Welcome to The Weobley & Staunton Benefice

Sunday 23rd August                                                                                                              13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?"                                                                                                        14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."                                                                                                                           15“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?"                                                     16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." God.”   17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. Matthew 16. 13-20, NIV   

Sunday 30th August        21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.                                   22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!"                                                                                                                                             23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”           24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man is  going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.               28 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”     Matthew 16.21-end. NIV

Sunday 6th September  15 "If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.                        18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.  19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18.15-20, NIV

The Rural Dean Writes…

I can’t honestly claim to be a great fan of The Beatles – even though their music formed much of the soundtrack of my early years. If I’m honest, I tend to prefer Paul McCartney’s post-Beatles offerings, and I’ve never really thought much of John Lennon as a man or as a musician (yes, I do realise that’s tantamount to heresy!). I have always admired George     Harrison – the man and his music – and consider him the very best of the Fab Four. Ringo Starr, on the other hand, is, if I’m honest, a bit of a mystery to me! A lot of unkind things have been said about poor Ringo over the years – especially about his supposedly limited abilities as a drummer, songwriter and singer – but who wouldn’t be overshadowed by the      immense talents of the other three?

And one thing I really like about Ringo is the way in which he always signs off every            interview, conversation, post or message with the words “Peace and Love” (Strangely, as I write those words, I’m hearing them in a deep Liverpool accent!)

I came across an old interview with Ringo the other day in which he was asked about this  oft-repeated mantra / motto / greeting. He freely confessed that it wasn’t original to him, but that it was a phrase he heard and adopted from the Californian hippie culture of the 1960s – both peace and love being the touchstones of that remarkable, if short-lived, youth movement. 

Whilst Ringo Starr might have picked up his “Peace and Love” mantra in the 1960s, it is of course considerably older than that, and those twin touchstones have been in circulation for many, many centuries. They are, indeed, the twin touchstones of the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth and they are the two graces Jesus was constantly wishing, praying, commending and commanding for his followers.

Jesus often spoke about peace. He frequently greeted people with the words Peace be with you! or sent them on their way, saying Go in Peace! He came, lived, died and rose again to make peace between God and his people. He wanted peace of body, mind and spirit to be his legacy for all who follow him. When he rose from the grave and met with his friends he calmed their fears with words of peace. When he left them to return to his Father in      heaven, his last prayer for them was that they should live in peace.

Jesus constantly taught his followers about love. He commanded them to love God, to love each other, to love themselves and to love their enemies. He made love - for all - the true test of genuine religion, faith and practice. He lived in love himself and taught his friends to do the same – to live their lives in serving, self-giving, accepting, forgiving, reconciling, boundary-crossing love – just like his love for us.

Peace and love are at the heart of the Gospel. They are at the heart of God. They must be at the heart of everyone who professes faith in Jesus Christ.                                                             In a world which seems depressingly and increasingly devoid of either,

I wish you peace and love – received and given…

Stephen