Reflection: Sunday 5th September and for the week ahead:Scripture :‘My brothers, what use is it for a man to have faith and to have no deeds to show for it? Are you going to claim that his faith can save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear, and not enough to eat, and one of you says to them ‘Go in peace! Keep warm and eat well!’ and yet does nothing to provide for his physical needs, what use is that?’ (James 2.14-16)Reflection : The theme of caring for the needy is one that runs right through the Bible. In the Law and the Prophets, the Psalms and Writings of the Hebrew Scriptures, and throughout the New Testament, we are constantly reminded that loving God and loving our ‘neighbour’ are two sides of one coin.James points out how easy it is to say kind words that cost us nothing, while claiming to have ‘faith’. Genuine faith is seen not in polite platitudes or words of sympathy , but in action, in working to understand the need and to address it.Faith without works, says James elsewhere, is dead.We cannot pretend not to know of anybody in need, whether near or far away, whom we can help.So what are we, as people of faith, to do about it? Revd Rosemary
Services Sunday 5th September8am Holy Communion at St Nicholas, Sandhurst led by Revd David Commander 10am Holy Communion at St George's led by Revd David Commander
Here's the link to yesterday's 10 o'clock service: <a href="https://youtu.be/o17Kt7ftFBg">https://youtu.be/o17Kt7ftFBg</a>
Reflection: Sunday 29th August and for the week ahead:From the Collect for the 13th Sunday after TrinityAlmighty God... help us to proclaim the good news of your love, so that all who hear it may be drawn to you.Reflection:‘<span style="font-size: 1rem;">Preach the Gospel. Use words if necessary.’</span>A nice, pithy saying, widely attributed to St Francis, though in fact he never actually said it! How is the ‘good news’ of God’s love proclaimed in such a way that people are drawn to Him? Not, in most cases, by bombarding them with quotes from Scripture and doctrinal statements, but by them seeing for themselves the evidence of lives that reflect God’s love.But living a Christian life is not, in itself, the same as proclaiming the Gospel. We must also be prepared, when asked, to explain what we believe and why. Always be ready to give an answer when someone asks you about your faith... but do it in a gentle and respectful way. (1 Peter 3.15)Yes! Revd Rosemary
