This Sunday – 25th October 2026

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer”

(Psalm 19:14)

This week, the sections of the email are:

  • Opening Reflection: The Bible
  • Key notices: Planned Giving Review, Light Party, New Reporting Page
  • Coming Up: Men’s Group Film Night, World War I talk, People’s Emergency Briefing, Gathering in Support of the Persecuted Church
  • Weekly Calendar
  • Online Forms: Event application, Submit a notice, maintenance report, Safeguarding

Scroll on…

Opening Reflection

How many voices were you listening to before you left the house today? Between our phones, the news, the voices in our own minds and everybody’s opinion on everything, it’s a noisy world, and it isn’t always easy to tell which voices are worth listening to.

The Bible contains many people with loud voices. Goliath shouted at Israel every morning and evening for forty days, and a whole army was frightened by him. Delilah wore Samson down, day after day, until he gave in.

But the Bible also shows us how to listen to THE voice, not just the voice that’s the loudest, scariest, tempting or most persistent but the voice and the word that brings life, it shows us how to listen to God. Psalm 19 talks of God’s laws and instructions, which revive the soul, give joy to the heart and are sweeter than honey. It’s a voice we can trust, because it belongs to the God who rescued us, our Rock and our Redeemer. But we only get to know it by listening, and in a world that is shouting, that takes some deliberate choosing. By meditating on the word of God each and every day, the hope is that we will be like sheep following the voice of the one who leads us to safety.

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:27-28)

This Bible Sunday lets remind ourselves of our love for God’s word or perhaps discover it for the first time! Over the next week try to re-read your favourite story in the bible and then tell someone about it! If we believe God is good and his word brings light to dark places, let’s celebrate the Bible beyond our church building this Sunday.

Beth Keenan

Key Notices:

Planned Giving Review

Every autumn we ask people to consider their regular giving to St. George’s for the coming year and to consider giving a one-off gift to help us cover our costs for this year. In 2026, our Sunday to respond to this will be Sunday 1st November. For those who indicated that they were willing to receive letters about their finances there are named envelopes available on the table at the back. There are also some unnamed envelopes, so if you do not have one with your name and would like to consider giving to the church please take one of those.

Light Party

Unfortunately, we are going to be unable to run a Light Party at St. Luke’s this year on 31st October, as an alternative to Halloween.  However, we would encourage families to attend a Light Party run by one of the other churches in the area. There is one at Community Church Ramsgate (30th October, 6-8pm), St. Andrew’s, Reading Street (31st October, 5-7pm) and Holy Trinity, Margate (31st October, 4-6pm).

New Reporting Page

We have developed a new way of reporting any incidents online through our website. This can be to do with maintenance issues, accidents or near misses, anti-social behaviour or safeguarding concerns. View the report page…

Coming Up:

Tower and Crypt Tours

St. George’s will be running Tower (11am and 1:30pm) and Crypt tours (12pm and 2:30pm) on Saturday 24th October. You can book online or just try turning up on the day at least 15 minutes before the tour is due to start. Tickets are £5. Find out more…

Men’s Group – Film Night

Join the Men’s Group for one of their occasional film nights. This event is free and there’ll be soup and rolls and other snacks, and then from 7:30pm they’ll be watching a film that at the time caused a great commotion. Wednesday 4th November from 6:30pm, St. Luke’s Church.

World War I Talk

An illustrated talk by Margaret Bolton looking at the lives of some of the men who served and the town they left behind. Saturday, 7th November, 3pm, St. George’s Church. Admission £5. Proceeds to the St. George’s restoration fund. Find out more…

People’s Emergency Briefing

St. George’s are hosting a community screening of the ‘People’s Emergency Briefing’. The film will be followed by a discussion led by Climate Resilience Expert Illana Adamson to explore the issues raised for us here in Ramsgate, such as fuel poverty, food security and summer heatwaves. St. George’s Church, Saturday 7th November, 6:15pm. Free to attend. Find out more and book.

Gathering in Support of the Persecuted Church

An invitation to the Churches & Christians of Thanet to gather in support of the Persecuted Church. In partnership with Open Doors. We’ll “be inspired by stories of faith under fire” & we’ll pray. It’s on Sunday 8th November, 4pm – 5.30pm at St George’s Foundation School, Broadstairs.

Weekly Calendar

Sunday 25th October – Bible Sunday

Eucharist (St. George’s Church) Psalm 19 – 09:30am

Monday 26th

Prayer Meeting (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am

Tuesday 27th

Prayer Meeting (St. George’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am

Community Meal (St. George’s Hall) – 5:30-7:00pm

Wednesday 28th      

Community Soup (St. George’s Church) – 12:00-2:00pm

Thursday 29th

Prayer Meeting (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am

Saturday 31st

Prayer Meeting (St. George’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am

Community Soup (St. George’s Church) – 12:00-2:00pm

Sunday 1st November – Fourth Sunday before Advent

Eucharist (St. George’s Church) Nehemiah 1 – 09:30am

Life Groups

Will you dare to share the Christian life with others? Life groups are a great way to meet together regularly with a small group of other Christians, for mutual support, to share in reading God’s word and to pray for one another.

