Weekly Thoughts

 17 SEPTEMBER 2021 

WHAT ARE SAINTS FOR?

Each week our church calendar commemorates a number of man and women as saints, some are well known like Matthew, although we know very little of his life; others are of more specialised interest like Hildegard of Bingen or Lancelot Andrewes, some indeed may not have actually existed at all like Michael the Archangel. In each case the same question arises why do we remember them – what are saints for?

First the lives of the saints often mark turning points in the church’s history: Ninian was a 5thcenury bishop who brought the Gospel to the Picts, Edward Pusey was one of the leaders in the Catholic revival in the church of England in the 19thcentury and in between those two there are a whole lot of men and women who changed the course of church history.

Second, the saints give us examples of the Christian life lived to the full: martyrs like Cyprian of Carthage (258), John Coleridge Paterson (1871) the martyrs of Papua New Guinea (1942)  and Janani Luwum (1977) all gave their lives for the faith while Gregory the Great (604), Charles Lowder (1880) and George Bell (1958) lived it to the full. Collectively their lives set a standard for the Christian life most of us find it hard to equal.

Third, the saints make up with us a community of worship and prayer. The Church extends not only through space, to every corner of the earth, but also through time as well.The Puritan divine Richard Baxter expresses this well in his hymn “He wants not friends that hath thy love” (NEH371): 

Still we are centred all in thee

Members, though distant of one Head;

In the same family we be,

By the same faith and spirit led.

Before thy throne we daily meet

As joint-petitioners to thee…

Or as the well-known Marian hymn (NEH 183) puts It

Let us weave our supplications 

She with us and we with her…..

READINGS AND PRAYERS

19 SEPTEMBER – Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity – Mark 9.30-37 – that we may treat evey person as of infinite worth in the sight of God

20 SEPTEMBER – John Coleridge Patteson, First Bishop of Melansia, and his Companions, Martyrs, 1971 – Acts 7.55-end – all who suffer for the Faith

21 SEPTEMBER – MATTHEW, Apostle and Evangelist –Matthew 9.9-13 – that we may steadfastly follow Christ

22 SEPTEMBER – Wednesday – Ezra 9.5-9 – thanksgiving for God’s providence

23 SEPTEMBER – Thursday – Haggai 1.3-8 – for all who care for our church building

24 SEPTEMBER – Friday – Luke .43b – 45 – for the gift of faith

25 SEPTEMBER – Lancelot Andrewes, Bishop of Winchester, Spiritual Writer, 1626 – Isaiah 6.1-8 – for the gift of spiritual vision

Love and prayers 

Michael

 Choir dates for your diary:

Our Church Choir are looking forward to returning in September and are delighted to announce that our services of Choral Evensong will resume (Covid permitting) on Sunday 12th September.  Please do join us.

We have also been invited to sing at our Diocesan Cathedral as well as at Rochester Cathedral (postponed due to Covid restrictions), do please keep the following dates free and join us if you can:

9th October 2021 -  Choral Evensong at Rochester Cathedral

20th November 2021 –  St. John’s is providing the choir for the Diocesan 

Confirmation Service

30th April 2022 -  Choral Evensong at Rochester Cathedral

26th November 2022 -  Choral Evensong at Southwark Cathedral.

Choir Practise is on Thursday 2nd September 2021 at 7.30pm in the Church

Kind regards 

Ian