Catch up with some of our previous online services
DECEMBER 2023
Sunday 24th December
The fourth candle on the Advent ring represents love reflecting the ultimate love of God in sending his only Son to us. During Advent we pray that we may remember God’s gift of Jesus to the world and know that God’s love for all people is the reason for this gift.
When we look at the fourth candle we remember God’s love and the words of John 3: 16 remind us of his greatness and care. As we prepare to celebrate Christmas Day, we may think about those people who need to hear the message of God’s love and how we can be instrumental in sharing this with others.
The readings and carols at our carol service last Sunday evening told how the birth of Jesus was foretold and the familiar events of the Christmas story. During his sermon Richard preached about the final reading from this service which was Matthew 2: 13-18. It had a very powerful message drawing on the relevance of this reading about the flight into Egypt and the slaughter of the innocents to what is happening in the world today.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
Sunday 17th December
This Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent, is also called Gaudete Sunday - the word gaudete comes from the Latin meaning rejoice. At our service this week the third candle on the Advent wreath will be lit and it is the candle with the theme of Joy - the first being Hope and the second one Peace. As Christmas draws near, the Church emphasizes the joy that should be in our hearts given all that the birth of our Saviour means for us - Jesus coming as the Light of the World.
During Advent we should rejoice not only in the coming of our Lord as a baby at Bethlehem, but in his coming into our hearts as well. The common theme that goes through all of this week’s readings is that of encouraging joy as we meet our need for the preparation required of us who await the rebirth of Jesus in our hearts and lives.
With all the busy activity of next week ahead may we experience the joy of knowing Jesus in our own lives and share our love with others in selfless and humble service, doing small things but with great love as we prepare to celebrate Christmas.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
As there is no audio version of this service available at present, please click the button below for a pdf version.
Sunday 10th December
On this second Sunday of Advent we are again reminded to be ready for the coming of the Lord. We know that God sent his messenger, John the Baptist, ahead to prepare the way and help us to be ready. Sometimes our lives can be dry and barren like a desert; we may feel spiritually barren and dry - weary and thirsty and in need of living water. The voice in the wilderness cries out for us all and calls us by name. It reminds us of God’s unfailing love and how he wants to come and live in our hearts again. It assures us of God’s love, care and concern. We must make sure that we are well prepared and that our lives are suitable to accommodate his presence. We must remove any obstacles that prevent him from coming into our hearts so that we can give him the best welcome we can.
In this Christmas season may we prepare not only to experience Jesus born in humility as a baby in Bethlehem but also to welcome Him once again into our lives as the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
Sunday 3rd December
This week is the first Sunday of Advent, the start of a new church year and the beginning of a season of calling to mind and preparation.
The Christian season of Advent focuses on the celebration of the birth of Christ on Christmas Day. Advent means coming or arrival and we are also encouraged to prepare for the coming of Christ not only at Christmas time but also to prepare for his second coming at the end of time. Getting ready for Christmas often focuses on the physical aspects of preparation such as writing cards and buying presents rather than focusing on the spiritual aspects of preparation, getting ready to meet with Christ. It is very important to be ready for Christ when he comes again. We are living between times, in the times between Christ’s first coming as a baby in the manger and his second coming as Lord and Judge. Our gospel reading from Mark encourages us to stay awake and be alert for we do not know when that will be.
As we move towards Christmas may we find opportunities to reflect on the meaning of Advent, preparing to celebrate the birth at Bethlehem as well as our readiness for the time when Christ next comes again.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
As there is no audio version of this service available at present, please click the button below for a pdf version.
NOVEMBER 2023
Sunday 26th November
In this week’s parable of the sheep and the goats, Jesus compares the sheep to righteous people who don’t just say they have faith, but show their faith through their actions. They don’t realise the impact their lives and actions have had on others. Jesus puts himself in the place of the needy and says that anything done for them has been done for him.
This week, as we consider Christ the King, Dawn will remind us that one of the ways we can delight the heart of Jesus is by helping his children when they are in need and the sorts of things that Jesus asks us to do are often really simple things. In the week ahead may we see ways of putting this into action and realise that even the very smallest of actions can have a significant impact on those in need.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
Sunday 19th November
The parable of the talents from Matthew 25 directs us on what to do to make the Kingdom grow. It speaks of the gifts and talents which people receive from God. Our lives are to be used for God. Not everyone is going to receive the same level or number of gifts or talents. God gives to each one according to his ability.
