Witney Congregational Church is a crossroads where we:

meet God in worship

meet one another in friendship

meet our community and world with the love of Jesus

April & May 2016 Issue 44

www.witneycongregational.org.uk

Minister: revdjasoncboyd@gmail.com

Office: witneycongoffice@gmail.com

WHAT’S ON GUIDE

Witney Congregational Church offer a whole range of activities through which we seek to Worship,

Work and Witness to the Lord Jesus Christ in this community today.

Further information can be obtained from the Church Administrator, Minister, Church Secretary or

the leaders of the particular activities who are listed at the back of this magazine.

WORSHIP

Daily Worship 9.30 am Mon-Fri Short time of Prayer and Reading

Saturday Praise 11.00 am 1st

Saturday of the month

Sunday Services 10.30 am

6.00 pm 1st

Sunday of the month

Communion is held twice during the month at the first Sunday evening and third Sunday morning

services

PRAYER

The Church is open each morning for Prayer

STUDY & FELLOWSHIP

Thursday 2.30pm Church (2nd

Thursday of each month)

YOUTH ACTIVITIES

Sunday 10.30 am Crèche, Noah’s Ark & The K.I.C.K. on Sundays

Monday 10.00 am Noah’s Ark – Infant Group for babies and pre-school children

Friday 7.00 pm Y4J – Twice a month

OTHER ACTIVITIES

Tuesday Monthly Deacon’s Meeting

Bi-Monthly Church Meeting

Thursday 10.00 am Rest & Chat (Coffee/Tea available)

Saturday 10.30 am Coffee Morning

SUNDAY LINK

Weekly bulletin for all Christians providing stimulating thought along with news and notices

concerning our Church

WITNEY ECUMENICAL YOUTH TRUST (BASE 33)

4 Welch Way (Entrance – High Street) 01993 774402

01993 864853 (Office)

St ANDREW’S BOOKSHOP 01993 709429

Opening Hours: Monday – Saturday 09.00 am – 5.00 pm

CHURCH WEBSITE

For further information, please visit our website:

www.witneycongregational.org.uk

As you read this edition, we will

have celebrated the greatest of all

Christian feasts - Easter; where we are

free to rejoice in a risen saviour who is

near to us in resurrection power. Let us

ot fo get the ag itude of Ch ist s sacrifice made for us all on the cross, and

the increasing number of Christians within

Witney and the local area who do the

Wit ess Walk to the Ma ket “ ua e service on Good Friday. No doubt you also

celebrated by the giving, and receiving, of

Easter eggs

In May, we will also be able to live

out the love of Christ in service to the

world by means of Christian Aid Week -

which runs from 15th

– 21st

. You are

encouraged to support this in whatever

way your personal circumstances may

permit.

Turning now to those who have

contributed to this edition; alongside the

standard pages, there are several mini-

sermons from members of the church;

Jason gives us an Easter poem; Canon

David Winter reflects on the Trinity &

Lesley Barter asks where did it all go

wrong to name but a few.

Many thanks for those who have

contributed for this edition, but would

encourage anyone to consider submitting

article(s) for the next edition by either:

E-mail:

terrypowlesland@uwclub.net

jacquipowlesland@uwclub.net

or, just plainly written on paper, which

can be typed up.

The next 3-monthly Summer edition,

covering June, July & August, is due on

Sunday 29th

May

Hearing

A man went into a church and asked the

vicar to pray for his hearing. Touched by

his faith, the vica ag eed. K eel he e, he began in a loud voice. The man knelt,

and the vicar placed a hand on each ear

and bellowed a prayer. "I hope that will

help," he finally shouted.

"Well, I won't know for a while," the man

replied. "It isn't until next month".

Bank Holidays

2nd

& 30th

May

Contents

1. Editorial

2. Diary

5. Pasto s Pape

6. The silent sermon

7. Prayer Letter No 174

9. Stranger walk with us

10. Luke 11: 5-8 mini-sermons

14. The Trinity

15. Café Church

16. Where did it all go wrong?

Your Editor

Daily Prayer Time:

Mon-Fri 9.30 am

Services

10.30 am weekly & 6.00pm on first Sunday of the month and

will normally be led by Rev Jason Boyd unless advised below

April

10th

am Morning Worship

17th

am Morning Worship Communion

24th

am Rev Judi Holloway & Gillian Warson

May

1st

am Morning Worship

pm Evening Worship Communion

7th

Saturday Praise 11.00am

8th

am Rev Judi Holloway & Kathy Shaw

15th

am Rev Judi Holloway Communion

22nd

am Morning Worship

29th

am Morning Worship

pm Madley Park Residential Home

June

4th

Creative Fun 10.00 – 12.00am

5th

am Café Church

pm Evening Worship Communion

The following events are given for your particular attention:

