Week beginning 30th August

 She only touched the hem of his garment.

Song.

Here O my Lord I see thee face to face.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRl0p36-mcY

Reading.

Mark’s Gospel, chapter 5: verses 21 to 43

Song

My God is so big, so strong and mighty

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyOdDrVnORc

“She only touched the hem of His garment”

This miracle is recorded by Mark, Matthew and Luke. The writers agree on the broad outline of the story, but differ in the details they supply. However, none of them tell us what Jesus was wearing at the time. In fact, none of the gospel writers ever tell us what Jesus was wearing.

If you think of an occasion when you might have had to describe a person to someone else, as well as details of height, build, face, hair and general manner, it is almost inevitable that the person’s clothes would feature in the description. So why did they not tell us?

Perhaps it is like so many aspects of the gospel stories, it is a different culture that we cannot really understand. Perhaps clothes were not as important to the people of the time as they are now?

Or perhaps there is another reason.

Imagine that a crime has been committed in an army camp. The witnesses could be asked to describe the culprit. There would be little point in including the information “He was wearing a khaki battledress.” If everyone is wearing the same thing, clothes are not distinguishing. At that time, clothes would not have vbeen distinguishing, most men would have worn much the same (see Numbers 15: verses 37-41)

The tassels on the prayer shawl worn by devout Jews have knots on. The knots remind the wearer of the commands given by God; there are various traditions, but the numbers of the threads and knots provide the prompts for the wearer. There is a blue thread in the fabric which represents the power of God running through everything.

Matthew and Luke tell us that the woman touched the edge of the garment, and even though Mark gives more details of this story, he does not tell us this. In Matthew chapter 14, verse 36 we again hear of someone being healed by touching the edge of the garment. Most scholars now think that she would have touched the tassel, the tsitsith, with its knots and blue thread.

She touched the symbols of God’s power. And by touching the symbols of God’s power, her faith healed her.

The woman suffered from a haemhorrage, and had done for 12 years. She could get no relief. She had spent vast sums on doctors to no avail. She would have been a total outcast, unable to take part in the normal activities of society and religion. Not only that, anyone who touched her would have been in the same boat.

She was desparate,she would have tried anything. Her faith meant that she saw a way, she touched the symbols of God’s power, and experienced the healing power of God.

Where does this leave Jesus? He would have been considered ritually unclean by the mores of the day. And he was on the way to the house of a ruler. Mark and Luke name him as Jairus, Matthew simply calls him a ruler. Whoever he was, he was important enough to be bothered about ritual cleanliness. Jesus could have ignored the touch, but actually drew attention to it. Then he went on to house where he would have suddenly become unwelcome!

The important parts of this story are that even though Jesus was rushing, he was on his way to an important engagement, he had time for this woman. Not only a woman, but an unclean woman, and an apparently hopeless case. Jesus talked of “Power going out”, God was working through him. This shows us that no case is hopeless for God.

The miracle breaks down artificial barriers created by people. The purity laws created barriers between people. Jesus showed that people were more important than the laws. In the same way as he broke down the barriers between people, he broke down the barriers between people and God.

It shows the need for faith. Without faith, nothing happens.

We are not told what effect the miracle had on the onlookers. Were they encouraged to greater faith? We are certainly told that people came to Jesus to see more miracles, perhaps they heard more, saw more and believed more as a result?

Have our barriers been broken down? Do our preconceptions blead us into eliminating people from the kingdom, perhaps branding them as hopeless cases, or do we have faith that God can work with anyone, anywhere?

When we pray for things, do we have faith? Do we expect results?

If we want miracles, and there are probably many we feel we need, we must have faith. We must be prepared to see the strand of God’s power running through everything. Without faith, nothing will happen. We need to have the faith to see God’s power in everything, and be prepared to touch the symbols of his power to enable the miracles to happen.

Song

She only touched the hem of his garment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILz9uFWnEAM

Prayer

Father God, open my eyes, not to see the world more clearly, but to see You. Open my eyes to see you working around me and in me. Nothing happens by accident. You orchestrate every day of my life. Allow me to see your hand in the mundane and the fantastic. Help me to trust in what I cannot see, and believe in Your invisible presence.

