April & May 2016 Issue 44 - Witney Congregational Church & May 2016 Issue 44 Minister:...
Transcript of April & May 2016 Issue 44 - Witney Congregational Church & May 2016 Issue 44 Minister:...
Witney Congregational Church is a crossroads where we:
meet God in worship
meet one another in friendship
meet our community and world with the love of Jesus
April & May 2016 Issue 44
www.witneycongregational.org.uk
Minister: [email protected]
Office: [email protected]
WHAT’S ON GUIDE
Witney Congregational Church offer a whole range of activities through which we seek to Worship,
Work and Witness to the Lord Jesus Christ in this community today.
Further information can be obtained from the Church Administrator, Minister, Church Secretary or
the leaders of the particular activities who are listed at the back of this magazine.
WORSHIP
Daily Worship 9.30 am Mon-Fri Short time of Prayer and Reading
Saturday Praise 11.00 am 1st
Saturday of the month
Sunday Services 10.30 am
6.00 pm 1st
Sunday of the month
Communion is held twice during the month at the first Sunday evening and third Sunday morning
services
PRAYER
The Church is open each morning for Prayer
STUDY & FELLOWSHIP
Thursday 2.30pm Church (2nd
Thursday of each month)
YOUTH ACTIVITIES
Sunday 10.30 am Crèche, Noah’s Ark & The K.I.C.K. on Sundays
Monday 10.00 am Noah’s Ark – Infant Group for babies and pre-school children
Friday 7.00 pm Y4J – Twice a month
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Tuesday Monthly Deacon’s Meeting
Bi-Monthly Church Meeting
Thursday 10.00 am Rest & Chat (Coffee/Tea available)
Saturday 10.30 am Coffee Morning
SUNDAY LINK
Weekly bulletin for all Christians providing stimulating thought along with news and notices
concerning our Church
WITNEY ECUMENICAL YOUTH TRUST (BASE 33)
4 Welch Way (Entrance – High Street) 01993 774402
01993 864853 (Office)
St ANDREW’S BOOKSHOP 01993 709429
Opening Hours: Monday – Saturday 09.00 am – 5.00 pm
CHURCH WEBSITE
For further information, please visit our website:
www.witneycongregational.org.uk
As you read this edition, we will
have celebrated the greatest of all
Christian feasts - Easter; where we are
free to rejoice in a risen saviour who is
near to us in resurrection power. Let us
ot fo get the ag itude of Ch ist s sacrifice made for us all on the cross, and
the increasing number of Christians within
Witney and the local area who do the
Wit ess Walk to the Ma ket “ ua e service on Good Friday. No doubt you also
celebrated by the giving, and receiving, of
Easter eggs
In May, we will also be able to live
out the love of Christ in service to the
world by means of Christian Aid Week -
which runs from 15th
– 21st
. You are
encouraged to support this in whatever
way your personal circumstances may
permit.
Turning now to those who have
contributed to this edition; alongside the
standard pages, there are several mini-
sermons from members of the church;
Jason gives us an Easter poem; Canon
David Winter reflects on the Trinity &
Lesley Barter asks where did it all go
wrong to name but a few.
Many thanks for those who have
contributed for this edition, but would
encourage anyone to consider submitting
article(s) for the next edition by either:
E-mail:
or, just plainly written on paper, which
can be typed up.
The next 3-monthly Summer edition,
covering June, July & August, is due on
Sunday 29th
May
Hearing
A man went into a church and asked the
vicar to pray for his hearing. Touched by
his faith, the vica ag eed. K eel he e, he began in a loud voice. The man knelt,
and the vicar placed a hand on each ear
and bellowed a prayer. "I hope that will
help," he finally shouted.
"Well, I won't know for a while," the man
replied. "It isn't until next month".
