Barney’s Free Coffee 3rd July
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Cake and Craft Stall
ABM Reflection
Justice: Today we join Jesus in the country of the Gerasenes, opposite Galilee. We meet a man ‘who had demons’ – perhaps what we might describe as suffering from some kind of mental illness. Jesus heals him of his affliction and restores him to his rightful place in his community. Though the swine-herds and townspeople are scared by Jesus’ restorative act, the cured man wants to spend time with Jesus. But Jesus has another priority for him: to go out and give others hope by declaring the good news of God’s healing. Spending time with Jesus is good, but not at the expense of proclaiming God’s kingdom.
- May we all spend time with Jesus this week, and then proclaim God’s kingdom of love, hope and justice through words and action.
- Give thanks for the Church of Ceylon, which covers most of Sri Lanka, remembering their ministry in a multi-religious context.
Text: The Rev Will Johnston,
© Anglican Board of Mission, 2019
Gospel Reflection
Trinity Sunday
16 June, 2019
Gospel Reflection
“God is not solitude, but perfect communion. For this reason the human person, the image of God, realises himself or herself in love, which is a sincere gift of self.” – Pope Benedict XVI
Today is Trinity Sunday. This Gospel passage from John has been chosen for this day because it is one of the few that mention all three, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in one place. Some on this day may rather focus on the subject of truth found in this Gospel, and ignore the Trinity. But let’s take on the challenge. The Trinity has been explained in many ways from very heavy philosophical ideas to picture metaphors like Patrick’s three leaf clover. With any of these it is important to remember that none of them describes God in his very being or essence. That cannot be done. The Trinity is a statement of how God relates, not how God is. Or perhaps how anyone relates is indeed how one is. When it comes to relating we can’t pin God down to one thing or one way. When we consider one way to view God there is always another way, on the other hand. But why three, as in the Trinity? Who knows? But we do know that just as we can’t pin God down to one of our simplistic ideas, we also can’t pin her down to three either, or any one of the three. God is relating everywhere; and because of the multiplicity of God’s relating he can never be missed. Look at the beautiful sunset. God is there. Look at the home destroyed by a tornado. God is there. God is in the tears of joy and in the tears of sorrow. What a gift of self! So can we be like God? We are the image of God. In that image we also cannot be pinned down to one way of relating. We are all many things. We may say she or he is this way; but on the other hand . . . What wonderful surprises we all are, just as God is always a wonderful surprise. We are all, like God, a sincere gift of self.
https://preachingtip.com/archives-year-c/Trinity-year-c/
Ladies Guild
Ladies Guild Meetings are held on the 2nd Monday of the month in the St Michael’s Room at St Barnabas.
New members most welcome.
