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21st March 2025

Temptation is Training

In our family we love Christmas and, in particular, all of the chocolates and chocolaty cakes and treats that are so abundant at that time. We often blessed with enough that we end up working our way through them for the next few months. This isn’t necessarily good for us and so it is with a bit of relief that we arrive at Lent, because every year we all give up chocolate. This can be a challenge as we are surrounded by chocolate, particularly given that the supermarkets now seem to stock Easter Eggs from January! However, we often feel that this time of temptation is like training us to say “No!” and this is a good thing, even though it can be hard, and not especially nice.
 
In the bible, God gives us some really good help in all areas of human life. The New Testament book of James, chapter 1, helps us with temptation:
 
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4)
I’m not sure that I always feel the joy in temptation, but I do understand the sentiment.  The growth we experience through surviving temptation does bring us joy and helps us in the end.
Later in James 1 we are also told about an even bigger reward for overcoming temptation:
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. (James 1:12)
 
Of course, temptation comes in many forms, which the world tailors to each of us individually. Not everyone is motivated by Chocolate (hard to believe, eh!)  but instead, they might be tempted into gossiping or eating too much, from keeping our God given resources to ourselves rather than sharing, and the temptation to please ourselves rather than do the same for others. It is in these times that we need to remember our training and call on the help that our ever present and faithful God is waiting to give us:
 
12 If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. (1 Corinthians 12-13)
Our wonderful and loving Father never leaves us without a way out and even gives us His strength to help us achieve it. So, there is no need to worry about whether we will be able to get through times of testing or temptation because God is always with us. And we are all the same in this, we are all in it together no matter what our circumstances are because we all fall short:
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. (Romans 3:23-24)
So as we progress through this fasting season heading towards our celebration of Easter and our salvation in the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, let’s embrace facing the temptations of this world, seeing it a bit like a boot camp for our future benefit, and always remember that we are never alone, we never have to achieve any of it in our own strength because we have a Father who is always waiting to help.
With Prayers for us all this Lent, Mike Cross

7th March 2025
Christ Crowned With Thorns
Painted by: Fra Angelico

Every day an email drops into my inbox with a meditation based around a painting.  This arrived on Ash Wednesday. I was arrested by the pain and suffering in the face of Jesus. As he looks directly into my eyes there is so much trouble, consternation, desperation held there.  I am drawn into what he is holding in his body, I can almost feel the physical and emotional tension as he faces the trial and the enormity of what was about to happen to him. His cheeks are flushed against the paleness of his face.  There is no smile on his lips, but a vulnerability of fear and anticipation and responsibility. The furrows on his brow, dreading, focussing, steeling himself with determination in the face of what he was called to do. 
 
He set his face towards Jerusalem. Luke 9:51
 
It wasn’t easy. It cost him; his life, his blood. 
The starkness of the unrelenting red in his eyes, his lips, drawing us to the cross behind him, the drops of blood trickling untended down his face. It wasn’t easy for him.
 
There was a battle raging, over light and darkness, over life and death, over freedom, over us and it cost him his life.  He faced all the powers of evil, control, jealousy, pride, destruction in one concentrated passage of time.  He had to do it.  There was no option.
Someone had to face the devil and all his works and vanquish him to bring us freedom from the binding power of sin and evil.
 
And he did it.  He didn’t shy away. But it cost him, his life. 
 
He gave his life, that we might live.
 
As I ponder the picture I see his curly hair, almost resembling snakes, encircling him.
The torment was real, mental as well as physical; spiritual torment.
Such resolution, in the face of such rejection.
 
Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.
 
And so he broke through to spiritual freedom, inviting us all to follow him.
What love, what grace, what a gift.
 
 
Like Father Patrick van der Vorst from Christian Art ( info@christian.art if you want to subscribe), I have printed off the picture and am going to meditate on it daily during Lent. Perhaps you will join me.
                                                                                                                                                      

Priscilla Smith

21st February 2025

Keeping Our Eyes on God

In our busy and often overwhelming lives, it is easy to lose sight of the most important thing: God. Distractions, worries, and the hustle of daily tasks can cloud our hearts and minds. Yet, throughout Scripture, we are called to keep our eyes firmly fixed on God.

In the book of Hebrews, we are urged to "fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2). When we focus on Him, we are reminded that He is our source of strength, peace, and purpose. When we walk through challenges, keeping our gaze on God helps us navigate life's storms with grace and confidence.

Think of Peter, walking on water towards Jesus. As long as he kept his eyes on the Lord, he was able to walk above the waves. But as soon as he became distracted by the wind and the waves, he began to sink. (Matthew 14:22-33). This story teaches us that when we lose focus on Jesus, we too can feel overwhelmed and lost. Yet, just as Jesus reached out to save Peter, He is always there to lift us up when we falter.

Keeping our eyes on God is not about perfection, for me it is a constant work in progress. It is about a daily, intentional choice to turn our hearts toward Him. Whether through prayer, Scripture, or simply pausing in our day to remember His presence, these small moments help us remain connected to the divine.

In our church family, we are reminded that we are not alone in this journey. We are united in our shared faith, and together we encourage one another to keep our eyes on the Lord. In the Eucharist, we encounter Christ in a tangible way, strengthening our gaze on Him. In the sacraments, we receive His grace to sustain us as we walk the path He has laid before us.
Let us, as a community, commit to keeping our eyes on God. In doing so, we will find peace amidst the chaos, purpose in our actions, and joy in the journey.

May God bless each of us as we fix our gaze on Him, trusting in His eternal love and guidance.

