21/11/21
News from the Benwell & Scotswood Team
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Eric Gill, St Christopher, 1923
Wood engraving on paper, Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
Dates for your diary
Sunday 21st Nov
10.30am, Confirmation service
Venerable Bede, NE4 8AP
Sunday 28th Nov
Advent Sunday
News
Confirmations today!
Sunday 21st Nov, 10.30am, Venerable Bede
Confirmation is the next big step in faith, it's the chance to say ‘Yes’ to the promises we made at baptism, and declare our faith in Christ publicly.
To find out more about confirmation have a look here >
Bishop Mark Bryant, former Bishop of Jarrow, will be joining us for the service of baptism and confirmation.
Join us as we pray for the candidates:
Zanyar, Behrooz, Payam, Hadis, Javad, Ali, Satar, Esther, Chris, Ibrahim, Nasser, Mehdi, Reza, Ebrahim, Somita, Reza and Ansar.
Update on Covid-19 and worship during winter
We want to keep you informed of our plans for the short term. We always try to reach a consensus that takes everyone into account and we want to be completely transparent about how we make these decisions.
We imagine keeping our policies throughout the winter until Easter 2022. But clergy and the PCC will constantly review and discuss the best way to balance worship and activities with safety when cases are on the rise again. You may be interested in finding out about some of our current policies here:
Policy on mask-wearing
Although it is not mandatory to wear a mask, we strongly encourage you to wear a mask if you can. Remember, masks protect those around you, not yourself.
Singing
Singing and music are absolutely vital to our worship and we know it is greatly missed, but we also recognise that singing is one of the riskiest group activities for spreading the virus.
We are therefore keeping singing to our monthly experimental services so that those who are vulnerable are not excluded from joining us every week. On Sundays when we are in all 4 churches, each church will set its own policy depending on capacity and safety.
After-service refreshments
We have moved to the Venerable Bede for most Sundays, but the church is not currently set up with hot water or space for tables to provide teas and coffees easily and safely. We also do not want anyone to feel pressurised into partaking in a risky activity. So we are opening our churches as much as we can throughout the week (e.g. lunch break) so people have a choice about attending these activities or not without missing worship.
Worship Texts
Collect prayer
Eternal Father,
whose Son Jesus Christ ascended to the throne of heaven
that he might rule over all things as Lord and King:
keep the Church in the unity of the Spirit
and in the bond of peace,
and bring the whole created order to worship at his feet;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
Reading
Revelation 1.4b–8 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega’, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
Gospel
John 18.33–37 Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ Jesus answered, ‘Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?’ Pilate replied, ‘I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?’ Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.’ Pilate asked him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.’
Sermon
The Rt Revd Mark Bryant
Let me begin with a question. “What would Newcastle be like if Jesus was in charge?”
What would Scotswood and Benwell be like if Jesus was in charge?
What do you think it would be like? Just pause for a minute and think.
Perhaps everybody would feel happier. People would be less lonely. Mothers would not have to worry about how they were going to feed their children or find money for presents for Christmas. Perhaps people would get on better with each other. Perhaps we would all be kinder to each other. I wonder?
What would it be like if Jesus was in charge?
But that is what today is about; Christ the King. It is about Jesus being in charge and Jesus being our leader.
Over 500 years ago in Spain there was a man we know as Ignatius of Loyola. He paints a picture of two great leaders. First there is Satan sat amongst fire and smoke and rather terrifying. Satan the leader sends devils out all over the world to recruit people to his cause and as they go they offer people riches and honour and pride.
And the second leader is Jesus in a lowly place beautiful and attractive .
He invites his followers to poverty - and that may sometimes be real poverty - but it is about not thinking I am the centre of things
He invites them to live their lives not worrying about what the world thinks of them
He invites them to live their lives being humble; not being proud about who they are or what they have achieved
And Jesus the king invites his followers to be like that because that is what he is like
he does not Lord it over people.
he does not boss people about.
He does not hold grudges
he does not go round saying
• I need this
• I deserve this
• I am in too much of a hurry to bother with you . No Jesus shows love and forgiveness and care for those who need it most
That is why in the Gospel this morning Jesus says to us “My kingdom is not of this world” The way Jesus is King is not the way many in the world expect a King to behave. They expect a King to want power and to want to lord it over others. But that is not Jesus’ way
So Christ the King paints a wonderful picture of a world where Jesus is in charge - and Jesus the King asks us if we will follow him to work with him to make the world the place he longs for it to be
where there really is peace and people really do look out for each other - everybody not just the people they like or get on with
and so Jesus is asking me
• Am I tempted to want riches or do I hear Jesus calling me to depend on Him
• Am I tempted to be be honoured by the world - to do what will make me popular or do I hear Jesus calling me to live my life in a way that will please him and make him happy
• Am I tempted to be proud and full of how important I am and what I deserve or do I hear Jesus calling me to be humble
Jesus longs for the world to be the way he wants it to be. That is what we mean when we pray May your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.
Would it not be wonderful if you who have been Confirmed today and all of us in church this morning were to follow the gentle and loving King and to work to make this part of our city the sort of place that Christ the King longs for it to be.
Will you follow Jesus the King?
A moment just to think about that. You may like to talk to Jesus about what you are thinking and feeling.
Intercessions
Prayers for others:
John Nicholson
Alan Robson
Peter Wilson
Steve Minchin
Esmaeel Haji Nozori
Liz Holliman
Joan Finley
James, Christina, Anastasia, and Xavier
Ali Zareie and his family
The Riches Family
Jill Sorley
Joyce Phillips
George Snowden
Claire Mozaffari
Herbert Agbeko
Edward Fraser
All those who are struggling at home or in hospital with Covid-19
Rest In Peace:
Mehri Karami
Moira Taylor
John MacIntyre
Jimmy McIntyre
Leonora Plane
Janet and Frank Galbraith
All who died recently
Other intentions:
COP26 and the protection and restoration of our planet
Post Communion prayer
Stir up, O Lord,
the wills of your faithful people;
that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works,
may by you be plenteously rewarded;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.