THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK - From Vicar Geoff – Seven Churches – 24th April 2026
Seven
On 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