18/2/24
Your weekly update from the Benwell & Scotswood Team
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Services this week
Sun 18 Feb
9.30am - St John's Holy Communion
9.45am - St Margaret's Holy Communion
11am - Ven Bede hub service (Parish eucharist)
4pm - St Margaret's Evening Prayer
Thurs 22 Feb
10.30am Holy communion at Ven Bede
Dates for your Diary
Sun 18, 25 February and Sun 3, 10, 17 March
3pm - Exploring Faith group at St Margaret's
4pm - Evening Prayer at St Margaret's
Sun 24 March
11am - Palm Sunday team service at Ven Bede
Sun 14 April
11am - Confirmation team service at Ven Bede
News
Exploring faith
A group for exploring faith and spirituality. A time to ask questions, discuss, and learn about the beliefs of Christianity.
Who is it for?
Exploring faith is for anyone who is simply curious, anyone who wants to refresh their faith, and anyone who might want to take the next step of baptism or confirmation (and those who are just unsure!). All abilities and backgrounds are welcome.
There will be two groups running at the same time. One group for adults (16+) and one aimed at preparing young people for confirmation (10-16).
What will happen?
Revd David and Revd Chris (our clergy) and other lay leaders will guide us in listening to and reading different resources and discussing what they mean. At the end of the session there will be a short service of Evening prayer at 4pm, which you are welcome to join in or observe.
When?
Beginning Sunday 18th Feb
at 3pm.
Continues every Sunday
until 17th March.
Where?
St Margaret’s Scotswood
NE15 6AR
Contact & RSVP
RSVP if you can (it helps us to prepare!) but you’re still welcome to just turn up on the day.
If you have any other questions feel free to get in contact:
0191 273 5356
Interested in being baptised or confirmed?
We will be baptising adults at the Easter vigil service this year on 30th March.
Bishop Helen-Ann will then be coming to do confirmations a few weeks later on 14th April.
If you might be interested, join us for the Exploring Faith group (details above!) Or if you are a Farsi speaker, join us on Tuesdays at 4.30pm at St James, NE15 6RS.
If you'd like to talk about this with someone beforehand then just ask Revd David or Revd Chris who will be delighted to talk about this and answer your questions.
Embrace - Gaza appeal
The people of Gaza are living through an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Israel’s response has led to indiscriminate civilian suffering, with residents forced to move from place to place in search of safety. Food and medical supplies have all but run out; water, electricity, and fuel have been cut off.
The people of Gaza were already on their knees with 80% of residents reliant on humanitarian aid to survive. Please, can you make a donation into help in their hour of need?
You can donate online, by clicking below, or by calling 01494 897950. Your gift will support Embrace’s Christian partners in the immediate aftermath of this humanitarian crisis and to help to heal the wounds it’s caused across Israel – Palestine.
Sunday Worship
Sunday 18th February 2024
1st Sunday of Lent
Purple
Collect
Almighty God,
whose Son Jesus Christ fasted forty days in the wilderness,
and was tempted as we are, yet without sin:
give us grace to discipline ourselves in obedience to your Spirit;
and, as you know our weakness,
so may we know your power to save;
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.
or
Heavenly Father,
your Son battled with the powers of darkness,
and grew closer to you in the desert:
help us to use these days to grow in wisdom and prayer
that we may witness to your saving love
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Readings
Genesis 9.8–17
8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9‘As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, 10and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. 11I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.’ 12God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.’ 17God said to Noah, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.’
This is the word of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.
1 Peter 3.18–end
18For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, 19in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, 20who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight people, were saved through water. 21And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.
This is the word of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.
Gospel Reading
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark.
All: Glory to you, O Lord.
Mark 1.9–15
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’
12 And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.
14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
All: Praise to you, O Christ.