Apr

12th

Deaco s eeti g 7.30pm

21st

Fellowship Group – Church 2.30pm

May

3rd

Lite Bite piece of the Word 12.15pm

Deaco s eeti g 7.30pm

14th

Prayer Chain meeting 9.15am

CF May Assembly at Oldham

19th

Fellowship Group – Church 2.30pm

21st

LEAF meeting 4.00 – 6.00pm

22nd

Church meeting following Morning Worship & LEAF

June

7th

Deaco s eeti g 7.30pm

ROTAS WELCOMING TEAM

Apr 10 Nanna Blackman & Theo Howells

17 Pat Smith & Claire Woodward

24 Lesley Barter & Irene St Clair

May 01 Viviane Boyd & Cecily Lau

08 Pip & Beryl Cartwright

15 Robert & Jill McBride

22 Joan Currie & Susan Wass

29 Nanna Blackman & Theo Howells

June 05 Pat Smith & Claire Woodward

COMMUNION

Apr 17 am Norline Martin & Judi Holloway

Jacqui Powlesland & Lesley Barter

Preparation Susan Wass

May 01 pm Jacqui Powlesland

Preparation Jacqui Powlesland

15 am Viviane Boyd & Susan Wass

Beryl Cartwright & Jacqui Powlesland

Preparation Irene St Clair

June 05 pm Susan Wass

Preparation Susan Wass

FLOWERS

Apr 10 Jacqui Powlesland

17 Judi Holloway

24 Beryl Cartwright

May 01 Rita Hayes

08 Joan Currie

15 Val Obriain

22 Sonya Boyd

29 Jacqui Powlesland

June 05 Judi Holloway

COFFEE

Apr 10 Susan Wass & Judith Bungey

17 Viviane Boyd & Hilary Pratley

24 Clare Woodward & Susan Wass

May 01 Sue Birdseye & Irene St Clair

08 Jill & Robert McBride

15 Susan Wass & Judith Bungey

22 Viviane Boyd & Hilary Pratley

29 Clare Woodward & Susan Wass

June 05 Café Church

REST & CHAT

Apr 14 Pat Smith

21 Robert & Jill McBride

28 Beryl Cartwright

May 05 Joan Currie & Iris Lindsay

12 Pat Smith

19 Jean Stanley, Marina Bowerman & Irene St Clair

26 Robert & Jill McBride

June 02 Beryl Cartwright

09 Joan Currie & Iris Lindsay

Every effort has been made to meet individual circumstances. However, please change with

someone else if the dates are not convenient for you

Thank you

Sue, Alan and Cheryl would like to thank you

all so much for the lovely cards, prayers and

support we have received when my mother

passed away

We really do appreciate it

Congratulations to:

Finn Obriain

and Sam

Burgum who

got engaged on

26th

March

The following article, written by Canon David

Winter, has been extracted from Parish Pump, and

is entitled:

Leave Easter Alone!

Way back in 325 AD the Council of Nicaea decided

that Easter would be held on the first Sunday after

the first full moon occurring on or after the vernal

equinox. Simple (!?!)

No so e people a t a fi ed Easter. It would be more convenient. Holidays could be

planned, school terms would be more sensible,

and we could get rid of its old-fashioned religious

i plicatio s. I suspect, ho e er, that it o t happen.

There s so ethi g deliciousl ridiculous about a national holiday that can swing dizzily

from March to April and which can only be

calculated with the help of a complicated Table in

the Book of Common Prayer. I remember as a

choirboy ages ago whiling away a dull sermon by

calculating when Easter would come in 1984.

As for the religious bit, I think the

secularists would be surprised at how deeply

attached many people are to the wonderful story

of death and resurrection that the season

constantly retells. Up and down the land choirs

si g Ha del s Messiah . People i to centres

stand and watch a Good Friday procession or even

a simple re-enactment of the story. They may not

go to church, but at passion-tide and Easter the

church comes to them.

May 16 Jean Stanley

21 Terry Powlesland

24 Pip Cartwright

25 Bill Elliot

30 Robert McBride

Pat Smith

Apr 26 Sonya Boyd

Simon Brusch

Joyce Kearsey

Seren St Clair

28 Jo Matthews

24

Pastor’s Paper

It is a passage so familiar that I wondered

whether it could speak a fresh word to

me. Would it simply not reinforce the

things I already knew? The wonder of the

Bible is in its richness. It never ceases to

unearth new gems of insight.