The talents, the money of the master and the goods of the Kingdom are love, service and sharing. It is everything which helps the community to grow and reveal the presence of God. Anyone who closes himself in, out of fear of losing the little that he has, in the end, will lose even the little that he does have. Whatever gift has been given to us should be used in the service of the Kingdom and make the goods of the Kingdom grow.
In the week ahead may we strive to put this into action in all that we do - ensuring that we use the gifts God has given us wisely and may reflect on the words ‘Well done, you good and faithful servant, come on in and share in my happiness.’
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
Sunday 12th November
On Sunday we will gather, as will many both in this country and around the world, to remember and give thanks for the sacrifice made by so many who lost their lives in both World Wars and other conflicts since. The ongoing war in Ukraine, as well as the more recent conflict in Israel and Gaza, continues to heighten our awareness of the devastating impact of war on communities, families and individuals.
Christ came as the Prince of Peace and in our lives as Christians we can continue to pray and work for peace in a world which is still being torn apart by war, violence and suffering in so many places. May we, even in small situations, become peacemakers and reflect God’s love and peace to all that we meet each day.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
As there is no audio version of this service available at present, please click the button below for a pdf version.
Sunday 5th November
All Saints Sunday
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
OCTOBER 2023
Sunday 29th October
It's Bible Sunday this week, and we are looking at Nehemiah 8, where the Israelites gather together to hear the word of the Lord. The people were filled with incredible sadness at the realisation of how far away from God's laws they had strayed. Instead of berating the people, Ezra and Nehemiah encouraged them to move away from lament because "the joy of the Lord is your strength"(v12). God has given us a priceless treasure in the Bible, full of encouragement and promises, which is something we should all celebrate!
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
Sunday 22nd October
Many of us may see answers to questions as very straightforward and in two dimensions such as yes/no or a positive/negative. During his ministry Jesus was challenged with many hard questions which were often asked to trick or trap him. These verses from Matthew’s gospel show how the answers Jesus gave often left people amazed and speechless as he provided a third option which they had never thought of. When asked about giving to Caesar he didn’t say yes or no but what he did say was that there was room for both.
Sometimes we may also feel trapped when faced with problems or difficulties and see no way out or escape from this situation. But when we pray to God to help us he answers our prayer in a way we have never thought of. With God it is not either this or that. God always has a third option and we will be amazed at the way he answers our prayers and rescues us.
The answer of Jesus in verse 22 reminds us to give to God for who he is and what he has done and is doing for us - for everything we have belongs to God. In the week ahead may we live this out and, as the opportunity arises, give to God by also helping those in need.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
Sunday 15th October
This week’s gospel reading provides a parable within a parable. In the first story of The Wedding Feast we see royal invitations sent out but turned down or ignored by a variety of excuses. Likewise God has invited everyone to the wedding feast of his Son, everything is ready, everything that was needed to be done to save mankind has been done, by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. By refusing the invitation the invited guests were saying you are not important to us; we are too busy, we have no time for you. That can sometimes be like people today. The king’s invitation was then extended to everyone and soon the wedding hall was filled with guests. God’s invitation to partake in his great feast is not restricted; his kingdom is open to all, without any distinction, even to those who seem unworthy.
This parable reminds us of God’s broad, persistent and generous invitation. God does not want to party alone. The King in the story keeps extending invitations to everyone around so that the wedding feast will have a wide range of people from every corner of the city. Likewise God’s invitation extends to us and, as we accept it, may we live out our faith journey sharing God’s word and love with others we may meet in the week ahead.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
Sunday 8th October
This week’s epistle reading from Philippians, written by Paul when he was in prison, recalls the impact of his life changing experience when he met Jesus in a vision on the road to Damascus. As verses 7-8 state, whatever gains Paul had in this life he came to regard it as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Jesus Christ. Nothing was more important to Paul than knowing Jesus and serving him. So he devoted his entire life to sharing the gospel and telling others about Jesus, even when that meant persecution and ultimately death.
