Covid-19 

Dear Friends
I am sure that this week many of us have reflected on the life and work of His Royal Highness Prince Philip and his lifelong support of Her Majesty the Queen.
His funeral was a reflection of his lifelong Christian faith. It was also a visible reminder of the pain of grief and loss and the impact of coronavirus restrictions on families during such difficult times. As many of us joined in the minutes silence we recognised the vital contribution of the Duke of Edinburgh and his service to our nation and the wider commonwealth and his love and support for his family. In their sadness we hold the Queen and Royal Family in our thoughts and prayers, in the knowledge that the Lord will comfort and support them.
Within our own Church family and wider community during the last year we have experienced the grief associated with bereavement and loss of loved ones. We take this opportunity to remember them and all they have meant to us. We recognise the pain and sorrow of grief and the isolation and loss that families may experience. We hold all those affected by grief and loss in our thoughts and prayers and offer them comfort and support and the hope that comes with eternal life.  In our readings both last week and this week we are reminded of the peace of the Lord.
Sadly following a recent period of illness Les Reaney died at home last Sunday. Please hold Olga and the family in your thoughts and prayers as we thank God for the life and work of Les and for all he meant to his family and many friends.
Please continue to hold Thelma, Elizabeth, Helen, David and their families in your thoughts and prayers as they prepare for the funeral of Roy on Monday.
The service will be held at 11.00am at Church followed by burial at Keele Cemetery. Unfortunately due to coronavirus restrictions the number of mourners is restricted but I am sure Thelma and her family will be grateful for the continued support of their Church family.
Many thanks to all who attended the Church Council meeting on Thursday evening to explore plans to reopen the Church for worship. I am pleased to report that those present have agreed to recommence worship in Church on Sunday 23 May 2021 which is Pentecost. Coronavirus restrictions will remain in place and congregation numbers in Church will remain restricted to 25. We will be updating the risk assessment to forward to the Circuit Leadership Team in the coming weeks but are looking forward to having an opportunity to meet together again soon.
Following a further period back in hospital I am pleased to advise that Barry is now again back at home on the road to recovery. Please continue to hold Barry, Linda and their family in your thoughts and prayers.
I have been contacted this week by Emma Cotton who wanted to let us know that the family will shortly be moving home to Newport in Shropshire. We wish James, Emma and Joseph well in their move to a new home and a new Church and I am sure they will keep in touch with us and pop in when they can when they are back visiting Trentham.
 
Our Bible reading this week is from the Gospel of Luke Chapter 24 verses 36b – 48 and continues the Easter Story and the triumph and glory of the risen Lord. In this account we see many similarities from the reading from John last week where Jesus appears to the disciples. The focus is the dramatic proof that Jesus did rise from the dead with clear evidence displayed to those disbelieving.
In our reading today Cleopas and his companion are telling the other disciples how Jesus appeared to them on the road to Emmaus when Jesus again appears unannounced. He interrupts their conversation and again uses the familiar phrase, “Peace be with you.” The group are clearly startled by his appearance and think they may be seeing a ghost. They see him, they hear his voice but they don’t recognise him. They know Jesus was crucified, died and was buried. They know the tomb was open but in this account from Luke it would suggest that their minds were closed. They are trying to process the encounter with human thought and understanding but have not opened their mind to other possibilities. They have separated spirit and matter, divinity and humanity, heaven and earth. In doing so with closed minds they lose their sense of ability to recognise the holiness in the World, in one another and in themselves.
Jesus questions them and asks them why they are frightened. He asks them to touch him and shows them his hands and feet. Whilst they were full of joy to see him, they were still disbelieving. At this point Jesus asks them for food and eats broiled fish in their presence to prove his physical body is present. He then reminds them of his previous conversations with them that everything written about him in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled. This opens the disciples minds to understand the scriptures.
Jesus then says to them “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”
Flesh and bones, hands and feet, and broiled fish are things of creation and part of the natural order. The resurrected life of Christ, it seems is revealed in and through the created order. It is not, however bound by the created order. Rather, the resurrected body and life of Christ unite the visible and invisible, matter and spirit, humanity and divinity. In this account Jesus shows he has a real body, but it is not subject to the natural laws of time and space. It is a new and different reality. The resurrected life of Christ reveals that all creation and every one of us are filled with God, holiness and divinity. Nothing can supersede the grace that is given to us through resurrection; unconditional love, unconditional forgiveness, unconditional life. The resurrected life is not acquired, it is received. It happens when we move ourselves from the usual ways of seeing, living and relating.
The reading reminds us that Jesus death and resurrection was not a random event but something that occurred to fulfil the scriptures. In this account, as in his appearance to disciples on the Emmaus road, the stories follow a similar pattern. There is an encounter and failure to recognise Jesus, There is explanation of the resurrection through the lens of scriptures. Eating occurs. Through their encounters the disciples are enlightened. We see that their eyes are opened. They recognise the Lord and are filled with joy. Abruptly in both accounts Jesus then departs.
As we read the story we may come with our doubts, confusions, fears and misunderstandings. Through worship we encounter the risen Christ. In the reading of the scriptures and hearing of the word we are offered explanation which proclaims the good news of what God is going. In communion we eat with Christ through the sharing of his body and blood as signs of the resurrection. The Holy Spirit brings us enlightenment which opens our minds and sets our hearts on fire. If we think of the exit – this occurs as we leave worship each week with a desire to be a witness to share the good news. In our reading, the experience of the disciples opened their minds to new possibilities. They saw and recognised something about Jesus and in doing so they saw and recognised holiness in themselves. Jesus reminds the disciples “You are the witnesses of these things.” He is saying the same to us Tell it, Live it and Become it. The resurrected life is ours but we have to be witnesses and recognise the change that a love and belief in Christ brings.
 
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 – Our Service this week will be led by Mrs Sue Howie
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
0203 901 7895
0131 460 1196
0203 051 2874
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
Pat
Kevin and family
Robert & Jocelyn
Beryl
Karen
Ken and Pat
Chris and Dianne
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
Charles
You can find reflections and biblical stories on our Circuit YouTube channel including new material added weekly from Revs Linda, Jeff and Pam 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.
Ian