It was Isaiah 52:13-53:12 and was

being read during evening worship. This

reflective service has wide spaces for

silence. Into the quietness Judi Holloway

spoke the words and I heard them fresh.

The “e a t as ushed fo ou i i uities : and …it as the ill of the LO‘D to ush hi ith pai : . I so e t a slatio s the o d uise is used i stead. Yet uise does ot come

close to expressing the Hebrew word

daka which has the sense of being

trampled underfoot and broken into

pieces. It is being pulverised in an

anguished death.

How brutal! How hopeless! The

Servant whose face is disfigured beyond

recognition, gawped at by kings and

nations in silent horror, is crushed by God

for our sins. His crushing brings our

healing. Out of his a guish he shall see light : . Through the crushing and

anguished death the righteous servant will

make many right with God (53:11).

Crushed. It was this word that

impressed itself on me. Being crushed has

profoundly negative connotations. Yet

somehow in this passage being crushed

leads to light and life. The crushing of the

Servant makes possible forgiveness and

healing.

I was prompted to think of

crushing lavender and the restful aroma

filling my sense of smell. Imagine,

walking through a herb garden and

crushing rosemary, thyme, and sage

between your thumb and forefinger. Can

you smell each distinct scent? And then

there is the citrus smell of vervain - one of

my favourite aromas. This leaf makes a

wonderful tea! Then think of wheat being

crushed into flour; grapes crushed for the

making of wine; olives crushed for oil and

paste. The crushing is destructive and yet

fruitful.

Christians read this passage of the

Servant in terms of Jesus. These past

weeks we have walked with him in his

suffering steadfastness as he was crushed

in a brutal and agonising death. His

crushing is our healing. His death is our

life.

What happens when we are

ushed y life s situatio s? Ho do e respond to moments in our lives when our

sense of who we are is crushed: the loss

of a job; the loss of status; by a failure; the

loss of a relationship; the death of a loved

one? How do we continue living when we

are faced with dying?

The One who was crushed to bring

us forgiveness, healing and the light of life

points us towards the fruitfulness of being

crushed. It is in those times of life when

we are utterly helpless and hopeless;

when darkness is palpable and God is

absent; when new life and a fresh

dawning day appears uncertain; our

crushing is met with his crushing. His

wounds meet our wounds and we are

healed.

The challenge is to take our

ushi g i to p aye a d dis o e Jesus meeting us there. He knows desolation:

My God! My God! Why have you

forsaken me? He knows consolation as he

is raised from death to life. Will we come

to him in our desolation to be consoled by

his resurrection?

What fragrance - what fruit - what

goodness - will come from the crushing

circumstances of our life? Invariably we

cannot tell until we have gone through

the valley of the shadow of death. Yet our

faith in the risen Lord gives us hope when

hope seems little more than an impossible

dream.

As we make our way from Easter

joy to Pentecost power, let us pray with

e e ed fe ou . Fo …the “pi it helps

us in our weakness; for we do not know

how to pray as we ought, but that very

Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for

o ds ‘o a s 8: . As we pray from

the pla ed of ushi g eak ess We know that all things work together for

good for those who love God, who are

alled a o di g to his pu pose ‘o a s 8:28)

Shalom

Turning over a new LEAF

Here is a date for your diary.

From 4 pm – 6 pm on Saturday, 21 May,

Suzanne Nockels will be joining us to help

us to begin the process of becoming a

LEAF (Listen, Engage, and Act in Faith)

church. We need all church members and

those who regularly attend to come along.

We will eat together and share in a time

of exploration led by Suzanne. Then, on

the 22 May, following the morning

worship, we will have a Church Meeting

with Suzanne helping us to continue the

mapping of our journey. This is your

hu h a d e e yo e s p aye ful i sights are needed. Please make this a priority.

The following article has been extracted

from Parish Pump, and is entitled:

The silent sermon

A member of a certain church, who had

previously attended services regularly,

stopped going. After a few weeks, the

minister decided to visit him. He found

the man at home all alone, sitting by a

blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his

minister's visit, the man welcomed him

awkwardly, and led him to a comfortable

chair near the fireplace and waited.

The minister made himself at

home, but said nothing. In the grave

silence, he contemplated the dance of the

flames around the burning logs. After

some minutes, he took the fire tongs,

carefully picked up a brightly burning

ember and placed it to one side of the

hearth all alone. Then he sat back in his

chair, still silent.