Song

I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YmthQUL0EY

Week beginning 23rd August.

 Overseas Mission Sunday

Genesis 1: 1 – 3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFLPyGqXaYM

Isaiah 42: 1 – 12

42 ‘Here is my servant, whom I uphold   my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations.
2 He will not shout or cry out  or raise his voice in the streets.
3 A bruised reed he will not break,   and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;4     he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth.    In his teaching the islands will put their hope.’ 5 This is what God the Lord says – the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,
    who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it,  who gives breath to its people,  and life to those who walk on it: 6 ‘I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;   I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you
    to be a covenant for the people  and a light for the Gentiles, 7 to open eyes that are blind,    to free captives from prison  and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. 8 ‘I am the Lord; that is my name!
    I will not yield my glory to anothe   or my praise to idols. 9 See, the formerthings have taken place,   and new things I declare; before they spring into being   I announce them to you.’

Song of praise to the Lord

10 Sing to the Lord a new song,  his praise from the ends of the earth,
you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,  you islands, and all who live in them.
11 Let the wilderness and its towns raise their voices;  let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice.
Let the people of Sela sing for joy;    let them shout from the mountaintops.
12 Let them give glory to the Lord    and proclaim his praise in the islands.

Let all the world in every corner sing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfXldoDnvq4

Living Lord, Light of the world : Let Your love shine in every land.

Be still and pause

Prayer

Lord we pray for those who go out from our country as missionaries overseas: to minister to the churches and to share their expertise in medicine, education, agriculture, engineering, or administration. Fill them with your Holy Spirit as they feed the hungry; teach young and old; heal the sick; bring sight to the blind, and good news to all. We pray for those finding life on the mission field hard or fustrating, those who are lonely and afraid and those who are overwelmed by their situation

Living Lord, Light of the world : Let Your love shine in every land. Amen

W.R. Union news letter

Romans 10:15 “And how shall they preach unless they are sent.” As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the Gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things.” First of all, I would like to thank everyone across the Union, for their support of the Overseas Missions Department, and for the project that we have supported over this past year; namely the Good News Hospital in Mandritsara in Madagascar. We have raised over £5,000 for the cystoscope they needed, and they are all very appreciative of our support. In 2020 it is the 25th anniversary of the commencement of the work in Mandritsara, and various celebrations had been planned during 2020. Obviously, these have been postponed due to the Corona Virus and the lockdown restrictions. It is hoped, however, that these celebrations will be able to go ahead in 2021. The Good News Hospital now includes a 44 bed hospital with surgical and medical facilities. A 13 bed maternity unit, a school of nursing and midwifery, and a school and a radio station, and members of the friends of Mandritsara team also assist with the training of village leaders. Friends of Mandritsara Trust aims to raise finance for the hospital and related activities in Mandritsara, and seeks to recruit Christian medical and support personnel to assist in the project on short or long term placements. This is achieved through hospital staff, volunteers, and trustees speaking at Church meetings and sending regular news and prayer letters. One of our very own WRU members Dr Lesley Noghti, volunteers out there, but is currently grounded back in the UK due to the Covid-19 crisis. She was planning to go back in May, but Madagascar remains officially closed with no international flights permitted. However, she is hoping to go back later in the year as they desperately need help. We, as a Committee, have decided to continue to support the Good News Hospital Project for a further year as they are building a new theatre block and they desperately need funds. We, once again, ask for your continued financial and prayerful support for this very important project. We have a goal to reach of £10,000 to help to support this wonderful work. Also, the Overseas Missions Committee has, due to your support, been able to continue to fund both WRU Missions Personnel and associated Missions Personnel during this year, and we will continue to do so. We also offer short and long term grants for anyone associated with the WRU, for training in Mission. Please contact Lindsey Hedley, OM Secretary for further information on this issue. We continue to seek God’s will in all that we do, and to be wise stewards of the gifts that are received. Once again thank you all for your support. If you require any further information on any of the topics in this update, please contact Lindsey Hedley, Secretary for the Overseas Missions Committee. Philippians 2:2 “Fulfil my joy by being likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord of one mind.” We are better together and stronger in unity in Jesus name! God bless, Lindsey Hedley Overseas Missions Secretary

Thou whose almighty Word

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNfR3r1WuEY

Living Lord, Light of the world : Let Your love shine in every land.

