The Cayman Islands are within the ancient Episcopal Jurisdiction
 of The Bishop of London granted him by the Crown in 1634
St Alban’s (Grand Cayman) & St Mary’s (Cayman Brac)
Church & Office - 461 Shedden Road
P O Box 719, Grand Cayman KY1-1103, CAYMAN ISLANDS
Tel  (345) 949 2757 : Fax  (345) 949 0619
www.churchofenglandcayman.com
rector@churchofenglandcayman.com
18 Sept 2011

Welcome to  St Alban’s Anglican Church 

Today's Scripture:  Jonah 3:10 – 4.end Philippians 1: 21-end S. Matthew 20: 1-16

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: Wed, S. Matthew, Ap & Ev 5.00 p.m. Holy Communion; Thurs–Fri 12.30 p.m. Midday Prayers; Sat 10 a.m. Prison Ministry.

Next Sunday: 8.35 a.m. Matins; 9.00 a.m. Church Sch; 9.30 a.m. Holy Eucharist; 6p.m. EP; 7.30 p.m. Holy Eucharist S. Mary’s Cayman Brac.

13^th Sunday after Trinity

Almighty and merciful God, of whose only gift it cometh that thy faithful people do unto thee true and laudable service: Grant, we beseech thee, that we may so faithfully serve thee in this life, that we fail not finally to attain thy heavenly promises; through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord.

FAITH IN FOCUS: JACK-IN-THE-BOX GOD

As she sat in the doctor’s waiting room Mabel was telling Gladys about how God had told her not to get the number 63 bus that morning but to wait for the 42. The 63 had in fact broken down and if she hadn’t listened to what God had been telling her, she would have been late for her appointment.

Meanwhile Tom was ensconced in his favourite chair at home, watching the TV news. More tragic pictures of innocent civilian victims of the war on terror, followed by harrowing images of the latest African famine. Yes, he believed in God, but he didn’t expect God to do anything about it. After all God lived miles away and was more concerned with cosmic issues.

Mabel’s God was constantly intervening, whereas Tom’s was a distant God who had created the world but left us to get on with things.

We all have different images of God. For some of us God is like a grandparent, old and kindly. For others he’s more of a wizard who challenges us to get to know more and more about him. Many people’s idea of God is that of a mother: God gives us birth, nourishes us and then spends her time patching us up when we take the knocks that life gives us.

You have to admire the closeness of relationship that Mabel has with God, even if we may be a bit sceptical about his travel advice. And you can’t help thinking that Tom is trying to avoid making God into some sort of Super-Fixit character with little concern for human free-will.

Whatever image of God we have, it’s tempting to make him into a Jack-in-the-Box God: calling on him to act just as we think he ought to and whenever we need him, and then putting him away again until the next time he is required. Today’s scriptures remind us that God is infinitely greater than we can ever imagine, and we cannot control or even predict how God will act. God tends not to behave in the way we would behave, for, as he says, his ways are not our ways and his thoughts are above ours.