They meet at the following times:

  • Monday evening (two groups)
  • Tuesday afternoon
  • Wednesday morning
  • Wednesday evening
  • Thursday morning

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.
  • Reporting Form. Use this to report any issues or incidents to do with maintenance, accidents, anti-social behaviour or safeguarding concerns.

Safeguarding

Our website is now updated with the latest information about Safeguarding and links to the Diocesan form for reporting concerns and accessing training.

If you volunteer in anyway at church the national authorities you should take at least the Basic Module in safeguarding training once every three years. If you hold a role connected with vulnerable adults or children and young people, then you will also need to take the Foundation Module. Once you have completed your training, please forward that certificate to James, our administrator, (office@churchramsgate.org) so that we can keep records of who has done the training.

Finally, let’s keep giving thanks for all that God is doing.

Yours in Christ

Paul Worledge

(Priest in Charge, St. George’s Ramsgate)

St. Luke’s Day (Luke 10:1-9)

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures for ever.” (Psalm 136:1)

As we celebrate 150 years of St. Luke’s, let’s give thanks for God’s goodness in helping many people find love, support and the good news of Jesus Christ over many decades. Let’s praise him for the work and ministry of the people that make up St. Luke’s church and have continued his mission to share the good news in word and deed and let’s rejoice that his love does indeed endure for ever.

As recorded at St. Luke’s
Listen on Castbox

This Sunday – 18th October 2026

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures for ever.”

(Psalm 136:1)

This week, the sections of the email are:

  • Opening Reflection: Thanksgiving
  • This Sunday:  St. Luke’s Day (Luke 10:1-9) – there won’t be a service at St. George’s this Sunday. Please join us for the Joint Service at St. Luke’s, 11am.
  • Key notices: Planned Giving Review, Light Party, New Reporting Page
  • Coming Up: Dare to Pray, Thanet United Prayer, Tower and Crypt Tours, World War I talk, People’s Emergency Briefing
  • Interesting Blogs: The other half of Christian history, Elon Musk: the Cecil Rhodes of our time
  • Prayer Requests
  • Weekly Calendar
  • Online Forms: Event application, Submit a notice, maintenance report, Safeguarding

Scroll on…

Opening Reflection

This Sunday St. Luke’s celebrates its 150th anniversary. We’ll be having a special service with a guest speaker, Nick Williams, from our patrons, the Church Pastoral Aid Society. There will be gifts to give out, a special collection for the work of the church and a free celebratory lunch. If you are out of the habit of joining us on a Sunday, this would be a great Sunday to return – we’d love to see you again!

But what are we celebrating? When St. Luke’s first started, the then Archbishop, Archibald Tate, said,

“The work will be estimated not by the nature of the building, which is erected, but by the daily and hourly teaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the new parish.”

You may know that St. Luke’s building, impressive as it is, was never totally completed. Why? Partly, because of lack of funds, but partly because the first vicar, the Rev. J. B. Whiting, wanted to focus on mission to the growing but very poor communities in the parish. He set up two new chapels, one on Central Road, which eventually closed and another in Northwood, which eventually became St. Mark’s. His concern was not to build a monument, but to reach the lost.

As we celebrate 150 years of St. Luke’s, let’s give thanks for God’s goodness in helping many people find love, support and the good news of Jesus Christ over many decades. Let’s praise him for the work and ministry of the people that make up St. Luke’s church and have continued his mission to share the good news in word and deed and let’s rejoice that his love does indeed endure for ever.

Paul Worledge

This Sunday:

150th Celebration Service with Lunch

The focus of St. Luke’s 150th celebrations will be on Sunday 18th October, 11am which is St. Luke’s Day. We have a guest speaker from the Church Pastoral Aid Society, St. Luke’s patrons, and will follow the service with a finger buffet lunch. Everyone is welcome. This will also be a joint service with St. George’s, so there will be no service at St. George’s, but we’d love everyone to attend this important event.

Key Notices:

Planned Giving Review

Every autumn we ask people to consider their regular giving to St. George’s for the coming year and to consider giving a one-off gift to help us cover our costs for this year. In 2026, our Sunday to respond to this will be Sunday 1st November. For those who indicated that they were willing to receive letters about their finances there are named envelopes available on the table at the back. There are also some unnamed envelopes, so if you do not have one with your name and would like to consider giving to the church please take one of those.

Light Party

Unfortunately, we are going to be unable to run a Light Party at St. Luke’s this year on 31st October, as an alternative to Halloween.  However, we would encourage families to attend a Light Party run by one of the other churches in the area. There is one at Community Church Ramsgate (30th October, 6-8pm), St. Andrew’s, Reading Street (31st October, 5-7pm) and Holy Trinity, Margate (31st October, 4-6pm).