The host watched all this in quiet

contemplation. As the one lone ember's

flame flickered and diminished, there was

a momentary glow and then its fire was

no more. Soon it was cold and dead.

Not a word had been spoken since

the initial greeting. But now the minister

chose this time to leave. He slowly stood

up, picked up the cold, dead bit of coal

and placed it back in the middle of the

fire. Immediately it began to glow once

more, with the light and warmth of the

burning coals around it. With that, the

minister smiled at his host, and quietly let

himself out.

Grace and Greed 'Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs but not every man's greed' Mahatma Gandhi'

The the e fo the Chu hes Togethe i Wit ey Le t Quiet Day led y ‘e Joy Ha e as G eed a d G a e . Afte the Ope i g De otio s we were left to our own devices but with a wealth of

hints and suggestions and Bible passages on how to use the day in silence .

It could be just sitting quietly listening to God and /or talking to God, reading and reflecting on

one of the Bible passages, writing, drawing or painting ideas about life and where God seems to

be or his absence.

Greed is holding onto something whether it is love of money, possessions, talents, power and not

sharing with others what God has given us.

During a period of silent meditation a picture came into my mind of a waterfall or a spring, water

energy from the earth flowing with different force, other streams and rivers joining and flowing

on together as the water eventually reaches the estuary where the fresh water of the river meets

the salt water of a sea or ocean. During the journey of the river from its source to the mouth the

water is used by birds, insects ,animals, farmers, industry, household water supplies and leisure

activities. There is enough water to go round but people are greedy for water. Around the world

many disputes arise because water is used for personal gain e.g. farming, industry, watering golf

courses and not enough water is allowed to flow on so everyone can benefit from the original

source.

After my thoughts on this I painted a very simple picture showing water flowing with its

tributaries from the source to the estuary where it meets the sea. It was a very basic painting but

ha i g looked at it I ould see that the estua y looked like the ase of a large tree and the

tributaries of the river looked like branches spreading out from the trunk (river) The tree has its

roots firmly in the ground, the trunk reaching up spreading branches high and wide giving food,

shelte to a y of God s eatu es, birds, insects, animals and humans.

Jesus is often referred to as the ate of life . A uestio I asked yself. Is y faith fi ly ooted i Jesus as the ate of life a d sha i g this ith othe s? This as a d still is a challenging

question.

Some questions we had to reflect upon.

What am I afraid to let go of? In what do I put my trust, my security?

What am I keeping to myself which God may be inviting me to share with others?

What habits may be hindering my spiritual growth?

What material things am I attached to?

You may reflect on these questions too!!

The afte oo sessio of the day fo used o God s G a e.

We were asked to reflect on the grace of God in our lives- its unexpectedness, its capacity to

surprise and delight, its timing. Also questions to think about.

PRAYER LETTER

No 174

Ha e you see g a e at o k i people outside the Chu h, people ho ay ot o side the sel es eligious ? What do you thi k/feel a out this i elatio to God s g a e? (Joy Ha e s words)

God s G a e is a aila le to all. We ha e just e e e ed th ough the Easte Se i es that God s unconditional love was demonstrated through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross that we can be

forgiven and reconciled to God.

G a e is God s f eely-given love for people, forgiving sins, enlightening minds, stirring hearts and

strengthening wills. Through grace we are given the strength to live as loving sons and daughters

of God. ( New Zealand Prayer Book)

An early mnemonic for grace reads

God’s

Riches

At

Christ’s

Expense

The following is the second verse of a poem by Judith Pinhey - Grace

Gra e is God’s gift

For everyone everywhere

As free as fresh air,

Like water overflowing

With plenty to spare,

A new garment to wear

Grace is love

That fills

The whole earth

With its flair

Grace on the cross

Is God’s heart laid are

The whole Quiet Day was worthwhile and thought provoking.

May you feel and experience the Grace of God in your lives during the coming months.

Every Blessing

Beryl

Please note that for up-to-date prayer requests contact Beryl Cartwright (703717)

This was an extempore prayer on the 29 March 2016 at the Congregational Conference which I wrote

later that evening following a Bible Study on the Emmaus Road in Luke 24 with the bombings in

Belgium and Pakistan in mind.

(by Jason C. Boyd)

Stranger come and walk with us.

Our world is blown apart.

Stranger come and walk with us.

We cannot bear the news.

All our hopes are destroyed in a blast of hate.

It’s too uch.

Stranger come and walk with us.

Yes, we are sad.

We do not know what to feel or think.

Our world does ’t ake a y se se.

Stranger come and walk with us.

Ask us questions.

