Just like buses coming together, we have two visits by Bishops at the beginning of October.
Stephen Cottrell, the Bishop of Chelmsford, will make his first visit to St John’s Seven Kings for our Patronal Festival Service at 10.00am on Sunday 6th October. Bishop Stephen has said that he has been “so moved” as he has “travelled round the diocese and worshipped in so many different churches in so many different places and in so many different ways.” We hope he has same experience in visiting us here at St John’s.
He has also described his biggest fear for our Church of England: “It is that people see our faith in Christ as a leisure activity. You know, some people do watercolours, and some people do car mechanics for beginners, and some people do conversational French, and we do Church. We love it. It is our hobby. We are very committed to it. But it doesn’t seem to have any impact on the lives we lead Monday to Saturday. Yes, we go to church a lot; and, yes, some of us seem interested in persuading others to come along as well. But when it comes to observing whether being a Christian and attending church makes any discernible difference to life, the answer seems to be ‘not much’. It is this that has to change. Of course it will mean a greater waiting upon God … It will certainly overflow into greater witness and a more effective and fruitful evangelisation. It might also mean that we will worry less about these things and lose some of our gruesome earnestness. But most of all it will be apparent in the lives we lead each day. It will start shaping the decisions we make and the choices we make, so that, slowly, our lives will reflect more evidently, the life of Christ.”
On Sunday 13th October, 6.30pm, at St Peter’s Aldborough Hatch, the Bishop of Barking will lead the Confirmation Service for our cluster of churches. Our candidates have been prepared by Santou Beurklian-Carter and want to make the commitment to Christ about which Bishop Stephen has spoken. Let us pray for them as they prepare for this special moment in their journey of faith and support on the night as they are confirmed.
In his Confirmation Service sermons, Bishop David has given us many memorable visual images for the journey of faith – bricklaying, to emphasise Christian foundations; cake making, to illustrate our faith spreading and rising; washing & ironing, speaking of cleansing; leaf blower, the wind of the Spirit.
Our Bishops have great wisdom, inspiration and challenge to share with us, so do make a point of coming to these services and coming with real expectancy regarding all that they will share of God with us.
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The Saint Johns - Your Head and Your Heart.
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