Beautiful Stinky feet - New Shoes and more

 Beautiful Stinky feet - New Shoes ! – and More

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be now and always acceptable in thy sight O Lord our strength and our redeemer.

Reading 

⁵ Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: ‘The person who does these things will live by them.’ ⁶ But the righteousness that is by faith says: ‘Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?”’ (that is, to bring Christ down) ⁷ ‘or “Who will descend into the deep?”’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). ⁸ But what does it say? ‘The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,’ that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: ⁹ if you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 

¹⁰ For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. ¹¹ As Scripture says, ‘Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.’ 

¹² For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile – the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, ¹³ for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’  

¹⁴ How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? ¹⁵ And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’

   

Here's the true story of Bill Barnes, a creative Miami, Florida, pastor who resolved to stop staring at the homeless in Dade County and do something about them. Bill Barnes had an idea!

Since other people were giving them sandwiches, he decided to give them shoes or socks.

Few shoes or socks make it to a second life, much less a second-hand store. Dubbing it the "S.O.S." project (for "Shoes or Socks"), he found a donor who funded the purchase of new socks and another who gave free new sneakers to the church in assorted men's, women's and children's sizes. Barnes then contacted a local podiatrist to help out, since one of the biggest health problems of the homeless is their feet. The podiatrist enlisted some already overloaded med students at Barry University in Miami Shores, who agreed to donate some of their free time to assist with foot examinations and medicine.

Now Barnes faced his toughest customers: his own parishioners. He recommended to the church they implement their "S.O.S." homeless program with a foot washing service on Maundy Thursday. Would they commit to washing the feet of as many homeless as they could convince to come? You can imagine the yucks and grunts that followed. But one lay leader stood up and demanded of her brothers and sisters: "The question is, are we humble enough to do it?"

Those church members who weren't humble enough then, soon became humble. Just before the appointed Maundy Thursday service, a homeless woman was electrocuted on Biscayne Boulevard during a rain storm. She had stepped barefooted on a metal drain underneath which was a broken power line. The news reports stated that had she been wearing rubber soled shoes she would not have been killed. Unable to identify the woman, a local coalition of homeless ministries organized an interfaith memorial service. The date selected was Maundy Thursday. 

They spread the word through Social Services, bread lines, mission houses, that there would be free medical treatment and sneakers available to all who attended. Many came and received spiritual and physical care that Maundy Thursday. The church conveyed to over 500 homeless, habitually downtrodden and despised (they gave out more than 500 pairs of shoes and many more socks - they only stopped because they ran out of larger men's sizes) that they cared about their bodies and their souls. To those with the most need, they did not hand out pious sops - they handed out sneakers. Instead of prayerful platitudes, they offered podiatry. These Christians attended to their brothers' and sisters' bodily needs as well as to their spiritual longings 

https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/beautiful-feet-gerald-roberts-sermon-on-good-news-210837?page=1

 

 

When I read this story – I was struck by the importance of what’s in our hands. For some it may be food, for others it may be prayer, for some it may be a passion for figures numbers etc – Whatever it may be lets bring it to God.

 

In our new centre – we ‘re going to need to doing stuff … we have Enable Ireland, Music Teachers, YMCA, Cocaine Anonymous, Lego Camps, Bible Study, Seniors Lunches, people using our playground, Slimming world and many other needs, Domestic Abuse Helpline supplies Sunday Morning Worship, Folk Dancers, Ballet- Cian today was talking about football

 

In Blarney we have al-anon, growth Group … and many others

 

How are our feet?

 

What are we called to do in Blarney for our community – for the least and the lost?

 

What about this vision of the river running from this building … what does that look like in the next 6 months? And beyond

 

When we aren’t as busy as we ordinarily can be? … how can we show love to those who are stuggling?

 

IN the midst of this pandemic how can we preach … how can we show people God’s love and his care?

 

I’m challenged by this at this moment … how do we love in the midst of this time and in this place?

 

Many many questions then move on in this 

Beautiful Feet are beautiful because they have put on witness walkers I am a (witness walker) shoes you can actually buy “For How can they hear without someone preaching to them?

• Beautiful Feet are beautiful because you cover those feet with Good News Gospel Shoes

• Beautiful Feet Respect The Poor

• Beautiful Feet respond in love and compassion to everyone in need

• Beautiful Feet help the burdened they do not make or create burdens

• Beautiful Feet offer hospitality, clothing , shelter, and food

• Beautiful Feet offer fellowship and peace

• Make those feet beautiful by putting on traveling shoes, witness walkers, good news gospel shoes .