Bank Holidays
2nd
& 30th
May
Contents
1. Editorial
2. Diary
5. Pasto s Pape
6. The silent sermon
7. Prayer Letter No 174
9. Stranger walk with us
10. Luke 11: 5-8 mini-sermons
14. The Trinity
15. Café Church
16. Where did it all go wrong?
Your Editor
Daily Prayer Time:
Mon-Fri 9.30 am
Services
10.30 am weekly & 6.00pm on first Sunday of the month and
will normally be led by Rev Jason Boyd unless advised below
April
10th
am Morning Worship
17th
am Morning Worship Communion
24th
am Rev Judi Holloway & Gillian Warson
May
1st
am Morning Worship
pm Evening Worship Communion
7th
Saturday Praise 11.00am
8th
am Rev Judi Holloway & Kathy Shaw
15th
am Rev Judi Holloway Communion
22nd
am Morning Worship
29th
am Morning Worship
pm Madley Park Residential Home
June
4th
Creative Fun 10.00 – 12.00am
5th
am Café Church
pm Evening Worship Communion
The following events are given for your particular attention:
Apr
12th
Deaco s eeti g 7.30pm
21st
Fellowship Group – Church 2.30pm
May
3rd
Lite Bite piece of the Word 12.15pm
Deaco s eeti g 7.30pm
14th
Prayer Chain meeting 9.15am
CF May Assembly at Oldham
19th
Fellowship Group – Church 2.30pm
21st
LEAF meeting 4.00 – 6.00pm
22nd
Church meeting following Morning Worship & LEAF
June
7th
Deaco s eeti g 7.30pm
ROTAS WELCOMING TEAM
Apr 10 Nanna Blackman & Theo Howells
17 Pat Smith & Claire Woodward
24 Lesley Barter & Irene St Clair
May 01 Viviane Boyd & Cecily Lau
08 Pip & Beryl Cartwright
15 Robert & Jill McBride
22 Joan Currie & Susan Wass
29 Nanna Blackman & Theo Howells
June 05 Pat Smith & Claire Woodward
COMMUNION
Apr 17 am Norline Martin & Judi Holloway
Jacqui Powlesland & Lesley Barter
Preparation Susan Wass
May 01 pm Jacqui Powlesland
Preparation Jacqui Powlesland
15 am Viviane Boyd & Susan Wass
Beryl Cartwright & Jacqui Powlesland
Preparation Irene St Clair
June 05 pm Susan Wass
Preparation Susan Wass
FLOWERS
Apr 10 Jacqui Powlesland
17 Judi Holloway
24 Beryl Cartwright
May 01 Rita Hayes
08 Joan Currie
15 Val Obriain
22 Sonya Boyd
29 Jacqui Powlesland
June 05 Judi Holloway
COFFEE
Apr 10 Susan Wass & Judith Bungey
17 Viviane Boyd & Hilary Pratley
24 Clare Woodward & Susan Wass
May 01 Sue Birdseye & Irene St Clair
08 Jill & Robert McBride
15 Susan Wass & Judith Bungey
22 Viviane Boyd & Hilary Pratley
29 Clare Woodward & Susan Wass
June 05 Café Church
REST & CHAT
Apr 14 Pat Smith
21 Robert & Jill McBride
28 Beryl Cartwright
May 05 Joan Currie & Iris Lindsay
12 Pat Smith
19 Jean Stanley, Marina Bowerman & Irene St Clair
26 Robert & Jill McBride
June 02 Beryl Cartwright
09 Joan Currie & Iris Lindsay
Every effort has been made to meet individual circumstances. However, please change with
someone else if the dates are not convenient for you
Thank you
Sue, Alan and Cheryl would like to thank you
all so much for the lovely cards, prayers and
support we have received when my mother
passed away
We really do appreciate it
Congratulations to:
Finn Obriain
and Sam
Burgum who
got engaged on
26th
March
The following article, written by Canon David
Winter, has been extracted from Parish Pump, and
is entitled:
Leave Easter Alone!
Way back in 325 AD the Council of Nicaea decided
that Easter would be held on the first Sunday after
the first full moon occurring on or after the vernal
equinox. Simple (!?!)
No so e people a t a fi ed Easter. It would be more convenient. Holidays could be
planned, school terms would be more sensible,
and we could get rid of its old-fashioned religious
i plicatio s. I suspect, ho e er, that it o t happen.
There s so ethi g deliciousl ridiculous about a national holiday that can swing dizzily
from March to April and which can only be
calculated with the help of a complicated Table in
the Book of Common Prayer. I remember as a
choirboy ages ago whiling away a dull sermon by
calculating when Easter would come in 1984.
As for the religious bit, I think the
secularists would be surprised at how deeply
attached many people are to the wonderful story
of death and resurrection that the season
constantly retells. Up and down the land choirs
si g Ha del s Messiah . People i to centres
stand and watch a Good Friday procession or even
a simple re-enactment of the story. They may not
go to church, but at passion-tide and Easter the
church comes to them.
May 16 Jean Stanley
21 Terry Powlesland
24 Pip Cartwright
25 Bill Elliot
30 Robert McBride
Pat Smith
Apr 26 Sonya Boyd
Simon Brusch
Joyce Kearsey
Seren St Clair
28 Jo Matthews
24
Pastor’s Paper
It is a passage so familiar that I wondered
whether it could speak a fresh word to
me. Would it simply not reinforce the
things I already knew? The wonder of the
Bible is in its richness. It never ceases to
unearth new gems of insight.
