Living by Faith

The word “faith” appears 7 times in the reading from the letter to the Hebrews. “Have a little faith!” is a common pronouncement when trying to encourage ourselves and others to take on something that might on paper look a little daunting but still holds hope and possibility. It is a word that is not just based on “no knowledge” but of some knowledge of the world matched with the humility that we perhaps don’t have as yet the full picture. It is to live in a way that is both hopeful and humble. The world can often feel daunting, unpredictable and strange and yet faith holds firm to the good that is desired and still to come. It is the hope of the world that God made looking ever more closely like the kingdom. One of the loveliest images of the gospel this week is that God, as creator and maker, will welcome us all to sit at table, to join the party, and that God will be both host and server at that kingdom banquet. 

May we continue to be parishes that live in that same faith, hope and humility.

This week our muddy, messy church at All Saints continues with the yearly theme of Animals and will be looking at Wild Animals of the bible – a great opportunity for all the church family to be together in prayer, worship and creativity. We also have an 8am and 10am communion across the parishes.

Services this Sunday – 10^th August.

8am – Holy Communion – All Saints

10am – Sung Holy Communion – St Marys

10.30am – Muddy/Messy Church – “Wild Animal” theme

The Week Ahead

Weds 13th Aug

9:00am – Celtic Morning Prayer – All Saints 

Thurs 14th Aug

10:00am  Holy Communion – St. Marys  

Friday 15th Aug

11.00am – Living After Loss – St Marys 

Saturday 16th Aug   

12.00 – 1:30pm – Saturday Lunches  – St Mary’s 

Sunday 17th Aug

10:00am – Holy Communion – St Marys 

10:30am – Holy Communion – All Saints

Blessings and prayers

Lizzie

“Doing Good”

‘The Acts of the Apostles was written about 100 AD, a generation after the first Gospels.  It contains stories about the growth of the church, and reflects some of the concerns they were having, as local Christian communities were becoming more established.  Yet, preserved within these chapters, there are some very early summaries of Jesus’s life.  These verses show how the earliest Christians talked about Jesus, before later refinements were made (such as we say each week in the Creed).  One important early description is found in Acts 10.38, with four different descriptions of Jesus.  Each of these captures something true about Jesus, as they experienced him in his own lifetime, and also as we experience him now.

‘God anointed Jesus with power’: yes, God’s power was evident, as he taught and as he fed people in amazing ways.  ‘Jesus healed those who were oppressed’: yes, Jesus released people trapped by illness, stigma, or lack of love.  ‘For God was with him’: yes, when we meet Jesus, we meet God. 

But my favourite phrase is this: ‘Jesus went about doing good’.  It is such a simple phrase, but it condenses into five words so much of what I believe about Jesus.  Whatever troubles he met, whoever he came across, whatever difficult circumstances he encountered, Jesus simply did good.  He made goodness happen, and not only left people in a better place – but also gave them the power to continue doing good themselves.  In our culture, being a “do-gooder” is a critical description, usually delivered with a sneer. But I don’t think it should be.  How about this wonderful quotation from a Quaker missionary, who was saying in different words what Acts 10.38 is pointing us towards:

“I shall pass this way but once.  Any good that I can do or any kindness I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”

This Sunday’s Worship on 22nd June

8:00 – Holy Communion, All Saints

10:00 – Holy Communion,  St Mary’s

10:30 – Café Church,  All Saints

The Week Ahead

Monday 23rd  June

10.30am Tiny Tots – All Saints 

Tuesday 24th June

10:30am – M4T  – St Mary’s

Weds 25th June 

9:00am – Celtic Morning Prayer – All Saints 

Thurs 26th June 

10:00am Holy Communion – St. Marys                           

Saturday 28th June

12:00 – 2:00pm – Saturday Lunches  – St Mary’s 

Sunday 29th June 

8:00am – BCP Holy Communion, All Saints 

10:00am – Holy Communion,  St Mary’s 

10:30am – Holy Communion,  All Saints 

Revd Bob.

This Sunday’s Café Church brings us to the mid-point of our journey through Paul’s letter to the church in Rome. It is also the summit of the mountain we are climbing as we see the grand vista that hope in Christ gives. In chapter 8 of his letter, Paul summarises this hope using three images, which look at the past, present and future. 

Looking to the past, Paul reminds us that “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8.1). The forgiveness that Christ brings allows us to step away from our past failings and put hope in the future. If God does not condemn us, then we do not need to condemn ourselves. This frees us to turn to Christ and follow in his way. It also allows us to return to that way whenever we wander from it. This is what is sometimes called “justification”.

Looking to the present, Jesus has shown us that we have a new relationship with God. The Almighty Creator of all that is wants us to live as his children. This leads to a new relationship with God and with one another. We are family with God as our father. We share in his work in caring for one another and for his creation. To illustrate this, Paul uses the image of “adoption”.

Looking to the future, there is something bigger and better on the way. What we have now is only the first stage of God’s redeeming work. We wait in hope for what God will do next. We do not know what this will look like or when it will be. Paul reminds us that “we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience” (Romans 8.25). This future we hope for is sometimes called “glorification”.

This is the hope that Paul sets before us in Romans 8.1–30: justification, adoption and glorification. We will look more at this on Sunday at all Saints at 10:30. This will help us to “always be ready to make our defence to anyone who demands from us an accounting for the hope that is in us”. (1 Peter 3:15)

In addition, there is Holy Communion at All Saints at 08:00 and at St Mary’s at 10:00.

