THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK - From Vicar Geoff – 27th May 2026TransformedOne of the most wonderful things about meeting Jesus and responding in faith to his invitation is that we are transformed. Now you might be thinking, I am happy as I am. I don't want to change. That is a legitimate response. But if we are honest with ourselves there are always ways we can be better, and by better I mean more like Jesus. You see, Jesus is the example of what it is to be perfect, and while there is no way we can ever be perfect in this life we can always be better. I'm thinking of those little things like when we respond in an unhelpful manner, when we make that comment with can come across as somewhat hurtful when we have those thoughts that we are so glad no one else knows about - except God, of course! The kind of transformation that God is about, is about becoming more like Jesus. In other words we begin to live in the way that Jesus would. We see lots of examples of this in the New Testament. Jesus was generous, compassionate, loving, kind, sensitive and so on. The way this can happen for each of us is to submit ourselves to God's rule in our lives, which then allows him to begin transforming us. You see when we submit ourselves to Jesus we are saying, Lord Jesus, I can't do this on my own, I need help. I think of submitting myself to Jesus as similar to learning to drive in a dual controlled car. When you first start the instructor is doing most of the pedal work, but over time we begin to do it, until we are ready for our test.Submit yourself to Jesus and let Him begin to transform you by His Spirit.GeoffPray for ...• A growing closeness of the wider ABC Churches (Acaster Malbis, Appleton Roebuck, Acaster Selby, Askham Bryan, Bolton Percy, Colton, Copmanthorpe) and all that God has in store for us, moving forward together. • Christians in our communities and around the world engaged in continuing the work of Jesus, however big or small the deed.• That each of us be open to following God’s will and move forward in faith.Give thanks for ...• The commitment of our brothers and sisters in Christ• The opportunities we have to meet across our parishes throughout the week, to engage in worship and share our Christian lives.• The Reverend Geoff Mumford, for his faith, commitment and tireless efforts to support the demands of our individual churches and communities.We pray for all who live and work in the following streets in our communities:In Copmanthorpe - Tadcaster Road, Tadcaster Mews, Weavers Park, Weavers Close, Smithson CourtIn Bolton Percy & Colton - Oak HouseIn Askham Bryan - Bog Lane In Acaster Malbis - Brocket View, Airfield Lane, Beech Avenue - Mount PleasantIn Appleton Roebuck - Briar Court, Briar DriveIn the name of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Thought for the Week – From Rachel Reid, LLM – 20th May 2026Pentecost Don’t you just love a festival? Pentecost concludes the season of Easter, fifty days after Easter Day. It’s been a wild ride for the disciples. First, their leader is crucified, and with his death, all their hopes died. Three days later he is risen! From misery and despair to joy, celebration and hope in just three days! Then follows forty days of encounters with the risen Christ – the Road to Emmaus, appearing in a locked room to a bunch of scared (and sceptical) disciples, and my favourite, a barbecue on the beach. Finally, many of them witness his ascension – he disappears in a cloud – awesome, scary and kind of shocking. A couple of angels casually mention that it’s all fine, he’ll be coming back some day, and will they just stop gawping. I wonder how they felt after that? What were they supposed to do? Yes, they prayed, but they also kept themselves busy selecting and then casting lots (from which we get the word Lottery) to replace Judas. It was the feast of Shavuot, the celebration of the wheat harvest and commemoration of the giving of the Law to Moses, and Jerusalem would have been packed out with pilgrims from many nations. The Apostles and Jesus’s other followers, men and women, and I imagine children as well, were gathered in a house when something amazing happened. Once more the foundations of the world shift, and the promised Holy Spirit arrives like rushing wind and flames of fire. The house can’t contain them, and they spill out on to the streets, and the pilgrims are astounded to hear in their own languages the glorious praise of Almighty God. Three thousand became believers on that day, and it was catching! They ate together, shared everything, devoured the teachings of the apostles and gossiped the gospel. There were miraculous healings and people flocked to the Apostles just like they had to Jesus, bringing their sick and suffering loved ones to be restored. It must have been a bit like heaven on earth, for a while. Even the persecution, which followed, could not destroy the Church, because it doesn’t run on fossil fuels or even solar power, but on the power of the Holy Spirit, a deep well, a burning flame, a mighty wind, a still small voice, a white dove, the spirit that hovered over the waters of Chaos at the dawn of Creation. Friends, it is this Spirit that is still at work today, empowering the Church, teaching us what to say when we share our faith, changing hearts and turning people towards Jesus. Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to come! Let’s sing out with that great Salvationist, William Booth, Send the Fire!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kNXZzPX1rw&list=RD6kNXZzPX1rw&start_radio=1 Rachel
The Victory ParadeLast week we experienced a moment of joy and delight as York City FC paraded the National League trophy through the streets of the City of York. Thousands filled the route to celebrate the homecoming of the promised land of the Football League. Individuals of all ages wearing the club colours: shirts, scarves, hats. After 10 years the Minstermen are back. Life for a football fan, for any sports fan, is incredibly difficult built on hope but fraught with fear. Every season you are desperate to see your team succeed and achieve a trophy victory.How different that is within the Christian faith, when we may still be involved in the ‘game’ but we know the victory is already won. 1 Corinthians 15:57 – “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ”. This verse underscores our Christian belief that ultimate victory is attained through faith in Jesus Christ, particularly through His death and resurrection, triumphing over sin and death.We can therefore celebrate, continuously in the Victory of ‘our side’ and treat every day and every event as our own Victory Parade. Treat each Church service, each Christian event and every Faith engagement as a celebration of that victory. How proud we should be to wear our faith (our colours) for all to see. To have that outward display reflecting Christ’s story.In summary, the Bible teaches that true and lasting victory is ultimately found in God and through faith in Jesus Christ. It encourages believers to trust in God's power, acknowledging that victory results from divine intervention and reliance on the love and strength provided by the Lord. I call for us all therefore to learn to be active in our faith, to both proclaim the good news and to demonstrate that faith through our actions and deeds.Pray for …A growing closeness of the wider ABC Churches (Acaster Malbis, Appleton Roebuck, Acaster Selby, Askham Bryan, Bolton Percy, Colton, Copmanthorpe) and all that God has in store for us, moving forward together.Christians in our communities and around the world engaged in continuing the work of Jesus, however big or small the deed.That each of us be open to following God’s will and move forward in faith.Give thanks for …The commitment of our brothers and sisters in ChristThe opportunities we have to meet across our parishes throughout the week, to engage in worship and share our Christian lives.The Reverand Geoff Mumford, for his faith, commitment and tireless efforts to support the demands of our individual churches and communities