It was Isaiah 52:13-53:12 and was
being read during evening worship. This
reflective service has wide spaces for
silence. Into the quietness Judi Holloway
spoke the words and I heard them fresh.
The “e a t as ushed fo ou i i uities : and …it as the ill of the LO‘D to ush hi ith pai : . I so e t a slatio s the o d uise is used i stead. Yet uise does ot come
close to expressing the Hebrew word
daka which has the sense of being
trampled underfoot and broken into
pieces. It is being pulverised in an
anguished death.
How brutal! How hopeless! The
Servant whose face is disfigured beyond
recognition, gawped at by kings and
nations in silent horror, is crushed by God
for our sins. His crushing brings our
healing. Out of his a guish he shall see light : . Through the crushing and
anguished death the righteous servant will
make many right with God (53:11).
Crushed. It was this word that
impressed itself on me. Being crushed has
profoundly negative connotations. Yet
somehow in this passage being crushed
leads to light and life. The crushing of the
Servant makes possible forgiveness and
healing.
I was prompted to think of
crushing lavender and the restful aroma
filling my sense of smell. Imagine,
walking through a herb garden and
crushing rosemary, thyme, and sage
between your thumb and forefinger. Can
you smell each distinct scent? And then
there is the citrus smell of vervain - one of
my favourite aromas. This leaf makes a
wonderful tea! Then think of wheat being
crushed into flour; grapes crushed for the
making of wine; olives crushed for oil and
paste. The crushing is destructive and yet
fruitful.
Christians read this passage of the
Servant in terms of Jesus. These past
weeks we have walked with him in his
suffering steadfastness as he was crushed
in a brutal and agonising death. His
crushing is our healing. His death is our
life.
What happens when we are
ushed y life s situatio s? Ho do e respond to moments in our lives when our
sense of who we are is crushed: the loss
of a job; the loss of status; by a failure; the
loss of a relationship; the death of a loved
one? How do we continue living when we
are faced with dying?
The One who was crushed to bring
us forgiveness, healing and the light of life
points us towards the fruitfulness of being
crushed. It is in those times of life when
we are utterly helpless and hopeless;
when darkness is palpable and God is
absent; when new life and a fresh
dawning day appears uncertain; our
crushing is met with his crushing. His
wounds meet our wounds and we are
healed.
The challenge is to take our
ushi g i to p aye a d dis o e Jesus meeting us there. He knows desolation:
My God! My God! Why have you
forsaken me? He knows consolation as he
is raised from death to life. Will we come
to him in our desolation to be consoled by
his resurrection?
What fragrance - what fruit - what
goodness - will come from the crushing
circumstances of our life? Invariably we
cannot tell until we have gone through
the valley of the shadow of death. Yet our
faith in the risen Lord gives us hope when
hope seems little more than an impossible
dream.
As we make our way from Easter
joy to Pentecost power, let us pray with
e e ed fe ou . Fo …the “pi it helps
us in our weakness; for we do not know
how to pray as we ought, but that very
Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for
o ds ‘o a s 8: . As we pray from
the pla ed of ushi g eak ess We know that all things work together for
good for those who love God, who are
alled a o di g to his pu pose ‘o a s 8:28)
Shalom
Turning over a new LEAF
Here is a date for your diary.
From 4 pm – 6 pm on Saturday, 21 May,
Suzanne Nockels will be joining us to help
us to begin the process of becoming a
LEAF (Listen, Engage, and Act in Faith)
church. We need all church members and
those who regularly attend to come along.
We will eat together and share in a time
of exploration led by Suzanne. Then, on
the 22 May, following the morning
worship, we will have a Church Meeting
with Suzanne helping us to continue the
mapping of our journey. This is your
hu h a d e e yo e s p aye ful i sights are needed. Please make this a priority.
The following article has been extracted
from Parish Pump, and is entitled:
The silent sermon
A member of a certain church, who had
previously attended services regularly,
stopped going. After a few weeks, the
minister decided to visit him. He found
the man at home all alone, sitting by a
blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his
minister's visit, the man welcomed him
awkwardly, and led him to a comfortable
chair near the fireplace and waited.
The minister made himself at
home, but said nothing. In the grave
silence, he contemplated the dance of the
flames around the burning logs. After
some minutes, he took the fire tongs,
carefully picked up a brightly burning
ember and placed it to one side of the
hearth all alone. Then he sat back in his
chair, still silent.
