I am not sure who picked the readings for us this morning. I have to say that at first sight I was not very impressed.From Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 18. 15 - 20), we heard a snippet from the rules and regulations for Levitical Priests. It happens to mention that these priests could expect a future prophet, like Moses, with some vague threats about what would happen if they didn’t recognise this new prophet.From the writings of the Revelation to John (Revelation 12. 1 – 5a), we heard about a pregnant woman giving birth in some extraordinary circumstances; a dragon with seven heads hovering around. Just what you don’t need when giving birth.And from St Mark (Mark 1. 21 – 28), there is the strange tale of demons and unclean spirits causing mayhem in Church.All this fearsome stuff is in stark contrast to the previous three weeks of Epiphany, where we have heard about the three B’s: Birth, Baptism, and Betrothal. We have rejoiced with the Wise Men at the Birth of Jesus; celebrated the Baptism of Jesus; and heard again of the generosity of love in the New Wine at the wedding.So what is the thinking?Well, for a moment we have to think back into the minds of those first Christians. They were surrounded by a great deal of evil. The Roman Empire in which they lived was a brutal society. The army could do very much as they wanted to keep the population compliant, and that included enforcing Emperor Worship. In addition, there were plenty of people around who thought that the Christian faith undermined accepted religious practice, whether that of Jewish thought or of the many Gods of Greek thought.Based on this background those first Christians found life very much more difficult than we do in Sheringham.For the early Christians they faced many obstacles to pursuing their faith in the new life of Christ.From their Jewish friends they could point to the fact that the leadership did not recognise the new Prophet as seen in Jesus, and as foretold in Deuteronomy.From their Roman rulers they formed the impression that they were like a Dragon with seven heads – fearsome in opposition to their claim that only Christ could be king in their lives.And in their Gospel, the good news of St Mark, they were aware that all this bad “Karma” was recognition of a sort. Recognition that Jesus was a force to be considered – else why would there be this continuous opposition to their faith?All this negativity was taken to show that even Evil recognised the danger to itself from the good news of the Gospel.You can just imagine those first Christians finding this positive take on the evil around them. Today, we are faced with much expression of evil. To be sure, we only need to watch the television news: war, violence, corporate deceit, unsafe criminal convictions; we could make ourselves depressed with it all.But we can take a leaf out of the books written by those early Christians. The activity of evil only goes to prove just how much we need to live the Christian life. Our job is to provide the contrast with evil. Our job is to live the new life of Christ to the glory of God.The Revd Malcolm France
Lord, direct our thoughts, and teach us to pray. Lift up our hearts to worship you in spirit and in truth, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. ‘Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.’ (Psalm 111:1)Hymn: O Thou who camest from above...Deuteronomy 18:15-20; Revelation 12:1-5aThe sun of righteousness has dawned with healing in his wings. Let us come to the light of Christ, confessing our sins in penitence and faith: Most merciful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we confess that we have sinned in thought, word and deed. We have not loved you with our whole heart. We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. In your mercy forgive what we have been, help us to amend what we are, and direct what we shall be; that we may do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you, our God. 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: God our creator, who in the beginning commanded the light to shine out of darkness: we pray that the light of the glorious gospel of Christ may dispel the darkness of ignorance and unbelief, shine into the hearts of all your people, and reveal the knowledge of your glory in the face of Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.Mark 1:21-28Please see the message from the minister.Let us pray:We pray for all in St Peter’s Church as we serve in this parish;We pray for our world, that peace will reign on Earth and all of its creatures will thrive;We pray for our friends, families and neighbours - may we all share the love of Christ;We pray for people who are sick or suffering, that they will know God’s healing presence; We remember the departed, that all who mourn will be comforted.Let us join in the words of the Lord’s prayer, whoever and wherever we are: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory for ever and ever. Amen.Hymn: King of glory, King of peace...Father of all, you have given us your Son to be the Saviour of the world. Welcome us as your children into your kingdom, to enjoy your presence forever. May the blessing of God Almighty who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit rest upon us and remain with us always.Let us go in peace to love and serve the Lord, in the name of Christ. Amen.
