Prayers Please!!!

An interview will be going on this weekend regarding the post of Team Rector for St Matthew’s.  Those who have been given the task of carrying out the interview seek your prayers that the right decision will be made and God’s will be done.

Daily Reading 11th November

Luke 17:11-19

Ten Men with Leprosy

¹¹On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus went along the border between Samaria and Galilee. ¹²As he was going into a village, ten men with leprosy came toward him. They stood at a distance ¹³and shouted, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” ¹⁴Jesus looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” On their way they were healed. ¹⁵When one of them discovered that he was healed, he came back, shouting praises to God. ¹⁶He bowed down at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. The man was from the country of Samaria.

¹⁷Jesus asked, “Weren’t ten men healed? Where are the other nine? ¹⁸Why was this foreigner the only one who came back to thank God?” ¹⁹Then Jesus told the man, “You may get up and go. Your faith has made you well.”

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To give thanks is a very important thing.  I can remember as a child time after time being reminded that I must say thank you when a gift came my way or when someone had done something for me.  In the end it became a real pain because invariably if my grandmother was around she would be so quick to remind me, that she would be in with the instruction before I could say it, even if I had intended to do it!  Giving thanks is an acknowledgement of someone’s kindness.  It is a recognition of an act that did not have to be done, an act that was made even though the receiver may well not have been deserving of it.

Our reading of the healing of the ten lepers is well known.  The strange thing is it is not well known for the healing of the ten, but for the healing of the Samaritan who came back to thank Jesus for what had happened.  Because of his thanks he not only received healing from his leprosy but also he had received salvation, for Jesus words could also be translated as “your faith has saved you”.  So here we have this Samaritan, a man hated by the Jews, because of past historical differences receiving the full blessing of God on his life.

Thought:  isn’t it great to know that our Lord is not troubled by the prejudices and hatred that we his people are often guilty of.

 

Daily Reading 26th October

Luke 13:10-17

Healing a Woman on the Sabbath

¹⁰One Sabbath, Jesus was teaching in a Jewish meeting place, ¹¹and a woman was there who had been crippled by an evil spirit for eighteen years. She was completely bent over and could not straighten up. ¹²When Jesus saw the woman, he called her over and said, “You are now well.”¹³He placed his hands on her, and right away she stood up straight and praised God.

¹⁴The man in charge of the meeting place was angry because Jesus had healed someone on the Sabbath. So he said to the people, “Each week has six days when we can work. Come and be healed on one of those days, but not on the Sabbath.”

¹⁵The Lord replied, “Are you trying to fool someone? Won’t any one of you untie your ox or donkey and lead it out to drink on a Sabbath? ¹⁶This woman belongs to the family of Abraham, but Satan has kept her bound for eighteen years. Isn’t it right to set her free on the Sabbath?” ¹⁷Jesus’ words made his enemies ashamed. But everyone else in the crowd was happy about the wonderful things he was doing.

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Rules and regulations they say are there to guide and protect us, but sometimes they take us over to the extent that we can become fearful of breaking them.  The act that Jesus was making was most definitely an act of care, even an act of love that showed the Father’s character.  Next time in church when it is said that something is not allowed let us stop and think about why that is so, and then decide does this rule bind or enable God’s church — dangerous stuff!!

Daily Reading 22nd October

Luke 12:49-53

Jesus Causes Division

⁴⁹ “I have come to set the world on fire, and I wish it were already burning! ⁵⁰ I have a terrible baptism of suffering ahead of me, and I am under a heavy burden until it is accomplished. ⁵¹ Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other! ⁵² From now on families will be split apart, three in favor of me, and two against—or two in favor and three against.

⁵³ ‘Father will be divided against son
and son against father;
mother against daughter
and daughter against mother;
and mother-in-law against daughter-in-law
and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.’”

……………………..

What happened to “blessed are the peacemakers”?

The sad news of the gospel is that what is supposed to be good news, is to many bad news.  The thought that forgiveness is necessary to come into the presence of God,  is seen take away all our independence.  The fact that we rely entirely on a benevolent God leaves a bad taste in the mouth of many and sadly they turn their back on him and also on those who follow him.  So a message that intends to change our lives by cleansing and renewing us is seen as something that brings division and even hatred.

Let us pray that the Spirit will open minds to the real truth of the Gospel, their Salvation!

Daily Reading 12th October

Romans 1

¹From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus.

