29th August 2021 Trinity 13 All Saints Church, Childwall
READ: James 1 – 17-27 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, andcontinues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. 26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
REFLECT: How many mirrors do you have in your home? Probably several! But did you know that, if you have a Bible in your home, you have a ‘mirror’ with special properties? It’s not made of reflective glass, but it has the power to ‘see’ inside your heart and mind! And not only that, it has the power to both challenge your thoughts, words and deeds, but to empower you to change! Through the Bible, God holds up a ‘mirror’ to our lives! However, the Bible is not like those fairground mirrors which distort or deceive or flatter us by making us look thinner or fatter or taller. Nor is it like a domestic mirror that we peer into in order to titivate our external appearance for a few hours. No, God’s ‘mirror’ is a mirror which accurately reflects the person we are with the purpose of transforming us, increasingly, into the likeness of Jesus.
James writes to encourage Christians to engage with God’s Word, to respond to it and be transformed by it. He says that if/when we read God’s Word and fail to respond to its message we are like a person who looks at his face in a mirror and immediately forgets what he looks like. I don’t know about you, but if I peer into a mirror and see a scruffy, dishevelled [and for me an unshaven] face I usually have a wash or shower, comb my hair and have a shave otherwise what is the point in looking into the mirror in the first place? James goes on to say that the person who responds to what God says through His Word [or shows him in the mirror which is the Bible] is blessed and will know true freedom, freedom to be the person God intends them/us to be day after day. The Collect for Advent 2 prays that we might ‘ …. read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest ….’ God’s Word, but James goes a step further saying that we are to ‘look intently’ into God’s Word and to ‘continue in it’ i.e.we are not simply to read it, but put it into practice.
RESPOND: James has no time for a faith which is not worked out in practice. Note the things James says should have no place amongst God’s people i.e. ‘anger’, ‘moral filth, and evil’, and note those he says we should embrace and develop i.e. we are to be ‘quick to listen’, ‘slow to speak’, ‘humbly accept the word planted in you’, ‘look after orphans and widows in their distress’, and ‘keep oneself from being polluted by the world’. This is not an exhaustive list! Are you reading the Bible regularly? What things [attitudes, thoughts, behaviour] is God challenging you about? Are you not only reading, marking, learning and inwardly digesting it but also ‘continuing in it’? What are you doing about things God’s ‘mirror’ reveals?
PRAY: Heavenly Father, you know us through and through. You see us with absolute clarity, ‘warts and all’ and yet you love us with a love beyond measure. Father you made us in your own image, help us to read your Word and, thereby, be challenged and changed by the power of your Holy Spirit so that we reflect you increasingly in our thoughts, words and deeds. Amen
Rev Bill Forster (Associate Minster at All Saints, Childwall)
Church Services
Sunday 29th August – 9.15am – Service of the Word 11am – Service with Holy Communion 12.30pm -Baptism Service
Thursday 2nd September – 10.45am BCP Holy Communion
Sunday 5th September– 9.15am – Service with Holy Communion11am – Service of the Word
Zoom Sunday Coffee – Every Sunday at 10.45am – Meeting ID:842 767 1496 Password: 4allsaintshttps://us04web.zoom.us/j/8427671496?pwd=K2dMMnlvTHpwTkxDNEV6bDYwQXBDQT09
Online Church Services – We are continuing to record our Sunday morning service in church. It will be uploaded to our website to be viewed each week soon after 11am. www.allsaintschildwall.org.uk
Morning Prayer– Monday and Friday at 8:00am – Common Worship Morning prayer service with words on screen. Optional Chat after the service. Meeting ID: 865 694 0214 Passcode: mprayer
Evening Prayer – Sunday evening at 6pm led by the Readers. The liturgy and the readings will be on the screen and there will be a short reflection on the New Testament passage which has been set for the day. Please join us. Meeting ID: 789 873 7449 Passcode: Newsman1
Weekly prayer meeting – Thursday 6.30pm on Zoom. Why not join a group of us at All Saints that pray regularly. It lasts 40 minutes, you can pray, sit and listen or just contemplate. – Aidan Holmes https://us04web.zoom.us/j/8802380315?pwd=cGxQTnQ0QVRjU1gyUnBrYnJMMzZldz09
Please note new joining ID. Meeting ID: 880 238 0315 Passcode: yt76bq
HELP NEEDED FROM SEPTEMBER
Could you be on duty at any of the following times?
Sunday evening Service
To enable our Sunday Evening Service to restart in our church building we need more people to be willing to be on duty. We are particularly short of people to be on car park duty – could you help?
We also need more people to be on duty as part of our side person teams on a rota – could you help?
If you would be willing to serve in any of these ways please speak to Barbara Critchley one of our Wardens or email her on: barbara.critchley24@gmail.com
CHAT IS BACK
Starting Wednesday September 8th. In church hall 2-4pm.
CHAT stands for Craft- Hobbies – Art – Tea coffee and cake. We meet in church hall on the 2nd Wednesday in every month. It’s a time to have a drink and a chat with others and if you want to there is Craft e.g.Making cards etc. or you can bring your own Hobby e.g. Knitting,crocheting, things to make or do Art work and there is always tea coffee and cake. Everyone is welcome to come, and we would love to see you even just for tea and chat. We can make a man space if you would like us to, ring me with your ideas. Margaret Thwaite 727 3334, Wendy Taylor, Sue Watterson and Dilys Macaulay.
MOTHERS’ UNION
I am delighted to announce that the first meeting of our new session in the church hall will be on Tuesday 14th September at 2pm.
Sue Watterson , Branch Leader
suewatterson@hotmail.co.uk 07707901279
VESTRY HOUR RETURNS -FROM TUESDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER
If you would like to enquire about a Baptism or a Wedding or speak to us about anything else, please come to Vestry Hour which is held in the church on Tuesday evenings between 7pm and 8pm, no appointment is necessary. Please use the small door to the left of the building for access – there is a path from the white gates nearest the Abbey pub. You do not need to knock; just come in, take a seat and you will be seen privately in turn.
Pastoral visiting – If you would value a visit or know anyone who would please let Helen or me know, our phone numbers and emails are below.
Weekly Prayer requests – If you would like other members of our church family to pray for you or a family member, please send me their names for this sheet, please ask permission from the person. Please pray for all those who are unwell at this time particularly praying for Nicoli Gray (Carole Turner’s daughter), David Miller, Patricia Horne, Margaret Whitehead and Alan Kirk.
We also pray for the bereaved family and friends of Gladys Lucass and Alma Canavan.
With our prayers for you all at this time
Andrew Colmer – Vicar – Tel: 07305 842257 – vicar.allsaintschildwall@gmail.com
Helen Deegan – Curate – Tel: 07984 933467 – curate.allsaintschildwall@gmail.com
Gypsey Tait – Youth & Children’s Worker – Tel: 07961 793435 –gypsey.allsaintschildwall@gmail.com
Bill Forster – Associate Minister – william.forster1@btinternet.com
Adeyinka Olushonde – Ordinand – adeyinka.allsaintschildwall@gmail.com
