Dear Friends,

The rich readings set for this Sunday (links below) speak to us about the tension between judgment and grace, alienation and belonging, bondage and liberation. Our Old Testament reading from Isaiah 65 begins with God’s lament,  ‘I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me’. Here, we encounter a God who reaches out—even when rejected. The passage reveals a broken relationship, as God’s people persist in idolatry and defiance. Yet even in righteous anger, God leaves room for mercy, ‘My servants shall eat… my servants shall rejoice’. Judgment and hope are always held together.

In Galatians 3, Paul shifts the focus from the law to faith. ‘Now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian’ he writes. This echoes Isaiah’s theme: though we have walked contrary to God, faith opens the way for restoration. Paul’s striking declaration—’There is no longer Jew or Greek… slave or free… male and female’—dismantles every human-made barrier. In Christ, all belong. We are not outsiders but heirs to the promise. This passage invites us to see faith not as mere belief, but as belonging—a life lived in union with Christ and each other.

Our Gospel passage from Luke gives flesh to these ideas through Jesus’ encounter with the Gerasene demoniac. Here is a man exiled by his community, tormented and broken. Jesus crosses cultural and spiritual boundaries to restore him. The demons recognize Jesus’ authority, and the man is made whole. Yet the people respond with fear and rejection, asking Jesus to leave. The one who was healed, however, becomes a witness—proclaiming God’s mercy to his city.

Together, these texts might cause us to reflect on the wideness of God’s grace. God seeks the lost, welcomes the outsider, and brings healing where there was only torment. But they also challenge us: are we more like the people who rejected God’s voice in Isaiah? Do we still build walls that Christ has torn down? Are we afraid of grace when it comes in unexpected ways?

This Sunday, we are invited to trust in the God who still seeks us—even when we resist—and to live as people of faith who carry that healing into the world.

Yours in Christ,

Ian

Worship this Sunday

Sunday  22nd June 2025

The First Sunday after Trinity

FELTON St Katharine

9.00am Morning Worship

WINFORD St Mary & St Peter

11.00am Eucharist

NEMPNETT THRUBWELL St Mary

STOWEY St Nicholas & St Mary

6.30pm Evensong

Next Sunday:

Sunday 29th June June 2025  – St Peter & St Paul

10.30am Eucharist (Chew Stoke)

Readings & Collect

Isaiah 65: 1-9

Galatians 3: 23-end

Luke 8: 26-39

O God,

the strength of all those who put their trust in you,

mercifully accept our prayers

and, because through the weakness of our mortal nature

we can do no good thing without you,

grant us the help of your grace,

that in the keeping of your commandments

we may please you both in will and deed;

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

BCP Collect:

O God, the strength of all them that put their trust in thee,

mercifully accept our prayers;

and because through the weakness of our mortal nature

we can do no good thing without thee,

grant us the help of thy grace,

that in keeping of thy commandments we may please thee,

both in will and deed; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

For your prayers

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the gift of your CHURCH and for calling us into the body of Christ. Strengthen all who lead and serve in your Church. May bishops, priests, deacons, and all ministers preach the gospel with clarity, compassion, and courage. Especially we pray for all those preparing for Ordination, that they may be upheld by Your Spirit.

God of justice and peace, we lift before You the nations of the WORLD. Guide all leaders in the ways of truth and righteousness. We pray for an end to war and oppression, and for the healing of communities divided by hatred. Inspire those in authority with wisdom and integrity, that they may serve the common good.

Loving God, you have commanded us to love our neighbours as ourselves. Help us to serve one another with humility and compassion. We pray for all in need: the sick, the lonely, the grieving, and the anxious. Surround them with Your healing presence and comfort.

Merciful Father, we remember before You those who have died in the faith and now rest in Your eternal peace. Grant us grace to follow in their steps, that we may with them behold Your glory.

Iris’ Baptism

Contact

Revd Dr Ian Mills, Rector & Area Dean

The Rectory

4 Parsonage Lane

Winford  

BS40 8DG

Telephone: (01275) 474504 

chewvalleywest@gmail.com

Revd Fran Smettem, Curate

Telephone: (01934) 340682 

curatechewvalleywest@gmail.com