ScriptureRejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.. (Philippians 4.4-7) ReflectionGiven the grim events that we hear about or read in the news in so many countries of the world, as well as the painful circumstances facing those close to home, it can seem very hard to ask us to ‘rejoice always’. St Paul also wrote ‘rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep’, so he is not asking us to ignore or bury the pain. He is directing us towards Jesus. On the cross the forces of evil failed to break his spirit of love and his trust in the victory of truth and goodness. There we can see the light shining in a darkened world. The innocence of the baby at Christmas brings one sort of rejoicing; the life well lived even to death can bring another. His light shines on in all those who show love to those in need, enables us to tell true religion from false and gives us the hope and faith to see ourselves and the whole world as capable of love – and change.David Harmsworth
ScriptureSo this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover’s life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-11 - The Message Bible)ReflectionLove is…not what we expect. Not just warm feelings, as we think when we are young and keen. If it should have meaning, and if it should have lasting value, it needs to be tempered, to be tested and tried, much like a piece of metal in a furnace. Another reading for this Sunday comes from the prophet Malachi, who says of the One who is to come, that ‘he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver’ (Malachi 3:3). God in Jesus, who is Love through and through, teaches us to live a life of love, fruitful and abundant, overflowing in goodness, but also full of discerning wisdom, being able to see the truth and act accordingly.Revd Ylva
8 am Holy Communion at St Nicholas, led by Revd Ylva Blid-Mackenzie10 am All-Age Holy Communion at St George's, Benenden, led by Revd David Commander
Reflection: Sunday 21st November and for the week ahead:The Collect for today, the last Sunday before Advent, from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer:Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord.Reflection:The opening words of the Collect have given this Sunday the nickname of ‘Stir up Sunday’, traditionally the time to make the Christmas pudding. I still have the large pudding I made for last Christmas, when Covid restrictions prevented my scattered family from joining us. At least by now it must be well and truly matured! So no need for me to stir this year.But I still pray to be stirred. According to the Collect it’s not unbelievers but God’s faithful people who need to be stirred up, rescued from apathy, energised, renewed. The gift of faith brings with it a call to action. We pray that God will take our will, so that we may come to want what God wants. To be blessed in this way is itself our ‘plenteous reward’.Revd Rosemary Kobus van Wengen
