Greetings.
It's an article of faith that God works for good and that in spite of all the misery in the world, the Creation will fully and finally reflect God's glory. But it is so often a case of, Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief. Anxiety - worry about those things over which we have no control - is common to most of us, albeit in varying degrees. Allow it to grow out of control, and we become ill and subject to despair. Jesus was well aware of this, and his teaching regarding anxiety in the Sermon on the Mount (tomorrow's gospel - Matthew 7.25-end) should be read over and over as a constant corrective to our worrying nature. Yes, we know full well that being anxious about tomorrow will achieve nothing and only diminish us in the present moment, but all too often we succumb to it anyway. Jesus said, seek first his kingdom and his righteousness. That allows a variety of interpretation but whatever the Kingdom of God is like, it is not solitary. Anxiety grows in isolation, but human beings flourish in relationship, and that is with God, with each other, and with the created order. Attentiveness to that flourishing is about focussing on small things in the here and now, such as coming together in a spirit of thanksgiving and cultivating a sense of joy in the present moment. Essentially, this is what church, being the people of God, is all about, because thanksgiving and joy in the present moment sows the seed of hope for the future.
Tomorrow we welcome Jill Bell as our preacher at 8.00 and 10.00. Jill has been with us for about eight months having moved from Wexham near Slough where she exercised her ministry as a Licensed Lay Minister (LLM). We look forward to hearing her. Being the second Sunday of the month there is also Breakfast@Nine in the Church Hall and Evensong at All Saints' at 3pm.
Lent begins in about ten days time. There will be a Shrove Tuesday lunch (17th) with pancakes for dessert and then the Ash Wednesday Eucharist with Ashing at St. Mark's on 18th. We are planning a variety of activities for Lent including some Shakespearian film nights at the Tivoli Theatre and The Regent Centre, a Lent walk and a Lent Lunch. Details will be finalised next week. The Pew Sheet with readings and notices is attached.
Peace and joy be with you,
Charles Booth
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