And to the children He said, “Come to me”

Moms, Dads, Grandmas and Grandpas please don’t leave it to someone else to teach your little children, that they have a Father in heaven who loved them so much that He sent Jesus to be their life-long and forever Friend and Saviour. Or, that there is a book in heaven in which Ezra, the Record Keeper Angel writes the names of all who love God.

I am an older Christian, one of several children and would have loved to have owned just one little book such as these; however it was not to be, pennies were short and I didn’t get to own a bible of my own until I received my first wage packet aged 15, a small hardback bible, with pictures was bought for a few ‘shillings’

I can’t even remember where I first heard the name of Jesus, but I can remember at the age of three talking to my Father in heaven; I whispered a few words and fell soundly asleep, slept through a storm which blew a window in and showered the bed in which myself and small sister were sleeping with glass shards.. I never knew this until I woke up in my moms bed the next morning and she told the story of the nights happenings. All through my childhood, teens and adulthood I have confided in God. I do not know of any prayer which has gone unheard; even if the answer has been no, or wait awhile, I have been heard. And I have listened just as your little ones hear what you say to them, just as they place every confidence and trust in what you tell and teach them.

The very best teachers we can have are those who love us and the teacher most blessed in God’s eyes is the one who gives and plants with one of His little ones the Seed and Word of faith

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“Jesus has promised my Shepherd to be,

That’s why I love Him so;

And to the children he said, ‘Come to Me,’

That’s why I love Him so.

Chorus: That’s why I love Him,

That’s why I love Him,

Because He first loved me……

When I’m tempted and tried,

He is close by my side,

That’s why I love Him so.

(Hymn by Scott Lawrence

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St Giles, Messy Church why not click here and see what our Messy Church Group get up to, if you live in Rowley, come and help us make a mess.

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What would you ask Jesus?

#1 “So I say to you: ask and it will be given to you; search and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; everyone who searches finds; everyone who knocks will have the door opened. What father among you, if his son asked for a fish, would hand him a snake? Or if he asked for an egg, hand him a scorpion? If you then, evil as you are, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

#2 “Whatever you ask in my name I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. If you love me you will keep my commandments, I shall ask the Father and he will give you another Paraclete* to be with you for ever.”

When I look at this portion of the Caritas Window in the lady chapel, I see ‘Black Country Faces” ~ thin, angular faces as they would have been in the early 1900s when the window was painted, and, I sometimes ask myself:

What is the little boy asking Jesus for?

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As we approach Pentecost Sunday, what are you asking Jesus to do for you?

What are you asking the Father for?

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#3 Come , O Spirit of God, and make within us your dwelling place and home.

May our darkness be dispelled by your light,

And our troubles calmed by your peace;

May all evil be redeemed by your love,

All pain transformed through the suffering of Christ,

And all dying glorified in his risen life. Amen

#4 Lord, your Kingdom come on earth, your will be done as it is in Heaven. We ask for the heart of a little child, a heart that brings all needs and thanks to your knee; a heart that speaks the truth to you and says, sorry for what it does amiss; a heart that gazes up to your face and seeks out your approval and gaze of love in return; a heart that always knocks, but knows the door to your’s is always open. Send your Spirit Lord and claim us as your own. Amen

*Gk word means ‘advocate’ – ‘counsellor’ – ‘protector’

#1 Luke 11. 9-13, #John 14. 13-16, #3 Collect for Night Prayer Ascension Day to Pentecost (Common Worship) #4 One of St Giles Intercessions Team

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Broken and given for you and for me

Ascension Day comes and we shall share the bread, and body of Jesus in Communion and Fellowship together. In faith, believing the church and family of Jesus share his sorrows as well as his joys, for we know, most surely that he shares ours. Some of us, know that the sadnesses and difficulties of this life are times of special blessings and it is our experience that Our Lord uses broken things:

Broken Things

God uses broken things

It takes broken soil to produce a crop,

Broken clouds to give rain.

Broken grain to give bread,

Broken bread to give strength

(Vance Havner)

I once asked what a saint was and Jesus answered me, “God’s chosen heart”

I read in my bible, “God doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

I am thinking of the hearts of the apostles broken with the loss of their friend, their sense of loss as he finally returned home to Heaven, his home .. their home for he had promised. Soon comes Pentecost … soon the church will be born …. here we are but first Christ’s heart and body was broken for us. These are the words we say together, “Though we are many, we are one body, because we all share in one bread”

And this sharing is real, not illusionary, it becomes real every time we show those who are aching and suffering the compassionate heart of Christ, who gave his new life and strength when he gave us his heart.

He asks that we give him ours…that we allow him to break the soil, and to take away our sins, our many trespasses as weeds from a field, to burn away the stubble of previous years failed crops, to make us ready to receive in good soil the good seed, that will accept the good blessings of Holy Spirit rain, that good seed may become good grain and good grain, good wholesome bread that gives strength, his hidden strength to a needy world. For, just as Christ is hidden in Communion bread, so it is that he delights to be hidden in you and me. The world may not know this, but the hands the church (you and I) holds out to it, in welcome, in sincerity, in peace, in love are his hands.

