1st November 2020 All Saints Church, Childwall
READ Matthew 5.1-12:
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
REFLECT: Today is All Saints Day, the day in the Christian calendar set aside to remember and celebrate the lives of ‘the saints’! So ‘here is your starter for 10’. How many ‘saints’ are there and who are they? Different church traditions would answer that question differently. Some would say that All Saints’ Day, “commemorates all the saints of the church, both known and unknown, who have attained heaven”, whereas Protestant traditions use All Saints Day to remember all God’s saints, living [the Church militant] and departed [the Church triumphant]. When the New Testament speaks of saints it is in this second sense; in New Testament terms, ‘saints’ are not ONLY especially holy beings who have departed this life, but ALSO ordinary men, women and children who believe and trust in Jesus and seek to follow Him faithfully through life’s trials and tribulations.
Today’s passage comes near the beginning of Jesus ministry when He is teaching His disciples the core values of God’s kingdom and its citizens [saints]. Jesus sets these values out in what we call ‘the Be-attitudes’. These are the ‘attitudes of being’ which are to permeate the lives of ‘the blessed’ or the saints and will increasingly do so, much as the fruit of the Spirit grows within us, as we open our hearts and lives to Him. David Wenham puts it like this, Jesus “is describing those to whom the kingdom of heaven is given, and their characteristics. The beatitudes highlight first their need, their sadness and their longings for justice, but then sum up what their lives as disciples and kingdom people will (and should) look like – merciful, pure in heart, peace-makers. Thirdly, the beatitudes form a brilliant preface to the Sermon [on the Mount], putting it in the context of the Good News, introducing us to the key themes of the kingdom of heaven and of righteousness, which the Sermon [on the Mount] will then expound.”
I didn’t answer the question I posed at the beginning and I don’t know how you answered it, but the Book of Revelation [7:8/9] speaks of the redeemed [saints] as a ‘great multitude’ [NIV], ‘a huge crowd’ [MSG], ‘an enormous crowd’ [GNB] and all translations add that the numbers were too many to count. I guess a more important question is are you and I counted among them? Are the Be-attitudes our attitudes?
RESPOND: Are there any ‘saints’ whom you have known in the past and who have now gone to glory, or any still alive, for whom you would like to give thanks today? Do that now.
Can you recognise any of the Be-attitudes, the attitudes of being’ in your own life? Any which you know you are lacking? Ask the Holy Spirit to help you to grow more like Jesus who exemplified these attitudes.
PRAY: Collect for All Saints Day [modified] – God of holiness, your glory is proclaimed in every age:
as we rejoice in the faith of your saints of days past, inspire us to follow their example with boldness and joy and live as your saints in this our generation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Rev. Bill Forster[Associate Minister]
Dear Friends,
Church is OPEN this Sunday and we will be having two Services of the Word at 9.30am & 11am.
With current Covid 19 levels increasing rapidly in Liverpool please stay at home if you have any Covid symptoms or a cough or cold of any type. You can still join us in worship online via our website.
Both Sunday services will be the same and last 35mins. Children are very welcome at either service.
Please start arriving from 20mins before the service. You will need to wear a face mask, gel hands on arrival and sign in. Children will need to stay with parents at all times please.
We will have an activity sheet for the children to do in church each week, please bring colouring pencils and lead pencils to complete the sheets in church. There will also be a link to electronic games which will relate to the Bible passage being preached on in church.
Inside church and afterwards outside please keep 2m apart at all times.
Thank you to all of you that have come to the services and have been so positive and helpful and have sat in the pews that you have been asked to. It is essential that we fill up each aisle from the front so as no one is walking past anybody else. At the end of each service please remain in your pews until directed to leave.
I am sorry that this is all necessary, but it ensures the safety of everyone attending and those on duty.
Thursday Communion service – weekly at 10.45am. There is no shared cup, only wafers which I will distribute with tongs whilst wearing a mask. Everyone will need to wear face masks, gel hands on arrival and sign in.