Post Communion
Lord God,
you have renewed us with the living bread from heaven;
by it you nourish our faith,
increase our hope,
and strengthen our love:
teach us always to hunger for him who is the true and living bread,
and enable us to live by every word that proceeds from out of your mouth;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Intercessions
Prayers for others:
Ellen Robson and her family
Cecil Harlock
Maria Hawthorn
Herbert Agbeko
Ellis Nelson
Pauline Nelson
Michelle Wilson
Peter Wilson
Alan Taylor
Maureen Taylor
Irene Foskett
Lorraine Atkinson
Pat Law
Moe and Mary
Hilary Dixon
Lynn Mosby
David Veitch
Rest in peace
Arthur Knaggs
Caroline McInnes
William (Bill) Taylor
Other
The ongoing situation in Russia, Ukraine, Gaza and all other places at war.
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.
Sermon
by Kathy Germaine, Reader
Its that time of year again Lent ,and its come quick. This is a time to re-evaluate what it means to be a Christian. How might we do that? the lent course maybe a way of refreshing our faith. What else might we do? I hope all this talk of Lent doesn’t make you feel more guilty.
I always think at times like this , if our guilt can stop us from growing.I wonder did Jesus feel guilty when he left for Galilee after John was arrested.We all can feel guilt if unable to help those we wish too, whether they are suffering ill-health nearby. Or in a war in some far-off land. Sometimes we can feel guilt when others think we should not. I did not have a good life with my mother and hated what happened to me growing up. hating my mother was hard because of my faith, “honour your mother and your father” and all that. until I realised, I did not need to feel guilt , what I needed was to forgive, to release myself, and release her.
Rather than feeling guilty or powerless, Jesus’ example shows how we can continue to serve God by seeking his will in whatever situation we find ourselves in.
We should not feel guilty that the world continues to turn, however difficult this may be at times. Jesus let John know that his mission was continuing, and to the crowds he declared, there is not a mother’s son greater than John. He honoured him, He is far more than a prophet, he has prepared the way before me.
Trusting that Jesus has prepared the way for us, we too can look to find his way in the days and weeks ahead, placing our life before him in prayer, passing on the Gospel of God, what it means to know him and to be held by him, to be loved by him.
After his Baptism Jesus left the area and began his ministry of preaching and healing. What can we make of this? In his life on earth, Jesus placed the Gospel of God as a task which comes before all else. He puts it before the demands of his mother and brothers, he puts it before his own need for solitude, when the crowds wish to hear him. He is heard to say the right time for me has not yet come.
Jesus was not leaving John because he had no desire to help him but because John was carrying out John’s ministry and Jesus was following his own ministry. It was the coming ministry of Jesus which John had come to proclaim. Announcing the coming, the preaching, and the baptising of Jesus was the reason behind John’s ministry. Jesus fulfilled this, not by seeking to free John from prison but by setting out on his own ministry without delay.
What was that ministry? ‘proclaiming the Good News of God’. ‘The kingdom of God has come near repent and believe in the good news.’ Good News that is what Gospel means. God’s love made Him go to great lengths to restore what was lost, to take away our guilt forgiving us all our sins and granting us everlasting life.
We, however, often take His love for granted. If someone pushed your child out of the way of an oncoming car and saved his life, what would be your reaction? Would you just walk away and forget about the whole incident ? or would you just say thank you? Or would you feel indebted to that person?
How do we feel toward Jesus Christ who saved us from certain death? Do we just walk away or say thank you and continue with our life? Or do we feel indebted to Him? If we really felt indebted to Him, we would show our gratitude. We would try to understand why He saved us and honour Him by doing His will. The best possible way to honour Him is to yield to Him and follow His example.
Jesus revealed the love, mercy and grace of God, the source of our redemption. Jesus also came to reveal our true God given potential. He demonstrated by His life, the life that God had expected from us. He was tempted in all ways as we were, yet he did not sin. All His actions were in accordance with the will of God. Jesus came to restore to humanity our God appointed status. ‘You are my son the beloved with you I am well pleased’.
Christ won the final victory on the cross when He give his life to free us from death and sin. As Lent moves us towards Easter we draw nearer to that victory, a victory restoring the bridge between us. one step at a time. All he wants from us is to take a step closer.
He gave us the spirit as a guide, he gave us each other, to ask questions to have a sounding board it not about being on our own its not about me and you it is about Christ. It’s about faith in Christ and love of each other. So, let’s make that journey together.
Amen