The Second Rocky Road Epistle - Chapter 1
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By the time you read this we will be in a second lockdown. How do you feel about this? Probably a mixture of emotions. Perhaps you want to cry out to God “what are you doing?” 1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me for ever? With sadness Sunday morning services in the building are stopped temporarily, as are the prayer meetings on Thursday mornings. But let us focus on the last 2 verses of Psalm 13: 5 But I trust in your unfailing love; Our fellowship will continue and God’s work cannot be stopped. These chapters will continue although it seems time to call it a second epistle for a second lockdown! We will still put a service on the website to listen to – which can also be accessed by a phone line. Wednesday Bible Studies will continue on Zoom. Please see details below for all of these. We are not stopped from praying or ringing each other and as your minister I want to encourage you to keep going with these things. As the writer of the letter to the Hebrews put it in chapter 10 v.24 & 25: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” We are not giving up, we just cannot physically come together for these next few weeks. Since it is the time of year for fireworks and all the Christmas stuff is in the shops this seems a suitable cartoon.
Bible StudyWednesday 11th November at 7.15pm for 7.30pm start,
Read Isaiah 49 v.15, Psalm 103 v.11 & 12, Luke 12 v.6 & 7 Hebrews 8 v.12. What do these tell you about God and about yourself? ReflectionFrom Laura on “Remembrance Sunday and remembering” Joshua 4 v.19-24 “We will remember them” is a commitment made at every Remembrance Day Service. Why is it important to have these acts of remembrance and others, such as breaking bread and drinking wine to “remember the Lord’s death until he comes”? Probably because we are better at forgetting than remembering, especially as we get older. It may be that we gain more things to remember, though possibly it is that our brain takes longer to recall things. We are told that we should learn from our mistakes. True, if we forget them we are in trouble, as George Santayana (poet, essayist, philosopher) said “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Memory is important to us as reflected in films which deal with the subject of memory loss. For example, one called “51 first dates”, where due to an accident the heroine wakes up every morning with no memory of her boyfriend. Hence the title “51 first dates” since he starts their relationship again every day. There is a happy ending, but it underlines that memory or lack of it impacts our lives and those close to us. Memory affects how we relate to people. If someone was friendly and kind last time we met then we will look forward to seeing them again, but if someone was unpleasant or awkward then we tend to be wary of them. The writer Margaret Silf describes memories as little power packs of energy that we carry around with us. Memories act as stored emotional energy. But negative ones can make us ill if we allow hurts to foster; or if we play the old tape of what happened again and again. If we base our lives on the negative, we will end up chained to the past. We need to forgive, or else resentments will sap our energy, harm us and those around and affect our relationship with God. Forgiveness is not easy, but it is a decision to make before God and with His grace he can bring good through any messy situation. How do you remember things or are there certain things which trigger your memory? In the Bible people were told to put up stones or monuments to help them remember things, to trigger memories. In the passage Joshua and the Israelites put up a pile of 12 stones to remember God’s act in stopping the river Jordan so that they could cross over safely to the promised land. How could they ever forget such an amazing event? The monument was for them and for future generations. A reminder of the power of God, of His care of His people and an encouragement to worship God as He deserves. Memories of God’s acts and care in our lives can help us when we feel low or in difficulties. The second world war saw the Island of Guernsey under German occupation. On 23 May 1945, two weeks after the Liberation, Jurat John Leale, President of the Controlling Committee during the Occupation, wrote a report which ended with the following incredible paragraph. “From the Occupation of this Island by Germany forces, grim though the experience has been, we have all doubtless learned salutary lessons. But there is one that I think we have been taught above all others and it is this: Never in the past have we valued liberty as we shall value it in the future. If that thought dominates our political, social and industrial lives, then good may yet come out of evil. If because of our trials we realise, as we have never realised before, the meaning of freedom to the human spirit, then those cruel years from 1940 to 1945 will not after all have been wasted, but, on the contrary, out of the wreckage of the weary and seemingly useless years, we shall have rescued, and indeed refined that conception of life which alone entitles us to bear the name of men.” As we again face lockdown let us allow God to teach us through it and let us ensure that 2020 is not a wasted year. Instead pray that we will come out with greater vision of what God wants for us, greater appreciation of His love active in our lives and a greater concern for our world. Next week’s theme is “New Creation” 2 Corinthians 5 v.14-21. Songs for Sunday
Winner of Jubilate's Hymns of Peace competition 2018, to mark the centenary of Armistice Day and the end of the First World War.
Nettie Rose, 1977 Thankyou Music © CCLI #5638 InformationListening to a recording of an audio service If you have internet, then go to our website (RRBC.org.uk) where you will find a recording. If you are not on internet, we have now paid to have a “Dial-a-Service” facility. If you ring 01536 909787 you will be able to listen to a recording of the service on your telephone. Christmas Shoeboxes These need to be back to church please. RRBC is a drop off-point for the area so the church will be open 9.30am to 12 noon on Monday 9th, Wednesday 11th, Thursday 12th and Monday 16th for dropping off boxes. There are arrangements in place to ensure Covid restrictions are adhered to. Tearfund Big Quiz Night Saturday 14th November at 7.30pm, The Special Church Meeting will not be on Sunday 29th November after the service. We are postponing it and will fix a new date once we know when lockdown will be lifted. We consider that the required two-month notice, which has already been given, still applies to a new date and will distribute the new constitution once arrangements can be put in place. PrayerLet us pray for all who suffer For the service men and women who have For those who love them in death as in life, For all members of the armed forces ~ For civilian women, children and men For peace-makers and peace-keepers, For all who bear the burden and privilege O God of truth and justice, Amen Prayer RequestsPlease pray for Ringstead Shared Church and their minister Rev David Shaw and please remember our “Mission of the month” - Tearfund. |
