Dear All,
I hope and pray that you have had a good summer enjoying some warm weather, even if you have stayed in the United Kingdom? Perhaps some of you have had the opportunity to go to places further afield with friends and family, or others may have just enjoyed having the time and space to be at home without the pressures of work, school, college, and other commitments. I wonder how many of you found yourselves inviting people to join you for events, holidays, occasions, meals, during the month of August because you have had more time to enjoy other peoples’ company. There is something very special about inviting and being invited.
August certainly gave me the opportunity to invite friends to stay in Scotland and Chester; invite others to the theatre, and invite people for meals whether it be a picnic, BBQ, or in a more formal setting.
As we move into the Autumn Term, the Archbishop of Canterbury has called the Anglican Church into ‘A Season of Invitation’. So challenged by our Archbishop, St. Mark’s Sermon Series is entitled ‘A Season of Invitation – learning from Jesus’, as we seek to transition from being a very good church of welcome to a church of invitation – which I suggest is a bit more challenging, and risk taking.
However Jesus is our role model of one who invited, and was invited. As we learn from Jesus, one of the first things He does in the Gospel of John is to invite two of John the Baptist’s disciples to ‘come and see’ where He was staying, and they stayed with Him all that day, (John 1: vv. 35-42). Luke in his Gospel has Jesus attending and using parables about, feasts, dinners and meals, and in the parable that we looked at last Sunday Jesus says, ‘when you give a lunch or dinner invite’ (Luke 14: 12) – when not if!
As followers of Jesus Christ, as his disciples, we are called by Him to go out and proclaim the good news, and to invite people to ‘come and see’ where Jesus is to be found today!
I am really excited about this ‘Season of Invitation’ this autumn because I believe we are all up for this challenge now, and we have a number of opportunities to invite people.
So please pray for whom you may invite to:
Back to Church Sunday 18th September
Alpha Launch Quiz Evening on Wednesday 21st September/and Alpha course
Harvest Sunday 2nd October
Bereavement Service 16th October at 4 pm
Remembrance Sunday 13th November
Christingle Service Sunday 4th December
Nativity Service Sunday 18th December 11 am
Carol Service 18th December 4 pm and 6.30 pm
Crib service 24th December 3.30 pm and 5 pm service followed with refreshments
Midnight Service 11 pm
Christmas Day Joint Service at 10.30 am
Our vision is to see the parish of Lache & Saltney live life to the full in the power of God’s love as we belong to His Body, are transformed by the power of His Holy Spirit, celebrate our relationship with God and life together, and share the good news of Jesus Christ in our community. Lives will be transformed and lived out in the fullness of Christ, when we invite others to ‘come and see’, and have the opportunity of being introduced to Jesus Christ! God has always been on a mission to see His kingdom come here on earth as it is in heaven – so this autumn let us all join in and work with God for this fulfilment. As you invite you will be blessed because there is something very special about inviting and being invited.
Blessings Hennie
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