The host watched all this in quiet
contemplation. As the one lone ember's
flame flickered and diminished, there was
a momentary glow and then its fire was
no more. Soon it was cold and dead.
Not a word had been spoken since
the initial greeting. But now the minister
chose this time to leave. He slowly stood
up, picked up the cold, dead bit of coal
and placed it back in the middle of the
fire. Immediately it began to glow once
more, with the light and warmth of the
burning coals around it. With that, the
minister smiled at his host, and quietly let
himself out.
Grace and Greed 'Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs but not every man's greed' Mahatma Gandhi'
The the e fo the Chu hes Togethe i Wit ey Le t Quiet Day led y ‘e Joy Ha e as G eed a d G a e . Afte the Ope i g De otio s we were left to our own devices but with a wealth of
hints and suggestions and Bible passages on how to use the day in silence .
It could be just sitting quietly listening to God and /or talking to God, reading and reflecting on
one of the Bible passages, writing, drawing or painting ideas about life and where God seems to
be or his absence.
Greed is holding onto something whether it is love of money, possessions, talents, power and not
sharing with others what God has given us.
During a period of silent meditation a picture came into my mind of a waterfall or a spring, water
energy from the earth flowing with different force, other streams and rivers joining and flowing
on together as the water eventually reaches the estuary where the fresh water of the river meets
the salt water of a sea or ocean. During the journey of the river from its source to the mouth the
water is used by birds, insects ,animals, farmers, industry, household water supplies and leisure
activities. There is enough water to go round but people are greedy for water. Around the world
many disputes arise because water is used for personal gain e.g. farming, industry, watering golf
courses and not enough water is allowed to flow on so everyone can benefit from the original
source.
After my thoughts on this I painted a very simple picture showing water flowing with its
tributaries from the source to the estuary where it meets the sea. It was a very basic painting but
ha i g looked at it I ould see that the estua y looked like the ase of a large tree and the
tributaries of the river looked like branches spreading out from the trunk (river) The tree has its
roots firmly in the ground, the trunk reaching up spreading branches high and wide giving food,
shelte to a y of God s eatu es, birds, insects, animals and humans.
Jesus is often referred to as the ate of life . A uestio I asked yself. Is y faith fi ly ooted i Jesus as the ate of life a d sha i g this ith othe s? This as a d still is a challenging
question.
Some questions we had to reflect upon.
What am I afraid to let go of? In what do I put my trust, my security?
What am I keeping to myself which God may be inviting me to share with others?
What habits may be hindering my spiritual growth?
What material things am I attached to?
You may reflect on these questions too!!
The afte oo sessio of the day fo used o God s G a e.
We were asked to reflect on the grace of God in our lives- its unexpectedness, its capacity to
surprise and delight, its timing. Also questions to think about.
PRAYER LETTER
No 174
Ha e you see g a e at o k i people outside the Chu h, people ho ay ot o side the sel es eligious ? What do you thi k/feel a out this i elatio to God s g a e? (Joy Ha e s words)
God s G a e is a aila le to all. We ha e just e e e ed th ough the Easte Se i es that God s unconditional love was demonstrated through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross that we can be
forgiven and reconciled to God.
G a e is God s f eely-given love for people, forgiving sins, enlightening minds, stirring hearts and
strengthening wills. Through grace we are given the strength to live as loving sons and daughters
of God. ( New Zealand Prayer Book)
An early mnemonic for grace reads
God’s
Riches
At
Christ’s
Expense
The following is the second verse of a poem by Judith Pinhey - Grace
Gra e is God’s gift
For everyone everywhere
As free as fresh air,
Like water overflowing
With plenty to spare,
A new garment to wear
Grace is love
That fills
The whole earth
With its flair
Grace on the cross
Is God’s heart laid are
The whole Quiet Day was worthwhile and thought provoking.
May you feel and experience the Grace of God in your lives during the coming months.
Every Blessing
Beryl
Please note that for up-to-date prayer requests contact Beryl Cartwright (703717)
This was an extempore prayer on the 29 March 2016 at the Congregational Conference which I wrote
later that evening following a Bible Study on the Emmaus Road in Luke 24 with the bombings in
Belgium and Pakistan in mind.
(by Jason C. Boyd)
Stranger come and walk with us.
Our world is blown apart.
Stranger come and walk with us.
We cannot bear the news.
All our hopes are destroyed in a blast of hate.
It’s too uch.
Stranger come and walk with us.
Yes, we are sad.
We do not know what to feel or think.
Our world does ’t ake a y se se.
Stranger come and walk with us.