He wrote this letter to offer his fellow Christian brothers and sisters hope and encouragement to remain strong and steadfast in their faith and it provides the same encouragement for us too on our faith journey today. Paul’s goal was to know Christ, to be like Christ and to be all Christ had in mind for him. However no Christian is perfect, not even Paul and, as v10 outlines, he had not fully ‘attained’ his life ambition.
The end has not been reached by us either but we are on the way. We serve; we give; we pray; we sin; and confess and repent; we fall and get up. We come to church to be fed and encouraged and must not let anything take our eyes off the goal, knowing that our Lord and Saviour has already reached the goal on our behalf. In the week ahead may we press on as best we can - grateful to follow the one who promises to show us the way.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
Sunday 1st October
This week’s Old Testament reading from Exodus focuses on the war between the Israelites and Amalekites. It provides a picture of our own spiritual warfare that we fight daily in our walk with God and as we journey like the Israelites to our promised land, our heavenly home.
We learn in verse 13 that Joshua defeated the Amalekites by the sword. Our sword is the word of God; we will win victory by prayer and by using God’s word and we will overcome our enemy by the blood of Jesus and by the word of our testimony. If we want to be safe and under the protection of God we need to be near our leader, our Good Shepherd Jesus. We need to be in a church, in the word of God, we need to be in prayer, in fellowship with one another so that we can support and encourage one another and not be easy targets for the devil and all the temptations he throws at us. We are to stay awake and be alert and raise our hands in prayer, praise and worship and use the rod, our authority given to us in Christ Jesus to overcome our enemy.
As we journey with God in this life, staying close to our leader Jesus, let us be confident that he will supply us with all that we need to overcome our enemies and will bring us safely into his kingdom.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
SEPTEMBER 2023
Sunday 24th September
This Sunday we celebrate God’s goodness and abundant gifts during our special Intergenerational Harvest thanksgiving service. Please take any Harvest gifts that you may bring to the service into the pews/seats with you when you arrive. There will be an opportunity to come forward and place them on the special Harvest table during the first hymn.
The focus of the gospel reading from Luke is Zaccheus and, although he may not immediately spring to mind when thinking about Harvest, Dawn will explain how the three key words of sharing, giving and thanking are central to this. In his own way Zaccheus learnt a very important lesson after his encounter with Jesus which very much relates to these key words and we can all learn from his experience.
Sometimes our lives are so full of things – possessions, anxiety, being important, coming first – that we also find it hard to see where we are going, or to reach out to others. When we share in hospitality and friendship, when we give away generously to others, and when we are thankful for all that God has given us, then we are able to enjoy all of God’s world together with all God’s people. This is what celebrating the Harvest is all about.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
As there is no audio version of this service available at present, please click the button below for a pdf version.
Sunday 17th September
The Bible gives many reasons why people should be forgiving, but they all lead back to the important lesson that forgiving others leads back to our forgiveness. The lesson from this parable in Matthew’s gospel is that we must forgive others their wrongdoings against us if we want our wrongdoings against God to be forgiven. We are called as Christians to forgive and show mercy, as God forgives and shows mercy to us. The response Jesus gives Peter reinforces that we should keep on forgiving over and over, just as God does with us. He keeps no record of our sins even though our debt to him is enormous. God wants us to pass on his mercy and forgiveness and he will judge our unkindness.
The words of the Lord’s Prayer encourage us to ‘Forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors’ and, because God has forgiven all our sins, we should not withhold forgiveness from others. Realising how completely Christ has forgiven us should produce in us a free and generous attitude of forgiveness towards others.
In the week ahead may we seek God’s grace and guidance to hold fast to the key message from this story of the unforgiving servant and, as the need arises, reach out to others with forgiveness.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
Sunday 10th September
This week’s verses in the epistle reading from Romans focuses on the unpaid debt. Earlier in this letter Paul has already referred to the importance of paying our debts such as debt to the state, the unbelieving world and to the Holy Spirit.
But as we focus on the words of verse 8 ‘let no debt remain outstanding’ there is one debt that will always be so because we can never pay it - because we keep on ‘borrowing it’. We are permanently in debt to Christ for the lavish love he has poured out on us. The only way we can even begin to repay this debt is by loving others in turn. Christ’s love will always be infinitely greater than ours. We will always have the obligation to love our neighbours. If we truly love others then we will not only be concerned with their physical well-being and with social justice but we will also be concerned about their soul and share the Good News of Jesus Christ.
