Thought for the week – from Alan Johnston

Thought for the week from Alan Johnston Licensed Lay Minister 17th June 2026

Following Jesus

This month's Oasis theme is Following Jesus and last Sunday Ian Cartwright brought us the message. The reading that Ian used was John 14: 1-17 and as the reading was delivered verse 12 jumped out at me ‘Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father’ (John 14:12). Following Jesus has with it an expectation, an expectation that we will be active and participate in being a Christian. Christianity is a participation sport, not a spectator sport. Jesus expects us to continue his work on earth, not because we have to, but because we want to.

So what does this mean for those of us living in our parishes? Of course the first thing that springs to mind is the Great Commission. Go and make disciples of all men. Actually though, when you think about it more deeply there are many acts that we should be concerned with, which are equally aligned with Jesus’ message. This includes loving one another, supporting one another and accepting one another. In last week's newsletter I focused on God's love, thinking about the simple fact that God loves us, despite who we are. God loves us despite the differences we may have with each other. God loves us even though as individuals we may approach Christianity in different ways.

I was reading an article recently that focused on the growth in the Anglican church within Africa. One of the key elements of the article was to suggest that the Anglican church in Africa is more conservative and traditional than the UK Anglican church in how they interpret Christianity. There was the suggestion that the Anglican church in the UK was now more progressive. That in itself made me think on the question that came to mind around the thought that should churches all be the same? For me the simple answer is no. We need different services to meet people's different needs. With that in mind I reflected on the seven churches we now have across our plurality and the offer we provide, an offer built on meeting different needs. There is no one best way, no one correct way. However Jesus should be at the centre of all our services regardless of how we “do church”.

I ask you, therefore, to be conscious of others, and their preferences, accepting each other in the love of God, as we follow Jesus together.

Pray for …

  • Our ever closeness in our Churches and the villages we serve (Acaster Malbis, Appleton Roebuck, Acaster Selby, Askham Bryan, Bolton Percy, Colton, Copmanthorpe).
  • The Reverend Geoff Mumford, and the work he undertakes across the communities.
  • Our Churches Leadership Team and individual PCCs as they guide us forward in our mission.

Give thanks for …

  • The continued commitment of our church communities.
  • Our volunteers who were admitted into the Office of Churchwarden this week.