Hello everyone,
Welcome to the latest issue of our church newsletter. Our newsletter is sent out regularly to share reflections from services, Bible readings and church news to our church family. You can find previous issues on our church website here.
We would love to hear from you and are always looking for uplifting and encouraging content to share in future issues of this newsletter. If you have any ideas or content that we can share, please do email them to Louise (publicity@christchurchuxbridge.org.uk)
Opening Prayer
Lord, I come into your presence.
I come just as I am.
I bring everything I have experienced this past week – the things I’m proud of, and the things I wish had been different.
I bring the people that enriched my week, and the people I found it hard to share my week with.
I bring the moments of joy, peace, pride, sorrow, frustration, regret and pain.
I bring my hopes for next week.
I lay all of these things at your feet, and rest in your loving presence.
Amen.
(Adapted from The Vine)
Reflection from 10 March
Readings – Numbers 21:4-9, Ephesians 2:1-10 and John 3:14-21
There are times when we can find ourselves getting into a bit of a negative spiral. I like having a good moan about things sometimes. It’s important to get our frustrations and problems off our chest from time to time. We need those outlets to talk about the things that make us want to tear our hair out and vitally, to feel heard. If we can find someone who shares our feelings and can rant alongside us, even better.
However, there’s a limit. A good rant is healthy, but we all know someone who seems to do nothing but complain. It can be extremely wearing when we encounter people who find the thorn in everything, and it can be difficult not to get frustrated when someone seems determined to criticise every little thing.
There is a thread running through our Bible passages this week. Different though they are in many ways, they are united by a theme: the life-changing mercy and grace of God.
In his letter to the church in Ephesus, Paul waxes lyrical about how the people were seemingly stuck in deepest darkness, but thanks to the mercy of God now find themselves recipients of the ultimate gift. This passage of the Gospel according to John features perhaps the most well-known verse in the Bible: “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life”.
Finally, we have the text from Numbers, which paints quite a vivid picture of Moses giving out second chances to the people with whom he journeys to the Promised Land. Speaking of the challenges of the relentlessly negative, it seems like nothing is working out for this group. Moses has guided them away from the worst situation imaginable, and they are heading towards freedom. The road is long, the journey is hard, but Moses is working to provide them with everything they need. Yet, it seems as if it is not enough.
Everything comes under criticism. The manna is disgusting, the conditions are rough and there is not enough to drink. It seems the only thing missing is a cry of, “Are we there yet?” Their fear is understandable, but they appear to have lost the ability to trust in the man who helped them escape slavery and cross the Red Sea against all the odds. You can imagine Moses rolling his eyes and muttering under his breath, “What more do I have to do?!”
Our passages for this week remind us that, no matter what happens, we can rely on the redeeming, healing love of God the parent in our lives. God’s presence in our lives gives us absolute assurance of forgiveness, restoration and hope. With God, we have a relationship that should inspire us in how we relate to those we share this world with.
Parenting and parental figures can take countless forms: family; teachers; those who care and are cared for; guardians; siblings; friends. There is such joy in being able to say that we have people in our lives who worry about us, care for us, nag us a little now and then, check in on us, provide for us, and give us a soft place to land when the world gets too much. I know that I have been particularly thankful for those people in recent weeks.
Our readings today also challenge us to make room for forgiveness, restorative justice and unconditional love in our own relationships. Extreme though the events in Numbers may seem, I’m sure we can all relate in some way to the challenge of maintaining relationships, even when they are tested by mood or attitude. Moses’ people are given the opportunity to recognise they’ve messed up and receive a second chance with no hard feelings. Can we give others that same assurance?
There is such power in knowing that we don’t have to be terrified of making mistakes. By having life in all its fullness, we will stumble. We will hurt people, forget important things and act carelessly. Having this powerful relationship with God, and (in turn) people around us who embody that spirit of unconditional love, reminds us that there is always hope. When we make mistakes though, all we need to do is have the humility to acknowledge them, and we find ourselves running into the outstretched arms of a God who welcomes us home with a party.