I’m really challenged by all of this – and want to challenge each one of us here – In terms of sharing our faith – how will people know

 

Becoming a world Christian means that, wherever you live, you “consider all other citizenship a secondary matter” (D.A. Carson, The Cross and Christian Ministry [Baker, 2004], 117) and “reorder your life around God’s global cause" (Piper, Desiring God, 232–33). It means that even as you give yourself to making disciples on the tract of land to which you’ve been sent, you connect your efforts with the Global Cause, among peoples reached and unreached, and you pray and dream and give toward completing the task.

 

But becoming a world Christian not only leads to the resourcing and flourishing of ministries abroad; it also leads to vibrancy and fruit at home. “Becoming a world Christian cannot be an end in itself,” writes Don Carson. “The aim is not to become so international and culturally flexible that one does not fit in anywhere; the aim, rather, is to become so understanding and flexible that one can soon fit in and further the gospel anywhere" (Carson, Cross and Christian Ministry, 132).

 

 

As we continue to reach out

 

We do so sharing the good news of Jesus’ love in the communities and the neighbourhoods which we live and work

 

Here in Blarney – Over the next weeks I want to pick up some of the stuff that has been let go in the past few months – the connections with businesses and people

 

Please do pray as we go on – seeking what we can be doing within the guidelines as we are able to do what we can do.

During the interregnum I want to ask questions each week as part of my sermons 

This week I want to challenge us with a question? 

- What's in your hands that we can share to proclaim Jesus 

 

 

 

 

Storms Stilled & Growing Disciples - Sunday 9th August 2020.

 Sermon preached in St. Peters  Church Carrigrohane on Sunday 9th August 2020 

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be now and always acceptable in thy sight O Lord our strength and our redeemer. Amen 

I don’t know about you but I long for normality - just rewind a little bit - to the days when we were able to sit together, share peace … invite a friend over, not have to hand sanitise, social distance, wear a face covering and contact trace … but those days are gone for now.

I also have been longing for a bit of structure - my old structure when I was leading services and preaching - rather than sorting microphones, cameras, recordings etc 

I’m so thankful that I’m able to get back to some sort of structured week again … but as of last week - its not the same - Ian is away. 

Things will be different - but also we are called by God to be his church in our day - and I’m so thankful to God for the work of this Union of Parishes as we remain faithful to the calling we have as his Children and his disciples today 

Over these weeks - we’re being challenged by the teachings in the Gospel of Matthew - under the theme of Ordinary Time, Extraordinary times … amazing God. 

Ordinary time is meant to be a time in the churches year when we talk about ordinary things … talk about growing, leaving space for growth —> I wonder how you are growing in your faith —> I would love to challenge each one of us including myself - how is your walk with the Lord at the moment? 

Today I would want to take a look at this Gospel reading - usually when I take this gospel reading - of Peter walking on water … I use the idea that its Peter keeping his eyes on Jesus stepping out of the boat and that being the point 

But the more I’ve read the more challenged I’ve become about other parts of the story 

Matthew’s Gospel is one that is very well structured and we see him using event’s in Jesus’ life  and the life of his disciples - for the purpose of convincing his readers that Jesus was the Messiah - the Son of God 

So … 

Back in Matthew 8 - we read a similar story of an similar event -  the Story of the stilling of the Storm where Jesus was with them, storm, they are afraid in the boat and say don’t you care if we drown 

Jesus stills the storm … and the disciples exclaim  - “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

Now time has passed … they have heard his teaching, they have understood a bit more, they have seen some amazing things 

Play Matthew 14 - They are in the boat … same sea of Galilee, this time Jesus is not with them, storm …. Jesus passes them by - Phantom? If it is you - Facinating words … fear not … it is I 

If it is you? … Peter questioning Jesus’ identity … who else did that ? … Back to Temptations in chapter 3 - If you are the son of God … is on the lips of the devil … 

Peter Walks on water … he doesn’t do it in his own strength - its because Jesus is there 

We don’t hear Peter being congratulated but what we do see … is not the question about identity but Jesus gets in the boat with the disciples and him being worshipped - That’s huge … Its the first time in the Gospels we see Jesus being worshipped - These guys are all Jews - they know their commandment - worship no other God’s but me 

There are so many strands to this passage and this incident pointing both backwards and forwards 

I want to pick up on just two of those strands this morning 

Jesus’ Identity - Peter said if it is you tell me to come - From What kind of man is this  … to —if it is you to worshipping him -   They are growing in their understanding of the master through the intensive discipleship course they have been on - seeing how Jesus works, how the kingdom of God works - It’s remarkable that he doesn’t know everything!  And as we’ll see in subsequent weeks … we see Peter’s understanding increasing more and more. 

