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
Scripture & Reflection: Sunday 24th May - Pentecost - and for the week ahead:Scripture: 'When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ '(John 20.19)Reflection:The story of Pentecost – what happened to change the world 50 days after Easter – is a story of a few bereaved friends/disciples of Jesus experiencing a rush of wind and ‘tongues of fire’, and as a result being fired up to spread what they called the Good News. That good news was that in the midst of a world of personal and global turmoil, the Spirit of Peace is, like the wind, invisibly breathing, even blowing, all around and in us. Just as by drawing breath we live physically, so we do actually have access to inner spiritual life. Peace be with you. David Harmsworth
