Dear Friends, Here we are, in the season of Lent, a time people think of ‘giving something up’. But haven’t we already given up so much over the last year? The pandemic has said ‘NO’ to us all in many ways – lockdown, illness, hardship, bereavement. Perhaps like the psalmists, we lament... But as we prepare for Good Friday, a dark day when all seems lost, don’t get stuck with ‘NO’. Jesus, made good his ‘YES’ to the purpose of his becoming human. He gave up his life in order to give us life in all its fullness, to know our sins forgiven, to know a way to be in God’s presence. We just have to say ‘YES!’ and go on saying it in all circumstances. Invitation to everyone to take part We want to invite all of us to come together as the body of Christ to encourage each other by making a response to 2 Corinthians 1:20: For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘YES’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God. Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the YES of Jesus. God affirms us, putting his YES within us. How have we experienced God’s YES? Many of us find a glimpse, an affirmation of God’s goodness in the beauty of his creation: the bulbs pushing up, the colours of the summer flowers, the autumn leaves, the sunsets and the snow! God’s YES in creation. We’ve also discovered the importance of community, small acts of kindness given and received: saying YES to Christ in us and in our neighbours. What you can do So we would like to invite everyone, young and old, whether you think you are creative or not, to send in pictures that show or represent your experiences of God’s YES and our Amen, which we hope to use in an Easter video. Send your pictures in to digital@christchurchware.co.uk in the coming weeks, and ideally before 30th March. Here are some ideas to help get your started:
John and the CCW Team. Dear Friends, I hope you have enjoyed the glimpse of Spring sunshine and the spring flowers appearing as a sign of hope and renewal. Don’t forget to take a look at our website for: The ‘I AM’ sayings of Jesus teaching series We are continuing our series meditating on the 'I Am' sayings of Jesus to inject fresh hope into our hearts. This week our vicar John looks at Jesus saying 'I Am the Good Shepherd' from the book of John chapter 10 verse 11 - ‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.' If you are feeling lost and in need of guidance, find out what the Good Shepherd is offering you today: https://youtu.be/6SORbDHnNWA Do join us this Sunday at 10.30am on our live stream as we continue to explore the book of Philippians HERE or it is also available via our Facebook page or YouTube channel. Following the government’s sharing of the “Roadmap out of Lockdown” we are continuing to look at all the guidance that is coming out. On Sundays live stream I will also be updating you on our outline plans to return to some in person services in time for Holy Week, with further details on your email next week. Youth and Children’s ministry continue to be online. Our next Day of Prayer and Fasting is on Wednesday 10 March 2021. Please follow the link below to sign up for a quiet hour praying for our Church and our community. Especially be praying for schools, both children and staff, as we think about them reopening. https://www.24-7prayer.com/signup/cc6eee Prayer meetings: We have a church prayer meeting each Friday at 10.00 am via Zoom, for our church and community. Grab a coffee and join in. Contact the office for the link (please don’t share the link on social media). Please do continue to be praying for all on our Alpha Course, the Bereavement Journey coming to an end soon, the Midweek Wellbeing Course, the Bible course, along with CAP and our other ministries that are happening on line at the moment. Do subscribe to our YouTube channel for all the latest updates and past video’s. And finally we would love some new faces for our 10.30 Sunday streamed service. We need volunteers to record intercessions and readings so please do contact the office if you would like to help out with this – we can send you an easy to follow guide. With love and prayers from John and the CCW team. We're continuing our series meditating on the 'I Am' sayings of Jesus to inject fresh hope into our hearts. This week our vicar John looks at Jesus saying 'I Am the Good Shepherd' from the book of John chapter 10 verse 11 - ‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.' If you are feeling lost and in need of guidance, find out what the Good Shepherd is offering you today. |
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