Dear Brothers and Sisters
Following the Prime Minister’s press conference last Monday, we all know where we are heading. It is such good news to have a plan and a vision for the way ahead and the good weather over these past few days has added to the general uplifting of all our spirits.
I had hoped to be able to give you more specific information about how the plans will affect us in church. Unfortunately, the devil, as they say, is in the detail. The National Church is still wading through the implications of Monday’s announcement. Most of their effort just now is going towards helping churches who have been holding virtual services to re-open safely. As we are already at that stage, we will need to wait just a little while longer for them to ‘catch up’ with us.
We are all tired; we just want this to be all done. And it will be soon. Abram and Sarai who we come across in our first reading this Sunday must have been so tired and fed up. They had moved from a settled life and travelled to a distant and strange land. And there they waited and waited for God to deliver his promise to them that they would have a family of their own and be the ancestors of a vast multitude. As the years went by and they got older the whole idea must have seemed crazy to them both. But they had faith and God delivered his promise to them. As people of faith, we all have our common heritage in the lives of Abram and Sarai, or Abraham and Sarah as they became known. They waited years, we have a few more months, we can do this!
We continue to stop at 6pm. each evening to pray for the Nation and to remember those who have died.
Sunday Readings
A Reading from the book of Genesis
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.’ Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, ‘As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. ‘As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.’ (17: 1-7,15-16)
The Gospel according to Mark
Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’
He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.’ (8:31-38)
Services for Sunday 7th March
Fewston 9.30am.
Farnley 11am.
Denton 2.30pm.
Services for Sunday 14th March
Weston 9.30am.
Leathley 11am.
Please remember in your prayers: Our Government praying for wisdom as they work out the details of how our lives can return to normal. Our schools and teachers and the children and young people they care for as they work towards a return to school based education. Our farmers as the work round the clock caring for their flocks. Our Front-line services, that we don’t take them for granted. All involved in the national vaccination drive. Couples planning to be married this year. The homeless and those who cannot feed their families. Our friends and neighbours and all who live in this Benefice. The sick, and the dying. Those who have died and all who mourn.
God bless you all.
Stephen