The Lenten Course was also very successful. The Rev'd Chris was not able to be there every week so Carolyn and Suzanne stepped in for him on those occasions.

They read 6 chapters of the book “Saying Yes to Life” by Ruth Valerio. It looked at Genesis 1 – the creation sequence – and it opened their eyes to the fragility of all that God created. It was much enjoyed. Join us next year !

Thoughts on gratitude to consider .....

The person who has stopped being thankful has fallen asleep in life. R. L. Stevenson

Gratitude is heaven itself. William Blake

There is a calmness in a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy. Ralph H. Blum

Don't forget to stop and smell the roses today. Take time to tell a loved one how much you love them. Do something nice for yourself, and stop to give God thanks for all of it. Irma Bombeck

Blessed are those who have the gift of making friends, for it is one of God's best gifts. It involves many things but, above all, the power of going out of one's self, and appreciating whatever is noble and loving in another. Thomas Hughes, writer

The Name Above Every Name. Who is the Lord Jesus Christ – to give him his full name?

He is Jesus, the Saviour – this was the name given by the angel to Mary and Joseph. He is Christ – the Messiah sent by God to bring in the new kingdom of justice and peace. He is Lord – the One whom Christians worship as divine.
There is a beautiful hymn on the divinity of Jesus, the one who 'emptied himself' and 'took the form of a slave' for our sakes, even becoming 'obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross.'
Therefore God has 'highly exalted him', and given him the name above every name – one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that he is Lord. Jesus earned the honour on the cross, and he is now the risen and ascended Lord Jesus who sits 'on the right hand of the Majesty on high.'
(Hebrews 1:3)

Life at St. James-the-Least
The Rectory,
St. James-the-Least

My dear Nephew Darren,
It was kind of you to send your music group to us last Sunday morning while our choir had a Sunday off for its celebratory lunch. Miss Timmins' ninety-fourth
birthday brought the combined choir's age to 1,000, which is quite a distinction for twelve people. Clearly a Sunday commitment to 'Hymns Ancient and Modern', consumption of industrial quantities of peppermints, and pleasant naps during sermons has a positive effect on longevity.
I had rather looked forward – naively in retrospect – to hearing some Bach motets from your group, but now have learned that guitars, drums and choral Mattins is not a marriage made in heaven. All your group lacked was a drum majorette leading the procession up the aisle.
It was quite obvious the music was going to be a little different when I arrived to see that the lectern, Lady Tadcaster's flower arrangement and the verger had all disappeared behind amplifiers. The only person not disconcerted by this was the verger, who realised it presented an excellent opportunity to do the crossword unobserved during Divine Worship. That would not have been too bad if he had not wandered over to me during the Bible reading to ask if I knew the answer to 12
down. Your display of the hymns on a screen (but did it have to be in front of the pulpit? I had to balance on several kneelers to be seen over it and throughout the sermon could only think of how to look dignified should the whole pile collapse mid-sentence) left the congregation paralysed in fear. For the first time in their lives they had nothing to hold and hadn't a clue what to do with their hands. You could see
them experimentally stuffing them in pockets, holding on to the pew, searching for handkerchiefs, totally at a loss with this unwanted freedom of limbs. Perhaps even worse, they were obliged to look up rather than stare at the floor. I fear some may be traumatised for life.
But the worst moment was when the group gave its 'solo number' – couldn't it have been called an 'anthem'? Halfway through, dear Mrs Ffitch, who has always been somewhat excitable, felt called to contribute with a spontaneous religious dance in the aisle. The congregation froze in horror and we all found varying devices for not catching her eye after the Service. But the greatest social problem is
how we react when we see her in the village tomorrow morning. I have advised those who asked my opinion that we all stay indoors for a few days. Perhaps your music group could visit us again when our choir holds its two-thousandth anniversary – when I suspect it will still consist of the same people, as they are all tenacious of note, opinion and age.
Your loving uncle,
Eustace

Coins for Funds

Do you remember 'Barbara's Bottle'

which used to be at the back of the church to collect any current euro or sterling coins which were no
longer needed by people returning to their home countries or which were weighing too heavily in their purses? Well, Beatrice has now taken on the collecting of such coins in aid of our Church funds, so please give the coins you no longer want to Beatrice or The Rev'd Chris. Thank you.

