19/1/25
Your weekly update from the Benwell & Scotswood Team.
Click below for the latest news and events in the parish and texts for Sunday worship.
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Dates for your Diary
2 Feb
11am - Candlemas Team service at Ven Bede (no other services this day)
Services this week
Sunday 12 Jan - Baptism of Christ
9.30am - St John's Holy Communion
9.45am - St Margaret's Holy Communion
11am - Hub service (Parish Eucharist) at Ven Bede
News
Candlemas
11am, Sunday 2nd February 2025
at Venerable Bede Church, West Road, NE4 8AP
A service of celebration of all who have been christened in Benwell & Scotswood Team Parish.
(The parish includes 4 churches: St James' Benwell, St John's Benwell Village, St Margaret's Scotswood, and Venerable Bede West Road.)
You are invited
Those who have been baptised (christened) in our churches are invited every year to this special celebratory service along with their loved ones and Godparents.
Some useful info
This family-friendly service will last less than an hour.
There will be some light refreshments after.
If you still have your baptism candle then bring it with you to light them during the service (don’t worry if not, there will be some spare candles!)
There is no need to RSVP but if you would like to contact us for any reason: church@benwellscotswod.com or 07968 162067
p.s. Do you have photos of baptisms in our churches? However long ago or recent, we would love to show them in the service!
What is Candlemas?
Traditionally this festival 40 days after Christmas (or the nearest Sunday) was when candles were blessed to be used throughout the year- hence 'candlemas'!
It is when we read the story of how Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus' to the temple in Jerusalem 40 days after his birth and gave thanks to God.
Welcome to Fr Mike
From 15th January we will welcome the Revd Michael Baldwin on full-time placement with us for 2 months.
Mike is currently a curate in Weardale, in the Diocese of Durham. He will be joining us for a couple of months to work with us in sharing the love of God in Benwell and Scotswood and to experience ministry in a different context to his current parish.
He will be leading services and working with us at our various community groups throughout the week, so you will have plenty of chances to get to know him and make him feel welcome.
Embrace - Gaza appeal
Conflict across the Middle East is unfolding with relentless intensity, devastating the lives of millions. Even as they live through these dark times, Embrace’s partners in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon are working tirelessly to bring the light of Christ amidst the suffering.
As Christmas approaches, please give what you can to help our partners keep the light of Christ shining amid the darkness.
You can click below to donate online. If you would rather donate by phone, please call 01494 897950.
Sunday Worship
Epiphany 2
Gold/White
Intercessions
Prayers for others:
John Nicholson
Malcolm Smith
John Peterson
Maria Hawthorn
Herbert Agbeko
Pauline Nelson
Michelle & Peter Wilson
Alan & Maureen Taylor
Irene Foskett
Pat Law
Moe and Mary
Christina Wilson
Diane Humphrey
Rest in peace:
Ellis Nelson
Betty Collins
If you would like to add someone to the prayer list please email church@benwellscotswood.com
The name will stay on the list for 1 month unless requested to be long-term.
Isaiah 62.1–5
62For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,
until her vindication shines out like the dawn,
and her salvation like a burning torch.
2 The nations shall see your vindication,
and all the kings your glory;
and you shall be called by a new name
that the mouth of the Lord will give.
3 You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
4 You shall no more be termed Forsaken,
and your land shall no more be termed Desolate;
but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her,
and your land Married;for the Lord delights in you,
and your land shall be married.
5 For as a young man marries a young woman,
so shall your builder marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
so shall your God rejoice over you.
John 2.1–11
2On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ 4And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.’ 5His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ 6Now standing there were six stone water-jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. 8He said to them, ‘Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.’ So they took it. 9When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom 10and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.’ 11Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
Sermon
Revd Mike
Just over a week ago, I married Ana, and at our wedding, we chose this very reading from St. John's Gospel. One of the reasons we chose this reading is because it speaks to the profound theme of transformation. Taking the ordinary and making it into some extraordinary.