We are glad of your listening.

Stranger come and walk with us.

Call us foolish if you will.

After the cruelty of these past days we are numb to everything –

chiding too.

Stranger come and walk with us.

Explain everything.

Tell us.

Make sense of it all.

Stranger come and stay with us.

Here.

Take the bread.

Give thanks.

Break.

Give.

Stranger?

Jesus!

It is you!

We see.

You vanish.

Hearts burning you make plain words of scripture.

In your breaking we see sharp:

Jesus. Risen!

On the 26 January, a group interested in

preaching gathered for a seminar. This

was an exciting evening of sharing. Such

was the enthusiasm that there was a

collective desire to meet again to have a

practise.

On the 8 March six preachers came

together and shared a five minute sermon

on Luke 11:5-8. It was the same passage

for everyone but what a variety of insights

and approaches.

Nothing can ever replicate the oral

experience of hearing a sermon.

However, we wanted to give a taster of

what we were up to and so in what

follows, some of the preachers have

supplied a manuscript of their homily.

Enjoy!

Judi Holloway

The disciples ask Jesus how to pray and

once he has given them a pattern for

prayer he continues to instruct them by

telling them a story – a parable.

It reminds me of the parable found

in Luke 18 of the persistent widow

knocking on the Judge s door asking for

justice

I believe both parables are talking

about perseverance, being persistent in

p a e . Tea hi g us that God does t always respond immediately to our prayer

requests although I a t imagine that

God would ever sa do t othe e at this late hour. God is not indifferent to

our needs

This story implies that we have to

WAIT for the fulfilment of spiritual

desires, and teaches us that it is worth

waiting for. Fulfilment will come. God is

good to those who wait upon him

It tells us that we should be

persistent. Not only persistent but bold.

This man was asking for three loaves, as

opposed to one. He was willing to go out

to find bread to feed his friend, regardless

of the time of day.

In those days food was not as

readily available as it is today - no

supermarkets, no 8 til late shops. Enough

bread was baked each day for the needs

of that day. Hospitality was held in high

regard and was seen almost as a duty. A

visitor was welcomed and cared for,

regardless of the hour of his arrival.

Because of the intense midday heat,

people often travelled in the evening. A

traveller arriving near midnight was not

uncommon. The host had t got any

bread, so he goes to his f ie d s house regardless of the lateness of the hour to

ask for his help.

Jesus asks his liste e s, hi h of you has the nerve to wake up his friend

(and possibly his family) in the middle of

the night to ask for ead?

It s eas to u de sta d this a s elu ta e to p o ide fo his f ie d s eed.

Anyone who has ever wrestled to get

children into bed u de sta ds this a s unwillingness to do anything to arouse his

children. The man inside the house

initially refused the request; friendship

alone was not enough to upset the whole

household. Jesus is saying to His listeners,

Ca ou i agi e a f ie d who would

ea t i su h a a ? . He k e thei answer - No of ou se ot! Ulti atel , the reluctant friend got up and gave his

neighbour what he needed, for one

reason only, the persistence of the man

making the request.

Jesus is not comparing God to a

sleepy, selfish and angry neighbour. He is

contrasting the two; He is telling the

disciples that if a neighbour can, on the

basis of friendship and social etiquette, be

persuaded to meet the needs of a friend,

how much more will your father in heaven

meet the needs of his children.

Sometimes we think that the

reason for unanswered prayer is that we

have not been persistent enough. We say

at least to ou sel es, I k o that if I had prayed more, it would have been better,

Perhaps that s because we have

convinced ourselves that we must keep

beating on God s doo u til e o e o e God s u illi g ess to a t.

I believe that the key to knowing

hethe ou eall desi e God s ill lies i aski g ou sel es ho ofte do I seek his guida e he I not fa i g diffi ulties ?

God is eager to respond to his

children who unashamedly ask,

persistently seek and expectantly knock at

His door with their needs and requests

Kathy Shaw

In order to set the scene and put this Bible

reading into context, Jesus was on the

start of His journey to Jerusalem, and all

that we now know it entailed. He was fully

aware of its conclusion, but despite this

knowledge Jesus made the time to talk to

people, to explain things and to even

teach them how to pray. Often, when

talking to people He used stories and

parables to explain concepts and

synergies, using familiar known objects

and situations for the people of that time.

The parables in Chapter 10 of Luke are

examples of this way of teaching. Often

we find it easier today to understand a

concept when we think about personal

experience on a subject.

