7th Sunday of EasterReadings: Acts 1v15-17 & 21-end; Psalm 1; 1 John 5v9-13; John 17v6-19.Let us pray: May the words of my mouth, and the thoughts and meditations of all our hearts, be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer.A Word: This week we are between the feasts of Ascension and Pentecost, the time when Christians in denominations throughout the world are praying for God’s Kingdom to Come. A dedicated time to pray for the Holy Spirit to descend on people we know, or love or care about. For, one day Jesus will return to collect God’s people – and we can all play a part in getting the world ready. For, as the Psalm tells us, God is fond of those who: study the word of God and avoid the ways of the wicked; because they are like trees planted in Eden, trees always in blossom, trees bearing fresh fruit every month. And, as we are warned in the psalm, God is not pleased about people who waste their lives and brag about their sinful dead-end ways of living – for they are like windblown dust, an unfit company for innocent people, a people running headlong into danger.This time of prayer for God’s Kingdom to Come – is a time of Christian action, to pray for people to turn away from wasted lives and become a people who study God’s word. Now, we know that prayer is important because, in the gospel of John, Jesus prayed for his followers. In his prayer, Jesus asked his father to guard his followers and keep them safe - by making them one in heart and mind – so that they would be able to carry out the mission they were sent out into the world on and be able to share the truth that consecrates and makes people holy. And, in the letter of John, we hear that the truth Jesus’ followers were sent out to share is that: whoever believes in the Son of God has eternal life; and whoever rejects what Jesus has to say about God - rejects the gift of eternal life.Today, as Jesus followers we are: a people called into the service of God as a people of prayer and Bible study. A people who can pray for others. We are also a people who God calls into the ministry and leadership that Jesus is calling us into. A ministry and leadership that has its origins in antiquity when we look back to people like Moses and King David. A ministry and leadership that we hear about in the book of Acts as Peter sorts out a successor to replace Judas Iscariot using eligibility criteria, prayer and the drawing of straws. A process by which Matthias was chosen to join the eleven apostles and begin working with them to fulfil the work that Jesus had called them to do. Today I pray we will all hear the voice of God, and hear what is calling us to be as his chosen people. A people who Jesus prayed for who by working together co-operatively, will be consecrated and become holy because of Jesus.Let us pray: Most merciful God, we give you thanks for your risen and ascended son Jesus, who delivered and saved the world by his death on the cross. Help us to be like him – a people who believe the testimony of God, that Jesus is the way by which we can be saved and grow into a people consecrated by the truth. Lord guide us as we study the scriptures; protect and guard us as we absorb the truth that will consecrate and make us holy. Lord help us as we do our best, and do our bit, to share the truth that will guide people to eternal life. AmenThank you for joining us.
Join the global wave of prayer between Ascension and Pentecost in which Christians from many denominations pray for more people to come to know the love and peace of Jesus Christ. You are invited to take part from 9-19 May 2024 and to do so in your own way. We hope you do because you will be joining in with Christians from churches from over 85 different denominations and traditions in over 172 countries around the world.For those of you who need or want it, the Church of England website has a range of resources to support you in this wave of praying. See also what the Archbishop has to say about it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSa3TemZwS0
6th Sunday of Easter Readings: Acts 10v44-end, Psalm 98; 1 John 5v1-6; John 15v9-17. Let us pray: May the words of my mouth, and the thoughts and meditations of all our hearts, be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. A Word: In the book of Acts, we hear that immediately after Peter had shared his testimony about Jesus with a crowd made up of Jews and gentiles, that the Spirit of God indwelt all who were listening. This left the Jews surprised because they did not expect God’s spirit to be poured out onto people who were not Jewish. Yet here they were - speaking in tongues and praising God. This inspired Peter to baptise the gentiles in the crowd – but before he did – he pointed out that the gentiles had been given the same spirit of God as those who were Jewish – and asked whether there were any objections to the gentiles being baptised. Then, as no objections were raised, Peter gave the instruction for the gentiles to be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ. As a Christian, I believe that this account shows us that God loves all people and that God has no favourites. I also believe that it reminds us, the people who are the Church in this generation, that it is our duty and responsibility to not only welcome all people that God sends to us, but also to share our witness testimony with and baptise them. For as John tells us in his letter, everyone who believes that Jesus is the son of God, the Christ who lived and died for us, the Messiah, is a child of God. John also tells us that: if we love God, we will keep God’s commands and God