In the week ahead, in whatever places and situations we may find ourselves as we engage with many different people, may we feel God’s presence with us - leading and guiding to live out the words spoken by Jesus - to love one another as I have loved you.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
Sunday 3rd September
It was lovely to welcome the Bishop of Reading, The Rt Revd Olivia Graham, to lead our service on Sunday. She preached on the Epistle reading from Romans 12: 9-21 which focused on Love in Action. We were encouraged to be sincere in our love, recognising the needs of others and reaching out to those who need our love and support, showing God's love in practice through our words and actions.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
AUGUST 2023
Sunday 27th August
This week’s verses from Romans are a reminder that God wants us to offer ourselves as living sacrifices - daily laying aside our own desires to follow him, putting all our energy and resources at his disposal and trusting him to guide us.
In this epistle Paul reminds the believers what they were before they came to Christ and how, because God saved them totally from every sin past, present and future he has given them a new nature. The same applies to us. God wants us to be transformed people - transformed into godliness and not continuing in our old way of worldliness. He wants us to have renewed minds, living to honour and obey him with gratitude that our sins have been forgiven. God wants only what is best for us and, because he gave his Son to make our new lives possible, we should joyfully give ourselves as living sacrifices for his service. We should live for him as he asks and serve him in a thousand small ways every day. When we offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to God we are to worship Him throughout the week and do so through our work and behaviour - not only in our words.
May we ask for God’s love and guidance as we take personal responsibility in following these guidelines from Paul. May we respond to these verses each and every day, being positive and productive as we live out our faith that is holy and pleasing to God.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
Sunday 20th August
This week’s reading from Matthew’s gospel may only be seven verses but through them teach us a lot about faith. In this story we see how God’s salvation plan is unlimited; it is for all people, Jews and Gentiles.
The gentile woman called Jesus Lord and Son of David and by doing this she expressed her sense of his deity, dominion and power and also expressed her faith that he was the long-awaited Messiah, the Christ. Jesus was addressed as Lord several times by people who, by faith, were seeking mercy or healing. In this story we see an anxious, concerned, worried, distressed and desperate mother coming to Jesus on behalf of her daughter. She intercedes for her daughter, as we intercede in our prayers on behalf of other needy people.
There are several important lessons that we can learn from this woman of great faith: to be persistent in prayer, to keep asking and to keep worshiping while waiting for an answer. Faith pleads, it has a large picture of God - acknowledging there are no limits to his resources, ability and goodness and faith expects answers. This woman’s persistence and view of God were the expression of her faith and her request was granted.
May these verses and the experience of this desperate mother help us in the week ahead so that, when faced with challenges and difficulties, we are persistent in our prayer and have faith that God will respond to our needs.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
Sunday 13th August
This week we return to the story of Jacob in Genesis which follows on from when we saw God meeting him at a time of great need when he was desperate and running away. The Lord broke into his life and promised to bless him and fulfill all the covenant promises made to Abraham.
God promises to bless every person who trust Christ but this can take a considerable time as Jacob found out. God had some lessons for him to learn and uses circumstances, consequences and difficult people over time to mould his people. Through the story of Jacob marrying both of Laban’s daughters, Leah and Rachel, he has a difficult 20 years with Laban as God’s hard instructor. Through this story we see that Jacob never seek’s God’s guidance but is graciously guided to where he needs to be just when he needs to be there. Despite Jacob’s spiritual immaturity and self directed life, God graciously gave him the woman he loved….. eventually.
In the week ahead may we recognise that the most important goals and desires are worth working and waiting for and acknowledge God’s power in guiding us in this, granting us patience when we need it.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
Sunday 6th August
This week we focus on The Transfiguration of Our Lord from Luke’s gospel which is one of the five major significant events in the gospel narrative of the life of Jesus - the others being Baptism, Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension. This event is hard to understand and so, in his preaching this week, Richard will help us in this by answering the following questions: Why did it happen? What did it mean? and What can we learn from it?