In the Gospel, Jesus tells the servants, "Take those six stone jars, those huge jars for purification, and fill them to the brim with water." It’s a beautiful detail. I’m sure Jesus could have made wine appear out of thin air, but He chose to use the ordinary real things of life such as water, clay jars, and servants to bring about something transformative.
This pattern is seen in many of Jesus’ miracles. When He fed the five thousand, He asked, "What do you have?" They brought Him loaves and fishes, and He multiplied them. Similarly, in today’s reading, Jesus invites their participation by asking them to fill the jars with water.
What Jesus does in today’s Gospel—transforming the ordinary into something extraordinary—He also does with our lives. He takes the gifts and talents we are blessed with—whether it's art, music, wealth, a knack for technology, or anything else—and transforms them for His purpose.
I believe today’s reading encourages us to offer our gifts in service to God. When we use the gifts God has given us - in service of him - other people will be blessed by this and we in turn, are more enriched and fulfilled, finding joy and purpose in sharing what we have, rather than keeping it all to ourselves.
One remarkable example of how God uses our ordinary gifts for extraordinary purposes is John Kirkby the founder of Christians Against Poverty (CAP).
In 1996, John felt called by God to leave his career in finance and dedicate his expertise to helping those in financial distress. Starting in his hometown of Bradford, John encountered people weighed down by debt—families facing eviction, parents unable to feed their children, and individuals living without hope.
Using his knowledge of finance, he began negotiating with creditors, setting up budgeting systems, and offering much-needed relief to those trapped in the cycle of debt.
The impact of John's work has been profound and wide spread. In 2023 alone, CAP supported 8,306 people on their journey out of debt, with 2,292 becoming debt-free.
Additionally, 1,339 people received emergency assistance like food and phone top-ups.
John Kirkby’s story shows us how offering our talents to God can transform lives in ways we never expect.
Let’s not miss the abundance in all of this. Jeus took Six stone jars, each holding thirty gallons—that’s 180 gallons of wine! This symbolizes the wild excess of God’s grace. When we tap into God’s grace, it doesn’t just meet our needs—it overflows, increasing thirty, sixty, a hundredfold.
So, when we bring what we have—our “water”—and give it to Christ, we find it elevated and intensified beyond our wildest expectations. Like the 180 gallons of wine, God’s grace transforms our offerings into a blessing for others and ourselves.
But God’s transformative power doesn’t stop with our gifts and talents. Just as He turns water into wine and multiplies loaves and fishes, he also works in the more challenging, darker aspects of our lives.
It’s in the midst of our struggles and suffering that God's grace can shine most profoundly, turning our pain into something redemptive and even beautiful.
Whether we face loss, disappointment, or hardship, God is there, ready to transform these moments into opportunities for growth, healing, and deeper faith. Just as He invites us to bring our gifts, He also invites us to bring our burdens, trusting that in His hands, even our darkest times can be used for His glory and our good.
Lets look at an example of this from the Bible in the story of Cain and Abel that highlights Christ’s transformative power in the darker places of life.
Cain is an agriculturalist. Cain grows his food.
His brother Abel, on the other hand, he's a shepherd. So he's a nomad.
So when they sacrifice, what does Cain offer? Cain offers to God the product of agriculture.
AND Abel? Abel offers from his flock.
But the two sacrifices are unequal.
Cain's sacrifice is rejected, and in his anger and resentment, he kills his brother, a tragic example of how unchecked emotions can spiral into violence.
This violence highlights the depths of human brokenness, where resentment and sin can lead to destructive actions.
Yet, this story also sets the stage for something even greater in Christ. In His death and resurrection, Christ reconciles this relationship and bridges the gap between these two sacrifices.
Christ takes the sacrifice of Cain, the product of the earth, bread and wine.And he unites it to the sacrifice of Abel, flesh and blood.And he makes them one.
This brings us to the Eucharist, where Christ unites the ordinary and the extraordinary, the human and the divine, in the ultimate act of transformation.
As we come to communion today, let us take both the bread and the wine, the body and blood of Christ, with open hearts. Let us be ready for Christ to work within us, transforming not only our gifts but also our struggles, making us vessels of His grace and love in the world.