Cookies? What cookies?

Later on today we will be off to pick up some shopping. Our first choice would have been to have had home delivery but as that will not now be possible until sometime in the distant future we opted for "click and collect".  So there we are, having logged on to our supermarket of choice, selected a morning pick up slot and filled our basket with what we need, now at the checkout. Credit card details entered and the submit button pressed. Before us is an error message. So we try again. Three tries later and still no luck.  We phone the help line. Two hours later we get through and are told it is to do with our cookies. But we haven't bought any cookies we declare. No it's the cookies on the computer, they are interfering with things. So we are shown how to clear the cookies and Bob's your Uncle success. Unfortunately it has taken so long that we have lost our morning pick up slot, fortunately there is one in the afternoon, phew!

In the Lord's Prayer we say "give us this day our daily bread". There can be a range of interpretations of this but I do believe among them is asking God to provide for our needs today. There are many working very hard to make sure we all have enough "daily bread". That includes  the person on the other end of the supermarket help line, obviously really busy, those who produce and distribute food as well as those who sell it. Perhaps every now and then it does no harm to pause and give thanks for them and ask God's protection over them.

In John 6:35  Jesus says :

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."

We have the assurance that in Jesus we will also be fed in another way not just for today but in the future too. As  Jesus goes on to say in vrs 40:

"For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life.” 

This is also something to give thanks for, especially in times like we face today.

Dear God

We thank you for all those 
who work so hard to bring 

No cookies here!!

food to our tables.

We pray that when shopping 
people will not be greedy 
and will respect the staff who serve them.

We pray for your protection
over all who have to visit or 
work in shops today.

Loving God we thank you that
Jesus is the bread of life.
May we feed on this truth today and 
in the time ahead.

In his name we ask it.

Amen

The wizardry of technology

I have just come off a zoom meeting with other colleagues from the circuit. It was basically a virtual staff meeting and for many it all worked well. Unfortunately on Monday morning my internet speed and connection was not that good, I wonder if it was because so many are having to communicate this way.  So when I came to speak it was breaking up so much I sounded like a cyberman from Dr Who!! Now that is quite scary as when I was a boy it was the cyberman that frightened the life out of me. Last night I had a different experience with zoom. At Almondbury Methodist we had our first virtual house group meeting, not a cyberman in sight then.  As restrictions mean that we cannot go and personally see people, using such technology as the internet , and even telephones is becoming an important way to communicate with each other. But sometimes things might go wrong with the technology or it might not work as quickly as we want. Then we will need to be patient.  Being patient is not something we are used to these days. We have become so used to having what we need immediately, or at least ordered now for immediate pick up or next day delivery, which the wizardry of technology has brought us. Having to be patient might not such a bad thing. It might make us appreciate things more when they do happen, it might make us have to wait a little longer for things and in the waiting we might create space to use for something else. 
In Romans 12: 12 it says:

"Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer." (NRSV)

In this time of suffering it might be difficult to be patient, we want solutions and so often look to science and technology to provide them.  The great hope we have is that there are many people using their skills to find solutions to what is happening. it may not happen overnight, we need to be patient and let them do their jobs and as we are patient support them with our prayers.

Loving God

Who is always patient with us
we pray that we too may have
patience at this difficult time.
We thank you for the technology 
that helps us to communicate
with each other.
We thank you for all those working
in science and technology to find
ways to help at this time.
Bless their work and keep them safe.

This we ask in the name of Jesus.

Amen

Oh and I worked out how to set up a subscribe by email box. If you want to, please enter your email in the box at the top of the page and you will be sent an email when there is a new post. Some more technical wizardry!

The 5th Sunday in Lent

Welcome to this short service for the 5th Sunday in Lent, or Passion Sunday.

You might like to begin by listening to a version of the hymn Breathe on Me, Breath of God. (Singing the Faith 370)

If so please click the link below.

Breathe on Me ,Breath of God

Below is the Gospel reading set for today. In the video that follows you will be asked to pause to give you the opportunity to read it for yourself.

Thank you.

John 11: 1-45

The Death of Lazarus

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, ‘Lord, he whom you love is ill.’ But when Jesus heard it, he said, ‘This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’ Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.

Then after this he said to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judea again.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?’ Jesus answered, ‘Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.’ After saying this, he told them, ‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.’ Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead. For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.’ Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow-disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with him.’