Jesus had arrived in the village of

Martha and Mary, where he is welcomed

into their home as their guest. Leading up

to this Jesus has had an increasingly busy

and tiring time being amongst people,

talking with them and sharing His

teachings. He has had to make the journey

to this village, which would have been

tiring, had to make the effort of making

conversation, as a guest in their house,

talking to people, some of whom he

would have been meeting for the first

time. He then managed to take a short

time out to pray, away from His hosts, and

then immediately afterwards he was

asked by one of his disciples to help them

pray like John did with his disciples.

We know that He is already

beginning to focus on the journey to

Jerusalem, and the destination, and all

that lay ahead of Him, but we read that

He continues to make the time to answer

questions and to respond to the request

by one of his disciples at the beginning of

chapter 11 to help them to pray. He uses

the o ds of the Lo d s P a e , as e efe to it today.

In verse 5 we learn how Jesus gets

them to imagine that they have a sleepy

f ie d, ho does t a t to e othe ed to get out of bed to help welcome and

feed a isito . This sleep a ould e those who do not believe in what Jesus is

teaching, or those who do not have the

motivation to respond to His words,

finding it easier to ignore the request than

to act on it.

We know that the sleepy man

responds to the request reluctantly, and

not because he particularly wanted to, but

because he felt he had to do so. He

responds out of duty. It has parallels with

the Lo d s Ta le – Co e, ot e ause ou ought, ut e ause ou a t to .

This was not unusual for the time

as the laws of hospitality in the ancient

Middle East were strict, and if a traveller

arrived needing food and shelter, one was

under an obligation to provide it, whether

it be to a friend or stranger.

So Jesus, in using this example

shows that he understands the laws of

hospitality and also shows that he has a

level of understanding of what people

could relate to.

Jesus contrasts this with God,

Co e i to the house of the Lo d , ho is ever loving and will welcome us to Him

with open arms, whatever the time or the

request, whatever we have done, or not

done. We learn how God will never turn

us away and that He will always provide

sustenance for us, not just food to meet

our physical needs but food to meet our

spiritual well-being also – not because He

has to, but because He wants to.

He then goes on to give us an open

invitation to ask God for all the delights of

heaven and for the receiving of the Holy

Spirit within us, and to assure us that we

will get those things from God if only we

open ourselves up to Him and allow Him

in

Gillian Warson

Asking for something - a favour or

material goods can require a certain a

mount of courage.

About 25 years ago Richard and I

experience just the scenario depicted in

the passage of Luke s Gospel. We had gone to bed and our tiny children were all

snuggled up. Just to add to the

atmosphere I should tell you that it was a

stormy night, and that we could hear the

rain lashing on the dormer window of our

bedroom. How nice to be cosy inside.

Then - persistent ring of the font door

bell!. What do we do? Ignore it? Pretend

to be out?, Or go and see who is there?

Of course, we went downstairs. It was our

friend and neighbour Gail, who had lost

her house keys and needed somewhere to

stay for the night. How we laughed at

her. What would she have done if we had

ignored her? She would have certainly

got very cold and wet that night!

What struck me about the

translation I have chosen for this passage -

the NIV, is the o d auda ious . Looki g the word up in several dictions I see that is

has a ea i gs i ludi g old , fea less a d ithout est i tio . I o de ho old Gail felt o that

sto ight? “he did t a t loa es of bread, but she did need warmth and

shelter. If she had not been bold, she

would have got wet.

Earlier on in the chapter, in

espo se to the e uest tea h us to p a , Jesus tells his dis iples to ask: Gi e us ou dail ead . Ho bold is that? No

please o tha k ou the e. I the section immediately following the night-

time visit, Jesus reminds his listeners of

their obligation as parents - if your child

asks for something you give it to them -

not necessarily because you want to, but

because they are your children. They are

your responsibility.

If we return to our story of

unexpected night-time disturbances we

learn that it is not friendship that leads to

a positive response, but obligation. Gail

was our friend and we were obliged to

help her - to say nothing of our reputation

in the neighbourhood! Ultimately we did

not have any choice but to help her.

The three sections I have

mentioned in this chapter are all about

God s obligation to us in our parent/child

relationship with him.

Lots of parents mistakenly believe

that your children are less trouble when

the a e g o up. Well, I e got e s fo you - it is not true. Even perfect, beautiful

specimens like my two are endless

trouble, always asking for advice, meals,

hot water, the list could go on. And guess

hat? We just keep gi i g…

When Jesus told us to pray to our

hea e l fathe he did t est i t us to

asking just once. Some translations

describe the night time caller as

pe siste t .

