God and Responsibility

Revd Ruth said that in the situations people had told her about last week, there were no obvious easy answers, and so we learn bit by bit to trust God in them:

• The person facing illness and perhaps little chance of getting better.
• The person who could not see any more purpose for themselves.
• Most of us who recognise we are well off and see poverty elsewhere.

Ruth said how we could trust God in these situations... By acting on the responsibility we feel.

Living Water

At the evening service, the theme was living water. Jesus went to the well where he met a samaritan woman and asked her for water. They got talking and then by and by Jesus offered her living water.

Revd Ruth said this was like something springing up in your own heart from God. You could go back endlessly to try and learn the lessons of Christianity, or get it from the source, direct.

Inclusive Church

Last week at a special church meeting Trinity decided to allow the Blessing of Gay marriagess. This was promoted by Revd Ruth who sees Trinity as a "broadly inclusive church." The majority decision - no unanimity this time - did however result in one or two individuals, including a leading steward, leaving the church.

A waitrose bag

This morning at the front of church was a bowl and towel, and near that the crown of thorns, and the hammer and the nail... of Jesus ...

There was also a Waitrose bag full of woollens. Throughout the service Revd Ruth spoke about friendship, and what it meant to have God as a friend. The Waitrose bag were donated to the homeless, as part of the collection.

Baptist Interference

The preacher was just starting his sermon when another voice kept drifting in and out over the sound system. It sounded very much like the Revd David from the baptist church just down the road. Anyway the inteference soon subsided. It has happened before.

A serious place

Normally the children go out to Junior Church after a couple of hymns and a Children's story. But today, they started Junior Church early, and came back in for the communion at the end of the service. They found it quite enthralling, and were allowed to take the bread and wine, which they seemed to do very seriously

Transformation

Revd Ruth has been with us as the minister since May. Today she led the communion service. Its funny what strange things can strike, but as she prayed over the bread and wine with her palms facing the elements I imagined the elements transforming. Well, in the past, and maybe still in some churches they consider that the bread becomes the body, and the wine, the blood...