will give us the strength and ability to live as He calls us to live. For, as we heard in John’s gospel, Jesus tells us that he loves us the way he is loved by his father and invites us to make ourselves at home in his love. Jesus explains that we can live in his love if we follow his command to love others just as he loved us – which is by putting our lives on the line for one another. Jesus says that if we love others like this that we will grow and mature into the people that God meant us to be – the people God calls and chose for his plans and purposes. A people that we hear about in Psalm 98. A people who: sing to God. A people who shout God’s praises. A people who pay tribute to God. A people who know that God loves us so much that he rolled up his sleeves and took action to set things right between heaven and earth. I believe that God is calling us into his service, in many and varied forms. I believe that God is calling us because he made us, loves us and chose us. I believe that God has a plan that includes each one of us. A plan that God is working out in the world, so that all humankind can be offered the gift to be saved, so that when this life comes to its end, we can take up a place in heaven. Let us pray: Most merciful God, we give you thanks for your son Jesus who came to earth to deliver and save the world. Help us to be like him – the servants of others in the world for which he died. Open our eyes, hearts and minds, so we feel your calling. Send people to help us discern what you would have us do in your world. Help us to be the people you designed us to be – so we share the kind of love with the world that Jesus did. Amen Thank you for joining us.
5th Sunday of Easter Readings: Acts 8v26-end; Psalm 22v25-end; 1 John 4v7-end; John 15v1-8. Let us pray: May the words of my mouth, and the thoughts and meditations of all our hearts, be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. A Word: The 22nd psalm speaks of a time when there will be a great gathering of people who will be worshipping, praising and giving thanks to God. The psalm tells us that this gathering will be drawn from the four corners of the earth. It will be a gathering made up of people who worship God and people seeking God. This gathering will include poor and destitute people, powerless and sinful people, as well as powerful people who have come to their senses. The psalmist says that this great gathering of people will be drawn together because of those people who pass on the good news from generation to generation, and the good news is that God always fulfils what God says he will do. I believe that this psalm tells us about our mission as Christians. This is that we must pass on the good news about God in every generation, in order that people will be drawn together to seek and worship God. I believe that this calling is really important because as we hear in the letter from St John, the God we worship is the God of love, the God who showed his love to us first so that we could learn how to love. For true love banishes the fear of death and the fear of judgement and it also prompts us to love God and other people. However, there is more to being God’s people than worshipping God and loving other people. For as Jesus tells us in the gospel of John, Jesus describes himself as the “True Vine” and his father as the farmer who takes care of the vines. Jesus says that because he is the true vine that we can be grafted into him as vine branches, branches that will bear fruit as we mature as Jesus’ disciples. Jesus also warns that his father will cut off, throw away and burn all of the branches that separate themselves from the true vine, as well as those that do not mature and bear fruit. I believe that this is a warning that in our mission as Christians we must grow and mature so that we bear the fruit that God has designed us to produce. Jesus also tells us that his father will help us to stay connected to Jesus, so we can mature and bear fruit, by pruning away everything that distracts us from being God’s people. For God is up to all sorts, in the mission to save and bring people back to himself. As we heard in the book of Acts, God will even do the most extraordinary of things, just as he did with Philip. First God sent an angel to tell the disciple Philip to take himself at midday to the desolate road that connects Jerusalem with Gaza. Philip did as he was asked and once on the road, he saw a man riding a chariot. The spirit of God then prompted Philip to speak to the man in the Chariot and as Philip drew near, he could hear that this man reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah. The words he was reading were about a lamb who was led to the slaughter, so Philip asked him whether he understood what he was reading. As the man had questions, he invited Philip into his chariot and Philip took the opportunity to answer the questions by preaching about Jesus. After this the man asked to be and was baptised and the spirit of God took Philip away. All so extraordinary, all so amazing, all so surprising – and yet all well within what God can and does do. So today, let us grow like branches so that we become all that God wants of us. Then let us dare to follow as prompted and guided by God. Let us pray: Most merciful God, we give you thanks for your son Jesus who came to earth to deliver and save the world. Help us to live like he did, so that we can be servants of others in the world for which he died. Teach us how to grow into the people you would have us be, so we pass on the good news to this and the next generation. Amen Thank you for joining us.