So as we come before God, we can

ask again and again safe in the knowledge

that he will respond with all the love that

we might expect from an earthly father.

Of course, not all earthly father are

loving and not all friends are generous. It

is always difficult to deal with those who

do not respond as we might hope. How

can we deal with our constant

disappointment in the behaviour of

others? Once more we can return to our

word pe siste t . Whe Jesus taught his disciples to p a he said he ou p a - and remember this means not just once,

ut e e ti e. He sa s fo gi e e e o e ho si s agai st ou . Do this

persistently.

Let us always pray persistently for

others and for ourselves

Jo Matthews

They had been watching Him at prayer –

Jesus, their Lord and Master. He seemed

to be far away in a secret place, lost to

them in total engrossment of communion

with His unseen Father. The disciples

waited quietly, fascinated, awed and yes,

envious of the serenity and other-

worldliness that they were witnessing.

When at last He rose, one of them

spoke impulsively, expressing what they

all felt. Lo d! he ied, tea h U“ to p a ! So, fresh from His holy encounter, the

Lord responded, firstly with a model

prayer and then with a crisply clever little

parable about 3 friends, and the disciples

were to fit themselves into the character

of one of them

Friend one is on a long journey and

having walked all day finds himself near

the home of friend two. It is now

midnight. Exhausted, hungry and

desperate he knocks on his door. He will

surely find help here. This friend would

gladly have helped if he could, but has

absolutely nothing to give. His cupboard is

bare

He remembers someone else, a

mutual friend, not far away, who would

be sure to have something, if only a loaf

or two of bread. So he hurries to his friend

three with his urgent request and meets

with understandably harsh resistance.

However, he keeps on pleading and the

story ends with friend two receiving,

because of his persistence, or boldness, as

much as he needed

With which character, do you

think, did the disciples connect?

On our journey through life many

other travellers will cross our path. Some

are very likely to look to us for help in a

time of trouble. Their need could be

practical, social or spiritual, but what if we

have nothing to set before them? We feel

helpless, useless, failing, and try to think

of someone else to suggest

This passage is an encouragement

to persevere in prayer

Of course, we would like to have

swift, favourable answers for what, to us,

is a u ge t e uest! But it does t al a s happen! We feel impatient and frustrated

F o o e satio s ith God s people through the years, there were

three, at different times, in different

places, who came readily to mind as I

thought about this parable. For many

years they had each been praying

earnestly for a specific member of their

families, the burden of their prayers being

that their loved one would come to faith

in Jesus Christ. At times it had seemed as

though this could never happen

Ho e e , i God s ti e the faithful

prayers were all gloriously answered.

When sharing their joy with us, it was

clear that these believing people had

learned NEVER to give up in prayer!

If an irritated, resentful human

f ie d a e pe suaded fi all to respond to earnest pleading for

assistance, how much more will our

matchlessly wonderful Heavenly Friend,

who is rich and full of love for every one

of us, gi e us just as u h as e eed

Therefore, as the apostle Paul

instructed believers in his care to do, let

us PRAY CONSTANTLY!

*****

The following article, written by Canon David

Winter, and has been extracted from Parish

Pump, contemplates the Trinity (Trinity

Sunday falls on 22nd

May), and is entitled:

The Way I See It:

Three in One and One in Three

A story is told of a Jewish man who collapsed

in the street with a heart attack. A passing

Roman Catholic priest rushed over and knelt

eside hi . Would ou like to ha e ou si s fo gi e ? he asked. The a nodded

eakl . ‘ight, said the p iest. Do ou believe in God the Father, God the Son and

God the Hol “pi it?

The Jewish man rolled his eyes and

oa ed, I d i g, a d he s aski g e iddles!

Well, it s T i it “u da on 22nd

May,

so if you go to church you may well hear the

preacher trying to explain the riddle. Most

church-goe s k o that it s pa t of o thodo Christian faith, and like singing about it in

h s, ut ha e t a idea h it s so i po ta t. “u el , the thi k, the e s o l o e God, so why make it so complicated?

Yes, it is complicated, but not

incredible. Over the last century scientists

have discovered that almost everything is

o e o pli ated tha e had thought. It seems, for instance, that pretty well nothing

we know is a simple unity.

Think atoms, and then protons and

neutrons. Energy and activity flow from

d a i elatio ships. “o does t it ake sense that the Creator God is a Relationship –

the source of all energy and activity – rather

tha a si ple u it ? Thought of like that, a

God ho is Fathe “ou e , “o A tio a d Spirit (Application) makes good sense. The

Father made us, the Son loves us and the

“pi it sheds that lo e a oad i ou hea ts . Makes sense to me.

