Reflection: Sunday 21st June - The Third Sunday after Trinity - and for the week ahead:Scripture: Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. ‘Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven. (Matthew 10:29-33)Reflection:Did you hear Jesus words – when speaking about God knowing every sparrow, and you being of more value to God than many sparrows? “Everyone who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father.” Everyone! You! Jesus will acknowledge you when he speaks to his Father! Awesome!So, when was the last time you acknowledged Jesus?! Knowing that God, that Jesus, loves you should make a huge difference in your life. We should all be so joyful about that – that God knows us, loves us, and cares about us! Perhaps you have acknowledged that in your prayers – which is great - but we also need to live with God in our daily lives. And also share that, so others can know the joy of relationship with God too! (We should also take heed of the warning in the last verse.)Revd David
Reflection: Sunday 14th June - The Second Sunday after Trinity - and for the week ahead:Collect (Special prayer) for Trinity 2:Lord, you have taught us that all our doings without love are nothing worth: send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of love, the true bond of peace and of all virtues, without which whoever lives is counted dead before you…Reflection:‘Love’ can mean so many things. I love chocolate. I love Christmas. I love the books of Jane Austen. I love the colour purple. I love my friends.The love ‘poured into our hearts’ by God is something different. In the older versions of this prayer it is calledcharity, though in recent years the word charity has come to mean giving to good causes, which is very right andcommendable, but not what is meant here.The love we pray for is selfless, unconditional love in action, not dependent on our feelings, but a reflection of God’s love for all humanity, however undeserving. This is not something we can generate by our own efforts, whichis why we pray that God will pour it into our hearts. And for this to happen we need to open our hearts to receive it.Revd Rosemary
Scripture & Reflection: Sunday 7th June - The First Sunday after Trinity - and for the week ahead:Scripture'For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.' (Romans 4. 13-14)ReflectionRomans 4:13–14 reminds me that my relationship with God isn’t based on being perfect or always doing the right thing. Instead, it’s built on faith in God’s grace. Paul explains that if God’s promises depended on our ability to follow every rule, then faith wouldn’t really matter—because nobody can live up to God’s standard perfectly.This passage challenges the idea that we have to earn God’s love or approval through our own efforts. God’s promises are a gift, not a reward for good behaviour. Knowing that brings peace because it takes away the pressure of trying to be “good enough” on our own.When I rely only on myself, I often end up feeling stressed, discouraged, or exhausted. But faith reminds me to trust in what God has already done for me and in the promises He has made. Instead of constantly trying to prove myself, I can rest in His grace and depend on His strength.Lyn Hayes ALM
Collect & Reflection: Sunday 31st May & for the week ahead: Collect: Holy God,faithful and unchanging:enlarge our minds with the knowledge of your truth,and draw us more deeply into the mystery of your love,that we may truly worship you,Father, Son and Holy Spirit,one God, now and for ever. Reflection: The subject of the Trinity is an essential but often confusing one. We hear and speak about the Father, Son and Holy Spirit but it can be a challenge to untangle them, while realising that they are the same. I learned that it was like saying someone is a mother, a daughter, and a cousin. You are the same person but you have different roles to play depending on who you are with and your relationship to them. For some people the idea of a loving father may sadly be a distant one. Others may struggle to imagine Jesus as a human with divine powers. And as for the Holy Spirit, or sometimes, Holy Ghost, that may be the hardest to relate to, especially for those fearful of the paranormal. If you know which you struggle with, ask someone to help to explain it to you. Dig into the Bible and see what inspiration you can find. Or spend time in prayer, asking this wonderful Trinity to show themselves to you, in a way that you will truly understand.Victoria Bray