Ask us questions.
We are glad of your listening.
Stranger come and walk with us.
Call us foolish if you will.
After the cruelty of these past days we are numb to everything –
chiding too.
Stranger come and walk with us.
Explain everything.
Tell us.
Make sense of it all.
Stranger come and stay with us.
Here.
Take the bread.
Give thanks.
Break.
Give.
Stranger?
Jesus!
It is you!
We see.
You vanish.
Hearts burning you make plain words of scripture.
In your breaking we see sharp:
Jesus. Risen!
On the 26 January, a group interested in
preaching gathered for a seminar. This
was an exciting evening of sharing. Such
was the enthusiasm that there was a
collective desire to meet again to have a
practise.
On the 8 March six preachers came
together and shared a five minute sermon
on Luke 11:5-8. It was the same passage
for everyone but what a variety of insights
and approaches.
Nothing can ever replicate the oral
experience of hearing a sermon.
However, we wanted to give a taster of
what we were up to and so in what
follows, some of the preachers have
supplied a manuscript of their homily.
Enjoy!
Judi Holloway
The disciples ask Jesus how to pray and
once he has given them a pattern for
prayer he continues to instruct them by
telling them a story – a parable.
It reminds me of the parable found
in Luke 18 of the persistent widow
knocking on the Judge s door asking for
justice
I believe both parables are talking
about perseverance, being persistent in
p a e . Tea hi g us that God does t always respond immediately to our prayer
requests although I a t imagine that
God would ever sa do t othe e at this late hour. God is not indifferent to
our needs
This story implies that we have to
WAIT for the fulfilment of spiritual
desires, and teaches us that it is worth
waiting for. Fulfilment will come. God is
good to those who wait upon him
It tells us that we should be
persistent. Not only persistent but bold.
This man was asking for three loaves, as
opposed to one. He was willing to go out
to find bread to feed his friend, regardless
of the time of day.
In those days food was not as
readily available as it is today - no
supermarkets, no 8 til late shops. Enough
bread was baked each day for the needs
of that day. Hospitality was held in high
regard and was seen almost as a duty. A
visitor was welcomed and cared for,
regardless of the hour of his arrival.
Because of the intense midday heat,
people often travelled in the evening. A
traveller arriving near midnight was not
uncommon. The host had t got any
bread, so he goes to his f ie d s house regardless of the lateness of the hour to
ask for his help.
Jesus asks his liste e s, hi h of you has the nerve to wake up his friend
(and possibly his family) in the middle of
the night to ask for ead?
It s eas to u de sta d this a s elu ta e to p o ide fo his f ie d s eed.
Anyone who has ever wrestled to get
children into bed u de sta ds this a s unwillingness to do anything to arouse his
children. The man inside the house
initially refused the request; friendship
alone was not enough to upset the whole
household. Jesus is saying to His listeners,
Ca ou i agi e a f ie d who would
ea t i su h a a ? . He k e thei answer - No of ou se ot! Ulti atel , the reluctant friend got up and gave his
neighbour what he needed, for one
reason only, the persistence of the man
making the request.
Jesus is not comparing God to a
sleepy, selfish and angry neighbour. He is
contrasting the two; He is telling the
disciples that if a neighbour can, on the
basis of friendship and social etiquette, be
persuaded to meet the needs of a friend,
how much more will your father in heaven
meet the needs of his children.
Sometimes we think that the
reason for unanswered prayer is that we
have not been persistent enough. We say
at least to ou sel es, I k o that if I had prayed more, it would have been better,
Perhaps that s because we have
convinced ourselves that we must keep
beating on God s doo u til e o e o e God s u illi g ess to a t.
I believe that the key to knowing
hethe ou eall desi e God s ill lies i aski g ou sel es ho ofte do I seek his guida e he I not fa i g diffi ulties ?
God is eager to respond to his
children who unashamedly ask,
persistently seek and expectantly knock at
His door with their needs and requests
Kathy Shaw
In order to set the scene and put this Bible
reading into context, Jesus was on the
start of His journey to Jerusalem, and all
that we now know it entailed. He was fully
aware of its conclusion, but despite this
knowledge Jesus made the time to talk to
people, to explain things and to even
teach them how to pray. Often, when
talking to people He used stories and
parables to explain concepts and
synergies, using familiar known objects
and situations for the people of that time.
The parables in Chapter 10 of Luke are
examples of this way of teaching. Often
we find it easier today to understand a
concept when we think about personal
experience on a subject.