*****

A Message from Maureen Miles

A few weeks ago we received a phone call

from Maureen and in that phone call she

asked to be remembered to you all.

To extend to you all her love, she thinks of

us often.

She holds us in her thoughts and prayers

and she says one day she will surprise us!

*****

Childre ’s exa papers answers

What was Sir Walter Raleigh famous for?

He is a noted figure in history because he

invented cigarettes and started a craze for

bicycles.

What is a fibula?

A little lie.

Where was Hadrian’s Wall built? Around Had ia s ga de

Café Church

The following is a transcript from one of

the groups at the last Café Church, which

was told by 4 different people (Elaine &

David Kinchin and Ken & Marjorie Lee),

who are depicted here numerically

Dramatic Retelling

1 Pilate had Jesus whipped

2 Our Saviour was flogged

1 A crown shows importance

2 The thorns display negative

importance

3 I made that crown of thorns and it

hurt me it was a spiteful branch

4 But it made a point

1 The soldiers draped a gown around

his shoulders

2 an imperial purple robe made with

expensive dye

3 Which only the rich could afford

1 The soldiers struck him on the

cheek

2 They slapped him open-handed on

the face

1 Pilate said: NOT GUILTY

2 The Governor stated: No case

against him

1 But the Chief Priest shouted:

Crucify

2 The Police echoed: Crucify, Crucify,

Crucify

1 Pilate told them to take him

2 He’s your responsibility

1 Pilate said: NOT GUILTY

2 The Governor stated: No case

against him

1 The Jews stated: Our law says he

must die

2 He said he was the Son of God

3 He must die by stoning if the

Jewish law is followed

4 But crucify the crowd shouted

There were also the following prayers

Lord as we think about you laid in the

darkness of the tomb, we think of the dark

times in our own lives and of the help we

receive from knowing that you suffer with

us

As your friends gave to you of their best,

we pray that we too may always give our

best to you

In the darkness find light

In sorrow find joy

For comfort look to the cross

From whence all goodness comes

Thank you for your love which we receive

through your death on the cross and your

resurrection

The following article has been submitted

by Lesley Barter, and is entitled:

Where did it all go wrong?

As I write, I am about to travel to New

York – a city that I have not visited for

more than 30 years. In many ways it will

still be the familiar city that we see

regularly in cinemas and so feel that we

know. It other ways, though, it will have

changed immeasurably and will not be the

place that I visited back in the day. It has

been changed, as have we all, by the

events of 9/11. On that day the world

changed forever.

Like many people, I am seriously

worried about the world situation. Things

have rarely seemed so bleak on the world

stage. Not only is there tension between

traditional enemies: the east and the

west, but there is growing unrest among

allies, born of the growing immigration

crisis in Europe. How did things get to

this point, what sparked this snowball of

unintended consequences and what is

God doing a out it…..if anything?

Did it really all start with Iraq? A

bending of the truth about the situation

there to justify putting an end to a regime

that we all knew was evil anyway? There

are many evil regimes, where do we stop

if we are going on a crusade to end them

all? We ertainly don’t ha e a right to interfere if we have no strategic plan for

the future of the country and how to deal

with the warring factions that will be

released when there is no control at all.

This is one of the reasons why we have

not rescued the many beleaguered

peoples of Africa. Heaven knows there

are enough evil regimes there to keep us

occupied for a long time to come. But is it

our Christian duty to fight injustice

wherever we see it? Those who seek to

use their religion to justify monstrous acts

of cruelty believe that any means are

justified to impose their twisted morality.

Is it time we used brute force for the

enforcement of the right values.

What do we learn from history? It

tells us that there are no long-term gains

from this approach. It often leads to

antagonism and a determination to resist.

We outlawed corporal punishment when

it as not effe ti e in hanging people’s habits. Indeed they often become more

entrenched as a result. So here is a

window of opportunity for Christian love.

Never has it been so much needed as

now. Its power is immense and its long-

term influence unparalleled. We have

only to look at Christ’s life to see it at work. The Jews were expecting a military

Messiah but what they got was a man-

God who turned the other cheek. If they

had got their conquering hero, would we

still be worshipping God today? What

sort of a religion, if any, would have been

the result?

We need to fight evil in whatever

its forms with love and selflessness but we

need to do it with steely determination

and a resolve not to compromise our

ideals. We need the same devotion to our

God that is exhibited by the deluded

fundamentalists. This is surely the way

that God will intervene to make things

better.

I will reflect upon this again when I

have visited Ground Zero