THE THIRD SUNDAY BEFORE LENT

Today’s Gospel reading comes at a pivotal moment in Jesus’ ministry. Jesus has chosen twelve of his disciples and called them apostles. Whilst travelling through Galilee calling these disciples Luke records Jesus cleansing a leper as well as healing a paralytic and a man with a withered hand. Jesus has also challenged the Pharisees about observing the Sabbath. News of this miracle worker has spread. A great multitude of people had gathered to hear him and to be healed. We read that all who touched him were healed. Then Jesus challenges the great crowd of his disciples with eight statements. Four starting with ‘blessed’ and four with ‘woe’. Each group of four statements ends with the phrase ‘…for that is what your ancestors did..’. Jesus is signalling that being a disciple will be difficult because they will be treated just as the prophets of old were treated. After today’s passage comes another twenty verses of teaching in the same vein. Jesus is being honest with his disciples. The next three years are going to be difficult. But we are 21st century disciples. When we try to interpret these eight statements we need to be cautious. We should think about the audience that Jesus was addressing and why he was addressing them in this way. Often Christians have just focused on the eight statements. The four ‘woes’ have been used to condemn wealth whilst the four ‘blessings’ have been used to support the statement ‘the poor will always be with us’ and so we should do nothing about poverty. This is not the message of the Gospels, a message that God’s love is for each one of us, rich or poor.

To Readings for 17 February 2019

WORLD DAY OF PRAYER
PREPARED BY THE WOMEN OF SLOVENIA

The World Day of Prayer this year is being held at Holy Trinity Minchinhampton on Friday March 1st at 10.30am.

The service is prepared by the women of Slovenia. Slovenia is a fairly new country, becoming independent in 1991. The region has a long history going back to the earliest Bronze Age settlements of 2,500 B.C. It lies at the heart of Europe, bordered by Italy, Austria, Croatia & Hungary and is a land of immense natural beauty.

Christianity was introduced in the 1st century but, with the invasion of Germanic tribes in the 3rd & 4th centuries, the area became largely pagan. Then, in the 8th
century, under Charlemagne, a new wave of Christian conversion emerged.

“Come, everything is ready” is the interpretation of the parable when Jesus Christ said we should first invite the poor to sit at the table of the great banquet. God’s invitation to all—the poor, the homeless, those with mental illness, disability, addictions, the crippled and blind—are all invited to share in God’s love and the feast at his table.

We ask for forgiveness for being silent in the face of injustice and we pray that God may open our hearts to compassion and understanding. We leave with a prayer of blessing to mutually support one another on the path of freedom, justice and peace.

“Come, everything is ready”: as we participate in this service on March 1st, we are part of a great wave of prayer encircling the globe, starting as the sun rises over Samoa and ending some 38 hours later back in the Pacific, as the sun sets over American Samoa. Our prayers will be shared with peo- ple in over 120 countries and islands around the world.

All are welcome to come to the service; refreshments also will be served.

Hilary W Exton
More information: Website and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.