, 7so that you became an example to all the believers in
Macedonia and in Achaia. 8For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you
not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place where your faith in God
has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. 9For the people
of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and
how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, 10and to wait
for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us
from the wrath that is coming.
Matthew 22.15-22
15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. 16So they
sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, ‘Teacher, we know
that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and
show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. 17Tell us,
then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?’ 18But
Jesus, aware of their malice, said, ‘Why are you putting me to the test, you
hypocrites? 19Show me the coin used for the tax.’ And they brought him a
denarius. 20Then he said to them, ‘Whose head is this, and whose title?’ 21They
answered, ‘The emperor’s.’ Then he said to them, ‘Give therefore to the
emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are
God’s.’ 22When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went
away.
©NRSV
A prayer of Thomas Ken: (quoted on the prayer card from the Bishops – see p4)
God, our heavenly father, make, we pray, the door of this Church wide enough to
welcome all who need human love and fellowship and a Father’s care; but narrow
enough to shut out all envy, pride, and lack of love. Here may the tempted find help,
the sorrowing receive comfort, the careless be awakened to repentance, and the
penitent be assured of your mercy; and here may all your children renew their strength
and go on their way in hope and joy; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Around the Benefice (and area)
 We have received a signed card from the Bishops reminding us that the
Benefice is due to be prayed for in the Diocesan Calendar of prayer on Friday
24th October. The prayer on the card is reproduced on p3. (If anyone would like
to see a copy of the Calendar I will gladly either email or print a copy, it is also
available on the diocesan website. David W.)
 Visit of Bp of Bath & Wells, Rt Rev’d Peter Hancock to Yeovil Deanery
7.30pm Thursday 23 Oct at Holy Trinity Church (opp B & Q). ALL INVITED
AND WELCOME

‘I am the Lord who heals you’ at St James Church, Preston Road on Thursday
30th October 7.30pm. One of the speakers is Martin Cavender, author of one of
the articles in the current Diocesan magazine ‘Manna’. It is arranged by
ReSource – an Anglican charity which works for the renewal of people and
churches for mission in the power of the Holy Spirit: www.resource-arm.net
 East Coker church lunch will take place at the Helyar Arms on Sun 2nd Nov at
noon. Please sign up on the form by the church door if you would like to
come, or phone Alison Hatton (862125).
 Shoebox Appeal leaflets explaining the ‘dos’ & ‘don’ts’ should be in all the
churches now. The boxes are being collected on Nov 10th at 9.30am, so if I
could have them the week before that would be a great help. Judith Shaw (tel.
863218)
 Fruitfulness on the Frontline. How can we encourage one another to let God
work through us more effectively in our everyday lives? Come and join us as
we follow an imaginative and challenging presentation of 8 week sessions
from the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, using DVD and study
notes. Starting at 2.30pm on 9th Oct at 6, Weston Close, East Chinnock. All
welcome, Further info from Gillian Tettmar 862003 or [email protected]
 The Man Jesus – a play by Simon Callow at the Electric Palace, Bridport
7.30pm Friday 24th October. Jacqueline Clough (850256;
[email protected]) has further info and the opportunity of a
discount if enough folk want to make up a party from the Benefice.
 Sherborne Abbey insight programme Autumn 2014. - leaflets and posters in
the various church buildings
 The Lord’s Larder is currently running short of the following items, meals in a
tin, tinned potato, tinned mince & onion, tinned ravioli, jars of pasta sauce,
sugar, 80 Teabags, tins of rice pudding and savoury biscuits.
 Job advert for Will Aid on web version at www.CokerRidge.org.uk
19 Oct 2014 Matthew 22.15 – 22 Taxes and Caesar
Let's begin with some questions...

Did you put on shoes this morning or did you come to church in a car?

Do you have cereal for breakfast or don't you like football?

Are you a Christian or do you live in Yeovil?

Will you obey God, or will you pay taxes to Caesar?
What I want to do this morning is to sketch in the scene and move from that to
think about what Jesus’ enigmatic answer might have meant then and its
implication for us today.
The background
Pharisees and Herodians - an alliance of chalk and cheese - the religious right
with the Jewish Roman supporters - Socialist Workers' Party and the
Conservatives. A deliberate plot to entrap – if he say Ok to taxes can be
portrayed as a traitor, If ‘No’ then as an enemy of Rome - remember we are not
talking about a Radio 4 debate but people coming to Jesus who were trying to
find a way to destroy him (Matthew 12.14)- it's as frank and brutal as that.
The scene
That denarius: (the coin he used for this tax) - on the one side ‘Tiberius Caesar
Augustus son of the divine Augustus’ and on the reverse ‘Highest Priest’.
Jesus question - whose head and title? [Image – cf Man in God’s image –
Caesar can only claim what is his but so does God with regard to his image in
man]
Jesus response "give therefore to the emperor the things that are the
emperor's, and to God the things that are God's" (Lit: ‘therefore give what is of
Caesar to Caesar and (or but) that of God to God’)
It seems clear that it cannot mean some sort of division of loyalties or of
spheres of responsibility - that simply flies in the face of all of Jesus’ teaching
whether from to ‘love the Lord your God’ with everything to ‘seek first the
kingdom of God....’

A coin in contravention of the 10 Commandments (no images),

A coin with blasphemous statements on it
So: Yes, pay taxes – part of your God-given responsibilities – for you really have
no option anyway – the Romans are in control but just think what this empire is
doing and saying and its usurping of God’s authority? [and how you turned to
God from idols, to serve a living and true God 1 Thess 1.11]
Today? A Government claiming right to authorise if an unborn child can live or
not or the right to assassinate an ‘enemy of the state’...?
Will Aid is coming soon...
Every November, Will Aid solicitors give up their time to write Wills for people in
return for a voluntary donation to charity. If you have not already written your Will, the
opportunity is coming round again soon. You'll have to hurry though, Will Aid
solicitors tend to get booked up very early, so why not make an appointment now?
Of course, if you have already written your Will or booked an appointment, please feel
free to forward this information on to a friend or relative.
Why a Will is so important
A Will Aid poll last year showed that nearly half of the people we asked thought their
estate would go to their partner in the event of their death. In fact, the only way to be
absolutely certain that your money and possessions go to the people you want is by
having an up-to-date a Will.
How Will Aid works
 Solicitors across the UK donate their time to support the Will Aid charities.
 Instead of paying a fee for writing a basic Will, you are invited to make a
voluntary donation to the Will Aid charities.
 Suggested donations are £95 for a single Will or £150 for a pair of mirror Wills.
Once you've taken care of loved ones in your Will, you may wish to do what many
other Will writers do and remember a charity in your Will. Any gift you make to our
nine Will Aid charities can have a lasting impact on the lives of vulnerable people in
the UK and around the world.
Don't miss out on Will Aid 2014 - book now!
Every year, people miss out on Will Aid by leaving it too late. Will Aid solicitors are in
big demand throughout November so the sooner you book, the better.
For more information: Please go to
http://willaid-news.org.uk/1AU-2U4P7-96331SGHEB/cr.aspx