Newsletter - Christ the King
- Benwell and Scotswood Team
- 3 days ago
- 9 min read
23/11/25
(Year C)
Your weekly update from the Benwell & Scotswood Team.
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Dates for your diary
Tues 16 Dec
12pm Christmas dinner at St James
Wed 17 Dec
4-9pm Charity Auction at St James
Sun 21 Dec
6pm Carols at St John's
Wed 24 Dec
5pm Christmas eve Crib service at St Margaret's
11.30pm Midnight mass at Venerable Bede
Thurs 25 Dec
10am Christmas day service at St James
Sun 28 Dec
11.15am Team Service at St James (no other services in the team this Sunday)
Services this week
Sunday
10am - St John's Holy Communion
10am - St Margaret's Holy Communion
11.15am - St James Parish Eucharist
6pm - Confirmation (with communion)
Tuesday
No Farsi Bible Study at St James
Thursday
12pm - Ven Bede Holy Communion
Next Sunday
10am - St John's Holy Communion
10am - St Margaret's Holy Communion
11.15am - St James Parish Eucharist
News
Confirmation service
6pm, Sunday 23rd November at St James
Bishop Mark Wroe will be with us to lead this very special service for us.
Confirmation is a big step when we declare that we want to follow Jesus Christ, to receive the Holy Spirit, and to be part of his church, always finding ways to love God and one another.
Bring a dish to share (and/or a bottle!) to celebrate after the service.
Rehearsal for all the candidates - arrive 4.45pm on Sunday!
St James Charity shop - now open!
This week we have opened our new charity shop at St James! This is to raise money to keep our community work going. Have a browse and grab a bargain!
It will be open whenever the church is open, this is usually:
Tuesday 10-4
Wednesday 10-1
Thursday 10-3
Delivery can be arranged for larger items.
Please speak to Kath McIntyre or Chris Foskett if you have donations of good-quality household items.
Please note - we will not be accepting donations of clothes and soft goods.
The Christmas Charity Auction
Wed 17th Dec, viewing from 4pm, bidding begins at 5pm
This Christmas season will also see the return of our charity auction at St James to raise money for the church to keep us open and caring for our community.
There will be plenty of lots, big and small for all budgets. Grab a bargain and join the fun!
All are welcome whether your bidding or not. There will also be mulled wine, festive snacks and some carol singing as well.
Help needed:
If you have good quality items to donate please speak to Kath McIntyre.
If you have connections to local businesses and venues that could donate something, then please ask them and let us know!
We need volunteers to help with refreshments, set-up, tidy-up, taking payments, and carol singing.
Christmas Dinner
Tues 16th Dec, 12pm
Join us for our Christmas Dinner at St James!
£3 a ticket
Speak to Chris Foskett or Shirley if you would like to come.
MODS - mental health support group
St James Benwell hall, NE15 6RS
Wednesdays
Group starts at 1.30pm (arrive from 1.10pm). Finish by 2.30pm
MODS (Made of Diverse Stuff) is an ongoing mental health peer support group — helping us to help ourselves!
You can start and finish whenever you like, and rejoin at any time. There’s no pressure to share anything you don’t want to. This is an open and safe space to share whatever is going on for you.
Together, we’ll learn about our own mental health through visual aids, journaling, and discussion, discovering ways to improve our lives.
Kathy Germain, our Reader (Licensed Lay Minister), leads the group. She has many years of experience running mental health peer support groups and volunteering with Citizens Advice.
“Mental health has been part of my life and my family’s life since I was very young. It is a personal journey. This won’t be about me telling people what to do, but about helping you to improve your mental health. This is something that is very close to my heart.” — Kathy Germain
Embrace - Gaza appeal
Conflict across the Middle East is unfolding with relentless intensity, devastating the lives of millions. Even as they live through these dark times, Embrace’s partners in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon are working tirelessly to bring the light of Christ amidst the suffering.
You can click below to donate online. If you would rather donate by phone, please call 01494 897950.
Liturgical colour: Gold/White
Intercessions
Prayers for others:
Betty George
Ali Zarei
Sonja and Stan
John Nicholson
Maria Hawthorn
Herbert Agbeko
Pauline Nelson
Irene Foskett
Pat Law
Christina Wilson
Diane Humphrey
Christine Williams
Rest in Peace
Ron Taylor
Vena Gwynnette
Peter Haley
Craig Skillen
Other
Those preparing for baptism and confirmation
If you would like to add someone to the prayer list please email church@benwellscotswood.com
The name will stay on the list for 1 month unless requested to be long-term.
Readings
Morning service
1 Samuel 8.4–20
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, 5and said to him, ‘You are old and your sons do not follow in your ways; appoint for us, then, a king to govern us, like other nations.’ 6But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, ‘Give us a king to govern us.’ Samuel prayed to the Lord, 7and the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8Just as they have done to me, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so also they are doing to you. 9Now then, listen to their voice; only—you shall solemnly warn them, and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.’
10 So Samuel reported all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 11He said, ‘These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots; 12and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plough his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his courtiers. 15He will take one-tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and his courtiers. 16He will take your male and female slaves, and the best of your cattle and donkeys, and put them to his work. 17He will take one-tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves; but the Lord will not answer you in that day.’
19 But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; they said, ‘No! but we are determined to have a king over us, 20so that we also may be like other nations, and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles.’
John 18.33–37
33 Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ 34Jesus answered, ‘Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?’ 35Pilate replied, ‘I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?’ 36Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.’ 37Pilate asked him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.’
Confirmation
Colossians 1.11-20
11May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. 17He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.
Luke 23.33-43
33When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. [[ 34Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’]] And they cast lots to divide his clothing. 35And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, ‘He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!’ 36The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, 37and saying, ‘If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!’ 38There was also an inscription over him, ‘This is the King of the Jews.’
39 One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, ‘Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!’ 40But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.’ 42Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ 43He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’
(from the New Revised Standard Version of the bible)
Sermon
John 18:33-37 presents a confrontation between Jesus and Pontius Pilate about the nature of Jesus's kingship, contrasting the worldly power of Rome with God's spiritual kingdom. The passage highlights that Jesus's kingdom is not of this world, as he is not a king of earthly power . Instead, he "is a king to bear witness to the truth" for those who "belong to the truth" and listen to his voice. This passage prompts reflection on the nature of truth, the contrast between earthly and spiritual authority, and to whom our loyalties lie
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The passage creates a stark contrast between the kingdom of this world, represented by Pilate and the Roman Empire, and the kingdom of God, represented by Jesus. Pilate's power is political , while Jesus's power is spiritual and rooted in truth.
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Jesus's kingship is different from earthly kingship. It is not a political or military one, as evidenced by the fact that his followers did not fight to protect him from being handed over to the authorities. His kingdom is not built on physical force but on a different foundation.
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Truth and witness: Jesus states that he came to "bear witness to the truth". The passage leads to a deep question: "What is truth?". Jesus’s followers are those who "belong to the truth" and listen to his voice, which is a call to listen to Jesus as the source of truth.
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Pilate, the representative of worldly power, is placed in the position of having to judge Jesus, but in a sense, he is also being judged. His actions, and the actions of those who choose political power over divine truth, are a reflection of the ways of the world that prioritize self-preservation over God's kingdom.
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The passage asks the reader to examine their own loyalties and to consider whether Jesus is their king in a spiritual sense. It encourages people to reflect on what kind of kingdom they are living in by examining their actions and words to see what values they reveal. It also prompts us to look closely on how we respond to the world and how we are influenced by it. So what is the path you will you take the world way or Jesus’s way
Amen