A key message is the experience of God in prayer and how communion with God in prayer is a means whereby something of glory is imparted. We may not experience any outward change, like it happened with Jesus and with Moses as he also went up the mountain to communion with God. But there will be an inner change, that will reveal itself in the transforming of our lives into the image of Christ, and be manifested in our words and our works.
After Peter suggests building three tents, one for Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah, the voice from the cloud says in verse 34: “This is my Son, whom I have chosen, listen to him” and when the voice stopped, there was Jesus all alone. Moses and Elijah have disappeared and we are reminded that no one can stand on the same level as Jesus. He stands alone, he is unique and he is Yahweh, the only Saviour of the world.
As we journey into the week ahead may we hear God’s message for us and be prepared to respond through our words and actions.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
JULY 2023
Sunday 30th July
In this week’s Intergenerational service we hear the parable of the hidden treasure from Matthew’s gospel and consider if we have ever found something valuable or precious and what it means to us. Dawn will also encourage us to think about how treasure does not always have to be a ‘thing’ and how the Kingdom of Heaven is a priceless treasure.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
As there is no audio version of this service available at present, please click the button below for a pdf version.
Sunday 23rd July
We continue in Genesis this week and the challenges facing Jacob as he leaves home after dishonestly stealing the birthright from his brother and deceiving his father. At sunset, as he lays down to sleep, he is faced with the reality of what he has done. He has got what he wanted but in the darkness of the night he also reflects on the terrible price he has paid for the thing he wanted so much. His dream, when he saw the stairway with God at the top, is an encouragement to us all to trust God at difficult times in our lives. God speaks to Jacob at the moment of his desperation and meets with him at his point of need. For every thought of failure he had that night God spoke to him and assured him.
What are the sunset experiences that people are going through in their lives today? Their difficulty and discouragement are part of God’s preparation for greater things to come. One may feel that there is no-one with them during such times but God is. Every sunset is an opportunity to reset. A new dawn is going to come. Like Jacob’s ladder, Jesus reaches down from heaven, down to the bottom of the pit of our condition. Jacob discovered that God is present everywhere and all the time. Wherever we are, there is a stairway to heaven reaching right down. When the sun sets and we feel in darkness with whatever we are facing let us remember that God is there for us…. always.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
Sunday 16th July
This week’s reading from Genesis focuses on the tensions between Isaac’s two sons Esau and Jacob. As the younger of the two Jacob had put up with Esau being his father’s favourite and wanted the birthright for himself. Esau despised God and the things of God and was willing to sell his birthright. He traded the lasting benefits of his birthright for the immediate pleasure of food. The material and physical aspect of life was more important to him than the spiritual. He acted on impulse, satisfying his immediate desires without pausing to consider the long term consequences of what he was about to do.
Jacob, however, should not have taken advantage of Esau’s hunger by imposing conditions and demanding he swears an oath in the name of God too. So we have one brother who regards his birthright as less valuable than a bowl of soup and the other regards it as merchandise to be bought and sold and, in God’s eyes, neither one is worthy of the birthright or deserves God’s work of salvation. Sometimes we can fall into the same trap with satisfying our immediate desires, the results of which can be short lived. We must avoid temptation and keep our focus on God’s son, the Saviour who shed his blood for us and in whom we can find true and lasting happiness.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
Sunday 9th July
A love story in Genesis is our focus for this week as Richard explores the work of the Holy Spirit through the key characters of Abraham, Eliezer, Isaac and Rebecca and how Abraham sends his faithful servant on a journey to find a wife for his son, Isaac. Through this account, and the analogy it draws, we learn about the different things that the Holy Spirit provides. It brings about conversion, it sanctifies, it guides, protects, sustains and provides. God supplied for all of Rebecca’s needs but he did not give them all at once - only what she needed and when she needed it and he does the same for us.
God travels with us and has the full supply for all our present and future needs but does not give us tomorrow’s supply today because he wants to ensure our eyes stay on him and not on what he supplies. The Holy Spirit enables us to witness to Christ and assures us through the Bible that we are his children. At the end of the journey we see Isaac coming to see Rebecca and he takes her home. When we come to the end of our journey on earth Christ will take us home to heaven and we will live with him forever. What a wonderful promise and assurance that is!
