Our Apostolic Ministry

Warning: if you are planning to attend church in Warbleton or Bodle Street Green Parish churches tomorrow, this post contains spoilers!

A prayer for before the sermon:

Our Father,

we pray that you would teach us your wisdom.

Reveal to us Christ’s glory, we pray,

that we might put our faith in him.

Amen.

Some jottings / handout on the lectionary readings for tommorow:

Our Apostolic Ministry

Proclaim Christ Crucified: God’s Surprising Saving Power

1 Corinthians 1:18-31 & John 2:1-11

We all share in an apostolic ministry

What can we learn about apostolic ministry from these passages?

Apostolic ministry preaches Christ (1 Cor 1:23)

What do we want to be known for as a church?

--> Make much of Christ, make him known

Apostolic ministry preaches Christ crucified

God’s way of saving those who believe (1 Cor 1:21) from perishing (v18)

--> Keep Christ crucified central

An unattractive seemingly weak and foolish message (1 Cor 1:18, 22-24)

--> But don’t change the message!

The good news of Christ crucified is the saving power and wisdom of God (1 Cor 1:18, 24)

Jesus has great, unique, surprising transforming power – the power of God himself (1 Cor 1:25)

Jesus provides 760 bottles (Jn 2:6) of the best wine (Jn 2:10)

--> Have confidence in Jesus and his gospel (Jn 2:11)

God deliberately uses the weak and foolish to show his wisdom and power (1 Cor 1:19-21)

--> The “weak” should be encouraged

Jesus uses the servants (Jn 2:7-9)

Jesus can use even our weak “watery” efforts and transform them

--> Obey Jesus - “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5) – even if it seems stupid

--> Complete dependence on Jesus – his wisdom and power not ours

--> The “proud” (wise, noble, influential, strong) need to be humble (1 Cor 1:19, 26-28)

--> Boasting only in the Lord (1 Cor 1:29, 31)

A prayer for after the sermon:

Our Father,

we thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ,

who has become for us wisdom from God,

our righteousness, holiness and redemption.

We pray that we might boast only in him.

Transform us, by Jesus’ great power,

that in our weakness,

we might live and speak in ways that powerfully proclaim Christ crucified,

for the glory of his name.

Amen.

Lent Course Plans

Maybe something like:

St Mary’s, Warbleton & St John’s, Bodle Street Green

LENT COURSE

“Lord, Teach Us To Pray”

Lessons from The Lord’s Prayer

Wednesdays from 16^th March – 13^th April

7:30pm

The Community Rooms, Osbourne House, Rushlake Green

All Are Welcome

Content might go something like:

Session (1) - Wed 16^th March – Introduction – “Lord Teach Us To Pray”

Session (2) – Wed 23^rd March - “Our Father in Heaven”

Session (3) – Wed 30^th March - “Hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”

Session (4) – Wed 6^th April - “Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.”

Session (5) Wed 13^th April - “For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory for ever and ever. Amen.” - Conclusions / review

Rural Ministry Seminar

The final plans are coming together for our Rural Ministry Seminar at Warbleton Church Rooms, nr Heathfield, East Sussex, on 1st March.

We are pretty much fully booked but we might just be able to squeeze in one or two extra people.

9:30am Coffee etc. available

10am Welcome, introductions, opening prayer

10:15am Session (1): Understanding Rural Contexts Today – Rev’d Dr Mark Betson (Diocese of Chichester Rural Officer)

The national and local scene of countryside & church

11:15am Coffee etc.

11:45am Session (2): Rural Recovery – Yes We Can! – Rev’d David Hall

Back from the brink - one story of rural recovery

Overcoming the challenges of rural ministry

12:45am Lunch

1:45pm Session (3): Partners in the Gospel – No we won’t! – Rev’d Dick Farr

Evangelism in a rural context & working together in a multi-parish benefice

2:45pm Coffee etc.

3pm Session (4): Issues in Rural Ministry – Discussion & prayer

Sharing ideas & resources

4pm finish

New Christianity Explored

I was thinking of running a Christianity Explored course after Easter. I wonder if the new course - which looks excellent and an improvement on the old one in a number of ways - will be ready by then.

Where we live

Rushlake Green Village website
Warbleton Parish Council website

Eastery Easter Eggs

Putting Jesus (back?) into Easter egg eating seems an excellent idea to me.

Rubbish Sermon Material

I wonder if the fortnightly rubbish collection and labarythine recycling rules might be the subject to really unite the parishoners. It seems very odd that the council don't collect glass but that they'd like you to include foil, placed in a plastic bag, of course. We have obediently put in one biscuit wrapper. It's a bit much to have to remove the plastic window from envelopes and to separate the white and brown varieties. Never the less, with our second bin (which is just like the first one) having arrived our own family recycling depot will soon be fully operational. All we need now is for some stuff to be taken away.