Annie Maguire
 

7th February 2025
 

Revelation 22:1-2

He showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruits, yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

Reflections. 

When you go for a walk in the woods, fields, park or streets you see trees everywhere. At this time of year you can see straight through the entangled branches. Some are gnarled and old with thick trunks, some young and slender. Some are tall, some are small. Some have lots of spidery twigs meshed together and some have huge branches that sway freely  apart in the wind. They are paradoxically all very alike and yet all very different - which makes them all the more interesting!

If God has created these trees with so much detail, beauty and diversity, how much more does He care about the design of us, His children?

I have been learning to trust God so much more recently and rely on His strength as I navigate the storms of life. When you look at the beauty of each tree you can be reminded how we are all so different yet all so alike in our need for a loving and forgiving God. Like the trees in winter, God can see through us and like the trees in summer we are replenished and satisfied through Him. He knows how we are feeling, what we are hiding, how we are coping with what life throws at us. He wants to help us to grow to our full potential by trusting in him. 

Trees in the Bible hold a special place with their profound symbolism. Some of the most powerful images in Christianity come from trees. Think about how the seed has to die and be buried so that it can rise again to life; not just any kind of life but life that gives abundant fruits and new seeds. You die that others may live. This is the life of Christ. It is the ultimate image of self-sacrifice and love for others, and in Jesus’ words, there is no greater love than someone laying down his life for his friends.

Trees provide food, cover, medicine, and building materials and are fascinating to look at. Unsurprisingly, the Bible depicts God as a tree or that humans, especially believers, are like trees bearing good fruit. It’s God’s providence in one symbol that we are to imitate.

This is such an important and deep part of our relationship with God and Jesus. Trust his timing, his word, listen to him and trust his voice. He has a plan, little do we know what it is, but we must try and trust God. Just as he provides each tree with water, with beautiful leaves at the right time of year, so he provides for us. In our emotional, physical and spiritual needs. Emmanuel, God is with us.

God might be teaching us to step out of our comfort zone and be bold  for Him. He might be teaching us to be brave in sorrow or pain. He might be asking us to give to others when times are tough or address another aspect in life…… but each time we must lean on Him and ‘Trust’ God. He has designed us and knows every hair on our head and every part of our bodies in the same way that he knows every branch and every twig of a tree. He knows how our heart is feeling and how strong we can be. So be brave and trust God each day. He is our loving father, and like those trees who seemingly talk to each other in the wind, our roots, through the church, are connected. As God sustains the trees, so he feeds us.

Remember that we can cope with the storms of life through the sacrifice made by the man who died on a tree.

Psalm 1:3

He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water, that produces its fruit in its season, whose leaf also does not wither. Whatever he does shall prosper.

God Bless

Ginny Lawson-Tancred

25th January 2025

As the 1st month of 2025 comes to an end I want to wish everyone a happy new year and that the rest of the year goes smoothly and well and the goals and challenges you may have set for the new year come to something great and help you realise something great about yourself. 

This year I’ve challenged myself to grow my faith and become closer to God in small ways in the hopes of them becoming big steps in my relationship with the Lord. Over the past year I’ve met with a small group and we spend time praying and focusing on a small chapter  and verses from the Gospels, slowly understanding who Jesus was and is to this day and how he still teaches us those lessons from the bible. 

This week I’ve been really struck by Luke 8 1-14;

The parable of the sower and the seeds;

 The teaching of this of the sower talks about the soil the seeds fall on, The story teaches us that the seeds are the word of God and the words Jesus told the disciples with the large crowds. How the words fell on the seeds on the road but was eaten by the birds and taken away is the word of God that is not really heard and is just taken in passing by. 

The seeds that fell In the rocky soil is the words that fell on the hearts and minds of people who heard them but chose not to listen and carried on with life not wanting to know more so it’s not rooted deeply.

The seed that fell on soil but has had weeds and thorns grow alongside is the people who listen and try to take the words to heart but the tough parts of life keep up, the worry of money and people and judgement keep up and the words get forgotten and the the flower withers and dies. 

The seed that falls on good soil with water from good people around us and nourishment grows strong and keeps faith and stays alive listening to the word of God and stays in a close relationship to him. 

So the 1st question I want you to think about is where do you see yourself on this scale? Are you rooted deeply in the word of God? Do you have a constant relationship with him? 

If you’re wanting to know more and to grow your roots or want to focus away from the thorns of life don’t hesitate to reach out to any of the leadership team or someone you trust to help you become stronger. 

I myself see that my relationship is strong and deep rooted but sometimes the weeds and thorns catch up and I do struggle with life and sometimes don’t turn straight to God and that means I leave it and don’t listen to him straight away. 

The next step is from the next part of the chapter 8 verses 16-18. 

The lamp on the stand.

The part tells us not to hide the light of God’s influence on us and let the world know of our faith, let his lessons shine from us into all aspects of our lives. Let the rest of the world see who He is and how He influences our lives. We are called to be apart from the rest of the world. But there’s one extra realisation that I have discovered in this last week when we put both of these stories together, when a seed grows into a flower it relies on light to help it grow strong and tall. When we grow strong in our faith and relationship with Him we are told to let it shine in all aspects of our lives this means we can be a light for those who are growing in faith and help them grow towards the light of God and away from the thorns of life. 

So I leave you with the reflection to think about where you are growing and how you are letting your light shine and I ask that you let it shine across all aspects of your life and let all who come across you see God through all you do! 

Have a great 2025 and let your roots grow deeper and your light become brighter and show people the path of God. 

Richard Acaster

(Youth Group Volunteer)
 

10th January 2025