17th May 24

Morning!

It’s nearly the weekend! Looking forward to Sunday, service at 10.30am, all welcome, I’ll be talking about the weather, well there you go- not a surprise really. Come and join us, you would be most welcome.

 

 

Today’s reading..

 

T H E G O D WHO EMPOWERS

 

Revelation 3:20-22

‘Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me. 21 To the one who conquers I will give a place with me on my throne, just as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

 

 

Don’t you just love these wonderful verses? They are amongst the most precious verses in the New Testament to so many Christians around the world. One of the most famous paintings of Christ by Victorian artist William Holman Hunt shows Christ knocking on a door that has no handle on the outside and can only be opened from within. He said that he painted it, ‘…with what I thought to be divine command, and not simply a good subject.’

In these verses the Lord Jesus writes to Christians at Laodicea who thought themselves to be spiritually rich, better than others, and needing nothing. He invited them to realise that they were, ‘poor, blind and naked’; and to open the door of their church and the doors of their hearts, so that Christ could make them all they were meant to be.

Laodicea was known for its rich cloth, its eye medicine and its wealth; however we are not called to focus on materialistic things. We are called to be like the Lord Jesus. We are never to be defined simply by our nationality, our wealth or poverty, our education or our occupation but by our being, to use St Paul’s expression, ‘in Christ.

Inviting Christ to share our life is not just a conversion decision, though it is that ‘great transaction’ of which baptism is the great illustration and symbol. It is a daily essential, no matter for how long we have been a Christian.

There is an African proverb which says, ‘A canoe is never too big to capsize.’ There are times when it is our pride, our determination to be self-made men and women, that gets in the way of our becoming more like the Lord Jesus. We are never too big, too old, too mature, too clever, too important to need to be carried by Christ.

 

Pray that your five may also have the humility to hear Christ knocking and calling at the door of their lives and open the door to welcome Jesus as He waits to welcome them. Just like the disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24, we find that when we open the door to Christ, the guest becomes the host. May we show hospitality to  all, for by so doing some people have offered hospitality to  angels (Hebrews 13:2).

 

 

Today’s prayers.

 Please continue to pray for His Majesty, King Charles and for her Royal Highness, Catherine Princess of Wales.

God of Mission

Who alone brings growth to your Church.

Send your Holy Spirit to give

vision to our planning, wisdom to our actions,

joy to our worship, and power to our witness.

Help our church grow in numbers, in spiritual commitment to you,

and in service to our local community.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

 

Father God, we pray for our parish,

That each of us might make use of our individual talents enabling each church group to flourish as a witness to the “One Body” of the Church.

As we start preparations for our weekend to grow our church community

and invite those who may not know you to join us in September, we pray for volunteers from our parish to share their talents and support, enabling us to prepare and make the weekend a success. Help us to spread the warmth of your love to everyone who joins us. Amen.

 

Have a great weekend, it’s Pentecost this weekend, so lots to do with wind in church!!!!!!🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣why not come and find out? I’m going, it’ll be good, why not come with me?

 

Rev Rie