Advent Challenge Day 11

Luke 11

Jesus starts today’s chapter by answering his disciples’ request about how to pray. The pray that he taught his disciples has become one of the most repeated texts ever! The “Lord’s Prayer” has been repeated by sinners and saints all over the world for the past 2000 years, sustaining people in the direst of circumstances, and bringing comfort and purpose to everyone who has found themselves in any difficult positions. If you could remember no other Bible verse, these are perhaps the most important of Jesus’ words to learn!

Following a miraculous cure of a possessed boy, people start comparing Jesus to Beelzebul, the king of demons, a name for the devil himself! This ridiculous accusation prompts Jesus to discuss the severity and seriousness of demon possession, something we often ignore in today’s world.

Of all the heroes and prophets that Jesus could have compared himself to, perhaps Elijah, Elisha, Moses, Abraham, Isaiah, Amos, Daniel, Joseph – it seems strange that he would choose to compare himself to Jonah! Jonah has become an unlikely hero, running from God’s call, and then only reluctantly obeying God’s call to preach to Nineveh, and confusingly becoming angry when they all repent! Yet Jonah saved an enemy city of over 100,000 people by being obedient to God, and thus Jesus has planned to save many more through his obedience – the world and everyone who will ever set foot on it if they only believe.

Perhaps Jesus’ encouragement to people to “Let their light shine” should have served as a warning to the Pharisee and religious leaders as they gathered around at the meal that evening! The Pharisee was astonished that Jesus did not clean his hands before the supper – and Jesus uses the opportunity to criticise their practices as opposed to their faith! Even in today’s world people are too eager to criticise other people’s actions before looking at their own faith and motivations. Jesus correctly pointed out that the religious leaders knew every single word of the Law, yet didn’t understand the meaning of love bound so tightly inside it!

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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

Pray for Peace

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” Matthew 5:9 The Holy Land, the place sanctified by the presence of prophets, poets, and priests, crying out for justice, urging on towards hope, and seeking after peace, has been, and continues to be a place sacred to millions of people around the world. We have watched with horror the appalling violence that has been unleashed over the last few days around this sacred place. We have seen families devastated, communities shattered, and countless lives lost. We, as followers of Jesus are called in this time to pray. Pray for the end of hostilities, pray for the protection of the most vulnerable on both sides in Israel and Gaza, and pray for a recommitment to a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. We also pray that God might grant comfort to the afflicted, healing to the broken, strength to the weak, and courage to those in authority to lay down the instruments of violence and destruction and stud

Back to the BCP!!

Hi folks It’s been a long time since the pandemic started and the lockdowns - and Covid hasn’t really gone away! I had the dubious honour of getting Covid for the second time just before Holy Week, giving me the chance to think about ministry direction, both my own and in the parish. One of the original responses to the pandemic was to limit our use of the hymn books and our Prayer Books. At the beginning I produced a service sheet with all the relevant liturgy - which we used in the car park and when we returned to the church. Our “temporary measure” lasted almost three years - and it’s time to move on! Our Book of Common Prayer contains our unique identity - in fact the word “Common” doesn’t mean ordinary but that it shows our unity - the liturgy we hold in “common”. We will be returning to our BCPs from this weekend, the Second Sunday of Easter. We will be using Morning Prayer Two - and we will guide us through the service. We look forward to seeing you in church or online via Fb

Aghavea Parish Church

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