Jesus the Resurrection and the Life

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha said to him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.’

Jesus Weeps

When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, ‘The Teacher is here and is calling for you.’ And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’ But some of them said, ‘Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?’

Jesus Raises Lazarus to Life

Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, ‘Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead for four days.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?’ So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upwards and said, ‘Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.’ When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’

The Plot to Kill Jesus

Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. (NRSV).

After after being invited to pray please pause and click on the link below.

Song for prayer

Then please return to the video to share in the grace.

Thank you

Exit, persued by a bear.

It's Saturday and the end of the week I said I would share some favourite passages from scripture. I finish with this from 2 Kings 2: 23- 24:

 Elisha left Jericho and went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, a group of boys from the town began mocking and making fun of him. “Go away, baldy!” they chanted. “Go away, baldy!”  Elisha turned around and looked at them, and he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of them. (NLT)

Now what is that all about!!! Elisha has just performed a miracle purifying a stream and now this!!

Being somewhat follically challenged myself these days I might understand Elisha's hurt, but surely the respond is completely out of proportion, isn't it? Some say that these two events echo the message from Moses, about having life and death set before us and to choose life (Deuteronomy 30:15). It shows that God can bring both life and death depending on our actions. I wonder if deep down many of us wish that sometimes God might do this sort of thing to those horrible people we encounter; as it says in a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon after Calvin has once more been bullied by Moe;  "It's hard to be religious when certain people are never incinerated by bolts of lightning".

Even-so if honest I am still left with questions about passages like this one and really have no clear cut answers. So why is this a favourite of mine?

Well it is because I am left with questions to struggle with. When ever I hear someone say we should do something because it says so in the Bible, I am reminded of this passage. It could be easy to use this passage to ask God to inflict all sorts of unpleasant things on the people who hurt us in different ways. I wonder whether more harm than good has been done over the years by people picking passages to suit their opinions. For me the Bible is the living word of God, it is by engaging with it prayerfully, even the difficult bits, and seeking the guidance of the Holy spirit, that we can grow in our faith and seek to make it relevant to the situations we face today.

Over eight hundred years later as he entered the last weeks of his life Jesus too was insulted, mocked, betrayed, scourged. He could have called on God like Elisha did but his response was very different. In this instance perhaps we should all seek to be more like Jesus than Elisha. 

A more friendly bear

Gracious God

In those time when others hurt us and we want to strike out, help us to be more like Jesus forgiving and seeking the good of all. 

We pray for those who have been hurt by what others have said, bring healing to their hearts. 

We pray for those who use words carelessly, help them to be more thoughtful. 

As we read your holy word we ask 
that the Holy Spiry will guide 
and teach us                                                           
so that we may grow in love of you.

This we ask in the name of Jesus.

Amen

Clap your hands

12 You will live in joy and peace.
    The mountains and hills will burst into song,
    and the trees of the field will clap their hands!  (Isaiah 55:12 NLT)

At eight o'clock last night I stood in my doorway and started to clap. Around the square where we live neighbours were doing the same, some were cheering others sounding their car horns, in the background we saw fireworks fill the sky. This was happening across the land in support of, and to say a very big thank you to,  our nations care workers and NHS staff.

And quite right too. My dad worked for the NHS from its early days going to train as a laboratory technician after finishing his National Service in the RAMC. He stayed all of his working life , even when given the opportunity to get a better paid job elsewhere, eventually becoming a Chief Scientific Officer running a lab in a hospital. Many a night he would be on call, being called out to crossmatch blood and so on. Then he would go to work the next morning. The last job my mum had was as a nurse in an anti natal clinic. I was lucky enough to get a job during my student days as a grade three orderly, aka a cleaner, meeting some truly wonderful people. Today our daughter works for the NHS and we are so very proud of her.

There are many families up and down the land who will have similar stories about loved ones who have committed their lives to care for others by working for the NHS and care sector. They do not do it for the money, they do it because of the type of people they are, and through what they do I am convinced we see the love and power of God at work bringing hope and healing.

So when we were all clapping last night I have no doubt God and the whole company of heaven, including dad, and perhaps even the trees of the field were clapping their hands too.

Dear God

Today we pray for all those working in the care sector and the NHS.