God chose me to be an apostle, and he appointed me to preach the good news ²that he promised long ago by what his prophets said in the holy Scriptures. ^3-4This good news is about his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ! As a human, he was from the family of David. But the Holy Spirit proved that Jesus is the powerful Son of God, because he was raised from death.⁵Jesus was kind to me and chose me to be an apostle, so that people of all nations would obey and have faith. ⁶You are some of those people chosen by Jesus Christ. ⁷This letter is to all of you in Rome. God loves you and has chosen you to be his very own people.

I pray that God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!

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Last night during Prayer Together (yes, it still exists) and again this morning I am reminded of the servant roll of the leader in any Christian community.  Both last night and this morning we are reminded of Paul being a servant to Christ and because of that a servant to the body of Christ.  For Paul this was not just him trying to emulate Jesus in word only, for his servanthood was proved by his offering of himself to God through his life and finally his death in Rome.

You may have noticed that it is my normal practice to wear my alb and stole with a cord when we come to the Holy Communion.  This is not because I am from a higher church tradition than St Paul’s, but because I wish to remind myself that I am a servant to Christ and also to the body of Christ.  The cord denotes that I am a servant and dates back to Roman times, without the cord I would be an independant person, maybe even a master of slaves.

How does being a servant to Christ and the church work out in your life?

Work Morning

This Saturday 17th October is a workday at St Paul’s.  Some gardening and cleaning at the end of the summer has to be done to keep the place ship shape (a bit difficult when it is upside down but never mind! ). If you can spare some time on Saturday it would be greatly appreciated.

Alyse Stuart!!!!!!!

Forgot to mention Sunday that Alyse should be going into into Platters today (Monday).  Please continue with the prayers.

Soak the vicar

In case you were not in church last Saturday I thought I had better let you know of  an amazing opportunity to let off some frustration!

Our Coffee morning this Saturday (10th) will be a bit different as we attempt to raise more finance towards the cost of the new boiler.  The new boiler is in and working but still has to be paid for. So on Saturday we shall be having a few stalls as well as burgers and hot dogs .  There will even be an opportunity to throw wet sponges at the vicar!!

If you can make it please come along and join in the fun – I hear there might even be a church warden who is willing to take a few wet sponges on the nose!

Saturday 10th October 10:30am -12:30pm

Phil

Healing Service this Sunday morning

Healing Service this Sunday

After a time of giving thanks to God for his financial provision we will be moving on to seek God’s blessing on those who are seeking his healing.  There will be opportunity to receive prayer during the distribution and people will be encouraged to receive communion before going to a prayer station to receive prayer.

Daily Reading 8th October

Luke 11:5-13

⁵Then Jesus went on to say:

Suppose one of you goes to a friend in the middle of the night and says, “Let me borrow three loaves of bread. ⁶A friend of mine has dropped in, and I don’t have a thing for him to eat.” ⁷And suppose your friend answers, “Don’t bother me! The door is bolted, and my children and I are in bed. I cannot get up to give you something.”

⁸He may not get up and give you the bread, just because you are his friend. But he will get up and give you as much as you need, simply because you are not ashamed to keep on asking.

⁹So I tell you to ask and you will receive, search and you will find, knock and the door will be opened for you. ¹⁰Everyone who asks will receive, everyone who searches will find, and the door will be opened for everyone who knocks. ¹¹Which one of you fathers would give your hungry child a snake if the child asked for a fish? ¹²Which one of you would give your child a scorpion if the child asked for an egg? ¹³As bad as you are, you still know how to give good gifts to your children. But your heavenly Father is even more ready to give the Holy Spirit to anyone who asks.

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As I read this passage this morning I have great sympathy for the poor man who was woken in the night.  He may well be the same as me, once I am awake I often cannot get back to sleep or even worse once grandchildren or Jack Russells are awake they keep everyone else awake!  The obvious surely is that if you are  awake you might as well be helpful to the caller, but at that time of night (or morning) the obvious is definitely not the obvious.  Your mind is not in gear and you may not necessarily be in a good mood!

Jesus here is not telling us to be anti social, but he is telling us that if we really need something we should be persistent even annoying.  I know what it is like to fall victim to such a person.  My son Nicholas could be very persistent, I remember being badgered into helping him get his first computer once he started work.  His persistence was maddening, but yes it worked and dad finally made time between work and church to help him make his much needed purchase.

The illustration is not a good one, my motives for not helping him sooner were I suspect selfish, my activities were more important than his and so he had to wait.  But here we are being reminded of the perfect Father, any waiting we have to do will be for our own good.  But why do we have to be persistent?  Some might say we can persuade God to move faster, personally I am not sure about that but what I do believe I have learnt through experience, is that my persistence reveals to God my determination, and the more I ask the more he will be convinced of my seeking.

Question:  Does our concern for the lost reflect how much we pray for them as church and individual?