“And now these three remain, faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love.”
(1 Corinthians 13:13)
Love is an overused word in our society. We use it to describe things we particularly like: “I love your new jumper!” or activities we enjoy: “I love cycling to Deal and back.” It is a word used to describe our emotional connection with romantic partners in countless pop songs: “Can’t help falling in love.”, but also describes the care and kindness so often shown by mothers to their children.
Love can mean a variety of things, yet there is a common thread. In all these examples it expresses that we put a value on something or someone outside of ourselves (a jumper, cycling, a romantic partner or our children) in such a way that we want to commit ourselves to that thing or person, even if there is cost involved.
The Bible talks a lot about love. In the New Testament, the focus is mainly on God’s love for us and the commands to love God and others: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son…”, “Love the Lord your God…”, “Love your neighbour as yourself.”
God’s love for us was so great, he valued us so much, that he paid the cost of His Son’s sacrificial death on the cross. We are in turn called to value our relationship with God, even when it costs us to do so, but also to see others as equally as valuable and deserving as ourselves.
Love is not always easy, because it is costly. Those we are called to love are not always loveable. Yet, this kind of love that God shows us is the most ultimate of all attitudes. It is love that remains eternally.
A couple of questions from this week’s groups:
- How do we continue to serve with love when provoked?
- What stops us from showing love to everyone regardless?
Paul Worledge
Mothering Sunday – This Sunday 10th March
This Sunday is Mothering Sunday. The Sunday School will be joining us (as normal on the second Sunday of the month) at 10:30am for a short All Age section to the service, during which flowers will be distributed to the ladies in the church.
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 10th March
Eucharist (St George’s, 9:30am) – Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Sunday School (St George’s, 10:30am)
Monday 11th
Daily Prayer (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Craft Group (St. George’s Hall, Soup Kitchen) – 2:00-3:30pm
Study Group (South Eastern Road) – 7:15-9:30pm
Tuesday 12th
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
Study Group (Lyndhurst Road) – 2:30-4:00pm
Wednesday 13th
Study Group (Langdale Avenue) – 10:00-12:00 noon
Study Group (South Eastern Road) – 7:30-9:30pm
Thursday 14th
Daily Prayer (St Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Saturday 16th
Daily Prayer (St. George’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Open Church (St. George’s Church) – 10:00am-12:00pm
Sunday 17th
Eucharist (St George’s, 9:30am) – Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:1-14
Open Church – Saturdays
The Friends of St. George’s will be opening the church every Saturday from 10am to 12noon. Everyone is welcome and entry is free. People are welcome to come for a look around, refreshments a chat or a quiet prayer.
If you are interested in joining a rota of volunteers to help keep the church open, then please see Janet.
SOLO EXHIBITION: JEMIMA SARA – ‘SEE WHAT LOVE THE FATHER HAS GIVEN US’
Friday 8th, Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th March 2024, 12 noon to 5pm,
St George’s Church
JEMIMA SARA is a multidisciplinary artist merging the fluidity of everyday life experiences and diaristic texts with both figurative and abstract imagery via paintings, installations, and performances. St George’s is pleased to be hosting her installation in the church for 2 weekends at the start of March. Find out more…
Prayer for the Nations
7:30-9:00pm, Friday 15th March, 45 Northdown Road, Cliftonville, Margate, CT9 2RN (ring the bell at the bookshop door). In March they will be praying for the Persecuted Church.
Easter Services
This year’s Easter Services include:
Maundy Thursday – 28th March
Holy Communion (St. Luke’s 12noon or St. George’s 6:30pm)
Good Friday – 29th March
The Easter Story (St. Luke’s, 10:30am) – an interactive telling of the events of Easter for families and small children. This year includes augmented reality!
Churches Together Service (Hardres Street, 10:30am)
Churches Together – Good Friday witness (Town Centre, 12 noon)
Prayer Stations (St. George’s, 12:45-1:30pm)
Good Friday Meditation (St. George’s, 1:30-3:00pm, 15 min. slots)
Easter Sunday – 31st March
Easter Eucharist (St. George’s, 9:30am)
Safeguarding Training
If you volunteer in anyway at church the national authorities are strongly encouraging you to take at least the Basic Module in safeguarding training once every three years.
If you have not completed the training in the last three years, then the module can be completed online and takes about ninety minutes. You can access the training by following this link. You will need to first register, to access the training. Once the training is completed, you will be sent a certificate. Please forward that certificate to James (office@stlukesramsgate.org), so that we can keep records of who has done the training.
Links to Share:
Idols or Idiots?
One of the questions in last week’s sermon was: “What idolatry do we need to flee from today?” One answer is idolising celebrtities or sports heroes. In this article, Graham Tomlin explores the problems with this particular form of idolatry. Read more…
Evangelism and Church
In this 15 minute video, Glen Scrivener critiques a US evangelistic advertisement campaign. He argues that their focus on the humanity of Jesus and their avoidance of promoting church is ultimately unhelpful. These are useful issues to think through as we consider how best to reach the people around us with Jesus. Watch the Video
Finally, let’s learn to love as God loved us.
Yours in Christ
Paul Worledge
(Priest in Charge, St. George’s Ramsgate)
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.
St. George's Church Ramsgate 