Newsletter - Trinity 7
- Benwell and Scotswood Team
- 4 days ago
- 9 min read
3/8/25
(Year C)
Your weekly update from the Benwell & Scotswood Team.
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Dates for your diary
Sunday 24th August
11am - Team Service at St James with baptisms of adults
Services this week
Sunday
9.30am - St John's Holy Communion
9.45am - St Margaret's Holy Communion
11am - St James Parish Eucharist
Tuesday
4.30pm - No Farsi Bible Study this week
Thursday
12pm - Ven Bede Holy Communion
News
Community groups throughout Summer
Please note that some changes to the Something Wonderful groups and activities over the summer holidays:
No Art Club or Writing group until September.
Farsi Bible study will not happen on 5th August.
The Lunch Club will take a break for two weeks on 12th and 19th August.
Pathways welfare support will continue as normal.
Also, please note Fr Chris will be away on retreat 4th - 10th August.
Team service with baptisms - 24 August
Sunday 24th August on the bank holiday weekend will be our next Team service, at St James' Benwell, NE15 6RS.
During the service we will baptise several of our newest Persian members. Please pray for them as they make this big step in their lives.
If you are a teenager or adult who wants to be baptised, or is just curious, get in touch with our Vicar Chris.
Chris to be Acting Team Rector
During the vacancy, the PCC made the decision that Chris, our 'Team Vicar for Mission' will become 'Acting Team Rector' to make sure there is some consistency across the parish until a new full-time Rector is appointed.
Chris will continue doing missional work, helping us all to reach out to our community, but he may not always be available on the ground as much while he carries out this temporary role.
Service patterns from September
To bring consistency to our worship across the parish, and after many requests for later service times, from September the pattern will be:
Sunday
10am St Margaret's
10am St John's
11.15am St James (Parish Eucharist)
Thursday
12pm Venerable Bede
The parish eucharist will also remain at St James throughout the entire year, but will move into St James' hall during the winter months until the heating is replaced.
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.
Sunday worship
Liturgical colour: green
Intercessions
Prayers for others:
Mostafa Hejrabi and Mohsen Hossein Panahi
Ali Zarei
Sonja and Stan
John Nicholson
Malcolm Smith
John Peterson
Maria Hawthorn
Herbert Agbeko
Pauline Nelson
Peter Wilson
Alan & Maureen Taylor
Irene Foskett
Pat Law
Moe and Mary
Christina Wilson
Diane Humphrey
Nellie Galbraith
Isla
Christine Williams
Other
For the people of Iran
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
Ecclesiastes 1.2, 12–14; 2.18–23
2 Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
12 I, the Teacher, when king over Israel in Jerusalem, 13applied my mind to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven; it is an unhappy business that God has given to human beings to be busy with. 14I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun; and see, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.
18 I hated all my toil in which I had toiled under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to those who come after me 19—and who knows whether they will be wise or foolish? Yet they will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. 20So I turned and gave my heart up to despair concerning all the toil of my labours under the sun, 21because sometimes one who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave all to be enjoyed by another who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. 22What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which they toil under the sun? 23For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest. This also is vanity.
Luke 12.13–21
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.’ 14But he said to him, ‘Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?’ 15And he said to them, ‘Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.’ 16Then he told them a parable: ‘The land of a rich man produced abundantly. 17And he thought to himself, “What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?” 18Then he said, “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” 20But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” 21So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich towards God.’
(from the New Revised Standard Version of the bible)
Fr Allan
May these words as I speak them and as you receive them in your minds and in your hearts, be in the Name of the one true living God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Anybody notice?
I’ve had my haircut!
Does it make me look better . . . younger?
Or do I look worse?
Well, according to our Old Testament reading, my hairstyle, whether I look good or not, is All Vanity. All is Vanity.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am not recommending that everyone grows their hair long, nor am I saying that you need to look especially good when you come to church, or
when you go out, or when your go to work or to the Pub, the Doctors, the Benefits or the Home Office. Looking good is fine, but having a hang loose day is also OK too!
It’s just that today in our Old Testament reading from Ecclesiastes we are given a bit of a wakeup call. And it’s about a little bit more than just a hairstyle or the way we dress and look.
This reading is talking about the kind of vanity that fools us into thinking that what we do is more important than anything else, and all that we are, who we are, is more important and better than anyone else, in the room, down our street, or in our world. We even sometimes fool ourselves into thinking that we are even more important than
God?
