Dear Friends

Somewhat scarily, we are now well into the second half of Lent, with Easter (Sunday 31st March) just around the corner. As well as marking Christ’s victory over the powers of sin and death, Easter Sunday has traditionally been a day whereby folk are received into the church, making, or remaking, baptismal promises concerning their faith and trust in God. This is thing that we will be doing as a congregation together, but prompted by our Christian sisters and brothers who when worshipping later as part of the Chinese Church will be using our baptistry, there is an opportunity for you too, if you are so moved , to make or renew your baptismal promises and have a full immersion ceremony.

If this is of interest to you, please have a word with myself or Kathreen as soon as possible. In the meantime:

Keep safe
Keep in touch
Keep the faith.

Simon

Dear Friends

Last Sunday, within our All Age service, we looked at the Ten Commandments; following our Maker’s instruction booklet. We were encouraged to think of other words of advice that might be applicable to us followers of God today. Here are some of the gathered thoughts;

"..believe in the power of God every single day”
“put God before yourself"
“speak truth to power” 
“be kind, empathetic and patient towards those who disagree with you”
“put others before yourself”
“be a persistent pray-er”
“love, kindness, faithfulness, fairness, justice”
“I have made you an amazing planet to live on - LOOK AFTER IT, so ALL people across MY world may flourish”
“look after your feelings first, instead of getting hurt all the time”
“be happy and healthy with kindness in your heart’
"be willing to sacrifice for others”
"stand against oppression, and stand for justice”
“let there be equality for all”
“do not put your comfort above anybody else”
"love everybody equally”
“do not prioritise humanity’s wants & needs over those of the rest of creation”

May we indeed take heed and be encouraged by what God has put on the hearts of our sisters and brothers.

Keep safe
Keep in touch
Keep the faith.

​Simon

 Dear Friends  - 

Over the last few weeks, we’ve been looking in the Old Testament at various covenants, that God has been involved in. Starting after the flood and the near destruction of the world and everything in it, God makes a covenant with himself (symbolised by the rainbow), that the earth will never face destruction at His hands again. Last week, we learned how Abram and his family, entered into a covenant where faithfulness to the call and instruction of God, was matched by God’s promise to bless and prosper his family. This coming Sunday (please do join us in our All Age service if you possibly can), we will be continuing this theme, looking at the Book of the Covenant; revisiting the law including the Ten Commandments given to Moses for the people of God. This was given for their own benefit, with God continuing to commit to lead them through to the promised land.

Moving through to the New Testament, the letter to the Hebrews reminds us of the New Covenant with Jesus that we are invited to partake in. May we, as we journey through Lent we seek to follow the way, be inspired by Abraham and Moses and their travels in the past, guided by God and continue to trust in His many promises.

Keep safe
Keep in touch
Keep the faith.

Simon

“weqowye” (translation; waiting, resting, hoping and trusting)

Dear Friends

How is the month of February treating you?

At church last Sunday, we decided we needed 'good news' to sustain us through (what some see as) one of the harder months of the year. For inspiration, we looked at the wonderful passage found in Isaiah 40, where hope is given to the hard pressed people of God, living in exile out in Babylon.
The passage comes to a climax with the encouragement that:

"...those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
    They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
    They will walk and not faint.” Is. 40 31 (NLT)

If you were to look at various translations of the verse, you’ll see that the Hebrew word 'weqowye'  has many uses and can imply; waiting (on), resting (on), hoping (in), and trusting (in). As 2024 continues to open up in front of us, bringing with it both challenges and opportunities, I pray that we might be able to  place our trust and hope in God, resting and waiting in His love for us, and find in Him all the strength and support we require.

Keep safe
Keep in touch
Keep the faith.

Simon

Dear Friends  - 

I’ve just finished lunch and have treated myself to a few British strawberries that I bought on impulse earlier today. Without coming over all jingoistic, I was blown away by the sweetness of these home produced berries, a flavour that far surpassed those which are imported from countries near and far. Whilst our home fruit producing season might be fleeting, to me nothing beats the patient wait for fruit that is produced locally. The trouble is that these days as consumers, we believe we have a right to purchase goods when we want and from wherever we want, whatever the environmental cost. Gone are the days of fruit in season, and then living later off that which has been bottled.

In our service last Sunday, in our traditional “hands” confession, we prayed;  

"We are sorry for the times we have kept things selfishly to ourselves and not been prepared to give to those who need our help.”

Usually, we think of confession as an acceptance of our individual failures. However I pondered as to whether as a privileged country, with huge consumer power, we should acknowledge before God our arrogance and sin in assuming that we have a right to demand produce at whatever times and in whatever quantities, regardless of the cost to God’s earth, and indeed other countries too.

May we in all our choices, seek to value both the produce of the land, and the land itself.     


Keep safe
Keep in touch
Keep the faith.

Simon

P.S. Musings will now take a break over the rest of the summer; wherever & whatever you find yourself doing, may you know God’s blessing in it.