THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK - From Rachel – 1st May 2026Being part of Christ’s StoryIt’s the 5th Sunday of Easter this weekend, and one of the Lectionary readings is from Acts 7, about the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Just like the crucifixion of Jesus, this all sounds pretty grim. And it would be grim, if it had ended there. But we know that the death of Jesus wasn’t the end, we celebrate his resurrection at Easter and he’s alive today, working through his church by the Holy Spirit to transform our lives so that we can be salt and light in society. And the death of Stephen is part of this story. Stephen made the (unconverted) Apostle Paul, then known as Saul, very angry, and a huge persecution followed. But this only led to more flourishing in the early church. Believers scattered, leaving the dangers of Jerusalem, and taking the precious message of the unstoppable Gospel with them. The next few chapters of Acts see the followers of The Way, as they were known then, preaching boldly, healing people and baptising new believers.Many of us were at St Giles on Sunday 26th, to witness a baptism and four confirmations. It’s amazing that the message of the Good News about Jesus coming to seek and save the lost and show us what God is like, offering a way back to Him, is still the same today. God is still in the business of transforming lives and drawing people to himself. Let’s get excited to be part of Christ’s story, a story that is still being written on our hearts and that will never end.It was a very moving moment when Bishop Flora laid her hands on the heads of each of the confirmation candidates, praying for them to be anointed by the Holy Spirit. In the silence, did you feel the weight of glory? I’m sure that for each person being confirmed, for Chris, Lisa, Chloe and Joanna, this was a mountaintop experience, and one to be cherished and treasured in memory.Let’s be encouraged that we have a powerful Gospel to proclaim, that brings living water into parched lives, forming and moulding us, imperfect vessels, into people that God can use for his divine purposes.Rachel
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK - From Vicar Geoff – Seven Churches – 24th April 2026SevenOn 13th April 2026 I was licenced as Assistant Curate to Acaster Malbis, and Appleton Roebuck with Acaster Selby. It was an unusual development in a process of bringing together these two parishes with the ABCs, to which I already serve as Vicar. Unfortunately, this is a very slow process, because of the historic relationships between the parishes (Bishopthorpe was historically linked to Acaster Malbis and the separation that needs to happen before Acaster Malbis can be brought into the ABCs is a laborious process which involves the Church Commissioners). However, I am now at least licenced in some way to the five parishes containing seven churches, which will make up the new Mission and Ministry Unit (MMU) at some point in the future. The licence will mean that I can work with all of the PCCs and we can begin to work more closely together in order to build God's Kingdom and proclaim the Gospel clearly across this part of the world. That is ultimately the aim of the Church and we invite Holy Sprit to lead us on this exciting journey. Who knows what God will do?As I was reflecting on this task, which while I will be leading, is a task that belongs to us all, the number seven kept jumping out at me. The number seven appears frequently throughout Scripture, woven into narratives, laws, prophecies, and teachings. It often symbolises divine completion, fullness, and perfection. Whether in the Creation account, covenant promises, the framework of feasts, or the imagery in prophetic writings, seven stands out as a marker of God’s design and involvement with humanity. But what about the seven churches that Jesus writes to in the book of Revelation? I believe there is much to learn from those letters as we face significant challenges over the coming years. In these letters to the Churches in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea we read messages from Jesus specifically written to address the spiritual condition of those churches. These were seven churches in what is now Turkey which all faced challenges and were by no means perfect. Churches are not perfect because they are made up of imperfect people. Our seven churches are not perfect, but I believe God has a plan and purpose for each one. Each is unique, as was each of the Churches that are mentioned in these early chapters of Revelation. That uniqueness is to be celebrated and the strengths played to. Weaknesses must be addressed and supported, so that we each play our part in the mission that God is calling us all to be involved in.I hope that over the coming months we can begin conversations around these themes. We are involved with God in his mission to all His creation. What part will you be playing in that journey?Geoff
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK - From Alan – 17th April 2026 - Coming together and embracing our differenceThis week we have had the pleasure of witnessing Geoff’s licencing with the AAA churches by Bishop Flora, and Amy’s commissioning. A further step on what is proving to be a long journey on the road to a single Ministry Unit. As I looked around the assembled congregation it was great to see so many gathered across the spectrum of our churches, to see the Church of Christ in full bloom filled with many brothers and sisters, many of whom I have met and many I have yet to meet.Many of you who know me or know of me will know that I am not a traditionalist, some may even describe me as non-conformist. It would be true to suggest that the service was not fully to my preference, but that should not be a matter of contention or of interest. What matters was that we were there to bear witness and to celebrate both Geoff’s licencing and Amy’s commissioning. In both these activities we saw evidence in progress towards achieving the goal of the Great Commission.The service gave me opportunity to reflect on our ever growing closeness into a Ministry Unit on the differences that we have, which should be celebrated. The Church of England is a broad church and is something to be celebrated not challenged or hidden. It is not a one-size fits all offer, but centres on a relationship with Jesus that transcends boundaries. As we grow in our relationship as a Ministry Unit with our different traditions, we should welcome that diversity as a group of churches that brings Jesus to our village communities, assured in the knowledge that we have a range of services and opportunities for everyone, whether that be traditional or of a more contemporary nature.In last week's ABC communion service Daniel highlighted that to be a living church we needed to be a loving Church. Brothers and sisters in Christ let us love and embrace our differences, just as Jesus loves us and our individual differences. Let us continue to value each other, move forward with a new found vigour and celebrate the Lord Jesus Christ, his resurrection and the promise of eternal life.This week, I leave you with a single verse: 1 Corinthians 1:2 ‘To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:’ [sic]