We thank you for their commitment to what they do;

for the care they show  and the skills they use for bringing healing.

We pray for those who support medical staff 
so they can do their jobs;

for those responsible for managing hospitals and care homes, that they will be given what is needed

Keep all these people safe 
as they work for us.

Loving God we pray that last night will 
not be a one off, 
but that the appreciation 

shown will just continue to grow.

This we ask in the name of Jesus.

Amen 

Just a little extra for today. Join in at home if you want.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fgk1r_0Psc

Send me.

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’ ( Isaiah 6:8 NRSV).

It was a rarefied atmosphere in the chapel of Jesus College Oxford when at a communion service I heard these words as part of the Old Testament reading. I was seventeen and during that service I felt such an assurance of God's call I could only later describe it as my warming of the heart experience, to use John Wesley's term. It was part of my journey of faith that was to lead to ordination and continues today, relying on God's grace day by day.  We are all I believe called by God in some way. In these times we might be asking what am I called to? Perhaps part of the answer to that is that we are called to be faithful, faithful in our belief in a God who is still there, even when it is not so evident, faithful in our prayers, even when we may wonder if they are heard.  In recent days many have heard the call to volunteer to help in the NHS. This is marvellous and I cannot help but think that God is at work through this. I also feel that God has been, and is at work in what so many in our churches have done and continue to do to support each other. Getting shopping and prescriptions, having a chat on the phone, writing a letter or card. These are some of the ways we can fulfil our call as God's people.

It was some years after my Oxford experience that my daughter had been to Oxford for a few days. On her return she said she had gone looking for Jesus College and then gave me a mug she had bought. On it was the crest of the college, as I received this thoughtful gift once more, but perhaps in a different way, my heart was strangely warmed.

Dear God

We thank  you that you call us all in ways that are unique to us.
Help us to use the 
gifts and graces 
you have given 
to fulfil our calling.
We thank you for those who have volunteered to help  the NHS.
We especially thank you for those who work in the NHS and care sector looking after the most ill and vulnerable 
at this time.
May your hand of protection 
be on them; 
May they get what they need 
to keep safe so they can care for others.

This we ask in the name of Jesus

The beauty of birdsong

 "Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight." ( Luke 12: 6 CSB)

The other morning I woke up early , around 4am, and as I could not get back to sleep decided to go downstairs and make myself a drink. As I waited for the kettle to boil I heard from outside a chorus of birdsong, it was beautiful and unexpected. It is that time of year where we seem again to be having blackbirds nesting in our small garden. Blue tits will hopefully return to the the nesting box we have up , and just the other day we saw some robins hopping about on the wall.  These are all God's creatures, wonderfully made, and I wonder if at times like these they can bring us some joy in the day.  Have a look out of your window, what birds do you see?  Step into the garden and listen, what birdsong do you hear? Then remember that all you see and hear is part of God's marvellous creation. The same creative God who does not forget the sparrows, will surely not forget us. 




Creative God

We give you thanks for
the beauty we can see 
around us;
the songs of the birds;
the colours of the garden.
Help us to appreciate what 
we see and what we hear.
We pray today
for those who work
to keep us safe, keep them safe.
For those who are 
sad or anxious,
that they may feel your presence           
in the beauty of creation.

In the name of Jesus

Amen

The Lord is with you

The verse I share today is from Joshua 1: 9 :

"This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

The Israelites have been wandering around in the wilderness for forty years and they are now on the verge of crossing the Jordan into the promised land. What lays before them is unknown, they have a new leader as Moses has now died. I wonder if when given the order to  "get their provisions ready" there was also a sense of anxiety even fear about what happens next.

Today is the first day following our Prime Minister's directive to stay at home.  This is because we do not know what the future holds at the moment  but there is a fear for what it might hold.  It seems that God may well have sensed the feelings of his chosen people for He gave the above word of assurance to Joshua. Amongst the fear the Israelites followed their leaders and got ready to do as directed assurance that God was indeed with them.

Whatever we are feeling at the moment I still believe in those words of the Lord to Joshua. So let us follow the directives of our leaders and let us know that God is with us.


