Parish Newsletter

Jesus said, “What do you want me to do for you?” Welcome Miracle stories can (and must be!) read at different levels. There’s first of all the plain story: someone in need is healed in some way. It is always the case that even at that basic level the story points beyond itself as an illustration of the Kingdom preached by Jesus. The story receives an extra layer of meaning in each…

For the Son of Man himself did not come to be served but to serve! Welcome The Gospel addresses in a very engaging way a constant risk/temptation: the imitation of the power structures of the world. Hierarchy does not come form higher-arch but you could be forgiven for thinking it might. As Jesus bluntly says: not so among you! The former and slightly maverick bishop of Evreux, Jacques Gaillot, wrote…

We Cannot Remain Silent – We cannot but speak about what we have seen and heard (Acts 4:20) Mission Month October 2021 Mission Month 2021 World Mission Sunday is the Holy Father’s annual appeal for spiritual and financial support so that the life-giving work of overseas mission and missionaries can continue. It always falls on the second last Sunday in October, meaning this year it will be celebrated over the…

So then, what God has united, man must not divide. Welcome The teaching of Jesus on marriage and divorce is best understood first of all in the context of the time. In that context, the teaching would have been seen as prophetic, against the grain, calling people to a different, more original ideal and offering greater security to women. In contemporary terms, it is decidedly un-prophetic simply to repeat what…

Anyone who is not against us is for us   The gospel is a straight continuation of the gospel of the previous Sunday, taking forward the teaching on discipleship. This time, the disciples have once again “lost the run of themselves” as we say. They have just failed in an attempted exorcism and still they object to an outsider successfully working deeds of power in Jesus’ name. More than ironic… The temptation…

‘If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.’ Welcome The teaching on discipleship in Mark’s Gospel is profound and relevant. As we know from reading the Gospel, he takes great care in its presentation, using a three-fold lay-out. Good teacher that he is, he teaches by misunderstanding, leading to a correction and clarification. The pattern can be see in the graphic…

 But you must do what the word tells you, and not just listen to it and deceive yourselves Welcome The last time we heard from Mark was on Sunday 18 July: Mark 6:30-34. After our 5 Sundays of John 6, we now resume our reading of the Gospel for the current year. The appointed reading is Mark 7:1-8,14-15, 21-23. Something of the cumulative power of the text and its cogency…

Exploring the Bible   Since 2012, a group of parishioners has been meeting each week, to explore the Bible and to ask ourselves, how it might relate to our lives today. Before the Pandemic, we met in Shalom, beside St Mark’s church, each Monday. Some people come weekly, others less frequently. All are welcome!   When the Pandemic hit, we had a gap of a few weeks. However, we discovered that…

Sir, give us this bread always! Welcome! We continue our journey into John chapter 6. In the YouTube talk, three dimensions of the Gospel passage are identified: Searching, seeking, questing. What does God want of us? Jesus as the “I am.” Any one of these could take us deeply into our faith in Christ. In particular, the question at the centre — “What must we do to do the works…

Exploring the Bible   Since 2012, a group of parishioners has been meeting each week, to explore the Bible and to ask ourselves, how it might relate to our lives today. Before the Pandemic, we met in Shalom, beside St Mark’s church, each Monday. Some people come weekly, others less frequently. All are welcome!   When the Pandemic hit, we had a gap of a few weeks. However, we discovered that…