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 Others see them as outdated and irrelevant.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

To all God’s beloved in Fishponds, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ

Since we are on the cusp of Bible Sunday I couldn’t resist opening my message with this beautiful greeting by the apostle Paul. He uses it to begin his letter to the Romans. This Sunday marks the launch of our new Cafe Church year studying Romans, animated by Bible Society’s dynamic presenter, Andrew Ollerton.

The Last Sunday after Trinity is commonly celebrated as Bible Sunday and the Collect gives thanks for the Holy Scriptures and asks that God would help us ‘hear, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them’  So how where do we start so our Bible studies don’t give us indigestion?

Over the years, I have valued tools for Bible Study e.g. consulting commentaries, using a Lectio Divina method of hearing the Bible as if God is engaging in a conversation with me through a phrase or passage. I find the so-called ’Swedish Method’ particularly helps me engage with any passage by using a range of questions (one version of the Swedish Bible Study Method is available here). Four key questions are:

What stands out to me in this passage? What don’t I understand? Does the passage remind me of something going on in my life, or the world at the moment? What will I do as a result of reading this passage?

If I apply these questions to this week’s Gospel reading about the healing of Blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46-51 this is the sort of thing that emerges for me… For you, it may look different.

What stands out to me in this passage?

• The care of the people around Bartimaeus: ’Take heart, he (Jesus) is calling you!”
• The courteous way Jesus addresses the blind man without making assumptions: ‘What do you want me to do for you?’
• Bartimaeus chose the better, more life-transforming thing- not more money (he was begging), but the recovery of his sight. 
• Bart’s faith made all the difference. He trusted Jesus and Jesus healed him.

What don’t I understand?

• I wonder why Bartimaeus addressed Jesus as ’Son of David’? I will need to consult a commentary to find this out, or a local Bible expert 

Does the passage remind me of anything?

• My thoughts turn to those who sit and beg around Fishponds and God’s greatest desire for their flourishing and how that might happen for them and how God might use our churches to be a part of that

What will I do as a result of reading this passage?

• I will ponder the question of Jesus (What do you want me to do for you?) and, like Bartimaeus, try to identify and then dare to ask for something I would really like God to do in my life

Services on Sunday 27th October 2024

8.00am        Holy Communion – All Saints

10:00am      Sung Holy Communion, Trinity – St Marys

10.30am       Cafe Church –Book of Romans (Episode 1)- All  Saints

Events in the week ahead

Monday 28th October

No meeting for Tiny Tots, Beavers, Cubs or Scouts – Half Term

Wednesday 30th October

Celtic Morning Prayer – 9.00am at All Saints Church

Thursday 31st October

Holy Communion – 10.00am in St. Mary’s Parish Room (enter via back door)

Friday 1st November

Living after Loss – 11.00am in St. Mary;s Parish Room

Saturday 2nd November

Coffee Morning – 10am to 12noon at All Saints Church.

 Plus Bristol Repair Team

Services on Sunday 3rd November 2024

10:00am – Creative Church – St Mary’s

10:30am – All Saints Patronal Festival: Holy Communion with Baptism and Junior Church and Band  – All Saints

6:30pm –  Choral Evensong – St. Mary’s

 As you can see, there are three services to choose from to come and worship God together in Fishponds this Sunday. We look forward to seeing new and old faces. And you even get a lie-in, as the clocks go back one hour! 

I wonder what points your preacher will draw out and what you will hear this Sunday? While we can read the Bible alone, it is even better when we explore the Bible in community.  We can learn from a preacher who has studied the Gospel text and consulted commentaries and read what contemporary theologians are drawing out for today’s world. Or we can meet around a table and hear how a passage is resonating with members of the church family (e.g. at Cafe Church). Hearing from each other helps us care for one another better as we come to know what others are going through.

Additional Collect for Last Sunday after Trinity

Merciful God, teach us to be faithful in change and uncertainty,
that trusting in your word and obeying your will
we may enter the unfailing joy of Jesus Christ our Lord.

May God bless you with a healing message from the Scriptures this Sunday,

Revd Diane (curate)