This gives the Following services for Sunday 25th May:

We have our usual midweek services with Celtic Morning Prayer at 09:00 on Wednesday at All Saints and Holy Communion at 10:00 at St Mary’s on Thursday.

Next Sunday follows our normal first Sunday pattern with Creative Church at St Mary’s at 10:00 and Holy Communion at All Saints at 10:30. In the evening will be Evensong at St Mary’s.

This gives the following services for the coming week:

So, as we look to affirm the hope we have in Christ, let us pray in the words of this Sunday’s collect:

God our redeemer, you have delivered us from the power of darkness
and brought us into the kingdom of your Son:
grant, that as by his death he has recalled us to life,
so by his continual presence in us he may raise us to eternal joy;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
Amen

Yours in Christ

Mark

“Then what?”

It’s easy, when we are involved in a conflict, to concentrate solely on winning the struggle.  But “then what?”  What will happen afterwards?  It’s a tragedy when relationships are so damaged by one disagreement that they take ages to repair afterwards.  We may have focussed too much on getting our own way that we forget that we have to live alongside others after that.

I imagine that we are all tremendously saddened by what is happening in Gaza/Palestine/Israel.  But I read the saddest comment this week, from a hard-right Zionist, who said “Israel belongs to the Jews.  When there are no more Arabs left within our borders, we Jews will simply live in harmony with each other.  There will be endless peace”.  Even if you ignore the plight of the Palestinians, is that hope or unrealistic fantasy?  Those who achieve their goals by fighting will have fighting in their blood.  It will take generations to unlearn that, and to learn the ways of harmony and living with difference.

So much of Jesus’s life and teaching seems to ask us “then what?”.  Most of the great parables prompt us to ask “what will happen next?”  Or even more: “what should I do next?”  Even the resurrection asks that.  The resurrection may be the triumph of life over death, of love over evil.  But then what?  As we turn towards Pentecost, this question urges, encourages us onwards.

Services this Sunday 18^th May 2025

10.00 – Sung Holy Communion – St Mary’s

10.30 – Sung Holy Communion – All Saints

12.00 – St Mary’s APCM

Week Ahead

Monday 19^th May

10.30am – Tiny Tots – All Saints 

Tuesday 20^th May

10:30am – M4T – St Mary’s

Weds 21^st May

9:00am – Celtic Morning Prayer – All Saints 

Thurs 22^nd May

10:00am –  Holy Communion – St. Mary’s                           

Saturday 24^th May

10:00 – 11:30am – Coffee Morning for Christian Aid – St Mary’s

12.00 – 2:00pm – Saturday Lunches  – St Mary’s 

Sunday 25^th May

8:00am – Holy Communion – All Saints 

10:00am – Holy Communion– St Mary’s 

10.30am – Café Church – All Saints 

Revd Bob.

Christ the King

I wonder what our first thoughts are when we think of what a King is. 

There are the historic kings with their penchant for lopping off heads (I see you Henry VIII) and sending troops off to conquer places that don’t belong to them. Then there are the kings depicted in art and media, those of fantasy and biography. Some are heroic forces for good, others evil and destructive, and some are comic.

Kings can be seen as vital links to heritage and tradition. Others see them as outdated and irrelevant. These sides can veer towards extremism in their passion, and history attests to this.

But then, is a king someone surrounded by pageantry and wealth, even if (like in the. UK) their role is ceremonial, or someone who may not embody this overt history but actually have more power? 

Here is the modern quandary we encounter  this weekend when we celebrate Christ as King. Is this imagery still helpful? It counted for much before, but even then it was used to believe that monarchs were chosen directly by God, rather than emphasising how Jesus’ kingship is entirely different to the human concept of monarchy.

Jesus is a leader, a figure of power-the highest power of all-that of God, yet unlike any king or earthly leader he serves, he avoids any of  the palaver attached to royalty or indeed any type of earthly leadership. 

Whilst the term king conjures up certain images that can be equally helpful and unhelpful, no other modern leadership term is free from positive of negative interpretations whatever field it appears within-sacred or secular. 

We see his leadership with power and authority, which so often can corrupt and destroy. Politics can become a game of ambition and ego. However, there are leaders such as Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu who were fully human,  their humanity creating leaders of principle and integrity. Others like John F. Kennedy, Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jnr. were killed for their integrity but their influence continues to inspire. 

But Jesus as leader embodies, explodes and transforms whatever concept of leadership that society may create. His leadership is beyond our limited forms as he embodies the human and the divine. He leqds  without corruption or selfish ambition . He leads to serve and serves to lead. He redefines  the word king, as he redefines what it is to be human and held in the love of God.

Sunday 24th November Christ the King/Sunday next before Advent

10:00am: Holy Communion – St Marys

The Week Ahead

Tuesday 26th Nov

10.30am: Music for Toddlers – St Marys

Thursday 28th Nov

10:00am: Holy Communion – St. Mary’s

Saturday 30th Nov          

12.00 – 1:30pm: Saturday Lunches – St Mary’s

Sunday 1st Dec (Advent Sunday)

10:00am: Creative Church – St Mary’s

6:30pm: Evensong – St. Mary’s

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all evermore. Amen

Blessings

Fr Kester de Oliveira