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
Sunday 2nd July
This week we focus on Abraham who, having been blessed with his son Isaac, is tested by God to sacrifice him. For a person who wants to walk with God, there is only one option and when Isaac begins to take the place of God in Abraham’s life he must be sacrificed and must be given back to God. For God must have the first place in our lives and sometimes God will also test us to find out if other things become more important than him. He will test our faith, our love and our obedience to make us stronger in our character and faith.
Abraham still trusted God and obeyed what he asked to do. Once God knew that Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son, he stepped in and stopped him. Sometimes we may have to go right to the end like Abraham did, to prove our faith, our trust ,our love and obedience to God. Abraham was willing to offer Isaac because he believed that God would raise him back from the dead. As we move into the week ahead may we put our faith and trust in God knowing that nothing is impossible for God.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
JUNE 2023
Sunday 25th June
Our walk with the Lord is a journey of faith. It’s a journey that the Lord invites us into or we join this journey of faith when we invite Jesus into our lives as our Lord and Saviour, either way. So that we can experience the faithfulness of God. He is always faithful to his promises and wants us to see that. This week Richard will explore these promises and especially what happened to one of the most famous Old Testament prophets: Abraham.
God has his own timetable for when and how he will fulfill his promises and sometimes this can take a long time - as it was for Abraham. Sometimes we just don’t trust God enough and so we try to take His good promises our way. The story of Abraham from Genesis is a reminder that we must keep our focus on God trusting that, in his time, he will be faithful and fulfil what he has promised for each of us.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
Sunday 18th June
This Sunday is also Father’s Day - a special day for fathers everywhere and a time when, as Dawn will share with us, they often receive special gifts of all kinds!. But it is also a day to remember our Heavenly Father who loves us so much; caring for us and wanting the very best for us.
Our Gospel reading from Mark, with its focus on love, gives us a very clear message - the best gift we can give God, our Heavenly Father, is to love him with everything we have got and to show love to one another too. On this special day let us also remember all fathers, grandfathers and any other significant men in our lives who are no longer with us and who are now in the safe keeping of our Heavenly Father.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
Sunday 11th June
This week’s Gospel reading contains two familiar encounters that Jesus had with those suffering difficult circumstances and what seemed like hopeless cases. Jesus tells those involved not to despair but encourages them - only believe, only trust, only hope for I am here.
These stories were of two very different women who were united in their need and restoration to life, health and community and is a reminder for us that, whatever our need may be, let’s bring it to the Lord for he has time for everyone. He will not neglect one at the expense of another. We don’t rob or steal each other’s healing or blessing. He has blessings for us all.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
Sunday 4th June
This Sunday, the first after Pentecost, we celebrate the feast of the Holy Trinity - a time when the church rejoices in the profound mystery that God is triune (three in one) - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. How the Lord can be one God in three distinct persons is beyond any human’s ability to understand completely. But by faith and by the power of the Holy Spirit, Christians accept this incomprehensible mystery as an article of faith.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
MAY 2023
Sunday 28th May
This Sunday we celebrate Pentecost - the day we remember the pouring of God’s Holy Spirit upon the disciples in Jerusalem and sending them out to share the Good News about Jesus with the world.