New Reporting Page

We have developed a new way of reporting any incidents online through our website. This can be to do with maintenance issues, accidents or near misses, anti-social behaviour or safeguarding concerns. View the report page…

Coming Up:

Dare to Pray –

This Saturday, 9:30-10:30am, St. Luke’s. As it is the 150th anniversary of St. Luke’s, our monthly Dare to Pray meeting will be at St. Luke’s this month. Join us for prayer and a special focus on giving thanks!

Thanet United Prayer

The next Thanet wide united prayer meeting will be on Sunday 18th October, 6:30pm at the Salvation Army in Margate, Ct9 1NS.

Tower and Crypt Tours

St. George’s will be running Tower (11am and 1:30pm) and Crypt tours (12pm and 2:30pm) on Saturday 24th October. You can book online or just try turning up on the day at least 15 minutes before the tour is due to start. Tickets are £5. Find out more…

World War I Talk

An illustrated talk by Margaret Bolton looking at the lives of some of the men who served and the town they left behind. Saturday, 7th November, 3pm, St. George’s Church. Admission £5. Proceeds to the St. George’s restoration fund. Find out more…

People’s Emergency Briefing

St. George’s are hosting a community screening of the ‘People’s Emergency Briefing’. The film will be followed by a discussion led by Climate Resilience Expert Illana Adamson to explore the issues raised for us here in Ramsgate, such as fuel poverty, food security and summer heatwaves. St. George’s Church, Saturday 7th November, 6:15pm. Free to attend. Find out more and book.

Interesting Blogs to Share:

The other half of Christian history

The current experience and trajectory of Christians in the west, facing a future as a minority in pluralist societies, is not unprecedented in Christian history. Indeed, it may perhaps prove to have been the norm for most Christians at most times.  Read more about the non-Western history of the church over the last 2,000 years. 10-minute read

Elon Musk: the Cecil Rhodes of our time

Some more history, but this time comparing a modern day super-rich and powerful man, with one from the late nineteenth century. 5-minute read

Weekly Calendar

Sunday 18th – Twentieth Sunday after Trinity (St Luke’s Day)

Joint 150 Communion (St. Luke’s Church) Luke 10:1-9 – 11:00am-12:00pm

Finger Buffet Lunch (St. Luke’s Church) – from 12.30pm

Monday 19th    

Prayer Meeting (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am

Tuesday 20th      

Prayer Meeting (St. George’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am

Community Meal (St. George’s Hall) – 5:30-7:00pm

Wednesday 21st     

Community Soup (St. George’s Church) – 12:00-2:00pm

Thursday 22nd

Prayer Meeting (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am

Saturday 24th   

Prayer Meeting (St. George’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am

Community Soup (St. George’s Church) – 12:00-2:00pm

Sunday 25th – Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity

Eucharist (St. George’s Church) Psalm 19 – 11:00am-12:00pm

Life Groups

Will you dare to share the Christian life with others? Life groups are a great way to meet together regularly with a small group of other Christians, for mutual support, to share in reading God’s word and to pray for one another.

They meet at the following times:

  • Monday evening (two groups)
  • Tuesday afternoon
  • Wednesday morning
  • Wednesday evening
  • Thursday morning

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.
  • Reporting Form. Use this to report any issues or incidents to do with maintenance, accidents, anti-social behaviour or safeguarding concerns.

Safeguarding

Our website is now updated with the latest information about Safeguarding and links to the Diocesan form for reporting concerns and accessing training.

If you volunteer in anyway at church the national authorities you should take at least the Basic Module in safeguarding training once every three years. If you hold a role connected with vulnerable adults or children and young people, then you will also need to take the Foundation Module. Once you have completed your training, please forward that certificate to James, our administrator, (office@churchramsgate.org) so that we can keep records of who has done the training.

Finally, let’s keep giving thanks for all that God is doing.

Yours in Christ

Paul Worledge

(Priest in Charge, St. George’s Ramsgate)

Ramsgate Autumn Festival Tours

St George’s is pleased to be participating in Ramsgate Autumn Festival, including a final day of tower and crypt tours on Saturday 24th October.

Tours of the tower and crypt can be booked here.

A climb up the iconic St George’s lantern tower will reward you with the best views of Ramsgate as well as inland across Thanet and out over the Channel. The crypt will also be open for some fascinating insights to local history.

For full details of the Autumn Festival programme click here.

Climate Resilience Events coming up

St George’s Church is pleased to present 2 events in November to bring Ramsgate residents together to discuss issues around resilience to our changing climate and how to conserve energy in the face of pressures on the cost of living.

Join us at the church on Saturday 7th and Saturday 14th November. Both events are free to attend but please book and find further information at the following links

People’s Emergency Briefing – book here

Power Station film – book here

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet (Matthew 22:1-14)

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.” (Isaiah 55:1)

We finish our series on the Parables in Matthew’s gospel with the Parable of the Wedding Banquet.The invitation to the banquet is free to all. Accepting it is transformational.

