“For the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
(Revelation 7:17)
This week, the sections of the email are:
- Opening reflection: What kind of King?
- Key notices: Carol Singing at Care Homes
- Coming Up: Advent Sunday, Meal and Magic Evening, Christmas Tree Festival, Christmas Baroque, Christmas Services at St. George’s
- From the Wider Church: ACTS Update Evening
- Interesting Blogs: Pascal’s Wager, The Homeless Man who moved in
- Weekly Calendar
- Online Forms: Event application, Submit a notice, maintenance report, access Safeguarding training
Scroll on…
Opening Reflection
Those of us who have recently done the Bible Course, or indeed read through the Old Testament, will have noticed that there are a lot of kings in scripture. Most of them are rubbish. They lead people away from God and are often oppressive and unjust. Even the best ones are murderous. Sadly, it is not difficult to think of world leaders today who are not much better.
This coming Sunday is called, ‘Christ the King’. So, what kind of king is Jesus? The verse above from Revelation beautifully encapsulates an answer to this question. In a wonderful play on imagery, it describes Jesus as both “lamb” and “shepherd”.
Jesus is “the lamb at the centre of the throne”. He is our ruler, but also the sacrificial victim, who died on the cross “to take away the sins of the world” (cf. John 1:36). Jesus does not rule for himself, but gave up everything for his subjects. He is the ultimate servant king, the true king of love, who has our interests close to his heart.
He is also our shepherd. ‘Shepherd’ was a common image in the ancient world for kings. They led the people as a shepherd leads his flocks. In this verse, however, in imagery echoing Psalm 23, we are told that Jesus as our shepherd king will lead us to springs of living water. His rule brings us life, a life where God will wipe every tear from our eyes.
Why not recommit to making Jesus the king of your life, accepting his sacrifice for your sins and allowing him to lead you to eternal life?
Paul Worledge
Key Notices:
Carol Singing at Care Homes
We are planning to go into a couple of local care homes to sing some Christmas Carols for the residents. If you can join us for these events, then please let Paul know:
- Keele House, 2:30pm on Wednesday 10th December
- Ramsgate Care Centre, 2:30pm on Monday 15th December
Coming Up:
Advent Sunday – 30th November
There will be a joint service for St. Luke’s and St. George’s at St. Luke’s Church at 11am on Advent Sunday, 30th November.
In the evening from 5pm at St. George’s Church, there will be Let there be Light event after the 4:30pm Ramsgate Light switch on. This is a free event with refreshments and entertainment (see fliers for more information). Last year we had over 500 attend. If you can offer to help steward then please let Paul know.
Meal and Magic Evening, Saturday 6th December, 7:00pm
The Men’s group will be hosting this fantastic event at St. Luke’s Hall. It will include a hot meal, a quiz and magic from Colin Hoult. This is open to everyone: children go free, adults only £5. See Bruce for more information, 07708 682464, bruce.stokes@btinternet.com .
Christmas Tree Festival
This will be running from 12th December at St. George’s. If anyone would like to decorate a Christmas Tree on behalf of St. Luke’s, then please let Paul know.
Christmas Baroque at St. George’s – 18th December, 7pm
The Baroque Collective warmly invites you to the fifth annual Christmas Baroque Concert at St George’s on 18 December at 7pm. Tickets: £13 in advance, £15 on the door; free admission for children under 16. Find out more and buy tickets.
Christmas Services at St. George’s
Carol Service – Sunday 21st December, 5:30pm (note earlier time than previous years)
Midnight Service – Christmas Eve, 24th, 11:30pm
From the Wider Church:
ACTS update evening
Join Active Christianity in Thanet Schools for their latest update evening on Monday 24th November, 7pm at St. Philip’s, Palm Bay.
Interesting Blogs to Share:
Pascal’s Wager
Have you ever come across ‘Pascal’s Wager’? It is the argument by 17th century French mathematician and philosopher, that in view of all possible outcomes, you are best off betting on believing in God. The following video was recommended by someone on the Christianity Explored Course. Watch video (26 minutes).
The Homeless Man who moved in
Some of you may have heard of Rob Parsons, from Care for the Family, who has written a number of Christmas books. This article from the Metro is about what happened when he and his wife let a homeless man stay in their home. Read more…
Weekly Calendar
Sunday 23rd November – Christ the King
Eucharist – (St George’s, 9:30am), Reading: 2 Thessalonians 3.6-13
Sunday School (St George’s, 10:30am)
Youthwork Consultation (St. Luke’s Hall) – 12:30-2:00pm
Christianity Explored Youth (13-18s) (St Luke’s Vicarage) – 5:00-6:30pm
Monday 24th
Prayer Meeting (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Christianity Explored (St Luke’s Vicarage) – 7:30-9:00pm
Tuesday 25th
Prayer Meeting (St. George’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Community Meal (St. George’s Hall) – 5:30-7:00pm
Wednesday 26th
Community Soup (St. George’s Church) – 12:00-2:00pm
Thursday 27th
Prayer Meeting (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Christianity Explored (St Luke’s Vicarage) – 11:30am-1:00pm
Saturday 29th
Prayer Meeting (St. George’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Community Soup (St. George’s Church) – 12:00-2:00pm
Sunday 30th – Advent Sunday
Joint Service – (St Luke’s Church, 11:00am), Reading: Matthew 25:1-13
Christianity Explored Youth (13-18s) (St Luke’s Vicarage) – 5:00-6:30pm
Let There Be Light (St George’s Church) – 5:00-7:00pm
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. Luke’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. You can also listen to the sermon through the podcast website castbox.
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@churchramsgate.org), so that we can keep records of who has done the training.
Finally, let’s remember that our redeemer lives!
Yours in Christ,
Paul Worledge
(Priest in Charge, St. George’s Ramsgate)
St. George's Church Ramsgate 
