Covid-19 

Dear Friends,
We enter another week and now move into Lent on the journey to Easter. Spring is on the way and you may be fortunate to have crocus and snowdrops in the garden that remind us of new life and signs of hope. This week again the coronavirus situation continues to show signs of steady improvement and we hope and pray that the second wave in now under control and we can look forward to more opportunities and a lifting of the restrictions in the weeks ahead. Please continue to hold in prayer all those affected by Coronavirus, their families and the many people who are working hard to provide care and support and bring the virus under control.
Following the recent death of Val, Kevin and family wish to record their thanks for your cards, messages of sympathy, love and prayers following their sudden bereavement. The Funeral for Val will take place on Thursday 4 March 2021 with a short service at Trentham Methodist Church at 10.30am prior to cremation at Bradwell Crematorium at 11.30am. The service will be conducted by Rev John Palmer. Unfortunately due to the current Coronavirus restrictions the congregation will be limited to 20 people. If any Church friends wish to attend please contact Kevin as sadly places will be limited and contact details will need to be provided in advance for test and trace recording.
This week sees the start of Fairtrade Fortnight which commences on 22 February 2021 and is an opportunity for people in the UK to focus on the work of those overseas who grow our food and drink, mine our gold and who grow cotton for our clothes. These friends overseas are sadly often exploited and underpaid. The Covid pandemic has shown us more than ever before how interconnected we are globally and this interconnection is at the heart of the Fairtrade message. We all have the power to drive long-term change by changing our shopping choices and spreading the message. During Fairtrade fortnight we think about the growing challenges that climate change brings to farmers and workers in the communities supported by the Fairtrade movement. Farmers and workers in countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia and Honduras. Climate change is one of their biggest challenges right now, Low prices for their crops mean they are struggling to fight back. Only with more money will they feel equipped to meet their everyday needs and deal with the challenges they face.
With the emergence of the global Covid pandemic, the challenges that farmers face are now bigger than ever before with falling commodity prices and widespread shocks affecting the global supply chains. Ongoing poverty in farming communities makes it increasingly hard to cope with the effects of climate change. Fairtrade works to raise the voices of farmers and workers and prioritise what they need to respond to the environmental crises unfolding in already vulnerable communities. This fortnight we are asked to “Choose the World we Want” and use our voice to tell others about the challenges faced by climate change. Fairtrade is about social, economic and environmental justice. A root cause of the inability to adapt to and mitigate climate change is poverty. More money in the hands of farmers is needed if they are to adapt and survive the climate crisis. By choosing Fairtrade products when shopping you can make a real difference in ensuring that farmers receive fair pay for their products and to qualify to receive Fairtrade premiums. Many supermarkets stock a range of products and by making small changes in your shopping you can make a huge difference. Please look out for the Fairtrade Logo on a range of products. You will also shortly have the option of joining a virtual Circuit Coffee Morning to support the work of Fairtrade – details will be in the newsletter next week.
This week our bible reading comes from the Gospel of Mark Chapter 1 v9-15 and tells the story of Jesus being baptised in the Jordan by John. As Jesus was coming up from the water he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. A voice from heaven proclaimed “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased” He was then immediately driven into the wilderness for forty days and tempted by Satan. Following this Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God.
In this account we first here about the baptism of Jesus and then his test in the wilderness before the start of his ministry. The story is broken three distinct scenes but each last only two verses. The initiation scene is Christ’s baptism, the quest sends Jesus into the wilderness and the final scene brings Jesus into the World proclaiming the kingdom of God.
Mark does not tell us details of the temptation. It is suggested that perhaps the biggest temptation for Jesus was the temptation to wonder if God really cared, if God had the power to save, if he really mattered to God. This testing time was about whether he would hold onto his identity as belonging to God and God loving him when things were very difficult. During those 40 days in a desert and in many other situations Jesus held onto the words “You are my Son whom I love, I’m pleased with you” So much so that these words were repeated again on the mount of Transfiguration before he walked the path leading to his death.
As Jesus walked out of the wilderness and travelled to Galilee, he was walking into a world being re-created before his very eyes, but the change was not yet visible to anyone else. When the voice from heaven had spoken at his baptism, Mark tells us that the heavens were ripped open. It’s the same words he uses later to describe the rending of the curtain in the temple at the time of Christ’s crucifixion (16:38) God was breaking into the world to establish his kingdom once and for all.
Just as Jesus received the Holy Spirit at his baptism, so we receive the Holy Spirit when we claim Jesus as Lord. As we are filled with the Holy Spirit we can accomplish our purpose for the kingdom of God. It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that we can withstand the tests and temptations that await us each day. God is present with us in his Spirit. When we seek God’s spirit to live in us, we must be prepared to set out on a spiritual journey of transformation.
God did not leave Jesus in the desert or Noah on the ark. Just as the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness, the Spirit led him into ministry in Galilee. The Spirit can push us into wilderness where we can learn to depend on God’s provision and we can learn to face our trials by depending on God’s strength, not our own. The season of Lent is a perfect opportunity to do just that. We have forty days to seek God, to develop our trust in him, to walk in his way. Christ call us to repent of following our own way, to turn and follow him. He calls us to join him in proclaiming the good news that the kingdom of God is here. The biggest temptation in our lives is to let go of our identity as a Christian and to let go a trust in God’s power, knowledge and love and to seek to take charge ourselves. It is at such difficult times that we too should remember “You are my child whom I love; with you I am well pleased”
 
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 11.30am
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 required)
Dial by your location
0203 481 5237 United Kingdom
0203 481 5240 United Kingdom
0203 901 7895 United Kingdom
0131 460 1196 United Kingdom
0203 051 2874 United Kingdom
Meeting ID: 477 542 2768
We also have a telephone service each week using WhyPay at 10.00am on Sunday morning.
If you wish to join this the number is 0333 0110 946 and the Room Number is 47927697# and the Pin is 1145#
Please do continue if you are able to pray at 6.00pm each evening and join with others from our Church so that we can unite in the power of prayer.
Please also pray for those on our prayer list.  
Ashley, Debbie and family
Stuart and Sylvia
Frank
Ralph
Joyce
Beryl
Lorraine and family
Paul, Moira and family
Ken and Pat
Chris and Diane
Malcolm, Anne and family
Arthur
 Eileen and Carl
Rev Alex
Don
Margaret B
Alan
Doreen
Jean
Beaulah
Alan and Heather
Linda and family
Carol, Dave and Logan
Janet, Steve and family
Les, Olga and family
Roy and Thelma
Charles
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