Advent Challenge Day 4

Luke 4

By now we have the full picture of Jesus and his divine heritage, and in this chapter, we start to see Jesus enter his full, public ministry.

Firstly, we have the temptations from the devil. Jesus had to endure the full onslaught of physical, mental and spiritual temptations, yet possessed a strength never seen before. Many people claim that Jesus’ knowledge of the Holy Scriptures gave him the answers – but don’t forget that the devil knew the Scriptures too! Having defeated the devil, Jesus returns from the wilderness to start his Father’s mission to bring redemption to the world.

Jesus begins his ministry in Galilee, and immediately the news spreads throughout the region. He eventually arrives at his hometown of Nazareth; that Sabbath he chooses a passage from the prophet Isaiah to read. He reads the passage that could well be his “mission statement”, and upon uttering the words that his listeners decide his words are blasphemy and try to kill him!

His ministry continues in Capernaum, and he casts out demons, heals Simon’s mother-in-law before starting a healing tour of the region. It’s interesting that it’s the demons who recognise him crying out “You are the Son of God!” Crowds sought him out, but Jesus is on a mission – once more “about his Father’s business”.

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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

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

Second Sunday in Lent

Hi folks Another week has literally flown by - and we've already started the new month! This Sunday's readings include the best known passage in the Bible, John 3 - the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus. In this passage, Jesus sums up the whole Gospel message of love, salvation and eternal life in one verse, known to us all as John 3:16. Is this the most important verse in our Holy Scriptures? Possibly, but join us on Sunday to discuss the passage, and how it fits into the Christian life as we know it. Our service is Holy Communion Two, and our readings and passages are listed on our service sheets attached. Our service will be streamed on Facebook (all being well) and shared afterwards on our page if you can't join us live. Blessings Johnny

Aghavea Parish Church

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