But of course, from experience we know that the opposite is so often the truth. For no matter how good we think we are, and how much we are able to achieve in our work, at play, during the years of life, or in one perfect magic moment. These words from Ecclesiastes reminds us, and indeed warns us, that our preoccupation with self, with me alone, well, all of this is complete Vanity and utterly futile.
Today in our world we can read in our newspapers and social media, and see on our screens, whether they be tablets, phones, or for oldies like me on a television set; so many people trying to convince us that they are the best thing since sliced bread, and quite often in doing this they are so very often fooling themselves most of all.
Presidents, Prime Ministers, and even Preachers, Billionaires, Tycoons, Pop Stars and Idols, whether they be footballers, cricketers or darts players, all face the risk of convincing themselves, or by being convinced by others, that they are the most powerful, wisest, greatest, wealthy, influential, gifted, talented and skilful person in the world. It may be true for a while, in their sport, or as they make an important decision about a global political issue, or as they reach the top of their game or the music chart, just for a while someone might say that they are simply the best.
And for a while this could be true, just for a moment in time, at the top of the charts, or league, or even as peace breaks out and a war or conflict is brought to an end.
We can be the best, and we all can become the best that we can be, but if we do this only for ourself, or by ourself alone, this is a vain and false hope and expectation that ends up making us just look and feel foolish and probably in the end, very disappointed.
But Jesus of course turns this around, as he offers the brother desperate to become rich, hoping for an early inheritance so that he can enjoy his wealth today, an alternative way of seeing things, by giving him a version of himself he didn’t expect in the parable he shares in our gospel for today.
A story of a landowner whose crops were so successful that he didn’t have enough room to keep them in the barns he already had, so he built more barns so that he could be confident in securing his wealth, so that his worries would be over, and he could relax, eat, drink, and be merry. Or so he thought?
He didn’t need all the wealth his crops would generate for him, but because his vanity led him to have concern only for himself. His obsession with me alone, meant the thought never crossed his mind that he could share his wealth and help others. He never dreamt that through such acts of kindness, he could share in their joy too.
Instead, death came knocking on his door, and to his surprise, not only did he lose his life, he also lost his wealth, the barns of grain which he could have used much more wisely and generously as a gift for others, amongst his family, friends, and neighbours.
Today, Jesus takes the futility and hopelessness of the vanity which is offered in the Old Testament, and changes it into an opportunity to be generous, to be less self-centred, and to be more God centred. For as Jesus teaches us in many places in the gospels, it is out of God’s Love for us in creation that we are given more than we will ever need.
If we could only understand this lesson of Love, then for sure and certain, we would no longer be looking anxiously across at Gaza with concern for the many children who are starving and even being attacked and killed, as they simply look for food to survive.
If we learned to be as generous with one another as God is generous with us, then we would not need to worry about an inheritance of money or barns filled with wheat.
These communities of Benwell and Scotswood are not renowned for their wealthy millionaires, there are not many Newcastle United footballers living down Condercum, or along Scotswood Road, neither are there many barns filled with wheat.
But there is a Foodbank, and there are many generous people who give generously to support its work. There are also those who give of their time and resources each Tuesday, in providing a lunch for those who need it, and with a warm welcome, comes the fun and fellowship that goes with it. There are those who come and share their skills in making works of art, enjoying the simple pleasure in creating an image that others can view and enjoy. There’s a Ukulele band which tours some of our residential homes, freely bringing music and song which is live, and a refreshing change from the telly in the corner. And there is even a Bible Study in Farsi, where young people are
welcomed to explore and learn more about the meaning and purpose of this wonderful God who gives us life, and who sent Jesus His Son to show us a new way to live filled with His Love.
In this parish, in these communities in which we are called to be servants of the Living God, where there is sometimes little wealth, not much hope, and sometimes a feeling of being isolated and excluded.
Here at Saint James’, Saint John’s, Saint Margaret’s and the Venerable Bede, there is an example of the Love of God, in Jesus Christ to be found.
Not only in and through our worshipping together, but also, encouraged by prayer and the Grace of the Holy Spirit, that same Love is found in our parish and community through a very practical rich investment of Love, that same kind of wealth which Jesus teaches us about today.
So, let us be rich towards God, with gratitude and gladness for all that God has given to us, and out of our poverty and our riches, let us also share our joy with others so that it might grow in them, and they like us can be richly blessed by the God who made them and us, not for misery or death, but for Joy and for Eternal Life.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.