22nd August 2021 Trinity 12 All Saints Church, Childwall
READ: The armour of God10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled round your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
REFLECT: Currently in our society there are thousands of Health and Safety Managers employed by organisations with the key aim of keeping workers safe, well and alive. It may seem dramatic on one level in comparison to days gone by, but it makes an enormous difference in ensuring people’s physical and mental health is protected and strengthened.
We have Paul writing to the Church in Ephesus encouraging them to stay strong in the Lord. He outlines that we are in a spiritual battle and that we should put on God’s full armour. Growing in faith and staying spiritually strong is the main focus of this passage.
We could be mistaken from this passage that we have to use God’s armour regularly for solitary combat. However the emphasise of this passage is that evil is resisted by the church’s life together. The church stands “against the schemes of the devil” (v11) by its love, forgiveness and reconciliation and by the peace and righteousness that it displays within its own fellowship. Its mutual prayer and proclamation of the Gospel ensure God’s Kingdom grows and advances.
This “standing firm” (verse 13 & 14) is not something that we can do by ourselves, but only as a community. As God’s church here at All Saints we can do so much more if we stand together. If we use the armour that we have been given then our faith will grow and flourish and others will come to faith to.
RESPOND: Do we have the belt of truth buckled firmly in our lives? Are we known as people of integrity and honesty? A breastplate protects our vital organs. When we put our trust and faith in God then we are protected by his righteousness. Have you put your trust in God fully and know life in all its fullness that he gives? Are we peacemakers wherever we go? Do the words that we use bring about peace and harmony or do they stir up disunity and resentment? Our Faith only grows when we nurture it and feed it. Our Faith keeps us strong and helps us when we have doubts and fears. A helmet gives us ultimate protection and can literally save our life. Having salvation through Christ gives us the free gift of eternal life.
The 2 offensive weapons that we are given are God’s word and prayer. Reading of God’s word and praying regularly will lead to a stronger faith and one that will last a lifetime. Is your faith growing and becoming stronger? Are you giving God the opportunity to speak to you through his word and regular prayer?
PRAY: Heavenly Father, through all the days of my life help me to stay close to you and to use the protection that you have given me. Help me to read and declare your word and to pray on all occasions. Lead me to be a person of your truth and righteousness and to believe in the salvation that you have freely given. Through Christ my Lord. Amen
Rev Andrew Colmer (Vicar of All Saints, Childwall)
Church Services
Sunday 22nd August – 9.15am – Service with Holy Communion 11am– Service of the Word
Thursday 26th August – 10.45am BCP Holy Communion
Sunday 29th August – 9.15am – Service of the Word 11am – Service with Holy Communion
12.30pm – Baptism Service
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
HERITAGE WEEKEND 18th – 19th September 2021
Thanks to all those who have volunteered to be stewards when All Saints is open to the public at Heritage Weekend. We still need some more people to help on Saturday, 18th September. We are asking stewards to do a 2 hour slot: 10.00am – 12.00pm, 12.00 – 2.00pm or 2.00 – 4.00pm. Your task will be to greet visitors and make them feel welcome. You don’t need a comprehensive knowledge of the history of the Church. If you would like to volunteer please contact Helen Ford on 07950718759 or h.h.ford@btinternet.com
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
Children’s work – Rock Club
If you would like to receive specific information about our Children’s and Youth work please email Gypsey, our Youth and children’s worker directly, who will add your email to her master list for youth and children. gypsey.allsaintschildwall@gmail.com
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 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
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 Hazel Watson, John Wright and Shirley Powell.
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
