“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.”John 13 v34aRight from the beginning of Christianity this saying of Jesus has caused problems for believers. In the account in the Acts of the Apostles Peter is challenged by the fact that non-Jews want to hear the good news about Jesus. He is helped in his decision by his vision about creatures that were unclean and God encouraging him to eat them. He sees this vision as God saying that no food is unclean and therefore no person of whatever background is beyond the love of God. As a result of Peter’s decision Christianity ceased to be a sect of Judaism and became a separate faith. Because the early church accepted Peter’s decision gentiles joined the Christian Church and those of us in church today are here because of that change of direction.This was indeed Good News, but in every age the Christian Church has had to struggle with that simple statement of Jesus that we are to love one another. The reality is that Christians are divided into denominations and even within our denomination, the Church of England, there are huge differences. There are things that Christians do not agree on which makes Christian Unity a vision that is still a long way away. So do we give up and pick and choose who we want in our church. Sadly it is often the impression that some people give often in negative ways when we don’t welcome everyone equally.One of the great sins is being judgemental and it often happens without us even realising that we are doing it. We can so easily judge by people’s appearance and use all sorts of excuses to try and make our judgements valid. So how do we try to overcome our faults because we know that we don’t always try to help,each other and build each other up? In the letter to the Ephesians there is some very helpful advice, “be kind, compassionate and forgiving”. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all communities could have kindness, compassion and being forgiving at their heart?This is the challenge that we as a church must live up to because it is only if Christian Communities can exhibit these qualities that we will be able to persuade other communities to follow suit.So the message to us today is be kind, be compassionate and be forgiving. Or to use Jesus’ words love one another as he showed us in his life, his death and resurrection.Andrew SSL
Alleluia. Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed. Alleluia!Almighty God, your Son has opened for us a new and living way into your presence. Give us new hearts and constant wills to worship you in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.‘Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host!’ (Psalm 148:1-2)Hymn: Come down, O Love Divine...Revelation 21: 1 - 6; Acts 11: 1 - 18Let us pray: Father, we have sinned against heaven and against you. We are not worthy to be called your children. We turn to you again. Have mercy on us, bring us back to yourself as those who once were dead but now have life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.May the God of love bring us back to himself, forgive us our sins, and assure us of his eternal love in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.Prayer for the day: Risen Christ, your wounds declare your love for the world and the wonder of your risen life: give us compassion and courage to risk ourselves for those we serve, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.John 13: 31 - 35Please see the Message from the Minister.Hymn: Love Divine, all loves excelling...Let us kneel before God in prayer, asking for his cleansing love to be known to all people. We pray for St Peter’s Church, that your love will be seen in all we do, to your glory; We pray for our world, that all of its creatures will thrive, and for peace to reign; We pray for our friends, families and community, that we may share in the love of Christ; We pray for people who are sick or suffering, that they will know healing and strength; We remember the departed, and pray for all who mourn.Let us join in the words of the Lord’s prayer, whoever and wherever we are:Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.May Christ, who out of defeat brings new hope and a new future, fill us with his new life; and may the blessing of God Almighty who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit rest upon us and and be with us always. Amen.We are raised to new life with Christ. Let us go in His peace. Alleluia!
Did you know that the cost of cremations can vary from day to day, and hour by hour, depending upon demand?This among many other issues around cremation and burial and funeral plans was discussed at our first ‘Dying Matters’ session in May in St Peter’s Church hall in Sheringham.Some funeral directors use local crematoria, while others transport you across the country. Some offer a chapel of rest for family members, others do not. The cost of a funeral varies depending upon where it is held. In a parish church the celebrant cost is included within the Church of England fee. Funeral plans advertised as standard vary in what is on offer.It is worthwhile thinking about our end of life wishes in advance, and considerate to our loved ones who will need to organise events after our passing while grieving our loss.Many thanks to representatives of Blyth & Sons funeral directors who attended to help answer our questions.The next Dying Matters session in St Peter’s Hall on June 11th at 2pm will be on the theme of Advance Care Planning. A representative of The Healing Harbour Charity will be with us to tell us about it and answer our questions, so that we can explore our options and express our wishes concerning future health care with our families.
The theme for our Anna Gathering on Thursday 29th May 1400-1600 is creative writing. We have Christina as our speaker and our parish nurse to talk about wellbeing.It’s for all ages - do come along.