As recorded at St. Luke’s
Listen on Castbox

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet (Matthew 22:1-14)

Preparing for a Wedding

As many of you know our daughter, Samantha is getting married next year. That’s really exciting, and definitely worth celebrating.

But organising a celebration is a big undertaking. It takes a lot of time, and a lot of money, because you want everyone who comes to enjoy the event and feel like it is a special and an important occasion, which it is.

And when you invite people to a wedding, you are offering them free food, free entertainment and a good time. In that sense it is a wonderful act of grace.

The Wedding for the Son

In our passage today, Jesus tells the story of a wedding banquet. But this is no ordinary wedding, this is a wedding of the king’s son. You can imagine all the important people throughout the Kingdom would be invited, all the movers and shakers, everyone that mattered. And it would have been a massive and important moment for the king because it was for his son. It would also have been a massive moment for the whole kingdom, just like royal weddings of the past that you might remember. He would have invested a lot of time, effort and money into organising the wedding. And for those being invited, it would have been an incredible blessing and experience a real privilege to be a part of. A chance to receive such blessing and grace from the king.

In those days, the invitations would have gone out early, and people would have responded early as well. Then just as the celebrations were nearing completion, the servants would have been sent out to gather the guests. But shockingly, the invitees refuse to come. So, the king sends the servants again, but they refuse to come and instead go off to work in their fields and businesses. They were more interested in making money, than they were in joining in with the royal celebrations. Even more shockingly, rather than just refusing to come, some of the guests ill-treated and even killed the servants. This was beyond rude, this was now treasonous.

It’s no wonder, then that the king responds by sending an army to burn down the city and crush the rebellion.

But, the king still wants to celebrate his son’s wedding. What is a party without a crowd? So, he sends his servants out into the streets to gather everyone in, not just the well to do, but the good, the bad and the ugly. Everyone is invited and everyone comes.

You might think that would be the end of the story, but then there is a strange addition. Just as the party is in full swing, he comes across a man who is not dressed in wedding clothes. He is furious at the snub and has the man thrown out of the wedding.

Who’s Who

Well, that’s the story Jesus tells. But, who do the people in the story refer to? Jesus does not just tell stories for the fun of it, they have a point, a purpose, a message.

If you listened to last week’s talk, you will know that the context here, is Jesus debating with the temple authorities, who he is accusing of failing to do what God is calling them to do and also failing to recognise his authority as God’s Son.

Jesus’ response is to tell three parables and this one is the third. And actually on close analysis there are strong parallels between the three parables.

In the first parable there is a father, who asks his first son to do some work. He initially refuses, but then goes and does the work anyway. The second son, however, says he will do what he wants, but then doesn’t.

The second parable is of a vineyard owner, who builds a vineyard then rents it out to some tenants. But the tenants refuse to pay the rent or give a share. They kill the servants sent to them, then when the son is sent, they kill him too. When Jesus asks what should be done with them, the suggestion is that the owner will kill them and replace them with tenants who will pay the rent!

So, what are the parallels, between these three parallels and who do the different characters refer to?

The Generous God

In the first parable, God is portrayed as like a father to all of us. Jesus often talks about God as ‘our Father’, we can relate to him intimately, but he still has authority over us. In the second, he is compared to a landowner, who has built a vineyard for the tenants to live in. This reminds us that God is our creator, who has given us all that we have. In this parable, he has a Son, but the Son is killed by the tenants, which reminds us of the fate awaiting Jesus at the hands of the temple authorities and ultimately the true horror of human sin. Finally, in this parable, God is portrayed as a king. He is the ultimate ruler in the land and cannot allow any rebellion against him, yet he is also the one who welcomes everyone to the great feast of His Son. The one that offers us a gracious and better future. God then is a loving father, a wonderful creator and invites us to a generous feast. How can it be right to reject him?

The Greedy Religious

Then those who fail to do what you would expect represent in the first instance the temple authorities that Jesus is challenging, but more generally all those who may look like followers of God, may look religious, but who in reality are more interested in getting rich than in serving God. In the first parable, they are represented by the son who, although he says he will do what his father wants, doesn’t. In the second, parable, they are represented by the tenants who do not pay their rent and in the third parable by the guests who refuse the invitation. The last two parables in particular emphasise that the motivating factor is greed. They don’t pay the rent, because they want to keep the money for themselves, whilst in the last parable, they don’t accept the invitation, because they are more interested in pursuing their farming or business ventures than celebrating with the king. They have abandoned, the rightful king, to pursue their own greedy aims. As Jesus says earlier in the gospel, “You cannot serve both Mammon and God.” This is not just a critique of the temple authorities, but of sinful humanity as a whole. We who are entrenched church people, need to keep asking ourselves, are we falling into the same trap as these greedy religious.