How does the Cross affect me?
I know that Jesus Christ died 'for' me. But what does that mean ?
Someone says: 'Would you go shopping for me?' They hope that you will go instead of them. If you don't go, they will have to! It's the principle of substitution, or – in the case of the Cross – 'penal substitution', as the Bible students term it. Someone else has endured sin's penalty in my place. That person has become my substitute.
In football, to send on a substitute sounds like a 'second best'. Not so at the Cross.
Nothing that God provides is second best. Jesus Christ, who is God in human form, had no sin of his own; consequently, he was the only person qualified to take upon himself the penalty of separation from God, which is spiritual death (Romans 6:23).
Christ came 'to give his life as a ransom for (or instead of) many' (Mark 10:45).
This principle of substitution is the underlying reality. He died instead of me. This works out in different ways:
1. The Cross means penalty paid. The theological word here is REDEMPTION (Ephesians 1:7). It's the language of the slave market. A price, Christ's 'blood', has been paid for us (1 Peter 1;18,19). Always in scripture, the word 'blood' – when it is separated from the body – refers to death. So, by his death, Christ became 'a curse for us'; delivering us from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13).
2. The Cross means wrath averted. The word now is PROPITIATION. It's the language of the Temple – and a sacrificial offering. God's holy antagonism to human rebellion brings us all under judgement. The story of the Bible is of God intercepting his own judgement, in the Person of his Son.
3. The Cross means righteousness exchanged. Now the word is JUSTIFICATION
and it's the language of the law courts. How, despite my sin, can I be treated as though I had never sinned? Only by Christ taking my place at the Cross, and being treated as the sinner – so that his righteousness can be freely accredited to me. It is an amazing truth completely unique to the Bible.
4. The Cross mens relationship restored. Now it is RECONCILIATION – the language of the family (Romans :9-11). It is illustrated in Jesus' parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-24). But our reconciliation required that Christ be 'made sin for us' (2 Corinthians 5:19-21). Only by the Cross is it possible for us to be adopted back into the family of God as his sons and daughters.
Four wonderful effects of the Cross. The rock principle behind them all is 'substitution'. (from The Beacon - April 2007)

The English Library at St John's Church.

Upcoming events include:

New exhibit, Women of Uzbekistan was born in 2022 when Tania travelled to Uzbekistan. All are welcome.

-Friday 19th April, 18h30, The library is delighted to welcome
the Drama Group of Monaco which will present “The Cat’s Mother”
Entry is free and the performance will be followed by a glass of wine.
www. dramagroup.com
As places are limited it would be helpful if you could confirm
attendance to sjel.menton@gmail.com

‘The Cat’s Mother’ is a one act play written by young, award-winning
playwright Erica Murray in 2017. Performed by members of the Drama group and directed by Andrew Riley, this is a laugh-out-loud, dark, Irish comedy asking how far are you willing to go for your own family?

-Wednesday 24th April 18h30, Sophrology with Susanne Bohush. Sophrology is a dynamic relaxation method incorporating breathing exercises, meditation, visualisation, and body awareness. It can help with stress management, decrease anxiety, improve sleep, balance energy, increase confidence, concentration and focus. Join us!

-Saturday mornings, S C R A B B L E: Join us for coffee and a friendly game of scrabble. 10h30-12h30. All are welcome.

-Children's English Lessons continue with Arabella on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons at 17h00. To join email Arabella at: arabella.isca@gmail.com

Madame Regine Dedonder, a qualified French teacher, has resumed her classes. Please email in advance if you wish to join. A minimum of 4 students is required. Cost: €5 per person per lesson. sjel.menton@gmail.com

The Library is always looking for reliable volunteers to help out on Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornimngs. No qualifications required. Email: sjel.menton@gmail.com

God in Music

'Glorious the song when God's the theme': the Nunc Dimittis
This month we look at the New Testament where St. Paul exhorts the Christian community to sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to God. St. Luke tells us in his Gospel that the angels sang praises to God at the birth of Jesus, and he has given us three poems that have become part of Christian song: the Magnificat, the
Benedictus and the Nunc Dimittis.
The first two are full of praise and rejoicing. The last comes as Mary and Joseph fulfil the Law of Moses and bring the child Jesus to Jerusalem. In the termple they meet Simeon and Anna. Simeon represents each of us who can look back over life with gratitude in the face of death as he says, 'Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace.'

It is a story that has inspired preachers (Origen preached four
sermons on it) and artists, and also composers.
In the Christian Church these words of the Nunc Dimittis have become part of worship at the end of each day, not just the end of life. Cathedrals and parish church choirs have sung settings of these words in that great tradition of Anglican choral music at Evensong – settings that have captured the sense of quiet resignation, but also conveyed the glory of the light that is Jesus shining for all people. The setting I commend to you this month is Rachmaninov. It is part of his Vespers, the night-long vigil sung in the Russian Orthodox Church of the eve of
great feasts.
Rachmaninov composed the work (and it comprises 15 pieces) at great speed. After just two weeks he finished it in this month of February 1915. In England this work was only heard at All Saints Church, Margaret Street in London until recent years, when its place in choral music was reassessed. Performances and recordings soon followed and the Vespers are now seen as one of the great masterpieces of religious music.
This was no more so than in the beautiful setting of the 5th canticle, the Nunc Dimittis. Just 36 bars long, it begins with a rocking, undulating figure in the upper voices. A solo tenor enters as the voice of Simeon, and it ends with the basses slowly moving down to a low B flat: 'a sigh of wonder and resignation on the threshold of eternal rest and peace,' one critic has called it.

Rachmaninov later recalled, “After I played the passage at the end of the 5th canticle where the basses slowly descend to that low note, the conductor shook his head, saying 'Now where on earth will we find such basses? They are as rare as asparagus at Christmas!” Nevertheless he did find them. It was one of the composer's favourite pieces, and he asked for it to be sung at his funeral in the hope that it would send his 'ship of death gently towards the unknown region.'
On 2 February we shall hear these words as part of the Gospel on the feast of Candlemas. Simeon prays them because his cup is now overflowing. He has looked on the salvation of God. Music allows us to look on that glory and salvation also, and Rachmaninov, in his moving setting, has captured the calm trust of that moment, which shines out like the brightness of the light of Jesus.
( by The Revd. Michael Burgess looking at great works of music)