Gracious God

Mist over the Tennessee River.
Tim Francis 2017

On this day when so 
much has changed 
and remains unknown;
we pray for those 
who are fearful 
or anxious about what 
lays ahead.
Give us all a sense of 
your presence today.
Help us to do what is 
right at this time.
We pray for all those working 
in the NHS in whatever way.
Thank you for all that they    
are doing for us;              
may your hand of protection 
be on them.

This we ask in the name of Jesus .                                                                               
Amen                                                   

Living stones

I thought that over the next week I would share with you some of my favourite Bible verses/passages and I am going to start with 1 Peter 9: 5 " And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple" (NLT).  When I read this I think of all the beautiful buildings created out of stone. Depending on what part of the county you are in the stone will be of a different type, a different colour.
To make many of those buildings stones had to be cut to the right size and shape to fit. Trying to build something out of stones of all sorts of sizes , colours and shapes is not that easy. Yet that is what God does with the church. In the church people are not all one size, or already cut to fit. We are many many different types, in fact if we are living stones then no stone is alike. How then can we be built into something meaningful?   Well for me this is where God comes in. Through the work of the Holy Spirit we are shaped in our hearts into the people God wants us to be. Note the scripture says " that God is building"  not has built. this is a lifelong process. So it is I believe possible to have all sorts of "living stones" as part of God's spiritual temple. Each stone in its own way is of great value because it is being built into God's spiritual temple. This means that you and I are of great value to God. I believe it should also mean that we are of great value to each other.

A brief prayer to finish

Dear God

We thank you that you call us to be living stones;
we thank you that you love and value us for who we are;
we thank you for the Holy Spirit working in us
to shape us into the people you want us to be.
Help us to value all people
and in so doing show Your love for all.

Amen

Mothering Sunday

Below is a short service on video for Mothering Sunday.

It is the first attempt at this with help from others and I hope you find it helpful.

This is the Gospel Reading set:

John 9: 1-41

A Man Born Blind Receives Sight

9As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. ²His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ ³Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. ⁴We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. ⁵As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ ⁶When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, ⁷saying to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. ⁸The neighbours and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, ‘Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?’ ⁹Some were saying, ‘It is he.’ Others were saying, ‘No, but it is someone like him.’ He kept saying, ‘I am the man.’ ¹⁰But they kept asking him, ‘Then how were your eyes opened?’ ¹¹He answered, ‘The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, “Go to Siloam and wash.” Then I went and washed and received my sight.’ ¹²They said to him, ‘Where is he?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’

The Pharisees Investigate the Healing

13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. ¹⁴Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. ¹⁵Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, ‘He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.’ ¹⁶Some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.’ But others said, ‘How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?’ And they were divided. ¹⁷So they said again to the blind man, ‘What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.’ He said, ‘He is a prophet.’
18 The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight ¹⁹and asked them, ‘Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?’ ²⁰His parents answered, ‘We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; ²¹but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.’ ²²His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. ²³Therefore his parents said, ‘He is of age; ask him.’
24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, ‘Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.’ ²⁵He answered, ‘I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.’ ²⁶They said to him, ‘What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?’ ²⁷He answered them, ‘I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?’ ²⁸Then they reviled him, saying, ‘You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. ²⁹We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.’ ³⁰The man answered, ‘Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. ³¹We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. ³²Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. ³³If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.’ ³⁴They answered him, ‘You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?’ And they drove him out.

Spiritual Blindness

35 Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ ³⁶He answered, ‘And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.’ ³⁷Jesus said to him, ‘You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.’ ³⁸He said, ‘Lord, I believe.’ And he worshipped him. ³⁹Jesus said, ‘I came into this world for judgement so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.’ ⁴⁰Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, ‘Surely we are not blind, are we?’ ⁴¹Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, “We see”, your sin remains.

Saturday morning thanks

As I set off for a walk to get today's paper my attention is drawn to two things that make me pause to give thanks. The first is a splash of yellow on green as I notice the batches of daffodils that have sprung up in the small wood near to where we live. Every year without fail this happens, no matter what else goes on. It reminds me of the story of Jeremiah when at the time when all was lost in Jerusalem he was told by God to go and buy a field, for "the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.’ (Jeremiah 32:15 NIV). This was and is a sign of hope for the future. With the recent decision to shut pubs, bars, cafes, gyms and the like and the concern over peoples jobs and well-being as a result, finding hope may not always be easy. It is at times when it is not easy that our faith assures us that God is with us.  We may not be able to buy a field but if we have a garden perhaps we could plant something that will sprout up in the months ahead, this could be our way of expressing hope for tomorrow. Or if not that just keep an eye out for plants and flowers growing and bringing new life.