Reflecting on the symbolism of water that Jesus used to describe the Holy Spirit we are reminded of how the Holy Spirit can not only satisfy our own spiritual thirst by bringing us life, cleansing us from our sins and changing us but is also constantly moving us out of our comfort zone to share the Gospel with others through our words, actions and lives.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
Sunday 21st May
It is a very encouraging thing as a Christian to know that you are being prayed for and not only prayed for but prayed with as well. We read in the Bible that if two or three pray on earth it shall be done for them. To pray for and to pray with, is one of the best ways to build relationships between Christians and one of the real ways of ensuring unity in the church.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
Sunday 14th May
This week’s gospel reading from John 14 focuses on the promise of the Holy Spirit and will consider how the Fruit of the Spirit and the Gifts of the Spirit are the two main ways in which the Holy Spirit is at work within us to transform us into the people of God, and to strengthen us for ministry in the church. The Holy Spirit is the one who helps us experience God in our daily lives, the one who gives us faith, the one who sustains us, and the one who keeps us in the presence of God every day.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
Sunday 7th May
The fifth week after Easter falls at the time of the Coronation of King Charles III. This week's reading from Isaiah focuses on the King of the Universe, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. As we reflect on our own calling, let us pray in our hearts for King Charles that he would also reflect on his calling as King and that he is charged under God to be his faithful servant.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
APRIL 2023
Sunday 30th April
This week’s reading from Acts focuses on the sermon of Peter, how it stirred the hearts of all those who heard his message and provides the opportunity to explore six healthy signs of the early church. It takes us to the heart of what we, both as individuals as well as the whole community of St John’s, can learn as we continue on our faith journey and, through this, become mature Christians in our walk with God.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
Sunday 23rd April
As we continue on the post Easter journey this week’s gospel reading from Luke 24 takes us on the journey to Emmaus with two of the disciples. They are somewhat disillusioned and disheartened, reflecting on recent events, when Jesus appears to them - something they were certainly not expecting! Through this encounter their minds were opened to the scriptures so that they could see that what happened to Jesus was God’s will and plan. We too may often feel like they did but these verses are a reminder that Jesus enables us to see things more clearly. There is nothing to be afraid of when he enlightens our minds and understanding through the Bible by the Holy Spirit.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
Sunday 16th April
This week we welcome Rev Richard Christopher to lead our service and thank him for his continuing support for our church services in the forthcoming weeks. This week’s gospel reading from John 19 is a reminder of how blessed we are if, unlike Thomas, we believe without seeing. God knows our doubts and struggles but if, despite this, we continue in prayer he will strengthen us in our faith journey.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
As there is no audio version of this service available, please click the button below for a pdf version.
Easter Sunday 9th April
Holy Week always has a heaviness to it, a time when we face up to the worst sides of ourselves. It’s been an honour to sit in the church whilst people pray through the Stations of the Cross, reflecting on the journey that Christ took from Gethsemane to Golgotha. We look forward with joy to Easter Sunday, when we celebrate the climax of that journey - the empty tomb, the risen Christ and the hope of a future beyond death.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
Palm Sunday 2nd April
Palm Sunday transitions our journey through Lent into the building tension of Holy Week. Typically Palm Sunday is a joyful moment, where we join in with the celebration of the crowd welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem - but this only makes the contrast with the events of the following week that much starker. Our service this week is another Intergenerational Service.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
MARCH 2023
Sunday 26th March
Our gospel this week takes us to the tomb of Lazarus, and the foretaste of the resurrection in the story of his raising back to life. The fifth week in Lent begins to feel quite heavy, and this is a complicated story in many ways, particularly when you are facing bereavement and loss in your own life. The Easter story is one that brings life out of death, but it does not negate death entirely - rather here we see Jesus experiencing grief and sorrow alongside his friends. What does this mean for us living today in a broken and grieving world?
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Sunday 19th March
The 4th Sunday in Lent means it’s Mothering Sunday, and a time to give thanks for and celebrate all forms of mothering we experience in our lives. We meet with great joy in this lighter moment in Lent, almost like taking a breath from the penitence of the season. Susie is away this weekend on annual leave and so we find ourselves in the very capable hands of Rev’d Richard Bainbridge, who joins us from St John and St Steven’s Newtown. As we celebrate the relationships which have nurtured us, whether that’s physically, emotionally or spiritually, let us also remember in our prayers all those for whom this day brings pain and sadness.
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Sunday 12th March
The gospel this week tells the story of the Samaritan woman at the well and Jesus’s remarkable conversations with her. It is a wonderful story to be reflecting on during the week that celebrates International Women’s Day, and to see once again how Jesus trusted and elevated women who society and tradition ignored or wrote off. How was this conversation an act of healing and grace for the woman in it and how can we let the words of Jesus minister to us this week as we approach him with a focus on healing?
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Sunday 5th March
Our gospel reading this week speaks to the hidden work of the Spirit in people’s lives with Nicodemous coming to speak to Jesus in the middle of the night, asking questions about the amazing things he has seen Jesus doing. We are also searching out the work of the Spirit which is happening all around us - often in very unexpected ways! As we slow down and make space for God this Lenten season, will we notice what he is doing amongst us? Will we hear the sound of the wind blowing where it chooses, rather than where we expect it to blow?
