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St
Alban’s (Grand Cayman) & St Mary’s (Cayman Brac) | ||
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2
May 2010 Welcome
to
St
Alban’s Anglican Church
Today's
Scripture: Acts
11: 1-18
Revelation 21: 1-6
S. John 13: 31-35 Today:
8.35 a.m. Matins; 9.00 a.m. Church School; 9.30 a.m. Holy Eucharist;
Annual Church Meeting; 6.00 p.m. EP. This Week: Tues-Fri
12.30 p.m. Midday Prayers Next
Sunday: 8.35 a.m.
Matins; 9.00a.m. Ch School; 9.30 a.m. Holy Eucharist ; 6.00 p.m. EP 4th
Sunday after Easter
O
Almighty God, who alone canst order the unruly wills and affections
of sinful men; Grant unto thy people, that they may love the thing
which thou commandest, and desire that which thou dost promise; that
so, among the sundry and manifold changes of the world, our hearts
may surely there be fixed, where true joys are to be found; through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
FAITH IN FOCUS: SOMETHING COMPLETELY NEW Often the closer we are to something, the less clearly we see it. We might go to a beautiful island paradise only to find that the locals take the sunshine, the palm trees and the gentle pace for granted. It’s not uncommon for Parisian or Roman taxi drivers to consider the Arc de Triomphe or the Colosseum as mere traffic islands to be negotiated with difficulty at rush hour. We tend not to appreciate the wonders around us when we see them every day. So Christianity is in danger of being seen as just one way of spending our spare time, along with party politics, sport, caravanning, bird-watching or knitting. And we get sucked into thinking that tolerance demands of us that we make no greater claim for our faith than we do about our hobbies and our interests. After all, it would be indecent to make a lot of noise about our faith, wouldn’t it? Especially if faith is a private thing. But Christians don’t think like that. We don’t consider our belief in Jesus Christ to be a take-it-or-leave-it affair. It’s not merely like being a member of a wine club or a social networking group. For Christians, faith in Jesus is massive; it is the single most important factor in our lives because it determines who we are and how we behave. To be a Christian is not simply a “nice” thing; it’s totally consuming because it informs every aspect of our living and breathing. In today’s scripture God says, “Now I am making the whole of creation new”. The resurrection of Jesus changes everything. The old order is wiped away, death and evil have lost their power to keep us held captive, and we are offered a radically new and eternal life that has already begun now and that will come to fulfilment the other side of the grave. There is nothing “same-old” about our Christian faith. It’s something that can transform the whole of creation.
WORD
OF GOD Then
the One sitting on the throne spoke: “Now I am making the whole of
creation new.” (Revelation 21:5) WORD
FOR TODAY
We
believe that the risen Jesus is present among us now. But this
presence is simply a foretaste of the eternal presence that is
promised to his people in the kingdom of heaven. Today we believe by
signs; one day we will see God face to face. CHEERFUL BLESSING May
you lead your life in light-heartedness; keep hopelessness far away;
may gloom not remain with you, but may God’s cheerfulness forever
sing out merrily in your life. (Richard Rolle)
WE
ARE MEMBERS OF THAT BODY which was nailed to the cross, laid in a tomb
and raised to life on the third day. There is only one organism of the
new creation, and we are members of that organism which is Christ.
(Lionel Thornton) NO CONCEIVABLE LIFE can be so interesting, so stimulating, as that which we live in Christ. (William Little) THIS
WEEK’S BIBLE READINGS
Mon:
Num
9:15-end;10:33-end, Luke 4: 38–end, 1 Pet 1: 1-12 Tues:
Num 11: 1–33, Luke 5: 1-11, 1 Pet 1: 13–end Wed: Num 12, Luke 5:
12–26, 1 Pet 2: 1-10 Thurs:
Num 13: 1-3, 17-end, Lk 5: 27–end, 1 Pet 2: 11-end Fri:
Num 14: 1–25, Luke 6:1-11, 1 Pet 3: 1–12 Sat: Num 14: 26-end, Luke 6: 12-26, 1 Pet 3: 13-end NEXT SUNDAY : Acts 16: 9-15, Revelation 21: 10,22 – 22:5, S. John 14: 23–29 or John 5: 1-9
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