Life has taught me that God’s chosen heart is never chosen because it is perfect. Rather it is chosen because His Compassionate heart loves it, and we are loved with an everlasting love. Everlasting Love is prepared to persevere with our heart until our difficult, obstinate, stony, barrenness yields good grain.

Posted in love, for all who struggle with life’s hardness and losses, that together we may know, Jesus Christ, the Son of God gave his heart and body to be broken, that our losses might turn to Eternal Gain.

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Prayers for times of difficulty and brokenness:

Teach us, Good Lord,

To serve you as you deserve,

To give and not to count the cost.

To fight and not to heed the wounds,

To toil and not to seek for rest,

To labour, and not to ask for any reward,

Save that of knowing we do your will. #1

Lord, I am small, often lost, often lonely and often feel that I cannot go on. Lord I feel your arm around me, to support me, it is your hand which wipes the tears that blind, from my eyes that I may see the way ahead. Speak to me, words of comfort until I see the rain has come, and gone and left behind your blessing, Lord the dove returned to Noah with a twig from the olive tree, so that Noah might take courage, and wait. Grant me courage and perseverance Lord to wait for the promised blessing.#2

#1 St Ignatius of Loyola

#2 St Giles Intercessor

Teach us to count up the days

Teach us to count up the days that are ours,

And we shall come to the heart of wisdom.

Each morning fill us with your faithful love,

We shall sing and be happy all our days.

May the sweetness of the Lord be upon us,

To confirm the work we have done.

Day by day Lord, teach us the secret of following you. Go before us, and we shall know the way, Lord Jesus who taught us “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life” give to each of us such knowledge of yourself, that we too, may know the Father and come, at the last to the place you have prepared for us. Amen

(Ref Psalm 90: verses 12, 14, 17) NJB

Prayer inspiration John 14/St Giles Intercessor

Our church is still in interregnum and awaiting the appointment of a new Vicar, but waiting is meaningful as each person continues to look to the Lord Jesus for direction and purpose.

We continue to offer all a warm, welcome to our Father’s house in the Name of Jesus.

And he showed me more, a little thing…..

Julian of Norwich (2016) by Christinel Paslaru

“And he showed me more, a little thing, the size of a hazel-nut on the palm of my hand, round like a ball. I looked at it thoughtfully and wondered, ‘What is this?’ And the answer came, ‘It is all that is made.’ I marvelled that it continued to exist and did not suddenly disintegrate; it was so small. And again my mind supplied the answer, ‘It exists, both now and for ever because God loves it.’ In short, everything owes its existence to the love of God,” #1

“All that we owe is redeemed in truly loving God,

for the love of Christ works in us:

Christ is the one whom we love” #2

Julian of Norwich one of my favourite spiritual writers and teachers remembered at our midweek Holy Communion this morning.

#1 From chapter 5, Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich born 1342,date of death unknown

#2 From Canticle 86.. A Song of Julian of Knowledge (Common Worship: Daily Prayer)

The icon of Julian of Norwich is in the Julian Church, Norwich and painted by Romanian Orthodox Painter, Christinel Paslaru, (2016)

From The First letter of St John 4: 9

This is the revelation of God’s love

for us,

That God sent his only Son into the

world

That we might have life through him.

Prayer for ourselves

When God smiles, our night is turned to day.

Friend to friend

Shorter days and darker mornings tell us that the Season of Advent, Christmas and New Year are near.

We are waiting, at St Giles to hear news of the new man or woman who the Lord will send as our new Spiritual leader. We wait in hope.

Waiting is often the last thing, any of us like to do, in any context.

But if we hold our times of waiting alongside the many centuries, that the Lord’s people waited in prayerful hope for the coming of Jesus our waiting pales into insignificance.

Soon the Christmas Tree will arrive, in time for the Schools’ Carol Services, many hundreds of small feet will visit and little angel voices sing out carols learnt. Cheerful, smiling faces will brighten wintry waiting days.

There is something about being together in friendship that warms the coldest day, and shortens the longest waiting one. Christian Friendship and Fellowship is to be wrapped around in the love, peace and joy of Christ.. all who have waited patiently for His knock on the heart’s door and have opened it to let Him in know this we don’t wait alone, we wait with Christ, and we cannot be disappointed Christ Himself leads us, sustains our patience, blesses our perseverance, leads us joyfully from one joy to another.

For us, who believe it is Christmas and Easter Morning every day.

“All scriptures written so long ago were written so that we learning perseverance and the encouragement which the scriptures give, should have hope. Now the God of all perseverance and encouragement give us all the same purpose, following the example of Christ Jesus, so that we may together give glory to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one heart.”

Posted for all who wait in hope…

Prayer adapted from Romans 15. 4=6 .