This weekend we draw the long season of Trinity to a close by focusing on the place of the BIble in our life of faith. In my sermon I make a suggestion about a series of questions that we can use when reflecting on a Biblical text. I have attached the sermon and a liturgy with prayers that focus on God's gift of the Bible to us. No video version this week, but a bit like with the Creationtide prayers, I would like to suggest something a little different: that you give the 15 minutes it might have taken to watch it, to a time of reflection on a Bible passage that you really love. What is your favourite Bible text? Can you read it from a version of the Bible that helps you come close to God? Then can you reflect on the following questions:
What do you hear or notice in what you read, of God’s creating, God’s purpose, God’s restoring or God’s desire for closer relationship with you as you read?
What does Jesus show you, what do you see in his life of what you are discovering in what you read?
How is God the Holy Spirit deepening your understanding from within as you stay with this passage?
Can you take up the conversation and talk with God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit about whatever one of those questions raises? Perhaps it is not the need to talk, but just to hold a response before God in quiet and see what God shows you
For the next three weeks, from Monday 25th October, we are welcoming the Revd Sue Davies-Fletcher, who is in her curacy and is visiting the Mission Community to broaden her experience of ministry during her formation. I spent some of my day off recycling past Christmas cards into new cards to send in the coming year. As I was doing so it struck me that many of us may have collections of past cards, which could be re-crafted and offered for sale in our churches as both a somewhat eco-friendly, and a small fund-raising enterprise. If anyone feels inspired, why not try it? If you would like to join in with the annual appeal to share Christmas joy to a child through a gift filled shoe-box, Living Waters, the URC in Lynton are supporting this course again and the three key things to know are:Boxes and leaflets for insertion are available from Living Waters porch. Dropping off points are the PO,or under the table in the LW porch. final date for donating is Nov 11th.
God bless
Samantha