Dear Friends,

Music, glorious music, has been the ‘instrument’ for our meditation this Lent. There is an old Jewish proverb that goes, “he / she who sings prays twice”.

Music is a divine gift of God for the human soul. Intellectual creation of the mind in abstract notation, music resonates deep in the heart and soul. In worship it is the interaction of sound and silence, heart and mind, that becomes the springboard of prayer and communion.

We listened and meditated on Allegri’s sublime “Miserere”, as the music pleaded and prayed for us and brought us a sense of divine peace.

On another Sunday, Haydn’s “Seven Word’s from the Cross” gave us the image of Mary and John at the foot of the cross beholding the crucified Christ, bringing us to stand with them in silent humble prayer, in communion before God in suffering.

From Handel’s oratorio “Theodora”, “Come Mighty Father”, a prayer sung to wonderful music by persecuted Christians, inspired us in Lent to give all for Christ as we walk with him

We also listened to the “Good Friday Music” from Wagner’s opera “Parsifal”. Great music and an amazing story from a man who had been so opposed to Christianity, but now who in the final months of his life presented his last and greatest masterpiece filled with glorious music praising redemption and resurrection in Christ for all tortured souls

A Lent of inspiring music, conveying to us all the great Easter message of transformation and eternal life in Christ. Alleluia Christ is Risen !

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The inspiration for this Lenten and Easter series of sermons with music flows from the words below from John Donne. We should end with The Gloria from the “Great Mass” in C minor by Mozart. “He is Risen, we are Risen!”

« And into that gate they shall enter,

and in that house they shall dwell,

where there shall be no cloud nor sun,

no darkness nor dazzling,

but one equal light,

no noise nor silence,

but one equal music,

no fears nor hopes,

but one equal possession,

no foes or friends,

but one equal communion and identity,

no ends nor beginnings,

but one equal eternity.

John Donne 1572-1631

Future Events.

AGM Sunday 3^rd April “Extraordinary Friends” A play celebrating the lives of Byron and Shelley, Centre Cuturel, St. Raphael, 17.00 Saturday 23^rd April.

Paella Lunch Thursday June 16th.

Midsummer Night Treasure Hunt 17.00 at Port Fréjus, followed by a picnic. Thursday 23^rd June

Pilgrimage by local Anglican churches, June 24^th, Notre Dame d’Utelle north of Nice. Picnic lunch.

Curry Party in July, watch the web site for dates

Harvest Festival will be celebrated on Sunday 25^th September.

Port Grimaud services start again on the first Sunday in May at 17.00

Lorgues services the last Sunday in the month at 17.00, at the Maison des Pères, rue St. Honorat.

The Reverend Canon Benjamin Eaton

St, John’s Church, Avenue Paul Doumer,

83700 St Raphael France 0494404861

www.sjevar.com

St. John’s 2004-2005

Such a year of events and happenings, and spiritual growth and the building of fellowship here in our church. St. John’s is richly blessed by God with everyone who worships here. All make a contribution to the life, to the building, indeed to every aspect of the church. A huge thank you to everyone for everything. Ours is a “team” effort, under, with, and for God.

At this year’s A.G.M. we will give special thanks to our retiring Churchwarden, Roger Clayton. Roger has been a superb Churchwarden in every sense. We are immensely grateful to him for all has done. He has made an enormous contribution to the life and fabric and running of the church. Roger is one of those invaluable people who are always there when you need them, and fulfil what they say they are going to do. For me he has been an excellent Churchwarden, and I have worked with several!

But thank God we are not losing him, for at the AGM we are proposing that he be given the honour of the title of Churchwarden Emeritus in recognition of his service and devotion. Thus we may continue to benefit from his wisdom and experience.

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Roger writes

After eleven years of being a churchwarden at St. John’s, after Ted Anderson’s death in 1994, there are a lot of things to remember. Changes of chaplain, of the church inside and out, bells that ring, or don’t. Of course one gets to meet many people, too many to remember all their names or from whence they come. Many come regularly to St. Raphael having chosen this as a holiday place, and it is most enjoyable to see them back again each year, perhaps on several trips, the farthest off being from South Africa. A lot less travel for us than for them, it’s like having an extended family. With the annual Week of Christian Prayer and ecumenical service this year at St. John’s, we feel again the sense of wider family.

Barbecue lunches in the garden at La Bouverie, often surrounded by smoking sausages, brought moments of camaraderie. The Harvest Festival at Yvette Anderson’s with splashes from the pool. Paella lunches at Margery’s; people dressing in saris for the curry parties; quiz lunches at the Rowson’s and now parish lunches at the Eaton’s, all help to make closer ties amongst our congregation. Mostly services go very smoothly but it has happened for more than one chaplain to forget his sermon, or his glasses. Once a group of people, coming to a memorial service, found their way to the chaplaincy flat in Fréjus and turned up 50 minutes late for the service but perhaps timing has less importance in Provence. That is excepting for the trains which regularly stop below the church during sermons, but one gets so used to that they are hardly noticed. Two years to go to our Centenary year, may I quote Saint Paul, “God has made us capable of serving Him, it is up to us to follow where His enlivening Spirit leads”.

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Margery writes:

I would like to thank Roger for all his support during the eleven years that we have been churchwardens together at St. John’s. We shall always remember Roger’s delicious curry parties. He did these for many years on the evening of July 13^th followed by wonderful firework displays and the lovely view over the 12C church of Les Arcs. Before we had our present heater Roger did valiant work on Sunday mornings, dashing round to light all the gas heaters and the huge “flame thrower” which nearly blew us out of the church. And a story which I hope will bring a tear to your eye and a smile to your lips. A tragi-comedy some years ago, though not a comedy for him. After he had broken his leg he took a taxi from the hospital to St. Raphael station. In getting out of the taxi he fell and broke his arm. He got back in the same taxi which then took him back to the same hospital and the same room. The nurse said “If we had known you were coming back so soon we wouldn’t have changed the sheets”. I have appreciated working with Roger very much and hope that we shall have many more years ahead that we can serve St. John’s.

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