Chichester's Anna Chaplaincy were excited this morning at the prospect of staging a church service in a garden… at one of the homes they used to visit regularly before lockdown.
LouLou Morris writes in her 'Thought for the Day':
This morning we are doing an experiment! We are delivering a short service in the garden of Westhampnett House for the residents and staff. We have done a risk assessment and reached the conclusion that it can be done safely and at minimal risk to our friends there. It has necessitated some problem solving…
No service sheets – use a well known psalm that people are more likely to be able to join in
No singing – recorded music brings several choirs with us
No physical contact – that is a sadness we will have to bear
We are going to tell the parable of the lost sheep in very visual and somewhat comic style (guess who is going to overact marvellously as the silly sheep?) with brambles, wolves, wild streams and lions, played by a cast of thousands (well, two). It will be wonderful to see our lovely friends; it will be strange, but we know that God will be in the midst of us.
Some words from the end of the script: 'Jesus told this story (not quite like this!) to tell us that we matter to God; God loves us, is always looking for us if we wander away from him, will find us and will bring us home. And we will "dwell in the house of the Lord for ever"’.
Love and blessings
LouLou
Chichester Anna Chaplaincy, West Sussex, 3 July 2020