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Holy Trinity
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 O Lord it is hard to be humble when you are perfect in every way...
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Romans 12:16 - NIV I am reading Pride and Prejudice at the moment. Lady Catherine de Bourgh is proving to be an interesting character. After hearing Elizabeth Bennett play the piano, she remarks, "There are few people in England, I suppose, who have more true enjoyment of music than myself, or a better natural taste. If I had ever learnt, I should have been a great proficient." I'm guessing Lady Catherine wasn't very familiar with this verse from Romans! In my own experience, the people I have admired the most have often been the most humble who quietly perform their acts of greatness. (Compare the respect that David Attenborough is held in with that of Elon Musk). If we are honest, we all battle with our egos. Jesus asks us to put our need for recognition and praise to one side and focus on the needs of others, putting good relationships before the need to protect our fragile egos, afterall 'blessed are the meek!' Revd Steve
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 Our Drop-in sessions started 2 weeks ago and have exceeded expections so far. Don't forget they are available to every-one so if you feel like a cuppa and a chat please come down!  The Way...
Christ Jesus has made me his own’ (Philippians 3 v.12) Paul was not a convert from one religion to another, but from religion to faith. He remained a Jew until the day he died, but a Jew who followed ‘the Way’ . He had moved from the desire to belong to an in-group, whose boundaries were to be zealously policed, into a love relationship with the Lord who breaks all such boundaries down. The human desire to be in with the in-crowd is an aspect of what the New Testament writers call ‘the flesh’. This desire has a way of infiltrating all religions, including Christianity, and feeds on marks of identity and status such as clothing, title and position (Matthew 23.5-7). Paul appears to have liked being with his particular religious in-crowd (the Pharisees), and he had several reasons to be well in. Then he met Jesus. Paul came to see – probably quite suddenly in an epiphany moment – that there was another way, the way of an out-group whose members were not defined by the usual markers of identity. These folk were not a social club but a living organic body, reflecting the love of Christ and made alive through the Spirit. They reflected the openness of Christ. They offered a welcome to all who trusted Christ, including their former persecutor, Paul himself. Once Paul found this, or, more correctly, found that he had himself been found, there was no going back; the Way was onwards and upwards. Revd Steve  In addition to the regular Sunday Service at 9.30am. The following Services are due to take place in the run-up to Easter 2025:-
Ash Wednesday - 5th March 7.00pm Maundy Thursday - Passover Meal 17th April 7.00pm Easter Sunday - 20th April 9.30am. The Elsecar School Easter Service is scheduled for 10th April at 9.30am but this has yet to be confirmed.  Bring me sunshine...
When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy." (NIV). Psalm 94:19 The whole of Psalm 94 is actually a prayer for justice in the midst of wickedness. Perhaps we are living through such a time when it seems that bigotry, intolerance and the hijacking of Christianity by politicians are all on the ascendant. However, for the writer, evil is transient while God's goodness is eternal. The prayer is that we remain steadfast in our faith, confident in God's care and righteousness. God promises peace to those who believe and following Jesus' way provides 'peace that surpasses understanding' (Philippians 4:7). At moments of inner turmoil or national strife God is with us and remains the ultimate source of comfort and justice. Revd Steve |
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