The Persecuted Messengers

What about the servants? They do not appear in the first parable, but in the second two parables, there are servants who are sent by the landlord or king carrying his word, but treated horrendously by those he sends them to. These stand in the first place for the Old Testament prophets, but more generally for all those who carry God’s word. Their ill-treatment underlines the wickedness of those who reject God, it also reminds us that when we act as God’s servants, we may face rejection from the world. Yet, like the servants in the story, our role as God’s people is to invite people to the great banquet God has provided. To go into all the world and pull people in, not just the religious or the respectable, but everyone. We are to do it patiently and persistently, even though at times we may be ill-treated as a result.

The Repentant Sinners

Finally, in the first parable there is the other son, who says he will not do what his father asks, but then does it. Jesus links this with people who may have been sinners, but are now turning to God and entering his kingdom, including the tax-collectors and prostitutes. In the second parable, they are represented by the tenants who will replace the wicked tenants, but will pay the rent, whilst in the third parable, they are represented by all the people in the streets that are invited to the wedding banquet to replace the original guests. Their role is to remind us, that it is never too late to turn back to God. In the parable of the wedding banquet, the king says to invite ‘the bad as well as the good’. The tax collectors and sinners, receive an invitation to the greatest feast in the kingdom. Not because they are good or deserve it, but because God welcomes them.

People often rule themselves out of receiving God’s blessing, because they say, ‘I am not religious.’ But in these stories, it is the so called religious people that lose out, because they think that religion is all that matters and are not concerned to do God’s will in all of their lives. But Jesus says, those are just the people, who will end up losing God’s blessing. It is the non-religious people that turn back to God in the present, accept his forgiveness for the past and seek to live for him in the future, who will be seated at the great heavenly banquet and blessed. God is a God of amazing grace and forgiveness.

What difference does accepting the invitation make?

But this raises a question. If everyone is invited, the bad as well as the good, does that mean that the bad can accept the invitation, but carry on living as a bad life? Is being a Christian just a matter of praying a prayer to receive Jesus into your life, but then carrying on living in the same way as before as though nothing has changed? Sometimes our evangelism can leave that impression. We can make grace seem cheap.

Perhaps it is because of the danger of this misconception that Jesus adds this strange story about the man not in wedding clothes. It is not something that is paralleled in the other parables and it doesn’t appear in the similar parable of the wedding banquet in Luke’s gospel.

Remember, when the feast is in full flow, the King spots a man not in wedding clothes. On seeing him the king has what can only be described as a rather extreme reaction:

“Then the king told the attendants, `Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ (Matthew 22:13)

This is a shocking response. The picture of darkness, and weeping and gnashing of teeth is of course a picture of hell. Here is someone who has seemingly come into God’s kingdom, but whose place is lost. Why? Because he is not wearing the right clothes?

Well yes, but you need to remember the context. This is the royal wedding feast of the king’s son. It is the event of the decade in the kingdom. If you were invited to a tea party at Buckingham Palace, you would expect to dress up to fit with the occasion. To come in dirty clothes looking scruffy, would be to show contempt for the occasion and the other guests. You would expect to be kicked out and to miss out.

But, of course this points to something deeper. If you really understand the invitation that God is offering you, to attend the greatest banquet not of the decade, but of eternity, and not in the palace of a great king, but the king of kings, of course you would want to get changed. But getting changed, does not mean putting on smart clothes, it means transforming your lifestyle to fit with your new status as a guest of God.

As Paul puts it in Colossians, we are to get rid of the bad stuff:

“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.” (Colossians 3:5)

and put on the good stuff:

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” (Colossians 3:12)

Jesus is saying, yes, it does not matter how bad you have been so far in this life, God is still inviting you to his Kingdom, but you cannot accept the invitation and carry on as you were. To accept the invitation means being willing to get dressed up, to ditch the bad stuff from your life and to put on the good stuff. Accepting the invitation means heartfelt repentance.

“For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

Jesus finishes the Parable with a final saying, ‘Many are invited, but few are chosen.’ (Matthew 22:14).

The Parable has emphasised the breadth of God’s invitation to everyone. It is an invitation to the religious elite, but also to the man on the street; to the good, the bad and the ugly. Everyone is invited! But few are chosen.

You may be religious, but who is your ultimate master, God or money? You may claim to have become a Christian, but are you willing to change your life, to get rid of the bad stuff and put on the good stuff? If money is more important than God, and if you are not willing to allow your life to be moulded by God’s will, then are you really chosen?

Let’s take God’s invitation seriously, let’s not be distracted by material concerns and let’s put on the characteristics of God, so that we know that we are the ones chosen to be at that great eternal feast.

This Sunday – 11th October 2026

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.”

(Isaiah 55:1)

This week, the sections of the email are:

  • Opening Reflection: The Invitation
  • Key notices: Planned Giving Review
  • Coming Up: Baroque Recital – This Saturday, Barn Dance, 150th Celebration Service with Lunch, Thanet United Prayer, World War I talk
  • Interesting Blogs: The Quiet Revival Podcast, Ancient Monks and Modern Missions
  • Weekly Calendar
  • Online Forms: Event application, Submit a notice, maintenance report, Safeguarding

Scroll on…

Opening Reflection

We believe in a God who is gracious. Although, we may have nothing to offer God and may have lived our lives in rebellion against him, it is never too late to turn back to him and receive an incredibly generous welcome.