The second cause for thanks was seeing a neighbour returning home from work. He drives a lorry for a large supermarket and I know that he would have been out all night making deliveries to ensure stores remain supplied with what we need. He and many like him,often unseen are doing an important job and so let us give thanks for them and pray that they will be kept safe at this time.

Tomorrow I am hoping to be able to post a short service on video but for today
I leave you with this prayer.

May the Lord abundantly bless your

hopes and dreams, bring blessing

out of your trials and challenges,

and bless others through your

hands and heart.

Amen

School's Out!

When I was at school a popular song of the time was "School's Out" by Alice Cooper. At the end of year discos ( remember those?) it would often be played and we would all join in with gusto when it got the the part " School's out FOREVER". Well who would have believed it? For many today this has become true sooner than expected, and whilst for others it will not be forever it certainly is for the foreseeable future.  But of course not all schools will be closed. Many will stay open in some form to provide care for the children of key workers. For this to happen staff at those schools will need to go in to run them to ensure young people are cared for properly. So on this day there are perhaps a range of people we can think about and pray for. These include the young people who will not be going to school. Those who might be concerned because of examination cancellations. Those who will miss the opportunity of a celebration with  school friends and the chance to sing whatever the equivalent of "School's Out" is today. Then there are those who will be still be going to school next week and the staff who will look after them. No doubt we will all know someone who falls into these categories, maybe we can especially hold them in our prayers today and in the time ahead until our schools fully reopen.

Many children will now be learning at home. Perhaps we might like to learn at home too by reading a book or doing an online course. Perhaps even doing a study of a book of the Bible.

Psalm 32:8 says this:

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. (NIV)

May we all take this opportunity to learn from and of God assured that his loving eye keeps watch over us.

God bless

Great is your faithfulness

Dear friends

This morning I was at a meeting chaired by our Superintendent to discuss the present situation. After careful thought and consideration it was decided to suspend all activities on church premises for the time being. The only exceptions will be if premises are needed to enable government strategies. We did consider opening for a while for prayer on a Sunday but in order to follow government guidelines  faithfully decided against this too. Face to face visiting will also not be possible at this time so I will use other ways of keeping in touch such as telephone, email, text and in written form. If you want a chat please do feel free to phone me.  My mobile number will now go on the notice sheet. 

With all that it going on it could be easy to get a bit fed up and that is understandable. Doing something to take your mind off things can sometimes help. On a recent retreat looking at the Book of Lamentations I felt the urge to do a bit of watercolour painting. Below is what I produced based on Lamentations 3.23-24 . OK so it is not up to the standard of some, but I enjoyed myself.  With the time we all might have on our hands perhaps having a dabble with some paints could be worth considering.

I leave you today with those verses from Lamentations:

22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
his mercies never 
come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

                                                     (NRSV)




Keep safe and God bless

Hello Everyone

Welcome to my blog. As you may be aware services at Almondbury, St Paul's Dalton and Shelley Methodist churches have had to be cancelled until further notice due to the coronaviris outbreak. One way I thought I could try to keep in touch with you all was by setting up this blog. I have never done a blog before so apologies in advance if it's not as good as some others, I will learn as I go along. Learning as we go along can be seen as part of our christian journey and in the time ahead we will all be needing to learn how to do things a bit differently as we come to terms with what is happening in our nation and across the world. I  do however believe that God is with us, there to sustain and support us especially at times like this. Whenever we see an act of random kindness there I believe we see the love of God at work. Do please look out for each other through prayers and deeds. I hope to be posting on a daily basis.
If you would like to join me with the prayer below you are welcome to do so.

God bless us all.



Dear God

In times of great concern and challenge You are our rock and deliverer.

Be with all those who have been affected in whatever way by the coronavirus.
Let them know your presence at this time.

We pray for all those in authority who have difficult decisions to make, may your wisdom guide them and sustain them.

We pray for ourselves, that you will bless us with your peace which passes all understanding, especially in those times when we may feel anxious.

This we ask in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen