Unfettered grief can be the destroyer of life almost as much as death itself. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 we discover the soothing balm of certain Christian hope that is able to heal a broken heart.You can watch the service by going to the Virtual Vicar page on this website.
Today sees the start of the second Covid-19 lockdown in England. Despite impassioned and well-argued protestations the government continued to refuse permission for church buildings to open for Public Worship during lockdown, and this was agreed by parliament last night.All our present safeguarding measures against cross infection remain in place and so our building is permitted to open for private prayer. I am told this may not include any form of spoken led prayer, either in person or by video. But there will be a sheet of prayers, and song words, available as you enter, to help you in your private silent prayers. Recordings of the songs will be played at intervals. Our building will be open 10.30 – 11.30am on Sunday mornings for private prayer. We will post a pre-recorded act of worship on our church Facebook group page, and on our website, each Sunday morning during the period of lockdown for you to watch and participate in from your home.We will also be continuing our on-line Sunday 6.00pm Zoom gathering for prayer, worship and chat. I do encourage you to overcome any reticence and participate in these gatherings.And let us not forget, the ‘church’ is far more than our building. First and foremost, it is the people who gather in the name of Christ our Saviour. Let us continue to give ourselves to the service of bearing witness to his message of good news of hope for the forgiveness of our sins and life everlasting in Christ, as we continue to show acts of kindness, to one another and to the people of Wolverhampton and beyond, and to offer prayers for all in need. Indeed, our Archbishops encourage us - the people of the church – to concentrate on prayer during this period of lockdown, for we should never forget “all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” (Ephesians 3:20)
What equips you for the ‘journey of life’? In his second letter, we find John reminding Christians not to take their eyes off Jesus – who he truly is and what he taught – for he is the only one who can save us from real dangers of trusting instincts influenced by worldly thinking, and keep us loving one another and God in truth and obedience.You can download the prayer sheet for today by clicking the 'download' button to the rightYou can watch the service on the 'Virtual Vicar' page on this website
One of the big themes of the book is that we should not be tempted to doubt God’s faithfulness and love just because he is taking longer than we would like to sort out our problems and pain. Rather, we are encouraged to look forward with certainty to what he will eventually do. In what ways do you need to look ahead to God’s future? And how, according to the book of Malachi, can that transform your present? You can download the prayer sheet for today by clicking the 'download' button to the rightYou can watch the service on the 'Virtual Vicar' page on this website