And that is God’s invitation to everyone. But will we accept it? The sad truth is that most people live their lives ignoring or avoiding the invitation. They work hard to achieve satisfaction in life without God, through careers, relationships, possessions, achievements, family or whatever. In their thinking there is no time to accept God’s free invitation, because they are too busy working for other things.

But do these other things offer ultimate satisfaction? St. Augustine famously said, “You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You.”

Are you resisting God’s invitation? Will you miss out on what brings eternal and ultimate satisfaction, because you are too busy chasing what is ultimately meaningless?

And if you have accepted the invitation, are you set for the party? An invitation to a garden party at Buckingham Palace would mean washing your hair, polishing your shoes and dressing in your finest clothes. If you turned up in a ripped t-shirt and dirty jeans you would probably expect to be thrown out. In the same way to accept God’s invitation is free, but it does insist that we clothe ourselves with the characteristics of a godly character.

The invitation is free to all. Accepting it is transformational.

Paul Worledge

Key Notices:

Planned Giving Review

Every autumn we ask people to consider their regular giving to St. George’s for the coming year and to consider giving a one-off gift to help us cover our costs for this year. In 2026, our Sunday to respond to this will be Sunday 1st November. For those who indicated that they were willing to receive letters about their finances there are named envelopes available on the table at the back. There are also some unnamed envelopes, so if you do not have one with your name and would like to consider giving to the church please take one of those.

Coming Up:

Baroque Recital – 150th Event

Petra Hajduchova will be giving a harpsichord recital at St. Luke’s at 3pm on Saturday 10th October. This will be free, but donations will be welcome to be split between Petra and the church. Find out more…

Barn Dance – 150th Event

Join us for hot food and dancing. St. Luke’s Hall, 7pm, Saturday 17th October. Tickets are £5 and available from Trevor Kenney 07792 828097 or Paul.

150th Celebration Service with Lunch

The focus of St. Luke’s 150th celebrations will be on Sunday 18th October, 11am which is St. Luke’s Day. We have a guest speaker from the Church Pastoral Aid Society, St. Luke’s patrons, and will follow the service with a finger buffet lunch. Everyone is welcome. This will also be a joint service with St. George’s, so there will be no service at St. George’s, but we’d love everyone to attend this important event.

Thanet United Prayer

The next Thanet wide united prayer meeting will be on Sunday 18th October, 6:30pm at the Salvation Army in Margate, Ct9 1NS.

World War I Talk

An illustrated talk by Margaret Bolton looking at the lives of some of the men who served and the town they left behind. Saturday, 7th November, 3pm, St. George’s Church. Admission £5. Proceeds to the St. George’s restoration fund. Find out more…

Interesting Blogs to Share:

The Quiet Revival Podcast

Join us as we discuss how your church can strengthen discipleship and help people grow Bible confidence. How will your church respond to the spiritual atmosphere in England and Wales? Find our more…

Ancient Monks, Modern Missions

The monastic movement was at the heart of Christian mission for over 1,000 years. What lessons can we learn from this movement that can be applied to our Christian lives in the twenty-first century? Read more…

Weekly Calendar

Sunday 11th – Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity

Eucharist (St. George’s Church) Matthew 21:33-end – 9:30am

Sunday School (St George’s, 10:30am)

Monday 12th    

Prayer Meeting (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am

Tuesday 13th      

Prayer Meeting (St. George’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am

Community Meal (St. George’s Hall) – 5:30-7:00pm

Wednesday 14th     

Community Soup (St. George’s Church) – 12:00-2:00pm

Thursday 15th

Prayer Meeting (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am

Saturday 17th   

Dare to Pray (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:30am

Community Soup (St. George’s Church) – 12:00-2:00pm

Barn Dance (St. Luke’s Church) – 7:00pm

Sunday 18th – Twentieth Sunday after Trinity

Joint 150 Communion (St. Luke’s Church) Matt. 22:1-14 – 11:00am-12:00pm

Finger Buffet Lunch (St. Luke’s Church) – from 12.30pm

Life Groups

Will you dare to share the Christian life with others? Life groups are a great way to meet together regularly with a small group of other Christians, for mutual support, to share in reading God’s word and to pray for one another.

They meet at the following times:

  • Monday evening (two groups)
  • Tuesday afternoon
  • Wednesday morning
  • Wednesday evening
  • Thursday morning

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.

Safeguarding

Our website is now updated with the latest information about Safeguarding and links to the Diocesan form for reporting concerns and accessing training.

If you volunteer in anyway at church the national authorities you should take at least the Basic Module in safeguarding training once every three years. If you hold a role connected with vulnerable adults or children and young people, then you will also need to take the Foundation Module. Once you have completed your training, please forward that certificate to James, our administrator, (office@churchramsgate.org) so that we can keep records of who has done the training.

Finally, let’s accept God’s invitation with enthusiasm.

Yours in Christ

Paul Worledge

(Priest in Charge, St. George’s Ramsgate)

Lest We Forget

An illustrated talk by Margaret Bolton looking at the lives of some of the men who served and the town they left behind. How did civilians cope with the war? What was the role of the church? What happened at Nethercourt V.A.D. hospital? Marvel at the bravery of local men; weep at tragic losses and see how people found humour in the darkest of days.

Saturday 7th November at 3pm

St George’s Church

Admission £5

Refreshments available

All proceeds to the church restoration fund

The Parable of the Tenants (Matthew 21:33-46)

“The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone;” (Psalm 118:22)

In 33AD, Jesus was in Jerusalem debating with the heavy-weight Jewish authorities. In that debate, Jesus told them a story about a vineyard, whose tenants refused to pay rent to the vineyard owner. It was obvious that the story was a thinly veiled criticism of the temple authorities. Jesus was publicly accusing them of failing to do what God required. Yet, what hope did Jesus, a poor Jewish Rabbi from the backward region of Galilee, have of making a difference against the powerful temple elite?

The events of the following days seemed to give an answer. In worldly terms Jesus had no hope. In the following days, they arranged for Jesus’ arrest trial and execution. Their critic was dead and buried. Or so they thought.

The truth was different. What they should have seen from Jesus’ teaching and miracles was that this was no ordinary Rabbi. This was God’s Son. They should have accepted his criticism and started to behave as God required.

Yet, this was not the end of the story. Although Jesus was brutally rejected by them, he was resurrected by God and became the capstone for a new living temple, the church, which would transform the world.

As recorded at St. Luke’s
Listen on Castbox

The Parable of the Tenants (Matthew 21:33-46)

Who tells you what is right or wrong in life?

When St. Luke’s was opened as a church 150 years ago, a significant part of the population would have said, that the church was there to show them what was right or wrong. Others would have pointed to favourite philosophers and their books, whilst I suspect many would have said their parents. Still others, may well have simply said, “No-one tells me what to do!”

Today, those answers are still relevant to many, but for others the main sources for the knowledge of right and wrong are very different. There is the internet, social media and most recently Artificial Intelligence. For many, these are now their source for advice on everything including what is right or wrong.

But, given all these increasing choices, how do we decide who to listen to?

Jesus in the Temple

The Parable we have had read to us comes as part of Jesus’ debate with the temple authorities, the Chief Priests and elders.

The day before Jesus told the parable he  had entered into Jerusalem on a donkey, with the crowds crying out,

“‘Hosanna, to the Son of David, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”  (Matthew 21:9)

Everyone knew that this was a claim to be the Messiah, the Christ, the one descended from King David, whom God had promised would come and set up a new kingdom in his name, a new authority on earth. It was a bold and radical claim to authority.

But the challenge did not stop there. As soon as he arrived in Jerusalem, Jesus had gone straight to the temple and cleared out the money changers and the salesman declaring:

“It is written,” he said to them, “`My house will be called a house of prayer,’but you are making it a `den of robbers’.” (Matthew 21:13)

In other words, rather than the Temple being focussed on helping people come to and follow God, it had become an exercise in making money. This was a perversion of what God wanted. The temple authorities were allowing it to happen and Jesus was telling them this was wrong.

So, when Jesus came again to the temple the next day, the Chief Priests and elders of the people came to him and asked,

“By what authority are you doing these things? And Who gave you this authority?” (Matthew 21:23)

In other words, “What right have you to tell us what is right or wrong?”

You might think that was a good question. Who was this upstart rebel from out in the sticks to tell the duly appointed authorities in the temple what they should be doing? Notice, however, that they don’t defend their actions or explain why Jesus was wrong to accuse them. No, they seek to undermine Jesus’ authority instead.

Jesus’ response is to ask them about John the Baptist:

“John’s baptism, where did it come from? Was it from heaven or human origin?” (Matthew 21:25)

It’s not a question they can answer, because they had never taken John seriously, whilst many of the crowds that were watching this debate had believed John to be a Prophet, a spokesperson for God.

So, Jesus starts telling Parables. The first parable is all about obedience. There are two sons, one who says he won’t do what his father says, but then does it, whilst the other says he will do what his father says, but then does not do it. Jesus is clear, with the temple authorities. They are like the second son. Their position and status suggests they are all about doing what God wants, but the reality is that they are not at all interested in living in God’s way. They might try and deflect Jesus’ criticism of them by questioning his authority, but the more fundamental issue is that they are not interested in obeying God at all.

The Parable of the Tenants

Then, Jesus tells another parable. It is perhaps the most shocking of all the parables. It  gives a shocking insight into what is really going on in the hearts of the religious leaders of his day,  and their refusal to do what God wants, but also answers the question about Jesus’ authority.

