Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed! Allelujah!

Methodist Communion Service Led by Rev. Peter Bates

5^th Sunday of Lent

A prayer for the week from Matt

Heavenly Father, Lord God of compassion, come and strengthen us in faith. Help us to be more deeply rooted in love for our Lord Jesus Christ, and would his love for us feed our souls, and those of our fellow believers. In his name we pray, Amen

Please also pray for

Peter Bates as he prepares the service for us this Sunday.

Residents of Hough Road and Staveley Road

Remember in your prayers all victims of the earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand and all who are working to support them.

A Call to Prayer (from Matt)

This week and next, the midweek discipleship group are focussing on the subject of prayer - what it is, how we engage with it and different ways of praying.

There is no right or wrong way to pray but it is open to all of us.

Any form of prayer is:-

Being with God - attentive to Him in our daily lives

and responding to what He is doing.

Prayer is simply the “love language” which helps us to connect with God in this way.

Being in active relationship with God.

Easter Services and events: Come and join us at this - the most special time in the calendar of the church

Palm Sunday (13^th April): All-age guest service

Tuesday 15^th: Easter Stay-and-play (for parents and 0-5s), 10-12am

Thursday 17^th: Seder (taster) meal*, 5.30pm

(* Having an idea of numbers for this would be helpful-please contact Matt or Val)

Friday 18^th: Contemplative Good Friday service, 2pm at St. Bede’s

Saturday 19^th: Easter Saturday fayre, 10-12.30 at St. Bede’s

Saturday 19^th: Easter Vigil, 8pm at St. Bede’s

Easter Sunday: Light breakfast followed by all-age Easter celebration service, 9.45 (at Hazelwell)                                   This week’s reading (from the Old Testament )

A Reflection on Isaiah 43:16-21

This passage starts with a powerful reminder to us that no matter how overwhelming our circumstances may seem, God is still the same God who parts seas, who makes a way where there seems to be no way. His sovereignty is not bound by time or situation.

In verses 18-19 God calls His people to forget the former things and not dwell on the past. This doesn’t mean to erase or deny the past, but rather to shift focus from what has been to what God is about to do. God is about to do a "new thing," something that will bring about transformation and renewal.

It’s a reminder that God is always doing something new, even when it feels like we are stuck in old patterns or stuck in the pain of the past. Sometimes, the hardest thing is to let go of past wounds, regrets, or failures to make room for God's new work in our lives.

The New Thing (v. 19-21): God reveals that the new thing He will do is beyond their expectations. It’s not just a return to the past glory of Israel, but something greater -rivers in the desert, a way in the wilderness. It’s the imagery of God transforming desolate and barren places into fruitful ones, bringing life where there was once death.

Thus we see God’s ability to create life out of nothing, to restore even the most hopeless situations. It’s a promise of hope, not just for the Israelites, but for all of us who find ourselves in barren or difficult places. God promises to bring renewal and provision, even in the most unexpected places.

The transformation He brings isn’t just for our benefit but for His glory. As God’s people experience His new work in their lives, they are called to respond with worship and to testify to His greatness.

Our stories of transformation and God's faithfulness are meant to be shared. When God does something new in our lives, it’s a testimony to His goodness, and we are called to praise Him and share that testimony with others.

A Question:

Are we expectant of God’s work in our lives and do we live lives of praise which testify to His transformative power?

Communion Service Led by Rev Matt Churchouse

11.00am at St Bede’s Brandwood

Mothering Sunday

• A prayer for the week from Matt

  Faithful God, who walks with us through Lent, as indeed through our times of weakness as well as our strength, fill us with your Spirit. Would your holy presence pervade us and make clean and renew our hearts. Help us to take courage in the example of Jesus, who remained faithful in the face of temptation, and may this time of discipline be edifying and help us to worship you more truly in accordance with your will. Amen

  Please also pray for

  Matt as he prepares the service for us this Sunday.

