Newsletter - Trinity 10
- Church
- Aug 12, 2023
- 7 min read
13/8/23
Your weekly update from the Benwell & Scotswood Team
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Dates for your diary
14-18 August
Holiday club at St Margaret's
26 August
'Benstock' Festival/concert at St James
Services this week
Sun 13 Aug
9.30am - St John's Holy Communion
11am - Hub service at St James (Parish Eucharist)
4pm - St Margaret's Evening worship
Thurs 17 Aug
10.30am - Ven Bede Holy Communion
News
Benstock! Sat 26 Aug
Get ready for an unforgettable night of music at Benstock Music Festival. This special event is not just about the incredible performances from talented local artists but also about making a positive impact on the community. Benstock is a charity fundraiser for Something Wonderful supporting those most in need in Benwell and Scotswood. Join us on 26th August at St James Church Benwell as we come together to raise funds and awareness for our excellent local project. From soulful melodies to upbeat rhythms, the concert promises to captivate your senses and fill your heart with joy. Let's unite as a community, celebrate the power of music, and make a real difference in the lives of those in need. Be part of the harmony and join us for an evening of giving back and creating lasting memories.
Key info
26th August 2023
Doors open at 6pm
Ticket price £5/£10
Licensed bar
Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult.
Afternoon event
Free!
from 4pm
Family friendly, open mic, art, food and more!
Holiday club - 14-18 August
This August you are invited to our freeholiday club at St Margaret's! Aimed at primary school children there will be crafts, games, activities, awesome stories from the Bible and more. A healthy lunch will also be provided every day with a family BBQ on Friday at 1pm.
Sunday Worship
10th Sunday after Trinity
Proper 14
Green
Sermon
Revd Chris
What does it mean to have faith? And do you have it?
In this famous Gospel passage Jesus walks on water, in the midst of a storm he reaches the terrified disciples.
Peter calls out, asking Jesus to command him to walk on water too, if it is truly Jesus, then he will be able to do it. Peter strides out on the waves, of course, when he becomes all too aware of the strong wind and the waves surrounding him, he becomes scared and begins to sink. He cries out ‘Lord save me!” And Jesus does, saying ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’
As a result of this passage, you might think that faith is something that if we have it, if you just believe hard enough, then God will reward you with the power to walk on water.
It always makes me think of Peter Pan. In the story, fairies die if you say you don’t believe in them and (spoiler alert) Tinker Bell the fairy is near death. In the play version, the audience are asked to clap their hands and say they do believe in fairies. They clap and they clap, they say they do believe in fairies, and Tinkerbell is revived. It is through the faith of the audience collectively choosing to believe in the story that she is saved.
For centuries, when something happened that was beyond our control, like a natural disaster or someone we love becoming ill, people have wondered whether God is punishing them for lack of faith. And conversely people have believed they are being blessed as a reward for their faith when things go well.
People of faith can be very unhelpful to us sometimes. When things are overwhelming we might be told to have more faith, that God wouldn’t give us anything we can’t cope with. And if you just pray hard enough, if you believe enough, then you’ll be blessed with an easier life.
I love the Peter Pan story, but God isn’t like that. He doesn’t punish or reward us based on whether we believe hard enough. Because we cannot make God do anything. If the story of walking on water tells us anything, it is that sometimes the storm is too much, it is too overwhelming for anyone to endure. The fact is, storms come and go for all of us, with or without reason. The message is that doubt is inevitable, but God is still there.
God has already chosen what to do, and what God chooses to reach out and to save us, even when we doubt.
I was having a conversation recently with a group of people about what we can do about the demise of religion in our society. Fewer and fewer people are religious and we wondered what we could do about it.
But we remembered, ultimately we are people of faith. What is dying is our control of religion and influence on society. And that does not mean God is going anywhere.
What we learn from the Gospel story is that it goes wrong for Peter when he tries to do something in his own power. Being able to walk on water is a glimpse, a promise, of a hopeful future, of what God can do for us, not a display of Peter’s own strength of faith.
God is not going anywhere based on whether enough people believe or not. What we need is humility and trust, not more of our own power. Faith that tries to control, that tries to exert its own power, is not faith. Faith that tries to dominate and display its power is not faith. Faith, by its very nature, is choosing to trust in what we don't necessarily know, in what we cannot see and measure.
God is not in the storm or the fire. God is not in the spectacle happening around us. God is not in events that surround us. But in our very existence. In the quiet moments we can only notice when everything else is silent, and when we are aware of our own frailty.
When you doubt, don’t worry, God isn’t going anywhere because of your weakness. Faith is something we hope and strive for, and eventually we might get a tiny glimpse of it.
Have faith, because God is faithful to you. It is enough to want to want to have faith. To approach God knowing that ultimately we cannot do it in our strength. But if we call out to God from our places of doubt and fear, then we can be confident he will answer.
Intercessions
Prayers for others:
Maria Hawthorn
George Snowdon
Herbert Agbeko
Ellis Nelson
Pauline Nelson
Michell Wilson
Peter Wilson
Alan Taylor
Maureen Tayor
Kathleen Germain
Irene Foskett
Lorraine Atkinson
Hilary Dixon
George Grant
Diana Humprey
Rest in peace
George Grant
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.
Collect
Let your merciful ears, O Lord,
be open to the prayers of your humble servants;
and that they may obtain their petitions
make them to ask such things as shall please you;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
or
Lord of heaven and earth,
as Jesus taught his disciples to be persistent in prayer,
give us patience and courage never to lose hope,
but always to bring our prayers before you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Readings
1 Kings 19.9–18
9At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ 10He answered, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.’ Elijah Meets God at Horeb 11 He said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. 13When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ 14He answered, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.’ 15Then the Lord said to him, ‘Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. 16Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. 17Whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall kill; and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill. 18Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.’
This is the word of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.
Gospel Reading
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
All: Glory to you, O Lord.
Matthew 14.22–33
22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land,* for the wind was against them. 25And early in the morning he came walking towards them on the lake. 26But when the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they cried out in fear. 27But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’ 28 Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ 29He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came towards Jesus. 30But when he noticed the strong wind,* he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ 31Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’ 32When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’
This is the Gospel of the Lord. All: Praise to you, O Christ.
Post Communion
God of our pilgrimage,
you have willed that the gate of mercy
should stand open for those who trust in you:
look upon us with your favour
that we who follow the path of your will
may never wander from the way of life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.