The Li Tim-Oi Foundation empowers Christian women in the Global South in memory of the first Anglican Woman Priest.In 1994, on the Golden Jubilee of Li Tim-Oi’s priesting, Archbishop Donald Coggan launched the Li Tim-Oi Foundation in St Martin-in-the-Fields Church, London.It has helped 200 women from 67 dioceses in 11 provinces of the Anglican Communion – in Africa, Brazil, Fiji and Pakistan. These women have been trained for such positions as : Evangelist, Church Army Sister, School Chaplain, Social Worker, Trainer of Midwives, Youth Leader, Bishop’s Secretary, Theologian, Legal Adviser, Diocesan Secretary, Diocesan President of the Mothers’ Union, Co-ordinator of Pastors’ Wives Agriforestry Project, and Sunday School Teacher.More than 50 have been or will be ordained. Without the help of the Foundation, they would not have been able to fulfil their vocations to leadership roles in their own countries.You may find out more on their website here: You may find out more about the foundation here: https://www.ltof.org.ukThe service to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the ordination of Florence Li Tim-Oi will be held at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, on Thursday 25th January at 11am.To livestream the service, go to:https://stmartins.digital/Click on the link and it takes you to the St Martin-in-the-Fields’ website, which will have a link to the service, which will be held at 11am on Thursday 25th January.The service will also go out on BBC Radio 4 as the Sunday Worship on 28th January at 8:10am.
Jesus’ first miracle is at a wedding at Cana.It is recorded only in John’s Gospel. John wants to tell his readers what life with Jesus means and what his core message is really all about.Signs: with John we enter a world of symbols and poetry that have at least two or three levels of meaning. He wants to convey what is below the surface. John does not call it a miracle when Jesus turns water into wine, in fact, John does not call anything a miracle in his Gospel. Instead, John calls them signs. John records seven "signs" in his Gospel and changing the water into wine is the first. This was a sign for us people, something that leads us toward a deeper meaning.Water: is the basic necessity of life, our bodies are largely made of it and Jesus refers to himself as the living water. When the water is changed into wine, the symbol is not just of life, but of abundant, joyous, and celebrated life. Wine is a symbol of joy and warmth, celebration and abundance. In changing the water into wine and allowing the wedding celebration to continue, Jesus shows us his mission, that he has come to transform the world.Jesus said ‘I have come that they might have life and have it more abundantly.’ This is what the miracle at Cana is all about. The 6 water jars each held 30 gallons of wine. That’s 180 gallons of wine! What a celebration!The Law: Jesus changed the water in the huge water jugs, used for ritual purification and washing,into wine. They were there so that the wedding guests could comply with Jewish law. Jesus takes that ritual water and turns it into something that wouldn’t satisfy the law. Washing hands in wine wouldn’t count! Jesus is making a statement about the Law. The Law of Moses was necessary and good but had become restrictive and corrupt as it was taken to extremes by the Pharisees and the meaning behind it lost. Jesus came to transform the Law into something that was joyful. Jesus came to transform the Law through Grace and put God back into it, put love into it to make it more than plain water, make it wine. Give it texture, taste, let it warm us as the glow spreads through our bodies, let it free us to love and laugh. Jesus came to take away the weighty duty of the Law from us and make us giddy with joy.The message is ‘lighten up.’ It is not God’s desire that we live our lives with only a sense of duty. It is of course good that we obey the commandments, but there’s more to life with Jesus than obedience. ‘I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full .’ (John 10:10)Not just life, but abundant life, joyous life. This doesn’t mean God promises us material wealth or a life free from pain but it does mean, that when the water of our lives becomes wine through relationship with God , life has a richness and depth that it never had before.Jesus shows divine extravagance. Not in terms of material possessions or getting our own way but through joy that does not spring from the same source as the happiness of the world. Christian joy springs from realising that once we have made the decision to drink of the living water of Christ, that water becomes wine as it touches our lips. Let’s party! Jesus often did!Angela Stewart, Lay Minister