Jesus had arrived in the village of
Martha and Mary, where he is welcomed
into their home as their guest. Leading up
to this Jesus has had an increasingly busy
and tiring time being amongst people,
talking with them and sharing His
teachings. He has had to make the journey
to this village, which would have been
tiring, had to make the effort of making
conversation, as a guest in their house,
talking to people, some of whom he
would have been meeting for the first
time. He then managed to take a short
time out to pray, away from His hosts, and
then immediately afterwards he was
asked by one of his disciples to help them
pray like John did with his disciples.
We know that He is already
beginning to focus on the journey to
Jerusalem, and the destination, and all
that lay ahead of Him, but we read that
He continues to make the time to answer
questions and to respond to the request
by one of his disciples at the beginning of
chapter 11 to help them to pray. He uses
the o ds of the Lo d s P a e , as e efe to it today.
In verse 5 we learn how Jesus gets
them to imagine that they have a sleepy
f ie d, ho does t a t to e othe ed to get out of bed to help welcome and
feed a isito . This sleep a ould e those who do not believe in what Jesus is
teaching, or those who do not have the
motivation to respond to His words,
finding it easier to ignore the request than
to act on it.
We know that the sleepy man
responds to the request reluctantly, and
not because he particularly wanted to, but
because he felt he had to do so. He
responds out of duty. It has parallels with
the Lo d s Ta le – Co e, ot e ause ou ought, ut e ause ou a t to .
This was not unusual for the time
as the laws of hospitality in the ancient
Middle East were strict, and if a traveller
arrived needing food and shelter, one was
under an obligation to provide it, whether
it be to a friend or stranger.
So Jesus, in using this example
shows that he understands the laws of
hospitality and also shows that he has a
level of understanding of what people
could relate to.
Jesus contrasts this with God,
Co e i to the house of the Lo d , ho is ever loving and will welcome us to Him
with open arms, whatever the time or the
request, whatever we have done, or not
done. We learn how God will never turn
us away and that He will always provide
sustenance for us, not just food to meet
our physical needs but food to meet our
spiritual well-being also – not because He
has to, but because He wants to.
He then goes on to give us an open
invitation to ask God for all the delights of
heaven and for the receiving of the Holy
Spirit within us, and to assure us that we
will get those things from God if only we
open ourselves up to Him and allow Him
in
Gillian Warson
Asking for something - a favour or
material goods can require a certain a
mount of courage.
About 25 years ago Richard and I
experience just the scenario depicted in
the passage of Luke s Gospel. We had gone to bed and our tiny children were all
snuggled up. Just to add to the
atmosphere I should tell you that it was a
stormy night, and that we could hear the
rain lashing on the dormer window of our
bedroom. How nice to be cosy inside.
Then - persistent ring of the font door
bell!. What do we do? Ignore it? Pretend
to be out?, Or go and see who is there?
Of course, we went downstairs. It was our
friend and neighbour Gail, who had lost
her house keys and needed somewhere to
stay for the night. How we laughed at
her. What would she have done if we had
ignored her? She would have certainly
got very cold and wet that night!
What struck me about the
translation I have chosen for this passage -
the NIV, is the o d auda ious . Looki g the word up in several dictions I see that is
has a ea i gs i ludi g old , fea less a d ithout est i tio . I o de ho old Gail felt o that
sto ight? “he did t a t loa es of bread, but she did need warmth and
shelter. If she had not been bold, she
would have got wet.
Earlier on in the chapter, in
espo se to the e uest tea h us to p a , Jesus tells his dis iples to ask: Gi e us ou dail ead . Ho bold is that? No
please o tha k ou the e. I the section immediately following the night-
time visit, Jesus reminds his listeners of
their obligation as parents - if your child
asks for something you give it to them -
not necessarily because you want to, but
because they are your children. They are
your responsibility.
If we return to our story of
unexpected night-time disturbances we
learn that it is not friendship that leads to
a positive response, but obligation. Gail
was our friend and we were obliged to
help her - to say nothing of our reputation
in the neighbourhood! Ultimately we did
not have any choice but to help her.
The three sections I have
mentioned in this chapter are all about
God s obligation to us in our parent/child
relationship with him.
Lots of parents mistakenly believe
that your children are less trouble when
the a e g o up. Well, I e got e s fo you - it is not true. Even perfect, beautiful
specimens like my two are endless
trouble, always asking for advice, meals,
hot water, the list could go on. And guess
hat? We just keep gi i g…
When Jesus told us to pray to our
hea e l fathe he did t est i t us to
asking just once. Some translations
describe the night time caller as
pe siste t .
