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]
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK - From Alan - Residing in ChristA couple of weeks ago during my Oasis talk I asked the question of whether we were residents in Christ or tourists in Christianity. The main focus of my talk was really about how Christlike are we? As we come to the end of Holy Week and we focus on the death and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, I continue with that theme.Easter, both the run up to it, and the events of Good Friday and Easter Sunday, are the basis of our faith. Fundamentally without Jesus’ death and resurrection our faith is on shaky ground at best. However, the reassurance of Jesus’ resurrection and the promise of eternal life gives us a solid foundation for what we believe and how we should live our lives. But I ask the question, do we? Do we truly, live a Christ-like existence? The answer is probably not, but how hard do we try? We know that as human beings we are flawed and prone to sin, but do we try to do as we should? Do we try to live in the Spirit; to follow Jesus’ commands and live in a way that puts God first?I would be the first to say that I am a failure, but I try. I fall short of those expectations, but thanks to Jesus’ death and resurrection, I know I am forgiven. I don’t need to overly castigate myself and fall into despair, as Jesus died for my sins. But that does not mean I can just continue with sin, no it means I learn, ask Jesus for forgiveness and try to be and do better.Easter is a time to remember and reflect, that it was my failings and my sin that held Jesus to that cross. That he died for me. And so I pray at this time that I will increasingly live in Jesus and he in me, that I would truly reside in Christ, and that you will join me there. May we know a true relationship with Jesus, may his death be a reminder of what he gave for each of us, and his resurrection be a reminder of the promise of eternal life.Amen