May we strive to create relationships with one another that are filled with that same sense of safety. Whether those relationships are with parents, children, students, grandchildren, friends or colleagues, may we recognise the life-changing power they have for us. May we remember that a relationship based on forgiveness and renewal is not the same as one based on shame. We cannot patronise our way through a forgiving relationship. Rather than viewing forgiveness as an act of charity or a pawn in a game of power, may we view it as an act of restoration and an expression of shared humanity. May we practice the unconditional, forgiving, renewing, understanding, patient love of a parent and may we cherish the people in our lives from whom we receive that love.
We give thanks that we worship a God whose love for us was so immeasurably vast as to give us the gift of Jesus, who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we might have eternal life. We give thanks that we worship a God so rich in grace, mercy and love, that we are inspired to share as much of it as we can with others. Amen.
Louise George, adapted from The Vine.
Readings for 17 March
John 12: 20-33
Jesus Predicts His Death
20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.
23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honour the one who serves me.
27 “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!”
Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.
30 Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.
Further readings from the lectionary this week are as follows:
- Jeremiah 31: 31-34
- Psalm 51: 1-12
- Hebrews 5: 5-10
Our worship
We meet at 11am for our Sunday services, which are also live-streamed on our YouTube channel. If you wish to view our services online, you can find them at https://www.youtube.com/@christchurchuxbridge
You can also view a recent service on our church website. Our service this week will be led by Methodist minister, Revd Margaret Dudley. You can find the order of service here.
If you are unable to join us in person or online for our Sunday services, but would like to receive a recording of them on a memory stick to watch at home, please let us know.
Forthcoming services
17 March – Revd Margaret Dudley (Methodist minister)
24 March – Christ Church worship group
31 March – Revd Jon Dean (URC minister) – Holy Communion (Easter Sunday)
7 April – Genevieve Musey (Methodist local preacher)
Church charity news
Church charity coffee mornings
There will be coffee mornings to raise money for Communicare Counselling Service on the following dates:
Saturday 9 March
Saturday 30 March
Saturday 13 April
You can find more details about Communicare Counselling Service, our church charity for 2023 at:
https://christchurchuxbridge.org.uk/activities/churchcharity2023
Good Friday Walk of Witness
Friday 29 March, 11am
This year’s Good Friday Walk of Witness will take place on Friday 29 March. The walk will start from St Andrew’s Church at 11am and will process down the High Street with stops at the Civic Centre and Uxbridge Underground station and will finish with a short passion play outside St Margaret’s Church. There will be refreshments available in St Margaret’s Church following the passion play. All are welcome.
From the Circuit
Revd Dong Hwan Kim farewell service
Revd Dong will be leaving the Circuit this year, so to celebrate his time with us, the Circuit is holding a Farewell Service at Ruislip Manor Methodist Church on Sunday 28th April at 4pm, which will be followed by refreshments.
If you are interested in attending, please inform the Circuit Office via email or on 01895 622 758, so they can get a good estimate of the number of attendees.
Hillingdon u3a Singers concert
Welcome Spring
Sunday 24 March, 5pm at Christ Church
Hillingdon u3a Singers present ‘Welcome Spring’ – a concert with songs by Hillingdon u3a Singers featuring additional items by Hillingdon u3a Guitar Group and Hillingdon u3a Ukelele Group. Tickets cost £10 for adults (£3 children) and are available from members of the groups or on the door before the performance.
Dates for your diary
| 20 March | Welcome Wednesdays |
| 24 March | Welcome Spring concert |
| 29 March | Good Friday Walk of Witness |
| 31 March | Extraordinary Congregational Meeting |
| 3 April | Welcome Wednesdays |
| 17 April | Welcome Wednesdays |
| 27 April | Preach with a view social event |
| 28 April | Preach with a view joint service at Ickenham |
| Farewell service for Revd Dong Hwan Kim | |
| 19 May | Congregational Meeting |
| 8 September | Congregational Meeting |
| 24 November | Congregational Meeting |
Children’s Corner
Praying for other churches
This week we hold the following churches in our prayers:
- North Hillingdon Methodist
- Hounslow URC
- Kingsborough Church, Uxbridge
Closing prayer
Thank you, God, for each and every one of your amazing people, every one of them unique.
We thank you that your love is always there for us and reaches to every place and part of the whole world, and all the millions and billions of people, in every generation.
May that inspire and encourage us to be loving to all whom we meet in our day-to-day living.
Amen.
(Adapted from Roots)
