Weekly Notices | Sunday 8 November 2020 Remembrance Sunday
Welcome from the Dean
What are you finding most overwhelming at the moment? It’s a question that seems made for 2020, especially as we go back into a national lockdown for the second time. But way back in 1997, David Ford published a Lent book, The Shape of Living, which began with him asking a group of people what was most overwhelming in their lives. Mainly the answers were negative – feeling inadequate in a challenging job, financial difficulties, relationship troubles, and so on – but a few spoke of being overwhelmed by beauty, or generosity, or indeed by the grace of God. Most people, says Ford, experience not one but multiple overwhelmings in their lives, many negative, some positive, and his book is about shaping our lives in order to cope with them in the best possible way.
The way to begin, he recommends, is naming and describing the experience. It can be liberating simply to acknowledge and identify what is overwhelming us, because naming something brings it into language, helps us reflect on what we are going through, and links our experience with others. When we name and describe our situation, this helps us realise we are not alone, and that it’s common and very human to feel overwhelmed. Solidarity with others reduces the sense of being the only one, and the temptation of despondency or despair.
So how might we name and describe the overwhelmings of 2020? Here are some candidates, to which I’m sure you could add your own: continued uncertainty and change, and good grief, another lockdown; a sense of isolation and being separated from loved ones, sickness and bereavement, loss of employment, financial challenges, a sense of inadequacy in the face of it all; and, in terms of the wider world, the issues raised by Black Lives Matter, the IICSA report on sexual abuse in the church, the death of refugees in the Channel, and a disputed election in the United States; but also being overwhelmed by human generosity, compassion, and ingenuity, by the beauty of music and birdsong, and by a renewed sense of sheer dependence on God’s grace. And in this time of Remembrance, of being overwhelmed with gratitude for those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country.
And so in these testing times let us pray that God will help us to find the shape of living that will best serve Him, and the communities in which we live, in the context of all we find overwhelming and difficult. Let us give thanks for all those whom we love, but see no longer. Let us remember the fallen in the great wars of the twentieth century, and the conflicts of the twenty first. Overwhelm us, O God, with the power and the gifts of your Holy Spirit, and with the knowledge that nothing in life or death is able to separate us from your love in Christ Jesus our Lord; in whom and through whom we pray, Amen.
With my prayers and very best wishes.
The Very Revd Dr Anthony Cane
Dean of Portsmouth
The Dean’s welcome can also be watched here.
Service of Remembrance Sunday 8 November at 10.55 am – Streaming via Facebook
As the nation enters a new period of lockdown, Portsmouth Cathedral will be encouraging people to mark Remembrance from their homes by joining our online Service of Remembrance, this Sunday. Join us from home, where the service will be livestreamed on Portsmouth Cathedrals Facebook page at 10.55 am. In line with recent lockdown guidance, it will not be possible to attend the service in person. Portsmouth Cathedral will continue to be open for private individual prayer throughout November, with our daily services continuing to be streamed on online throughout the month.
Services and Worship
The Cathedral is unable to hold Public Worship from 5 November to 2 December, due to government guidelines. You can continue to visit the Cathedral for individual private prayer or join us for our daily livestreamed services.
Online Services
Many services from the Cathedral are broadcast on Facebook. We also broadcast Morning Prayer and Compline daily from the homes of our ministry team. Find out more about our online services here.
Orders of service can be found on the Resources Section of our website here.
Sunday Refreshments via Zoom
Sunday Refreshments will be hosted on Zoom at 6.30pm. In order to maintain security details will be sent with our emailed notices.
Prayers and Intercessions
We pray for all those affected by COVID-19.
We remember the following for whom prayer has been asked by members of the Cathedral Community: Clare, Bob, Derek, Nigel, Trevor, Izzy, Jenny, Clare, Bishop Peter Hancock, Laurence, Sylvia, Robert, Andy, Michael, Sarah, Sheila, Hector, and all those in need.
We pray for those who have died recently.
To add someone to the prayer list, please email info@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk
In the notices this week:
Upcoming Services and Events
Bible Discussion Group - Thursday 12 November
Community News
Upcoming Finance, Fabric and Chapter meetings
Christmas Market
A Prayer for the Nation
Upcoming Services and Events
Bible Discussion Group
Our Bible Discussion Group continues on Thursday 12 November at 7.00 pm. The link for this week’s meeting will be sent out with the email version of the notices. We will be looking at John Ch. 2.
Community News
Upcoming Finance, Fabric and Chapter Meetings
This coming week sees meetings of Chapter committees as well as a Chapter itself:
Christmas Market
With regret, this year’s Christmas Market has been cancelled.
The safety of all those volunteering, working and attending the Market is paramount. We had been hoping that the many policies in place to limit transmission of coronavirus would enable us to hold a safe event. However, with the second wave of the pandemic resulting in a national lockdown, we have now been advised by Public Health England not to hold the event.
This is disappointing news for many, but we look forward to being able to do the event next year.
A Prayer for the Nation
For centuries Portsmouth Cathedral has been a beacon for people on land and at sea, helping them navigate the passage of time with faith and confidence in God. As we enter into uncertain times, Portsmouth Cathedral will continue to be a beacon of light and hope, joining Cathedrals and churches across the UK for a month of prayer as a second lockdown in England comes into force.
Throughout the month, people will be encouraged to pray daily for a specific area of national concern, wherever they are, culminating into a collective moment of prayer at 6pm each evening. A simple seven-day prayer cycle is also available, giving guidance on praying for a specific area each day including the NHS and frontline workers, the bereaved, and those struggling with physical and mental ill-health, and for children and young people. Portsmouth Cathedral have been providing prayer resources online as well as continuing to stream daily services including morning and evening prayer. Additional resources will be also be available on social media with the hashtag #PrayerForTheNation.
Getting in touch
We know that this is a lonely and anxious time for many people. Please feel free to get in touch if we can help in any way, or if you just want to hear another voice!
The Dean: 023 9282 4400 or Anthony.Cane@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk
Canon Jo Spreadbury 023 9275 2335 or Jo.Spreadbury@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk
Cathedral Curate, Revd Catherine Edenborough: 023 9282 3300 extn 221 or Catherine.Edenborough@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk (Usual days at the Cathedral: Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday)
Messages can also be left on the Cathedral phone system 023 9282 3300 or by email to info@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk or pastoral@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk.