Dear Friends,

You have probably heard the saying, ‘if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans’. Our scripture readings for this week (links below) remind us that the task of preparing for the future is not always straightforward, especially when God is involved!

Our reading from the Letter of James urges us to be patient until the Lord’s coming. To help us, James gives us the image of a farmer who obediently tills and tends his field without ever seeing a single green shoot. Yet the farmer prepares because the seasons can be trusted and he knows the harvest will come in its time (even if the timing is hidden from him). So we are called to similar trust: to be steadfast, to strengthen our hearts and to prepare our lives for God’s work even though we cannot see it revealed in its fulness.

In our Gospel passage from Matthew we encounter John the Baptist for the second time in as many weeks. From prison, John sends his disciples to ask Jesus if he truly is the one who is to come. After responding to John, Jesus addresses the people and interprets who John is for them. True, John was not the spectacle they were expecting, but he was God’s messenger, preparing the way for Jesus in humility and faithfulness. God’s power is often revealed through unexpected people and in unexpected ways.

So, perhaps preparation is not just about getting everything ready on our own terms and crossing our fingers. It’s about releasing ourselves from our assumptions and learning to trust God’s timing and God’s plans

Yours in Christ,

Ian

Worship this Sunday

Readings & Collect

James 5: 7-10

Matthew 11: 2-11

Collect:

O Lord Jesus Christ,

who at your first coming sent your messenger

to prepare your way before you:

grant that the ministers and stewards of your mysteries

may likewise so prepare and make ready your way

by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just,

that at your second coming to judge the world

we may be found an acceptable people in your sight;

for you are alive and reign with the Father

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

BCP Collect:

O Lord Jesu Christ,

who at thy first coming didst send thy messenger to prepare thy way before thee:

Grant that the ministers and stewards of thy mysteries

may likewise so prepare and make ready thy way,

by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just,

that at thy second coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable people in thy sight,

who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit,

ever one God, world without end.

For Your Prayers

In your prayers this week please remember:

The Church … especially this diocese and for Bishop Michael and Bishop-elect Fiona … our clergy, lay ministers and all who serve in these parishes … for our schools as they prepare for the end of term … especially for road safety around our schools following an incident in Winford this week;

Pray for the coming of God’s peace … for the Middle East, Ukraine, Sudan and so many other parts of our world … pray for peace in our own village communities, especially among families for whom this is a difficult time of year … for those celebrating their first Christmas;

For those who are ill or in distress at home or in hospital, and for those who care for them … for those anxiously awaiting test results;

Pray for the faithful departed, especially Jenny whose funeral will take place this week. May the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace and be raised in glory.