Be still and pause

Prayer

Lord we pray for those in this country who support the work of missionaries overseas, for those who raise money and offer prayers, and for those engaged in specific projects. We pray for those in the Wesleyan Reform Union who are responsible for the the pastoral and welfare of the missionaries and their famies.

We pray for those who have come from overseas as missionaries to this land that we may be open and wecoming to them, their famies and their word.

Living Lord, Light of the world : Let Your love shine in every land. Amen

Marching in the light of God

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoJE2HYx_Z8

1 John 1 : 5 – 7 The message Bible

This, in essence, is the message we heard from Christ and are passing on to you: God is light, pure light; there’s not a trace of darkness in him.  If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we’re obviously lying through our teeth—we’re not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purges all our sin.

Shine Jesus Shine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr5Y63bDNNg

Please read Acts Chapter 13. St.Paul an early apostle and missionary 

Please think and pray for missionaries known to you, And each day through out the coming week please pray for an overseas country.

We are aware that this blog is read in other countries around the world.  Please pray for the readers in other countries.

A young missionaries remakable story

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8g-w54kh24

Go forth and tell

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNyDd9qtuk0

We walk in the light of God, We pray through the power of God, We tell through the Spirit of God. We give to God all praise and glory. Take us and use usto love and serve you, and all people,in the power of your Spirit and in the name of your Son,Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Go forth into the world in peace; be of good courage; hold fast that which is good;
render to no one evil for evil; strengthen the fainthearted; support the weak;
help the afflicted; honour everyone; love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power
of the Holy Spirit; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always.  Amen.

Go and tell everyone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4wsPVyS2QM

God bless you.

Susannah

Week beginning 16th August.

 Proverbs 3:5-6 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Only trust him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2pW71L6ymc

When I was at college part of the course was on drama. We had to trust each other. One thing that sticks in my mind is to fall backwards into someones arms. Another was to lay flat and be passed over peoples heads, this took many hands and a great deal of trust.

Great actors have to learn to listen trust and respond to what is being said not to think with the head but let the heart feel the words

This can also relate to being a Christian, Do we truly listen? Can we put our trust in God when he speaks ? Do we let His words move us. Do we trust him to hold us?

An actor has to fully trust his or her co-partner and feed of the emotion for the chemistry to work.

When it comes to living truthfully within a scene, actors must trust their instincts. The problem that a lot of actors have is that they follow only the instincts that are socially acceptable. That is not what truthful acting is. They have to trust to step out of their comfort zone

Are we afraid of not being socially acceptable. Do we hide our faith during the week. It is socially acceptable for people to go to Church for hour or so each Sunday.

WE must trust Jesus to lead us out of our comfort zone To be filled with the Holy Spirit. In The Bible Paul wrote to Timothy 4: 1 – 5

1In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

Are we ready to act not as on stage but with action to trust in Gods voice and to do what he asks, we all have our part to play, The Holy Spirit The prompter.

Trust and obey

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VoA0Cs8kgI

Proverbs 3: 5 – 6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart  and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,    and he will make your paths straight

trusting Jesus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYW3VdrCRIc

Prayer for Unwavering Trust
O God, my Strength, help me to put my trust in You. You have never forsaken those who seek You. You have never let me down. As I have let you down. Mould me into Your image, and hold me close to You. Show me how to mature as a Christian and improve on my walk of faith. Steady my trust in You so that it never wavers, no matter what battles I face on this earth. Help me as I declare that my faithfulness to You, Amen.

music to listen to while in prayer simply trusting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZFC-poCL1Q&list=PLwWsMseqDSFMD_QRiHrnQhDurU74arrYD

let this play as you pray and medetate on Jesus and how he trusted in God His Father.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIqRd67Isjk

Some times we have to put our trust in technology; We take the gadgets for granted.

