Services Sunday 24th October 8am Holy Communion at St George's- led by Revd Rosemary Kobus van Wengen10am Holy Communion at St Nicholas - led by Revd David Commander & Vicki Young
Reflection: Sunday 17th October and for the week ahead: Scripture: But whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many. (Mark 10:43b-45)Reflection: Jesus’ words are as counter-cultural now as they were then. Being a “Servant” is not something we strive for. Being a “slave” has a very powerful and negative connotation! So how do the words apply to us?Let’s not get caught up in the evocative nature of the words, but think about the “big picture” that Jesus is trying to get us to see. What does a servant do? They help provide for the needs of others. But not just provide when asked, they are alert to the needs of those they are serving. They are watchful and anticipate what might be required; and are ready to act, to help, to assist.Jesus is calling his disciples to love and to serve “all”; not just our friends and family; not just the people we like; not just the people who are like us……but “all” people. That is the way greatness in God’s kingdom is measured.Revd David
Services Sunday 3rd October 8am Holy Communion at St George's- led by Revd David Commander10am Holy Communion at St Nicholas- led by Revd David Commander & Vicki Young
Reflection: Sunday 3rd October and for the week ahead:Scripture:'Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known,' (Luke 12 v2) …. 'And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God.' (Luke 12v8-9)ReflectionThe tension between the Pharisees and Jesus is escalating. To Jesus, the Pharisees are those who 'talk the talk' but do not 'walk the walk', and he refers to them as hypocrites. The Pharisees, though, are not much different to us, Christian or not! Inside all of us is a deep desire to be liked, to be thought well of by others, to be considered a 'nice person'...I'm sure this was the intention of the majority of the Pharisees too, but Jesus issues a stark warning - everything we do to try and 'look the part' will one day come to nothing. 'Looking the part' is a natural human inclination, but it is false. Looking to please others instead of God is futile. Our maker, who knows us so intimately that he knows how many hairs we have on our head, is the only one that our thoughts and actions should look to please. Instead of asking ' What would he/she think of me if I did that', the only question we need to be asking is 'what would God think of me if I did that'? They may be very different answers!Vicki Young