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FEBRUARY 2023
Sunday 26th February
This week we will be cheering Ava and Elizabeth on as they confirm their faith at a special service with the Bishop at St James’, at 10am. We encourage all of you who can to join us for this special occasion. For those of us who can’t attend, the 10am service at St John’s will be covered by Rev’d Vincent Perricone. On the first Sunday in Lent he will be reflecting on the temptations of Christ in the wilderness and how we can prepare ourselves to face temptation as we journey towards the cross and closer into God’s loving presence.
As there is no audio version of this service available, please click the button below for a pdf version.
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Sunday 19th February
This Sunday is Transfiguration Sunday, and liturgically we always read this scripture on the last Sunday before Lent - it gives us a moment of glory, and a final revelation of Christ’s true nature before we begin the lament and penance of Lent. How can we reflect together on this moment and enter into the preparation of the coming weeks with hope and joy? Start Lent with us on Ash Wednesday, as we hold a simple service including the imposition of ashes at 7.30pm in church on Wednesday 22nd Feb.
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Sunday 12th February
This week we are doing something a bit different to support Dawn’s recent training as an Authorised Intergenerational Preacher, which is being run by the Diocese. As part of her assessment she has to run two intergenerational services with her congregation, and we have the chance to feed back to her on what worked and what didn’t. “Intergenerational” is the way we talk about “All Age” or “Family” services now, but it puts an emphasis on all of us participating together, rather than the focus being on young children. The team has been busy preparing a lovely visual service for us, with the opportunity to participate in the liturgy and engage with the story of the birds of the air and the lilies of the field from Matthew’s gospel.
As this service is so visual, we haven’t published the recording, but instead click the button for a pdf version of the service.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)
Sunday 5th February
As we move into ordinary time for a few weeks before the start of Lent, our lectionary readings are taken from the Sermon on the Mount, a piece of scripture often known as Jesus’ manifesto. We have heard how the Kingdom of God is near, and we have been reflecting on the various revelations of Christ throughout Epiphany - now we hear in a bit more detail what this actually looks like! This morning’s gospel may be familiar to you, with the images of salt and light… but what encouragement can we take from the words of Jesus this week?
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JANUARY 2023
Sunday 29th January
Candlemass, or the Presentation of Christ at the Temple, signals for us the end of the joyful celebration of the Christmas/Epiphany season. Over the past few weeks we have been remembering the different ways in which Christ was revealed to the world - to the Shepherds at Christmas, the Magi at Epiphany, through his baptism and the calling of his disciples. Last week we reflected on Jesus’ own proclamation that the Kingdom of Heaven is near, and the implications of that for his ministry. This week we hear prophetic affirmation of the great promise of salvation, but also of the cost that will be required, and reflect together on the nature of hopeful waiting in a world of suffering.
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Sunday 22nd January
This week we are reminded in our gospel reading of the radical call of the gospel of Christ - the kingdom of heaven is near! What did this mean to the crowds in first century Palestine, and how can we understand it today? We reflect a little bit on the nature of repentance and revolution as the cost of following Christ with our whole lives.
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Sunday 15th January
We had a wonderful Epiphany celebration last week, with blessings galore as we chalked the church doors and offered the gifts of the Magi to the crib. Do send in any photos if you took your chalk home to bless your own front doors!
This Sunday we are very excited to welcome Charlie Allen, as his family and friends bring him for baptism. In this season of Epiphany we remember the revelation of Christ as Jesus was on earth, and the moment of his baptism is another one of the stories that reveals something about who Jesus really is. As we bless Charlie in this first step of his faith journey let’s reflect on what baptism reveals about who we are each called to be as children of God.
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Sunday 8th January
At Epiphany we remember specifically the journey of the Magi to find the infant Jesus. Matthew’s gospel is the only one that tells us this story, and what a wonderful story it is! The version that we all know and love plays out in carols and nativities as three Wise Men, or even Three Kings, following a guiding star from their homes in the exotic and mysterious East to seek out the new born King of the Jews.
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Sunday 1st January
This Sunday we join Rev Richard Christopher who is leading our service encouraging us to let the world know that the message of Christmas is so wonderful, so glorious and so blessed that, it will never go out of date or be outdated or go out of fashion.
Bible Readings (Click to Read)