Dear Friends,In this week's gospel, Jesus once more recalls a story from the time of the Hebrews' wilderness wanderings in which he focuses on God's desire for the "salvation", the healing, of all, whilst also reminding his hearers that the action of the Holy Spirit in the world is mysterious - we can only see its effects, we can't pin it down.There is much in our lives and in our wider world that needs healing and often we cannot understand clearly how God is at work, especially when things turn out differently from what we hope for. Perhaps this week of Lent may be a time to turn towards the cross in full honesty before God about how we feel and seek the healing that is according to God's will for us and for our world.God blessSamanthaThis Sunday we will not be holding our usual Evensong at Barbrook but there is a Local Churches Evening at Lee Abbey from 5.30pm to which all are invited.Monday 6th March 3.30pm The second of our Lent groups. The handout from the first group is attached with this email. All welcome (you don't have to have come last week to be able to join in)
March Newsletter with services for March and coming events.
Dear Friends,This week we have come to the year's anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine. This Sunday churches across the world will continue in their prayers for the people of the whole region: for the end to conflict and the journey to a new security and peace, for all those families separated by war, and for all who are exiles across European host nations. I have shaped the attached prayers to enable us to join with that wave of prayer for a better tomorrow for all who are suffering.I think the story of Jesus' tempations, which is the gospel for this weekend, offers us his complete rejection of underlying influences that lead towards the injustices, inequalities, violence and lack of compassion which are prevalent in our world. His decisive rejection of self-satisfaction, dramatic sensation to force faith and the idolising of things that are not of God shows us a way towards the better tomorrow we pray for.May our keeping of Lent help us to make steps on that way in his company.A reminder: Monday 27th Feb 3.30pm Lent Group at the Rectory.The URC Living Waters are hosting a Bible Study at 10.30 on a Wednesday morning during Lent - all welcomeGod blessSamantha
Dear Friends,My prayers for the keeping of a Holy and Joyful Lent.The traditional practices for the keeping of Lent are mentioned in the gospel for today: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. My sermon attached focuses on some ways of deepening our awareness of God's presence in our lives which is fundamental to our prayer and with all that is going on in the world around us making the intention perhaps to pray each day for one situation you hear about in the news is another simple way of marking Lent.The early days of Lent also co-incide with Fair-trade fortnight (27th Feb - 12th March) You might like to take some time to be intentional about your food choices: how does what you eat impact the lives of its producers or the planet? Similarly, being intention about how we use money might enable us to set aside a little more than usual for a cause that we care about.There will be three gatherings of a Lent Group aimed at reminding us about the "joyful" heart of keeping Lent - the first is on Monday 27th February 3.30-4.30 at the Rectory.God BlessSamantha