During lock down our tv stopped working, so we tuned into the internet for some of the programmes. Putting our trust in things around us makes us inward looking,

people over the last few months have been helping each other, These acts of kindness have put faith trust and hope at the forefront.

Let us pray

Jesus help me to take you at your word, help me to rest on your promises. Help me to trust you fully, Jesus through your cleansing blood; heal me neath your cleansing flood!
Yes, ’tis sweet to trust in you Jesus,
free me from my sin and selfishness, fill my live with rest, joy and peace.
​​​​​​Precious Jesus, Saviour & Friend; I know that you are with me, to day and always.
Lord , how I trust You ! Oh, Lord Jesus give me grace to trust you more with each passing day. Amen

Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RqfAjPzpko

Isaiah 41: v 10

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Eph. 3:20-21 - Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Please listen to.

Trust in the Lord

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQTPVPhbG_A

May God Bless You, And Give You His Peace

Susannah x

Week beginning August 9th

 Do not say, “Why were the old days  better than these?”

    For it is not wise to ask such questions.

Psalm 31: verses 1-5

I do not know what lies ahead,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgA4UlkB1N8

Ecclesiastes chapter 7: verses 1-12

Lord, for the years,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkTrFQLy6js

Acts chapter 1: verses 1-11

I know who holds tomorrow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95_dFIChVkM

Revelation chapter 3: 14-22

Do not say, “Why were the old days  better than these?”
    For it is not wise to ask such questions.

"Isn't the modern world an awful place?"

How often have you heard this, or something similar recently.?

Such a statement is often followed by a statement such as:

"Everything was better in the past."

"We could leave the doors open and nothing would be stolen."

"There was a policeman walking on every street corner"

I have often wondered why there was a need for a policeman on every streetcorner, if everyone was so honest that the doors could be left unlocked.

I remember an old lady telling me that the house where her parents worked on Burngreave Road, would not let the staff go home at night before the lady of the house had counted the silver. I bet she didn't leave the house unlocked!

"The churches were full."

"The churches did such a lot of work with the outsiders, the underprivileged and the sinners." Which askes the question why the church needed to do these things if the world was really so wonderful.

Many people, politicians included have campaigned for a "Return to Victorian values". I wondered at the time, whether this meant adopting moreVictorian values like making children leave school at ten and sending them up chimneys.

In this period of "Victorian Values" the only welfare, health and education services were those provided by charities and philanthropists. A provision which failed to reach many, and was of patchy quality. The fact that we remember the great names and charities of the day tells us that they were not the norm.

And of course, we must remember that in this wonderful era, as well as everything else, the trains always ran to time!

Whenever many people join in such a discussion about the past, someone will always offer their solution with the words "It's only common sense isn't it."

But as Einstein is credited with saying, common sense is actually nothing more than a deposit of prejudices laid down in the mind prior to the age of eighteen.

Do not say, ‘Why were the old days better than these?’
    For it is not wise to ask such questions.

The demonstrates the difference between wisdom and knowledge.

It is knowledge that tomatoes are fruit. It is wisdom not to put them into fruit salad.

It is knowledge to know what happened in the past. It is wisdom to want to leave these things in the past and to go forwards.

People look back because it is what they are used to. It is what they grew up with, or at least it is part of what they grew up with. When we are growing up, we usually don't have the worries and stress of later life. This is what we remember. The carefree existence.

The author Douglas Adams had this to say:

“I’ve come up with a set of tules that describe our reactions to technologies:

1. 1. Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and oprdinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works.

2. Anything tht’s invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.

3. Anything invented after you’re thirty-five is against the natural order of things

Douglas Adams. “The Salmon of Doubt”

In general terms, this does not just apply to our approach to technologies, it has a much wider application.