In the story, Jesus tells, a man builds a vineyard. In other words he puts lots of money, time and effort to create something that will take years to pay off. Then, as was common in those days he rents it out to tenants on the understanding that since he has provided them with the means of making a living, they will pay him a proportion of the crop as rent.

In the story, Jesus tells, however, the tenants refuse to pay their rent. They have no interest in doing what was right by the landowner or sticking to their agreement. So, the owner sends his servants to demand they pay up. But rather than doing what they are told, they beat up or kill the servants. In a show of amazing patience, the vineyard owner keeps sending servants with the same result. Then he ups the stakes. He sends his son. Surely, the son will be seen as coming with the landowner’s authority, they will listen to him and do what he says.

But the landowner is wrong. In a shocking turn of events, the tenants decide to kill the son, rather than listen to him and do what he asks. They were prepared to go to extreme lengths to avoid doing what the landowner rightly required.

Jesus then asks, what the owner of the vineyard would do. The Chief Priests and elders, would have identified with the vineyard owner, because they were mostly of the landowning class. So, they feel the anger at the tenants behaviour and give a clear answer as to what will happen:

“He will bring those wretches to a wretched end and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.” (Matthew 21:41)

Of course, Jesus is catching them out. As they came to realise, the Parable was directed at them. In the parable, the vineyard owner represents not one of them, but God. They are represented by the tenants. They owed their positions, their lives and everything they had to God. But, by refusing to do what God wants, they like the tenants were refusing to give him what they should.

So, what about the other characters in the story? The servants refer to the prophets whom God sent to tell the people to change their ways and to follow him, but over the centuries, those prophets had been ill-treated and sometimes murdered for speaking God’s word. The most recent example of which was of course, John the Baptist!

So, who was the Son? Jesus of course sees himself as the Son. In the parable he is predicting the shocking events that were about to take place. Rather than accept his authority as God’s ultimate representative to show them what is right and wrong and to obey what he says, they were going to have him killed. And within a few days this is what happened. Instead of listening to Jesus, they crucified him. In so doing, their true hearts were revealed and they showed themselves and their institution worthy of God’s judgement.

Within 40 years, the Temple in Jerusalem, that looked like it was built to last forever, was totally destroyed by the Romans. The wretched leaders of the temple were brought to a wretched end. You can only carry on rejecting God’s voice and warnings for so long.

The Rejected Stone and the New Temple

Jesus, however, adds an addendum to the Parable. He quotes from Psalm 118:

“The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone the Lord has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes’?” (Matthew 21:42; Psalm 118:22,23)

Jesus knows that the temple authorities, were going to reject him in the most brutal and shocking way possible. They were going to crucify him.

But, he also knew that their rejection was not the end. God would raise him again from the dead and he would become the capstone for a new temple. Not made of dead stones, but living stones. Not a building misused for purposes counter to God’s will, but a community of people saved from past sins, and now living to do what God wants, because they have accepted that Jesus is indeed God’s son and they have chosen to listen to his words and do what God wants with their lives.

Who tells you what is right or wrong in life?

So, who tells you what is right or wrong in life?

The world is changing rapidly, and the number of voices vying to tell us how we should live is growing. They may be old fashioned sources, like religions, philosophers and books or up to date ones like Google or Artificial Intelligence. But before we ask the question who to listen to, we need to ask a deeper question.

Do we recognise who it is that has provided us with the world we live in and the life we have? Do we accept that there is a creator God, who made us and provides for us and has a right to demand that we live in certain ways? For many this is the biggest barrier.

What is shocking about the tenants in the story Jesus tells, is that they are quite happy to reap the blessings of the vineyard built by someone else, without being willing to accept that they should offer anything to him for the privilege. If that is our attitude, then the question of authority does not matter. We will either choose to follow any voice or authority that appeals to us at the moment or just drift along with the crowd. However, this is the root to futile thinking, foolish hearts and darkness.

However, secondly, when we accept that God should have a say in our lives, then we will want to ask the question that Jesus asks about John the Baptist:

“Is their message from heaven, or of human origin.”

When we look at the philosophers of the world, the many books written, the advice from friends and relatives, Google or even Artificial Intelligence, they are all ultimately sources of advice that have a human origin.

But, in the Parable, the vineyard owner, who represents God, sends many servants. These represented the prophets of Israel over the years. Their message is written down in what we call the Old Testament. They are worth listening to. But, Jesus makes a more radical claim in the Parable. He says, that he is not just a servant of God, He is the Son of God. His authority and teaching is of a whole higher level.

It is a claim shown to be true, by what happens next. Jesus proves that he is the stone the builders rejected, that becomes the capstone. In other words, the cross and resurrection is Jesus’ ultimate answer to the question about his authority. Those historic events certify his claim that he is the Son of God and show that we should live life in obedience to his teaching. To follow him is to truly grasp hold of the life that God offers.

Have you accepted that Jesus is God’s Son? Will you allow him to direct your life as to what is right and wrong? Or will you make the same mistake as the Chief Priests and elders of Jesus’ day?