Newsletter - Last after Trinity
26/10/25 (Year C)
Your weekly update from the Benwell & Scotswood Team.
Services this week
Sunday
10am - St John's Holy Communion
10am - St Margaret's Holy Communion
11.15am - St James Parish Eucharist
Tuesday
4.30pm - Persian Bible Study at St James
Thursday
12pm - Ven Bede Holy Communion
Dates for your diary
2 November
4pm - All Souls' commemoration of the departed at St John's
9 November
Remembrance Sunday - Act of Remembrance to begin at 11am at St James (other service times as normal).
11 November
10.55am - Armistice day Act of remembrance at Ven Bede
23 November
6pm - Confirmation service at St James (with Bishop Mark)
News
All Souls' commemoration of the departed
4pm, 2nd November at St John's Benwell Village, NE15 6NW
Every year we hold a special service on All Souls' Day (or on the nearest Sunday).
During this service we gather to remember those we have lost, to pray for them, and light a candle in honour of them.
A list of names of those we have lost will be read out, including those whose funerals have happened in the last 3 years. If you would like to add a name to the list please send an email to church@benwellscotswood.com (alternatively a paper list will be available in our churches).
If you have any questions or would like someone to talk to, please do let us know.
Remembrance services
We will be holding an Act of Remembrance in each of our churches this November. This is when we remember those who gave their lives in the First World War and all other wars, and we pray for an end to all conflicts.
Remembrance Sunday 9th November
St Margaret's Scotswood, 10am
Holy Communion followed by an Act of Remembrance.
St John's Benwell Village, 10am Holy Communion followed by an Act of Remembrance.
St James Benwell, 11am Act of Remembrance at 11am, followed by Holy Communion at 11.15am
Armistice Day - Tuesday 11th November
Venerable Bede, West Road, 10.55am Act of Remembrance at the war memorial inside the church.
Confirmation Service
6pm, Sunday 23rd November at St James
Bishop Mark Wroe will be with us to lead this very special service for us.
Confirmation is a big step when we declare that we want to follow Jesus Christ, to receive the Holy Spirit, and to be part of his church, always finding ways to love God and one another.
If you are interested in being confirmed (or baptised!), or you aren't sure and want to find out more, then just let us know. Fr Chris will be in touch to chat and begin preparations.
Sunday worship
Sermon
Kathy Germain, Reader
The passage
Luke 18:9 is Jesus' Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, which teaches that divine justification comes through humble repentance, not through prideful self-righteousness. Jesus tells the story specifically to those who are confident in their own goodness and look down on others.
The setting:
think about it Two men go to the temple to pray. A Pharisee, a highly respected religious leader known for strict abiiding by the Jewish law, and a tax collector, a Jew despised for collaborating with the Roman occupiers and notorious for extortion, are present.
The Pharisee stands and loudly prays so everyone can hear, but he is first praising himself. He thanks God that he is not like other people—specifically, not being like the nearby tax collector. He boasts about his strict religious observances, such as fasting twice a week and tithing all his income, practices that exceeded the legal requirements.
The tax collector stands at a distance, unwilling even to look up to heaven. He beats his breast in sorrow and humbly prays, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner!". His simple, earnest prayer focuses solely on his need for God's grace, not on his own deeds.
Jesus ends by stating that it was the tax collector, not the Pharisee, who went home "justified" (declared righteous in God's sight). Jesus explains, "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
The parable is a master class on humility versus pride. The Pharisee's prideful comparison of himself to others blinds him to his own spiritual needs. The tax collector's posture of profound humility and remorse allows him to receive God's mercy.
Jesus makes it clear that being made right with God is not about a person's good deeds or religious practices. The tax collector, with nothing to offer but his sin, is justified, while the Pharisee's religious achievements are shown to be worthless because of his contemptuous heart.
I have said it before and i will say it again God sees in your heart. While the Pharisee presented an image of righteousness to the world, God saw his arrogant and self-serving heart. The tax collector, despised by others, was seen by God as truly repentant. This emphasizes that God judges the internal posture of the heart, not the external appearance. What you take in your mouth does not make you sin its what comes out from your heart that makes you a sinner.
Here is the challenge to everyone:
Although this story uses the extreme examples of a Pharisee and a tax collector, its message is for all people. It serves as a reminder to believers to examine their own heart and attitudes to guard against spiritual arrogance. It challenges the idea that any "good person" can be justified by their own merit. You can’t. It’s not about yelling from the roof tops it’s about serving in the shadows.
Amen
