“God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth.”
(John 4:24)
This week is the last in our series on Nehemiah and we are thinking about Holy Worship. The work is completed, the community gather, the word is read, praise to God is given, and they commit themselves again to being the people of God. Yet in ch. 13 Nehemiah returns as the people have not maintained the call to live holy and distinct lives, which it could be argued is because they’re not dedicated to Holy Worship.
The storehouses were in effect being loaned out for accommodation – the things that were previously stored there and used for worship were in effect ‘thrown out.’ The Levites with responsibility for leading them in worship were not being cared for and had had to return to their fields in order to get a livelihood to be able eat and survive. Alongside this, many other things were distracting the community from gathering to worship. Worship is a holy and sacred thing and impacts how we live out our faith.
How do we view worship? Our verse for this week from John might get us thinking about this. One commentator writes: ‘Worshipping in truth means worshiping through Christ and worshiping in Jesus’ name’ (Sinclair Fergusson). But is this a priority for us? In this day and age, regular worship is considered to be once a month. There are many competing activities now – is there a risk of letting things distract us from worshipping our creator and redeemer? When we are gathered, do we give Jesus the best we can (not perfection but the best of ourselves)?
Nehemiah saw a connection between their habits of worship and the lives they were living. As living examples of God’s people, who are seeking to know God’s work and to be involved in building his kingdom let us think about how we pursue holy worship making God our priority and allowing him to impact our lives.
Claire Coleman
St. George’s Website
- What’s On – a page which lets you know what is happening this week and gives information about upcoming events.
- Notices – You can read the latest notices on this page.
- Sermons – Read a transcript of a recent sermon or watch the YouTube version recorded at St. Luke’s. There are now videos for all the sermons over the summer.
Weekly Calendar
Sunday 4th February
Eucharist (St George’s, 9:30am) –Reading: Nehemiah 13:1-22
Sunday School (St George’s, 10:30am)
Monday 5th
Daily Prayer (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Craft Group (St. George’s Hall, Soup Kitchen) – 2:00-3:30pm
Study Group (Margate Road) – 7:15-9:30pm
Tuesday 6th
Daily Prayer (St. George’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Coffee Morning (St. George’s Hall) – 11:00am-12:00pm
Community Meal (St. George’s Hall) – 5:30-7:00pm
Wednesday 7th
Study Group (Langdale Avenue) – 10:00-12:00 noon
Study Group (South Eastern Road) – 7:30-9:30pm
Thursday 8th
Daily Prayer (St Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Friday 9th
Love is all you need – Concert (St George’s Church) – 7:30-9:30pm
Saturday 10th
Daily Prayer (St. George’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Sunday 11th
Eucharist (St George’s, 9:30am) –Reading: Mark 9:2-9
Love is all you need – Community Meal Fundraising Concert – This Friday!
This concert at St. George’s church on Friday 9th February at 7:30pm is to raise money for the running of the Community Meal at St. George’s Hall on Tuesdays. Tickets are £8 in advance and now available online or £10 on the door.
Pancake Party
Pancaked, fun and games on Tuesday 13th February, 4:00-6:00pm, St. Luke’s Church, organised by the St. Luke’s and St. George’s social committee. Please sign up on the list at the back of church.
Ash Wednesday Reflections
To mark the beginning of Lent we will be having an Ash Wednesday service on Wednesday 14th January 12 noon at St George’s church. An opportunity to reflect on being dead to sin and forgiveness we receive due to the cross of Jesus.
Questions by this Monday please!
We are making 2024 a year of Discernment for our churches, where we are seeking to find out where God wants to lead us in the coming years. As a first step in this process, we want to gather questions that we think we should be asking God. We are opening this up to the whole congregation and others. So, please pray and consider submitting a question via our online form. If you cannot use an online form, then please write it down and hand it to Paul or Claire.
Reading the Scriptures or Leading Prayers on Sunday
If anyone is interested in joining a rota to be someone who reads one of our Scripture readings or leads the prayers during our Sunday service, then Mark would love to speak to you!
Online Forms
Under the ‘Contact’ tab on the website, there are now three forms that you can use to help us in managing the church:
- Events Application Form. Use this if you are organising a church event that needs a church room booked, advertising or ticketing.
- Submit a Notice. Use this if you want to ask us to include a prayer request or other notice in the church notice sheet or email.
- Maintenance Reporting Form.Use this to report any non-urgent issues with our buildings or grounds.
Links to Share:
MegaChurch in the midst of MegaPoverty
In a year of discernment for our churches it is worth reflecting on how God is working around the world. This story of the growth of a church of 20,000 in the midst of one of the poorest communities on the edge of Cairo, is great inspiration. Read more….
Finding Peace in the midst of Trauma
This article tells the story of refugees in Northern Uganda who had fled the fighting in Southern Sudan. Their plight makes for sad and traumatic reading. Yet the healing some are finding through being introduced to Jesus is inspiring. Read more…
Finally, let’s keep gathering together to worship God and encourage one another.
Yours in Christ
Paul Worledge
(Priest in Charge, St. George’s Ramsgate)
St. George's Church Ramsgate 