Covid-19
Dear Friends
I hope that you are keeping safe and well at this time. The national Covid lockdown restrictions have now ended but we remain in Tier 3 (Very High Risk) in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. Slowly the number of new positive cases is reducing and a vaccine has now been approved so we continue to hope and pray that over the coming months the situation will improve.
Christmas is now approaching and lots of decorations are already in place. Many people have commented that they have put their decorations up early this year so that they will bring them joy in what has been a difficult year. The lights remind us of Advent and that Christmas is approaching and we wait with expectation to celebrate the birth of the Light of the World.
This week the funeral took place at Church for our loved and respected friend Barbara Vaughan. Frank, Sandra, Rosemary and their families would like to thank everyone for their support (prayers, messages and cards) and generous donations to the Methodist Church. This has meant so much to them at this sad time.
As we continue on our Advent journey this week our reading is from the Gospel of Mark Chapter 1 v 1-8 and this reminds us of the work of John the Baptist as he prepared the way for the Lord. It is a reading that often allows us to focus on John the Baptist as a messenger who baptised many in the river Jordan so they may repent from their sins. It provides for us a picture of a man who was different, clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, living on an unusual diet of locusts and wild honey. Sometimes however as we focus on John and the reading we have heard many times we may miss the context and power of the reading.
Mark opens his gospel in a way that immediately plunges us into the earthly ministry of Jesus “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ the Son of God”
Mark lets us know in very clear terms from the start of his Gospel that he is writing about a special man who is God in the flesh. The name Son of God declares His power. The name Jesus is a Greek translation of the Hebrew name of Joshua and means Jehovah is Salvation. Jesus is a human name and the opening line confirms for the readers that Jesus is Human. He is divine as the Son of God, He is unique with humanity and deity in one person and He is the true source of Salvation. Not a bad start for the first line .....
The gospel of Mark is in many respects unlike the other three Gospels. It tells us nothing about the birth and early life of Jesus. It contains few of His sayings or discourses and is the shortest of the Gospels. Whilst it may not contain many of the Lord’s sayings it provides a rich account of His doings. It is believed that Mark’s account was probably the earliest to be written, perhaps whilst in Antioch. Marks was writing to the Gentiles specifically believers. Whilst scholars are not always clear of the identity of Mark, he begins and ends his gospel abruptly. His account begins not with Mary, Joseph or a baby but with a prophet, John the Baptist. Mark looks back to the prophet Isiah at a time when Israel was lost in the wilderness and hoping for deliverance. Then he draws the readers into his own time describing the wilderness of John the Baptist. But John then moves the readers to the future and the purpose of the wilderness. “Prepare the way of the Lord ! Make his paths straight”
This connects the past, present and future – he is asking followers to build a new road for the Lord by turning away from Sin.
John’s own baptism was not undertaken in a Temple but a river – the Jordan (which would have been a muddy and dirty place) yet many followers hurried to the water themselves to be baptised by John. They were committed and wanted to repent for their sins to such an extent that they flocked out to see and hear John and confessed and were baptised at the same time. We often think of baptism as a sign of responding to God’s saving grace at work in our lives. It is a covenant that binds us in the life of the Church. John’s baptism was very different. The call to repent and the call to be baptised were the same invitation and his invitation was urgent. “One is coming” John proclaimed and I am building a road to prepare for Him but the road has to be straight and true.
John’s call to baptism was a call to come down into the water, to be immersed completely so that sins could be washed away in the forgiveness of the One who would be coming soon, the very Son of God. “I baptise you with water” John said, “but the one who is more powerful that I is coming after me and will baptise you with the Holy Spirit”.
We may have heard this reading many times but we often don’t focus on the title. Mark called it the beginning of the Good News.
Mark is calling us to turn away from whatever is keeping us out of the water. He is inviting us to dive into the river of God’s grace and to be forgiven for our sins.
The Good News was designed to be shared, we have a responsibility to continue the story. We focus in Advent on the beginning; as we proclaim the love, work and mercy of God we continue the story. This is the beginning and it starts with us.
You can join with friends from the Church and Circuit by joining the weekly Zoom Service at 11.30am each Sunday morning (by either computer or telephone) using the links below.
Topic: Sunday Service 11.30 am
Time: This is a recurring meeting
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4775422768
or just click here.
Meeting ID: 477 542 2768 (No password is currently required)
Dial by your location
0203 481 5237
0203 481 5240
0203 901 7895
0131 460 1196
0203 051 2874
Meeting ID: 477 542 2768
Please do continue if you are able to pray at 6pm each evening and join with others from our Church so that we can unite in the power of prayer.
Please pray for those on our prayer list.
Barry, Linda and family
Ashley, Debbie and family
Frank, Sandra, Rosemary and families
Ken & Pat
Malcolm, Anne and family
Paul and Moira
Val
Arthur
Eileen and Carl
Rev Alex
Don
Margaret B
Alan
Doreen
Pat
Jean
Danni
Beaulah
Alan and Heather
Linda and family
Pam
Carol, Dave and Logan
Janet, Steve and family
Les, Olga and family
Roy
Charles
Lorraine and Terry
You can find reflections and biblical stories on our Circuit YouTube channel including new material added weekly from Rev Linda, Rev Jeff and others at
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBhbVptj0forVkUfmmsvd_w
or just click here.
Please continue to stay safe and know that you are surrounded by the love and prayers of your Church family.
With every blessing
Ian