Advent Challenge Day 7

Luke 7

Chapter seven starts with one of the greatest examples of faith in the Gospels – and it came from a Roman centurion. Having come to Jesus for his sick slave, he proclaims himself unworthy of having Jesus in his house, but simply asks Jesus to proclaim him well and it would be done! What a brilliant act of faith, building upon Jesus’ words (as we heard in the previous chapter), and saving his slaves life!

Next, we have a miraculous healing of a dead man, the only son of a widow, and in turn gives his mother back hope for a future too. Jesus’ fame is spread wide and broad throughout the land.

Jesus’ praise of his cousin John is nothing less than amazing – v28, “I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John”. In praising John’s faithfulness to his God-given calling, he criticises the religious leaders of the day for their rejection of God’s call.

Finally in this chapter, we have the story of Jesus visiting a Pharisee’s house for a meal. A lady of the town (a sinner) attends and anoints Jesus with a jar of perfume. Please note that there is no suggestion that this woman is a prostitute, in spite of the traditional opinion – and the Pharisee is amazed that Jesus is allowing any woman to touch him. In the Jewish society, women were not allowed to approach or touch a man who wasn’t her husband – so this is a clear breach of protocol, no matter who the woman was! Jesus defends her actions and proclaims her forgiven of her sins – again a clear antagonism to the Pharisees around the table. “Go in peace” Jesus told the woman – what would he say to us? How would we react in Simon's situation? Would we be ashamed and affronted, or would we see a lady worshipping her Lord in the best way she knew how? Would we be guilty of judging her, or loving her as Jesus clearly did?

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Summer Readers

Hi folks As we enter our summer period, please find our readings and hymns for July 2025. Each Sunday there will be a selection of parishioners reading our lessons - as shown on our list. If you're not available for the given Sunday, please feel free to ask someone to cover - and our church wardens and clergy are always available as a backup on the day. Alternatively, if you would like to read a lesson in Church, drop me a message, comment on Facebook, or speak to us at the services. We would love to add new readers of all ages, Gid's Word is for us all. Blessings Johnny

August Hymns and Readings

Hi folks Here's the next list for the readings, readers and hymns for our services throughout August. There are five Sundays this month, and in our normal pattern, our fifth Sunday will be a Cafe Church service in the Parish Hall. As ever - this is just a guide, if you need to swap your date - just let someone know. Thank you to everyone who has volunteered to read each month, and if you'd like to join the list, please let the church wardens or the Rector know. If we need to do so, both David and the Rector are more than happy to fill in for any given reading!

AccessNI Check process

Hi folks Please see the following pages for the process of getting our AccessNI accreditation for our Sunday School and GFS leaders and helpers. You will need to print out the pages and keep a special note of the long number provided to you by email and let me know as soon as possible. We require an Enhanced check for everyone - and use the PIN number 918066 as detailed on the first page. The second page details the forms of identification you will need to provide - one from the first group, and two from the second group. The quicker we can all get the checks completed, the sooner we can get everything back to normal and put this whole process behind us for another three years! If you can photograph yourself (by smartphone or tablet) and email (revdjohnny@gmail.com) or WhatsApp (07488371680) them to me, that'd be great. I will also be available at the Parish Hall on Monday evening from 7pm to 8pm to help you with anything you would like assistance with! If you need any help at all...

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