So as we come before God, we can
ask again and again safe in the knowledge
that he will respond with all the love that
we might expect from an earthly father.
Of course, not all earthly father are
loving and not all friends are generous. It
is always difficult to deal with those who
do not respond as we might hope. How
can we deal with our constant
disappointment in the behaviour of
others? Once more we can return to our
word pe siste t . Whe Jesus taught his disciples to p a he said he ou p a - and remember this means not just once,
ut e e ti e. He sa s fo gi e e e o e ho si s agai st ou . Do this
persistently.
Let us always pray persistently for
others and for ourselves
Jo Matthews
They had been watching Him at prayer –
Jesus, their Lord and Master. He seemed
to be far away in a secret place, lost to
them in total engrossment of communion
with His unseen Father. The disciples
waited quietly, fascinated, awed and yes,
envious of the serenity and other-
worldliness that they were witnessing.
When at last He rose, one of them
spoke impulsively, expressing what they
all felt. Lo d! he ied, tea h U“ to p a ! So, fresh from His holy encounter, the
Lord responded, firstly with a model
prayer and then with a crisply clever little
parable about 3 friends, and the disciples
were to fit themselves into the character
of one of them
Friend one is on a long journey and
having walked all day finds himself near
the home of friend two. It is now
midnight. Exhausted, hungry and
desperate he knocks on his door. He will
surely find help here. This friend would
gladly have helped if he could, but has
absolutely nothing to give. His cupboard is
bare
He remembers someone else, a
mutual friend, not far away, who would
be sure to have something, if only a loaf
or two of bread. So he hurries to his friend
three with his urgent request and meets
with understandably harsh resistance.
However, he keeps on pleading and the
story ends with friend two receiving,
because of his persistence, or boldness, as
much as he needed
With which character, do you
think, did the disciples connect?
On our journey through life many
other travellers will cross our path. Some
are very likely to look to us for help in a
time of trouble. Their need could be
practical, social or spiritual, but what if we
have nothing to set before them? We feel
helpless, useless, failing, and try to think
of someone else to suggest
This passage is an encouragement
to persevere in prayer
Of course, we would like to have
swift, favourable answers for what, to us,
is a u ge t e uest! But it does t al a s happen! We feel impatient and frustrated
F o o e satio s ith God s people through the years, there were
three, at different times, in different
places, who came readily to mind as I
thought about this parable. For many
years they had each been praying
earnestly for a specific member of their
families, the burden of their prayers being
that their loved one would come to faith
in Jesus Christ. At times it had seemed as
though this could never happen
Ho e e , i God s ti e the faithful
prayers were all gloriously answered.
When sharing their joy with us, it was
clear that these believing people had
learned NEVER to give up in prayer!
If an irritated, resentful human
f ie d a e pe suaded fi all to respond to earnest pleading for
assistance, how much more will our
matchlessly wonderful Heavenly Friend,
who is rich and full of love for every one
of us, gi e us just as u h as e eed
Therefore, as the apostle Paul
instructed believers in his care to do, let
us PRAY CONSTANTLY!
*****
The following article, written by Canon David
Winter, and has been extracted from Parish
Pump, contemplates the Trinity (Trinity
Sunday falls on 22nd
May), and is entitled:
The Way I See It:
Three in One and One in Three
A story is told of a Jewish man who collapsed
in the street with a heart attack. A passing
Roman Catholic priest rushed over and knelt
eside hi . Would ou like to ha e ou si s fo gi e ? he asked. The a nodded
eakl . ‘ight, said the p iest. Do ou believe in God the Father, God the Son and
God the Hol “pi it?
The Jewish man rolled his eyes and
oa ed, I d i g, a d he s aski g e iddles!
Well, it s T i it “u da on 22nd
May,
so if you go to church you may well hear the
preacher trying to explain the riddle. Most
church-goe s k o that it s pa t of o thodo Christian faith, and like singing about it in
h s, ut ha e t a idea h it s so i po ta t. “u el , the thi k, the e s o l o e God, so why make it so complicated?
Yes, it is complicated, but not
incredible. Over the last century scientists
have discovered that almost everything is
o e o pli ated tha e had thought. It seems, for instance, that pretty well nothing
we know is a simple unity.
Think atoms, and then protons and
neutrons. Energy and activity flow from
d a i elatio ships. “o does t it ake sense that the Creator God is a Relationship –
the source of all energy and activity – rather
tha a si ple u it ? Thought of like that, a
God ho is Fathe “ou e , “o A tio a d Spirit (Application) makes good sense. The
Father made us, the Son loves us and the
“pi it sheds that lo e a oad i ou hea ts . Makes sense to me.