When we look forward it is different. It is unknown. Things have changed and are going to change, and we don't have the answers. Think how much has changed since you were at school. Things that you have and take for granted, and use everyday that had not even been thought of when you were at school.

Many of you have mobile phones. If you use one, you have in your hand you have a more powerful computer than the one installed in the spacecraft which landed on the moon!

How many of us use the internet and have email addresses?

It can be daunting, and sometimes there is a tendency to wish it hadn't happened, but you can't stuff smoke back down a chimney!

My grandmother saw the first motor car, and the first man land on the moon.

It would have been possible for Orville Wright, the first man to fly, to meet Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon. I can't imagine Neil Armstrong saying that he thought the piston engined biplane would have been better than the Saturn 5 Rocket!

The message of the bible is one of looking forwards. As when we looked at the message of hope, people have always looked forward.

When the disciples were with Jesus when he ascended, they naturally looked at where he had gone, probably wondering when they would see him again? Would he return, in the same way?

They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” He will come back. There is a future. You don't have to look for him where you last saw him. Look to the future.

In Revelation, the message to the Laodicean church was stark. " I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

The water supply of the city, was lukewarm, in contrast to the hot springs at nearby Hierapolis and the cold, pure waters of Colossae. The archaeology shows Laodicea had an aqueduct that probably carried water from hot mineral springs some five miles south, which would have become tepid before entering the city . The imagery of the Laodicean aqueduct suggests not that "hot" is good and "cold" is bad, but that both hot and cold water are useful, whereas lukewarm water is emetic.

The church is being dismissed as useless. Neither one thing nor the other.

The church is one of the worth places for the sort of conversation we started with. Most congregations spend at least a proportion of their time looking backwards, often with disastrous results.

The author and actor Noel Coward had this to say on the subject of opera.

“People are wrong when they say opera is not what it used to be. It is what it used to be. That is what's wrong with it.”

Noel Coward

In many ways, what he said could equally well apply to the church. All too often, the church is happy to go on doing things in the same way as they have always been done. People are often happy to do the bare minimum. I remember being absolutely horrified a few years ago when talking about doing a job for church and being told, “It doesn’t have to be a good job, it’s only church.”!

Christian is often a euphemism for second rate.

People are urged to put up with something that they would not tolerate any where else, because it is “Christian”.

There are Conference centres and there are Christian conference centres.

There are Choirs and there are Christian Choirs.

There are hotels and there are Christian hotels.

This is what the church at Laodicea was being criticised for. It was being second best. If we are going to go forward, we must be the best. The very best that we are capable of, in the service of the very best.

We need to use the tools and solutions of the future in order to meet the challenges of the future, in order to go forward to God.

We are living in unprecedented times. We have had epidemics before, but recently at least, none which have cused the disruption to normal life that this one has. We are often being told that we will go on to a “new normal”, that life will not be the same as it was before.

As a church, we need to erxamine what the “new normal” may mean for us. For instance, every week, this blog receives more views that I am likely to reach if I preach in our chapel. These views are from many different countries of the world. We have never preached internationally before!

We need to ask what lessons we can learn from this experience if we are to go forward with our mission. What do we need to change?

Do not say, ‘Why were the old days better than these?’
    For it is not wise to ask such questions.

That way, when Jesus returns and asks us what we have done, he will not say that we were neither hot nor cold, but lukewarm. That we were not useful, but neither one thing nor the other.

Who is on the Lord’s side?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfunlcqcBXA

Believe not those who say
The upward path is smooth,
Lest thou should stumble in the way,
And faint before the truth.

It is the only road
Unto the realms of joy;
But he who seeks that blest abode
Must all his powers employ.

To labor and to love,
To pardon and endure,
To lift thy heart to God above,
And keep thy conscience pure.

Be this thy constant aim,
Thy hope, thy chief delight,
What matter who should whisper blame
Or who should scorn or slight.

What matters—if God approve,
And if within thy breast,
Thou feel the comfort of His love,
The earnest of His rest?

Anne Bronte.

Forth in thy name, O Lord I go,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcjuTNTMcx0