8am Holy Communion at St Nicholas- led by Revd David Commander10am Holy Communion at George's - led by Revd David Commander
ScriptureJesus cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’ (John 11.43-4)ReflectionThe account of how Jesus reacted to the news of the death of his friend Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary, records how much Jesus loved him and how bitterly Jesus wept. The story also speaks of how Lazarus was brought back from death after three days, so foreshadowing Jesus’ own death and resurrection. We know no more about Lazarus, but it is good to spend some time thinking about what Jesus’ instruction to ‘unbind him and let him go’ might say about our own needs to be freed up, or to let go of what is a past life.David Harmsworth
Services Sunday 31st October 8am Holy Communion at St Nicholas- led by Revd Rosemary Kobus van Wengen10am Holy Communion at George's - led by Revd Ylva Blid-Mackenzie & David Harmsworth
Reflection: Sunday 24th October and for the week ahead: Scripture: For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10-11)Reflection: God’s word is incredibly powerful! God created the world by speaking. Think of that for a moment. “Let there be light!” Those were his first words, and they brought something completely new into being. God sends his word into the world, not randomly, but with purpose. We do not always understand that purpose, as we have a very limited, time bound capacity for discernment, but we can learn to trust God and his ways. To learn that trust we must seek him. There are many different ways to do that. One way is watching out for all the signs of God’s creative activity in the world around us. The rain and snow that falls, the seed that sprouts, the harvest that ripens; all signs of God’s word in action. But God’s ultimate word to us is Jesus. God sends him into the world, and he does not return to God before he has succeeded in the thing for which he was sent out: Salvation of the whole world through his death on the cross and his resurrection!Revd Ylva