*****
A Message from Maureen Miles
A few weeks ago we received a phone call
from Maureen and in that phone call she
asked to be remembered to you all.
To extend to you all her love, she thinks of
us often.
She holds us in her thoughts and prayers
and she says one day she will surprise us!
*****
Childre ’s exa papers answers
What was Sir Walter Raleigh famous for?
He is a noted figure in history because he
invented cigarettes and started a craze for
bicycles.
What is a fibula?
A little lie.
Where was Hadrian’s Wall built? Around Had ia s ga de
Café Church
The following is a transcript from one of
the groups at the last Café Church, which
was told by 4 different people (Elaine &
David Kinchin and Ken & Marjorie Lee),
who are depicted here numerically
Dramatic Retelling
1 Pilate had Jesus whipped
2 Our Saviour was flogged
1 A crown shows importance
2 The thorns display negative
importance
3 I made that crown of thorns and it
hurt me it was a spiteful branch
4 But it made a point
1 The soldiers draped a gown around
his shoulders
2 an imperial purple robe made with
expensive dye
3 Which only the rich could afford
1 The soldiers struck him on the
cheek
2 They slapped him open-handed on
the face
1 Pilate said: NOT GUILTY
2 The Governor stated: No case
against him
1 But the Chief Priest shouted:
Crucify
2 The Police echoed: Crucify, Crucify,
Crucify
1 Pilate told them to take him
2 He’s your responsibility
1 Pilate said: NOT GUILTY
2 The Governor stated: No case
against him
1 The Jews stated: Our law says he
must die
2 He said he was the Son of God
3 He must die by stoning if the
Jewish law is followed
4 But crucify the crowd shouted
There were also the following prayers
Lord as we think about you laid in the
darkness of the tomb, we think of the dark
times in our own lives and of the help we
receive from knowing that you suffer with
us
As your friends gave to you of their best,
we pray that we too may always give our
best to you
In the darkness find light
In sorrow find joy
For comfort look to the cross
From whence all goodness comes
Thank you for your love which we receive
through your death on the cross and your
resurrection
The following article has been submitted
by Lesley Barter, and is entitled:
Where did it all go wrong?
As I write, I am about to travel to New
York – a city that I have not visited for
more than 30 years. In many ways it will
still be the familiar city that we see
regularly in cinemas and so feel that we
know. It other ways, though, it will have
changed immeasurably and will not be the
place that I visited back in the day. It has
been changed, as have we all, by the
events of 9/11. On that day the world
changed forever.
Like many people, I am seriously
worried about the world situation. Things
have rarely seemed so bleak on the world
stage. Not only is there tension between
traditional enemies: the east and the
west, but there is growing unrest among
allies, born of the growing immigration
crisis in Europe. How did things get to
this point, what sparked this snowball of
unintended consequences and what is
God doing a out it…..if anything?
Did it really all start with Iraq? A
bending of the truth about the situation
there to justify putting an end to a regime
that we all knew was evil anyway? There
are many evil regimes, where do we stop
if we are going on a crusade to end them
all? We ertainly don’t ha e a right to interfere if we have no strategic plan for
the future of the country and how to deal
with the warring factions that will be
released when there is no control at all.
This is one of the reasons why we have
not rescued the many beleaguered
peoples of Africa. Heaven knows there
are enough evil regimes there to keep us
occupied for a long time to come. But is it
our Christian duty to fight injustice
wherever we see it? Those who seek to
use their religion to justify monstrous acts
of cruelty believe that any means are
justified to impose their twisted morality.
Is it time we used brute force for the
enforcement of the right values.
What do we learn from history? It
tells us that there are no long-term gains
from this approach. It often leads to
antagonism and a determination to resist.
We outlawed corporal punishment when
it as not effe ti e in hanging people’s habits. Indeed they often become more
entrenched as a result. So here is a
window of opportunity for Christian love.
Never has it been so much needed as
now. Its power is immense and its long-
term influence unparalleled. We have
only to look at Christ’s life to see it at work. The Jews were expecting a military
Messiah but what they got was a man-
God who turned the other cheek. If they
had got their conquering hero, would we
still be worshipping God today? What
sort of a religion, if any, would have been
the result?
We need to fight evil in whatever
its forms with love and selflessness but we
need to do it with steely determination
and a resolve not to compromise our
ideals. We need the same devotion to our
God that is exhibited by the deluded
fundamentalists. This is surely the way
that God will intervene to make things
better.
I will reflect upon this again when I
have visited Ground Zero