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St
Alban’s (Grand Cayman) & St Mary’s (Cayman Brac) | ||
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7
February 2010 Welcome
to
St
Alban’s Anglican Church
Today's Scripture: Genesis 2: 4b-9, 15-end Revelation 4 S. Luke 8: 22-25 Today:
8.35 a.m. Matins; 9.00 a.m. Church School; 9.30 a.m. Holy Eucharist;
6.00 p.m. EP This
Week: Tues-Fri: 12.30pm Midday Prayers Next
Sunday 8.35 a.m. Matins; 9.00 a.m. Church School; 9.30 a.m. Holy
Eucharist; 6.00 p.m. EP Sexagesima
Sunday
O
Lord God, who seest that we put not our trust in any thing that we
do: Mercifully grant that by thy power we may be defended against
all adversity; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
FAITH IN FOCUS: DEEPER WATER We all like to feel comfortable and we all have our own little ways of doing things that we’ve got used to. That’s because by nature we’re creatures of habit. We don’t like to be put out or troubled by having to learn new ways. We like a quiet life. Religious people sometimes use their faith in the same way. It becomes a comfort and a crutch, a way of doing things that makes them feel secure and unthreatened. Faith becomes the spiritual insurance policy that guarantees peace of mind. But at the heart of faith is risk. Faith involves making that leap, walking along the path with no signs, trusting when you know that everything could go wrong. Faith is an invitation not to remain where we are but to seek ever new and more enriching pastures, to stretch ourselves, to be challenged in ways that we cannot even suspect but which will carry their own rewards. Christian faith, in particular, is not an anaesthetic but an adventure. Life in Christ challenges us to be bolder in our relationship with God and with others, to grow in faith and trust, to move to areas in our lives that are as yet uncharted. Yes, we’re bound to have doubts about our safety. But God does not promise us a calm passage…just a safe landing. WORD OF GOD They woke Him saying “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And He awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; and they ceased and there was a calm. He said to them, “Where is your faith?” (Luke 8: 24f)) THE IMPORTANT THING is this: To be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become. (Charles Dubois) THE ONLY WAY to avoid the inevitable spiritual skids is to stay stuck in the religious ruts. (Belisario Sermone) PRAYER FOR THE SICK
God of healing, made flesh in Christ Jesus, poured out on us through the Holy Spirit, we come to you to make our prayers for those who are ill: Lord of tenderness, fill us with your presence that we may receive with your love all those who are ill…Life-giving God, fill us with faith, so that we may assure those who are suffering, that their pain will blossom into life…Strength-giving God, pour into the hearts of all carers the embracing, enduring love of Jesus…Source of compassion, fill us with vision and courage to pursue research that will bear fruit in healing…Welcoming God, receive from our hands the loved ones we return to you…Righteous God, empower us to fight for and improve present health care structures…O God, hear our prayers, those we have spoken out loud and those still in our hearts. We trust in your loving response, through Christ the healer. Amen. THIS
WEEK’S BIBLE READINGS Mon: Gen 29:31 – 30:24, 2 Tim 4: 1–8, John 19: 1-16 Tues: Gen 31: 1–24, 2 Tim 4: 9-end, John 19: 17-30 Wed: Gen 31:25 – 32:2, Titus 1, John 19:31–end Thurs: Gen 32: 3-30, Titus 2, John 20: 1-10 Fri : Gen 33: 1-17, Titus 3, John 20: 11-18 Sat: Gen 35, Philemon, John 20: 19-end NEXT SUNDAY : Exodus
34: 29–end, 2 Corinthians 3:12 – 4:2,
S. Luke 9: 28-43a
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