Rock Club Online Now!– Our new youth and children’s worker Gypseyhas developed new online activities for Pebbles, Rock Club & Boulders.These can be accessed on our website: https://www.allsaintschildwall.org.uk/online-rock-club/ Thank you Gypsey for all you work on this!
If you would like to be kept informed and receive specific emails detailing our Youth & Children’s Worship please can you let us know by emailing gypsey.allsaintschildwall@gmail.com
Please pray for Gypsey as she plans and develops our online provision for our Children and Young People.
Light party online – Thanks to Jesus, there is always light to be found in the darkness. Join Gypsey and Helen, on the 7th November at 6:00pm,for a glow in the dark celebration with lots of games and fun.
Contact Gypsey gypsey.allsaintschildwall@gmail.com to get your goodie bag. More details are included in the attached flyer.
Poppies for remembrance- Due to circumstances beyond our control, we will not be able to gather in large numbers as we usually do to remember the people who have died in wars. As a way of paying our respects, we will be making a poppy wreath to place by the altar on Remembrance Sunday. All are invited to contribute by making a poppy. You can use any materials you like to make your poppy. Templates are available to download from the Royal British legionhttps://www.britishlegion.org.uk. Poppies must reach us by Friday 6thof November to be included in the wreath. Email a photograph of your poppy to curate.allsaintschildwall@gmail.com, text to 07984933476or pop your poppy through the letter box at 80 Green Lane North. By making a poppy, even if you can be there on the day, you can still be part of the service.
Living in Isolation – C of E website – On the church of England website there are some excellent resources. At this time of increased restrictions affecting who we can be with and where we can go we can feel increasingly isolated. Please can I encourage you to have a look at the Church of England website and their reflection and resources called ‘Living in Isolation’.
This is an extract with the link to the page below. It is easy to say, “You are not alone; God is with you.” It is not easy to live with isolation from the warmth of human company. However, isolation is not really, or only, about how many other people are in the room or house with us. It has more to do with who is in our hearts and minds, and how we may reach beyond the confines of rooms and homes to connect with those we love. https://www.churchofengland.org/faith-action/mental-health-resources/supporting-good-mental-health/day-one-living-isolation
Weekly News – If you are aware of anyone who is not receiving all the weekly news that we are sending out please ask them to send me their email address so I can add them to our master email list.
Children’s Society Boxes –Please bring your collecting box to church and place in the box at the back of church. Please write your name on it so it can be returned to you. Thank you, Delia Owen
Pastoral visiting – Current Government guidelines mean that we cannot visit people and go inside their homes or sit out in their gardens for a chat. Any face to face visiting will have to happen from the front gate, and with the colder and wetter weather will need to be brief so people don’t get cold. If you would value a chat or know anyone who would also appreciate a chat please let Helen or me know, our phone numbers and email addresses are at the bottom of this sheet, Thank You.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.
We pray for all those who are unwell at this time particularly for Alan McClelland.
Tearfund Big Quiz Night – Saturday November 14th at 8pm.
Please will you contact Delia Owen
deliaowen@hotmail.co.uk or text 07747601269 to let her know that you intend to join the Quiz that night. The Quiz will be on Zoom and the login details & password will be sent to you.
A JustGiving page has been set up
for donations to Tearfund. A suggested entry fee of £5 per team. Many thanks Delia Owen
WEEKLY PRAYER MEETING – 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.
Zoom Meeting: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/79853782379?pwd=NEloclhRVEJST3RFeUdUVEowSWJRUT09
Meeting ID: 798 5378 2379 Password: 7VUQh6 Aidan Holmes
Zoom coffee – Please note change of time to 11.15am for 40 mins – remember to bring your own coffee! Details for Zoom coffee are as follows:
Zoom Coffee – every Sunday at 11.15am Meeting ID: 842 767 1496 Password: 4allsaints
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
