Scripture & Reflection: Sunday 10th May - The Sixth Sunday of Easter - and for the week ahead:Scripture: The Collect for The Ascension (Thursday 14th May)'Grant, we pray, almighty God, that as we believe your only-begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ to have ascended into the heavens, so we in heart and mind may also ascend and with him continually dwell; who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.'ReflectionThis week marks The Ascension. It is – or it should be – a significant day for us as Christians. We mark and celebrate Christmas – the coming of Jesus into the world – in a huge way. The Ascension is Jesus leaving this world; him ascending back to his father in heaven….yet it goes largely unnoticed. It should, perhaps, be a sad day – Jesus leaving earth, not to be seen (physically) again. But Jesus promised those who believe “another Advocate”; the Spirit of truth to be with us forever. (Read some of John Chp14: “You will know him because he abides with you, and he will be in you.” That is how close God wants to be to you.The Collect (the special prayer) for Ascension, captures that our hearts and our minds “may also ascend”; that is, that we might think (or dwell) on higher things; that we might think of God….in order that we might continually dwell with Him. God wishes an every-day and an eternal relationship with you. So pray for that.Revd David
Scripture & Reflection: Sunday 3rd May - The Fifth Sunday of Easter - and for the week ahead:Scripture: First Letter of Peter, verses 4 and 5'Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious In God’s sight. Like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.'Reflection:You have only to look at our own parish churches of St George and St Nicholas to see that like most ancient churches they are not built of identical, factory-made bricks, set in neat, regular rows, but are constructed from assorted chunks of natural stone. Some of the stones are large, others are quite small, all shapes and sizes, but the skillful stone masons have fitted them together into solid structures that have lasted for centuries.St Peter calls his readers to become ‘like living stones’. We are all different, all shapes and sizes, varying in character and appearance, background and gifts. Some fit in easily, others are more awkward. But God, the Master Builder, finds a place for every ‘stone’, large, small, rugged or smooth, as he builds us into a community in which each of us has an essential part. Revd Rosemary
