Weekly Newsletter
Dear Church Family
Last Sunday I preached on the second part of John chapter 21 – in which we see Jesus reinstating Peter and recommissioning him to serve the church and the world as a disciple. On the night that Jesus was arrested Peter denied even knowing Jesus, not just once but three times! And on the beach, by the Sea of Galilee, over breakfast Jesus asks Peter three times ‘Do you love me?’ And three times Peter replies ‘Yes, Lord, you know that I love you…’ and it’s on that simple yet heartfelt commitment that Jesus gives Peter a fresh start; He tells him to ‘Feed my lambs,’ ‘Take care of my sheep’ and ‘Feed my sheep.’ Here Jesus is foreshadowing the Great Commission recorded in Matthew 28:20 – ‘Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of The Father, Son and Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.’
Jesus not only forgave Peter for his catastrophic failure, but redirected his life back from fishing to sharing the Good News of the Kingdom of God; and building a community of faithful believers wherever he went. That community was and still is The Church – of which HTSB is a vital part! We are to make disciples and share our faith with those around us, we are to build the Church of Jesus and extend His Kingdom throughout our area. The local church is a vital part of God’s plan to transform our society and bring His light into the darkness of our world.
So let’s remember that:
God grows new believers through the local church;
and
God grows existing believers through the local church.
And if you truly love Jesus and want to grow in your faith and serve Him in this world then:
Give yourselves to our life together however you can, be honest, realistic but faithful, you can’t do everything but you can do something – start by committing yourself to one thing and add others as you go along – but always make Sundays a priority. Being part of HTSB is the best way of building up both new converts and existing believers in the Lord – real discipleship is something we do together!
If you want to catch fish and bring them safely back to shore, use the net God has provided – HIS CHURCH!
Church isn’t a place you go it’s a family you belong to – church means called out ones, people who follow Jesus together.
So, we’ve got to the end of Chapter 21 but not the end of our series on John’s Gospel! For a few weeks now around Pentecost we are going back to chapters 14 through to 17 to focus on the teaching of Jesus about The Holy Spirit. Let me assure you that it’s also good stuff!!
Have a great weekend and see you on Sunday!
Here are a few things you might like to know about:
Our Love Laughter Lunch café won’t be running on Wednesday, 13 May. It will be back the following Wednesday, 20 May, when there will also be a Christian cards and gifts stall.
HT Stay & Play will be taking a break on Thursday, 14 May and will return on Thursday, 21 May.
Holy Trinity and Bobbing’s APCM (Annual Parochial Church Meeting) will be at Holy Trinity at 7.30pm on Monday, 18 May. Our new Archdeacon, the Venerable Estella Last will be chairing the meeting – we hope you can come along to welcome and get to know her!
Our Men’s Walking Group will be meeting at 8.30am on Saturday, 30 May. Location and details to be confirmed shortly…
We’ll be having a shared lunch after the 10.45 service on Sunday, 31 May. Please bring a favourite dish to share – there will be a list in church for you to tell us what you’ll be bringing. We’ll be celebrating Alex, Natalija and their family’s time here at Holy Trinity and wishing them all the best at their new church. We’ll also keep you updated about Alex’s ordination on 4 July.
Advance notice! There will be a Ladies’ craft evening at HT at7pm on Friday, 5 June. More details to follow soon!
With our love and prayers,
Ann and the Staff Team