Sunday 10th May 2026

Dear friends,

This Sunday, just before Pentecost, our readings invite us to think about what helps us draw near to God. In Acts 17, St. Paul is in Athens, surrounded by altars, statues and places of worship. He notices that the people there are searching for God, even if they do not yet quite know who they are looking for.

That feels like a helpful word for us at St. John’s. We are blessed with a beautiful church building, and it is always lovely when people come in and notice it. Beauty can make us pause. It can help us breathe. It can open our hearts to something beyond the rush and noise of everyday life.

But the building is not the end of the story. At its best, it quietly points beyond itself — to the God who is not far from any one of us.

So I hope you’ll be able to join us this Sunday. And, as ever, if there is someone in your life who might appreciate a little stillness, welcome and hope, they would be very welcome too. Sometimes the simplest invitation is not a grand speech, but just, “Would you like to come with me?”

Every blessing. 

Mark