18 May 2008

Welcome to St Alban’s Anglican Church 

Today's Scripture (HC) : Isaiah 40: 12-17, 27-end    2 Corinthians 13:11-end     S. Matt 28: 16-20

Today's Liturgy: 8.35 a.m. BCP Matins;    9.00a.m. Scripture Study Prep;    9.30a.m. Holy Eucharist ;    EP 6.00 p.m.

Tues to Fri 12.30 p.m. Midday Prayer.; Sat 10 a.m. Ministry of the Word at HMP, Northward

Trinity Sunday

Almighty and everlasting God, who hast given us thy servants grace by the confession of a true faith to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of the divine Majesty to worship the Unity; We beseech thee, that thou wouldest keep us stedfast in this faith, and evermore defend us from all adversities, who livest and reignest, one God, world without end.

FAITH IN FOCUS: GOD IN TWO MINUTES

It goes without saying that God is so great that we could never exhaust all the divine qualities with our words, no matter how long we talked about God. But what if we only had two minutes to pass on the message of the Trinity? What would we say then?

Presumably we would tell people about the Father. The Father created the whole world and all it contains, including you and me. And throughout the ages he has been characterised by the great love he has for his creation and his desire for people to share in that everlasting love. Tenderness, forbearance and compassion are the hallmarks of God’s dealings with humanity, including you and me.

When we tried to talk about the Son we would be telling people about a great communicator. Jesus Christ’s existence on earth was devoted to letting people know the sort of God that we have. In his life and death Jesus encapsulated the "giving" of his Father. His gift or grace is that everyone, including you and me, can have a share in the glory of God. Jesus told people about the promises his Father was making to them and by his death and resurrection he opened the way, bringing us forgiveness for our sins and a share in the new life that was on offer to those who live like him.

The Holy Spirit completes the work of the Father and the Son. It is the Spirit who is God’s presence with us here on earth today. The Spirit sustains us in our efforts to live the life of God, making us holy, giving us confidence, consolation and strength. It is the Spirit who inspires every thought and action for good within us. The Spirit leads all people, including you and me, into the truth.

So at the end of our two minutes we would be left with just one God who makes himself known through three Persons. On the feast of the Trinity we would praise and bless God just for being our God, yours and mine, and for having us as his co-heirs to eternal life. But the rest would take much more than two minutes.

 

WORD OF GOD

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (II Corinthians 13:13)

WORD FOR TODAY

Trinity reminds us that we have one God who works in so many different ways: a Father who creates us, a Son who shares the Father’s glory with us and a Spirit who sustains us in our journey back to the heart of God.

IT’S A MIND-BLOWING CONCEPT that the God who created the universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people, but the thing that keeps me on my knees is the difference between Grace and Karma.

("Bono": Born Paul David Hewson)

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)

 

THIS WEEK’S BIBLE READINGS:

Mon: Joshua 7: 1-15, Luke 10: 25-37, Rom 4: 1-12

Tues: Joshua 7:16-end, Luke 10:38-end, Rom 4: 13-end

Wed: Joshua 8: 1-29, Luke 11: 1-13, Rom 5:1-11

Thurs: Joshua 8: 30-end, Luke 11:14-28, Rom 5:12-end

Fri : Joshua 9:3-26, Luke 11:29-36, Rom 6:1-14

Sat : Joshua 10:1-15, Luke 11: 37-end, Rom 6:15-end

NEXT SUNDAY : Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18, 1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-end, S. Matthew 5: 38-end