That gives me hope - That we just don’t get zapped and understand everything about Jesus in an instant  in an encounter with Jesus … Its a process, a long process  - a life long process. Which occurs in difficult circumstances along with normal everyday circumstances and also moutain top experiences. 

If we take the time to be with Jesus. 

The Safety of the boat - This is really really important - vital - Jesus didn’t stay out on the water - he could have but he didn’t - he got into the boat with his disciples 

When you look at images from the first couple of centuries of church history and down through the years  … the imagery of the boat is of high emphasis in Church circles … Paralleling a boat to safety - and equating the boat to the church 

This is interesting - Today the symbol of the world council of churches is a boat - a sail boat 

In our day - I wonder what your view of Jesus is? … In the safety of the boat … what is your take upon Jesus - It was CS Lewis who said - Lunatic, Liar or Lord.  We see the disciples prior boat journey asking What kind of man is this? … Now they are worshipping him 

This is huge - Today we Worship him

Then there is the safety of the boat … Jesus Joins them in the boat … He’s there with them 

As the storm raged they were safe in the boat … In our world today there are many storms raging … I do think that the imagery of the boat is a good one - not a luxury yactch but a fishing boat … Jesus joined them in it. 

In our little fishing boat - Jesus is with us - as we go about our journey Jesus is with us 

In the storms we face he is with us. 

Conclusion 

I come back to where I began today - In the midst of the changes - This year isn’t the same as last year quite obviously - we’re not going around in circles - we’re living breathing humans and in our lives we’re made to grow and to learn. We’re also meant to be responsible for our own growth and development. In our understanding of Jesus - in our faith development how are we using these times of growth. 

How can we journey with Jesus during these days - maybe its digging into his word more and more 

• Maybe it’s simple things - like acknowledging his presence at meal times - thanking him for provision 
• Maybe its taking time to pray at other times during the day 
• Maybe its stepping up to do something you’ve not done before 
• Maybe its serving in new ways 
• Maybe its trusting him in things that might appear scary 

Over these weeks - I would love each person here to take time to grow in their relationship with Jesus - Stepping a bit further than you have up to this point - even in the midst of the storm around about us at the moment - take time to worship in a different way 

I do hope in my sermons over the next few months to leave you with some questions to ponder 

2 Key Questions today

1. Do I know who Jesus is? … where am I on my Life’s journey of Faith ?
2. What could I be doing differently in my spiritual life? 

Let’s pray 

Trinity Sunday

A sermon preached on Trinity Sunday in Church of the Resurrection Blarney on Sunday 26th May 2013

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be now and always acceptable in thy sight O Lord our strength and our redeemer. Amen

Today is a day when we celebrate God … who he is in all his fullness …

Celebrating Father, Son and Spirit and the relationship between the three  and in celebrating …

We remember

• The work of the Father in Creation,
• the work of the son in our redemption which he has won for us and the
• work of the Holy Spirit in our sustaining us in our lives today .

We celebrate also the dynamics which exist between them and the love which is at the very centre of the relationship between the three parts which overflows into creation.

In our readings today we see this work between the three is a work of love … it is dynamic and it flows out to the world

The father loves the son and the same love he has for the son is the love with which he loves the world.  And we (as people in the world ) are called to respond to that love with which he created the world and he created us.

The Epistle Reading

Romans 5: 1-5

By faith we have been made acceptable to God. And now, because of our Lord Jesus Christ, we live at peace  with God. 2 Christ has also introduced us to God’s undeserved kindness on which we take our stand. So we are happy, as we look forward to sharing in the glory of God. 3 But that’s not all! We gladly suffer] because we know that suffering helps us to endure. 4 And endurance builds character, which gives us a hope 5 that will never disappoint us. All of this happens because God has given us the Holy Spirit, who fills our hearts with his love.

Paul writing to the Romans…  we see that it is by faith we have been made acceptable to God … by faith we have the peace with God … its then we able to live at peace with God.

Those 2 words … at the beginning … BY FAITH  … For so many that step is difficult … we have questions, we have doubts, they put up all sorts of arguments  but there comes a time when the challenge has to be made.  

We see also that Christ has introduced us to the Father’s undeserved kindness on which Paul says the church takes its(our) stand – I wonder do we understand God’s amazing Glory.

But with all of this, and this is where we sometimes get things wrong …we sometime think that all will be rosy but we see that Paul is grounded … this life is one in which there will be suffering and difficulties. But this is where the Holy Spirit, the Sustainer, the advocate and the teacher comes in who as he describes will fill our hearts with his love.

In our Gospel reading today we see the dynamics which exist in the relationship once again is unique and upon which the gospel absolutely depends

12 I have much more to say to you, but right now it would be more than you could understand.13 The Spirit shows what is true and will come and guide you into the full truth. The Spirit doesn’t speak on his own. He will tell you only what he has heard from me, and he will let you know what is going to happen. 14 The Spirit will bring glory to me by taking my message and telling it to you.15 Everything that the Father has is mine. That is why I have said that the Spirit takes my message and tells it to you.

Let’s Trace it again

All that the father has is mine -  Jesus  says

Jesus proclaims that message

the Spirit takes Jesus’ message and tells it to you

Like we saw in the Romans Reading …  we see that the spirit is revealing the truth to the world … That Truth, as we trace it through John’s Gospel is the love of the father for creation and the relationship the father wants his creation to respond to the love that is shown

We see it in John 3:16 the well known verse

God so loved the world that he sent his son

We see that he also loves his son … 3:35

• The Dynamic of the father is always outwards love flowing to the son and to the world
• The Dynamic of the son again is always outward love flowing to the world and to the father
• The Spirit’s love is filling our hearts with the love of the father and the son

No other philosophy … or religion apart Christianity … proclaims this truth of the relationship in God at the heart  this is love, and grace together   …

During a British conference on comparative religions, experts from around the world debated what, if any, belief was unique to the Christian faith. They began eliminating possibilities.

Incarnation? Other religions had different versions of gods' appearing in human form. Resurrection? Again, other religions had accounts of return from death.

The debate went on for some time until C. S. Lewis wandered into the room. "What's the rumpus about?" he asked, and heard in reply that his colleagues were discussing Christianity's unique contribution among world religions. Lewis responded, "Oh, that's easy. It's grace."
After some discussion, those in the room had to agree. The notion of God's love coming to us free of charge, no strings attached, seems to go against every instinct of humanity.

The Buddhist eight-fold path, the Hindu doctrine of karma, the Jewish covenant, and the Muslim code of law -- each of these offers a way to earn approval. Only Christianity dares to make God's love unconditional.

Undeserved Kindness … Made possible through the relationship of the trinity … we can’t work our way, talk our way only by faith through grace.

• Thank God for the trinity
• Have a think about the freedom this gives
• The great news of relationship this is possible  

When we grasp this … and it does make sense … it’s a relationship right before the beginning of the world and will sustain the world beyond the grave.

This is why the church does what it does

This is why we invest in kingdom things so that the world may know the love of God

So to recap

Trinity is essential … the relationship … equal and eternal

Its unique …none other speaks of grace made possible through the relationship

It’s the heart of message we proclaim to the world

Mission - What do we proclaim?

A Sermon Preached in St. George & St. Thomas', Dublin on Sunday 20th Feb 2012 at a Service of the word - with our Parish Zambia Team visiting the parish during a weekend of training.

It is a great Privilege to have been asked by your rector to preach this morning.

I am here this morning with a fantastic team of people ... parishioners in the parish which I serve in Belfast. Over the past 36 hours we have been living together in the Chruch of Ireland Theological Institute ... working very hard ... doing lots of preparations for our forthcoming trip in the Summer to the Diocese of Northern Zambia.

This team which I have the privellege of leading is made up of extra-ordinary people ... everyday people who were prepared back in November to dip their toe into the water and see if this adventure with God was for them!

Thanks! Guys!

Turning to the task for this morning ... I’m going to pick up on some of the things which are in the 2 Corinthians Reading

For we do not proclaim ourselves;

This was a real issue for the Corithians as it is for us today - We live in a society ( and I spent 3 years down in Dublin, and it is the same in the North).

It is a question we need to ask ... as we live our lives ... what are we proclaiming?

When we are at work - what are we proclaiming

When we are at school - what are we proclaiming

When we are in the pub - what are we proclaiming

When we are ... wherever we are - what are we proclaiming

Our team knows I get very excited about the trip we are going out on ... I’m excited because of the possibilities of the working relationship we will develop with locals in Zambia.

But above that I am excited about mission - I don’t know if you realise this ... the old view of mission is that people who go and preach to the natives, to convert them, make church our way.

However, today our thinking has increased and the church does need to get to grips with mission which Jesus implemented in his ministry

I’m excited about mission as a concept because it is not just something “Missionaries” do away from home ... It is something to which each of us has been called to do both where we are and where we will be in the future.

I’m excited because in the anglican church of which we are a part we have embraced the wholeness of mission. When we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord we proclaim the Gospel in its fullest sense ... and there is something here for everyone.

One of the many reasons I love being an anglican is that we have put this theory in practice - we proclaim that:

We as the Church are called to

• Proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom - that could be in a million ways!
• To Teach, Baptise and Nurture New Believers
• To Respond to human need by loving service
• To seek to transform unjust structures of society
• To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation

This is exciting as it emcompasses the wholeness of the word of God and our responsibilities as his disciples ... it also gives us a big dream, a vision of what life could be about ...

Imagine a world where the good news is proclaimed in relevant and creative ways

Imagine a church where all are taught and nurtured to maturity in the faith in ways that are appropriate to them

Imagine the community were needs are met, where resources are available - to serve those who have needs of any description

Imagine a nation where the church is voicing its opinion on the topics of the day and where they are giving a clear and consistant critique of injustice wherever it exists

Imagine a world where the church leads the way in green issues ... simply to fulfil our responsibility as stewards of Creation!

I love the idea that you and I can indeed make a difference in this world. We can make a difference to one life or to a whole nation. What is your idea?, what is your passion, your dream when it comes to proclaiming God’s love?

The one thing that lasts in this world is the work for God’s Kingdom ... it lasts beyond the grave ... the nation needs to know about it ... when economic systems fail ... when poverty is on the rise ... when there is despair all around ... it is the church which should be showing love.

We do not proclaim ourselves ... as a brand or as a shop does ... trying to make people come to us but rather we proclaim Christ Crucified.

Let us Pray

Sermon - John 1:1-14

A sermon preached in St. Dorothea's Gilnahirk on Sunday 12th Feb 2012.

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be now and always acceptable in thy sight O Lord our Strength and our redeemer. Amen

This morning’s gospel reading is a very familiar passage ... a passage which we regularly hear at Christmas - It is usually prefaced by the words ... ‘St. John unfolds the great mystery of the incarnation’ ... It is good to have it here at this point in the church’s year as it contains the overview of all that is happening in the gospel. Between the nativity and the beginning of Lent

All of the gospel writers - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John Begin their gospels in different ways, Matthew concentrates on the genealogy of Jesus, Mark looks at the ministry of John the Baptist, Luke focuses in on Mary and Joseph and John, well he is a poet and focuses in on a summary of what the rest of his book is about.

With John he mentions lots of themes ... and gives us a taster of what is about to come along. One of my curate colleagues whilst preaching in college described this text as being like tapas small dishes to taste what the main dish is like.

We could pick up many of the themes in this text but what I would like to focus upon is the final sentence And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son,^* full of grace and truth.

Within this sentence we have so much of what the Gospel is about.

One author has described it as God has come into “our real world where we live all year long - a world where there is political unrest and injustice, poverty hatred jealousy and both the fear and the longing that things could be different”

It is great to know that God knows what it is like to be human ... he knows our limitations, he knows our faults and failures of our flesh. Within John’s gospel we see this being worked out ... in terms of the fact that we see Jesus weeping, we see him in all sorts of circumstances

As we read this we get a glimpse of what the incarnation was all about - and the fact that it is great news ... news that the one who created the world has become human so that we might have eternal life.

This has immense implications for us ... for those of us who are struggling to find meaning in life ... Jesus is able to say “I have come so that you may have life and have it to the full”

For those of us who are grieving over loved ones who have died ... Jesus is able to say “ I am the way, the truth and the life” and Peace I leave with you ... do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid

For those of us who are looking for direction ... Jesus is able to say ...”I am the Good shepherd”

For those of us who are in despair ... Jesus is able to say “I am the light of the world”

The fact that we have God who knows our weaknesses and is able to stand with us in them is so very important to all our lives.

John wrote his gospel mindful of the community of which he was a part - he wrote, we are told to recall all of the things which Jesus said and also that his community might believe and trust in his words. just under 2,000 years later his words echo across the world and Christians still find comfort and guidance in the words recorded.

As we come this morning to the communion table where we are fed by Christ’s body where we join as community, sharing in the miracle of the incarnation the Word made flesh.

We gather not because we are perfect, nor because our faith is unshakable nor because we have everything sorted out in our lives, but rather we gather as a community dependant upon God and one another - we come in the flesh we have been created in, the same flesh which Jesus came in... we come together as community in our weakness looking for strength to carry on ... and also to support one another as we grow in God’s love and share it with one another.

Back to church Sunday

A sermon preached at the 10:30 am St. Columba's Service on Back To Church Sunday

Please be seated.

I’m going to play a song which some of you may well know. Do listen to the words.

song ends

Let us pray

Heavenly Father, I pray that you would by the power of the Holy Spirit take my words and speak through them, take our minds and think through them, and take our hearts and set them on fire with love for you. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The success of the hit TV Series Cheers in the past has been because people could relate to the characters, there was a feel good factor. The theme tune also relates to easy going nature, the universal realatity of the human need for acceptance.

Today is Back To Church Sunday, a day when friends and neighbours and family members are encouraged to come Back to Church. Churches across the country are doing the same thing as we are. Welcoming people back to church.

But what are we welcoming you back to?, why are we coming back to church?

By meeting here sunday by sunday we are saying we belong, by meeting here we are saying we need each other, by meeting here sunday by sunday we are saying we want to know a bit more about God.

Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got.

Life is difficult sometimes ... sometimes it is great

Life sometimes throws up challenges ... sometimes we are shaken

Sometimes we are joyous and sometimes we are confused, lonely, perplexed perhaps, grieving

Church is a place where we can come and be together

Church is a place where we should be able to find acceptance and love, we should be able to talk about things which bother us, things troubling us. We should be able to be real and we should be able to meet with people who can support us through the difficult times.

No church is not perfect ... and you’ll never find the perfect church but in this church we do in this church try to do our best to preach, teach and and to put theory and practice together.

One church leader recently said that he believes that the Local Church is the hope for the world. I too believe that. That each church church is at its very best when people work together locally, when we use our gifts and talents to serve one another.

We believe that when young and old, tall and short, people of all sorts work together for a common purpose great things can and will happen.

In St. Columba’s we are trying, we are striving to provide help and support to as many people as we possibly can.

Take a look through our parish Magazine

We are studying the Bible,

We continue to visit all those we know of in hospitals, nursing homes and sheltered accomodation,

we visit all homes in the parish as and when we can, we are putting into place ways in which people can serve God according to their gifts and abilities, we continue to try and develop our youth work, we are reaching out to our housebound parishioners via recordings of services, we continue to have the full range of activities and groups for all sorts of ages and interests throughout the week.

All of this is to help people belong to the family of God in this place.

Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name. There is a saying ... “It takes two to tango.”

I have heard it about churches where people can walk in and out and nobody speaks to them. If this is a criticism you have please do say hi to someone. And also if someone says Hi to you do say hi back and introduce yourself.

This is a place to which anyone can come and belong. One of the reason I am here is because of the friendliness of the church when I came incognito in a shirt and tie and sat down at the back of the church one sunday morning. Someone said hi to me!

You wanna go where people know, people are all the same,

Critics of the church universally would tell us that we are boring, untrue and irrelevant to the culture of today. Perhaps we have been - or perhaps our critics do have some challenges to help us improve.

However, the church at its best is here to serve the outsider, to walk beside and support the tempted whatever their temptation may be, we are called to bring the lonely into fellowship and friendship, the struggling student, the single mum, the housebound, the man struggling with answering the question about what life is all about.

When we look at the Gospel reading today we see Jesus asking the Lame man “Sir Do you want to be made well”?

The man had to respond

The church cannot do things without people responding.

We can sit and do nothing for a long time or we can respond.

Many of the problems we face can be responded to positively. The are resources which the church has access to which can help people.

Issues such as debt ... a phonecall to Christians Against Poverty can see the burden of debt lifted from households

Issues such as depression and other issues can be talked through with Christian Counsellors

Issues such as loneliness can be addressed by getting involved in many of the organisations in the parish.

Each one of us ... whoever we are, whatever we are going through can find hope, love reassurance, help, meaning within church if only we ask.

If you are here for the first time in a while, or if you are here each week do know that we are a church ready to help, ready to chat, ready to support, ready to talk through worries & fears.

You will see the new welcome cards in the pews - these create an easy communication link with the clergy and vestry - if there are things you would like, if you want us to visit please do fill them in, if there are other comments. Do fill your name in as well on them.

We are called to respond