  Residents of Moss Grove and Denshaw Road

  Remember in your prayers Mothers throughout the world, remembering especially those living in fear for their children’s safety

  
  

  Parish Update

  Remember our ACM was postponed (not cancelled and will now take place on Sunday

  May 11^th)

  Don’t forget to put your clocks forward on Saturday night

  
  

  Easter Services and events Come and join us at this - the most precious season in the church calendar

  Palm Sunday (13^th April): All-age guest service

  Tuesday 15^th: Easter Stay-and-play (for parents and 0-5s), 10-12am

  Thursday 17^th: Seder (taster) meal*, 5.30pm

  (* Having an idea of numbers for this would be helpful-please contact Matt or Val)

  Friday 18^th: Contemplative Good Friday service, 2pm at St. Bede’s

  Saturday 19^th: Easter Saturday fayre, 10-12.30 at St. Bede’s

  Saturday 19^th: Easter Vigil, 8pm at St. Bede’s

  Easter Sunday: Light breakfast followed by all-age Easter celebration service, 9.45 (at Hazelwell)

  Reflection on God’s role as a loving parent taken from the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) (Compilation from a variety of sources)

  This story is one of the most powerful depictions of God's role as a loving parent. In it, Jesus illustrates God's boundless love, grace, and willingness to forgive, even when we stray far from Him.

  At the heart of the story is the relationship between the father and his two sons. The younger son, after demanding his inheritance and squandering it in reckless living, finds himself destitute and decides to return home, repentant and hoping for a place as a servant in his father’s house. However, his father, seeing him from a distance, runs to him, embraces him, and welcomes him back with open arms, throwing a feast in his honour.

  This act of forgiveness and unconditional love mirrors God's relationship with us, His children. The father doesn’t hold the son’s mistakes against him or scold him for leaving; instead, he rejoices that his lost son has returned. It is an expression of love that is not based on the son’s worthiness but on the father's deep, unshakable love.

  The father's actions reflect God's desire to restore and heal broken relationships. Even when we fall short, make mistakes, or stray from the path, God remains ever-present, ready to embrace us. This reflects the divine nature of God as a parent—one who does not give up on us, but instead continually calls us back with open arms.

  The older son, however, who stays behind and dutifully serves his father, struggles with feelings of injustice when the younger son is welcomed back. His reaction echoes the human tendency to measure worthiness, but the father reminds him that everything he has is also his. The message here is that God's love does not operate on a system of merit or deserving; it is simply grace.

  God’s role as a loving parent in the parable demonstrates his unwavering love, compassionate, and restorative. No matter how far we may wander or how many mistakes we make, God's arms are always open, ready to receive us back into His embrace with joy.                                                                                                                                                                                     

Hope anchors the soul.

No God or Know God?

Have patience in all things, starting with yourself

Have patience in all things, starting with yourself

Have faith, Jesus will calm the storms in OUR lives

Have faith - That Jesus will calm the storms in OUR lives

Weekly Contact 16th February 2025

Hazelwell Communion Service

Led by Revd. Tony McClelland

3^rd Sunday before Lent

Please pray for

All who work for the City’s Children’s services currently facing major cuts to their budget.

Residents of Topsham Croft and Kings Terrace.

Give thanks for all who will attend classes or groups at the Hub or in church this week

Reflection on Luke 6 17- 26,

As Jesus delivers what is commonly known as the "Sermon on the Plain"

He addresses His disciples and speaks blessings over those who are poor, hungry, weeping, and persecuted. These are the people who might be overlooked or despised in the world, but Jesus assures them that their reward in heaven will be great.

He doesn’t condemn poverty but explains that those who are poor in spirit or material resources are blessed because they rely on God’s provision, and they will inherit the Kingdom of God.

He promises that those who experience hunger, whether physically or spiritually, will be filled by God and that those who mourn now, whether over personal losses or the brokenness of the world, will laugh in the future joy of God's Kingdom.

Jesus assures those who suffer for His sake that they will be rewarded in heaven, (just as the prophets were).

Each of these blessings flip worldly expectations—those who seem most unfortunate are, in fact, the recipients of God’s Kingdom.

In contrast, Jesus pronounces woes upon those who are rich, full, laughing, and well-spoken of, highlighting the dangers of comfort and worldly success. He speaks first of the Rich. Wealth can lead to self-reliance, complacency, and a lack of concern for others. Jesus warns that those who place their trust in material wealth will face spiritual emptiness.

He goes on to warn those who are “well fed now”. Physical satisfaction can mask the deeper spiritual hunger we have. Jesus emphasized that temporal comfort will eventually give way to spiritual longing.

He next condemns those who experience joy now without concern for others or for the deeper truths of God’s Kingdom will eventually face sorrow.

Finally he warns against taking satisfaction in being Well-spoken of. The praise of others, especially when based on superficial values, is fleeting. The world may commend those who are influential or admired, but true honour in God’s eyes comes from living according to His will.

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And Finally