A musical celebration of Love at St George’s Church Ramsgate. Book tickets on St George’s website – https://bit.ly/4gBV1QH
Saturday 15th February – 7.30 til 9.30pm – Doors and Bar from 7.00pm
On this coming Valentine’s weekend, treat someone you love to an evening of popular vocal music in the beautiful surroundings of St George’s Church Ramsgate. Coastal Choir and guests will be putting on a concert featuring pop, rock, folk and musical theatre, all on the theme of Love. There will be a pay bar, with doors opening from 7.00pm.
Proceeds from the event will be shared by the St George’s Community Meal and Speak Up CIC in 2025. The Community Meal is a weekly event run by a group of volunteers, supported by St George’s Church and held in the Church Hall on a Tuesday evening. Speak Up CIC https://www.speakupcic.co.uk/ provides a range of peer support groups and activities for people with lived experience of mental ill health in Thanet and Ashford.
The meal is about being there for one another and building lasting relationships. It helps support and guide many who struggle with isolation, ranging from the homeless and vulnerable, to those who simply want to sit down and enjoy a cooked meal and entertainment with local friends. https://stgeorgechurchramsgate.uk/st-georges-community-meal/
Due to staff holidays and sickness, this notice sheet covers the weeks beginning Sunday 19th, 26th January and 2nd February. The next mailing will be on 9th February.
At times in life, we can feel powerless in the face of difficult circumstances. Those moments can feel like dark times. Perhaps it is a problem, where you just can’t see the solution. Maybe you just feel out of control as others have power in a situation where you are losing out. It could be that you are stuck in a difficult situation and can see no way out, no light at the end of the tunnel. What do we do, when there is nothing that we can do?
When we are powerless, the only hope is to find someone who has power to help us. This is where the spirituality of prayer comes in. Prayer seeks help from the one who is free from the constraints of this world but cares deeply for those in the world. It is a cry from helplessness to the one that we have faith can help us: the God revealed in the Bible.
The Psalms are full of such cries for help. They profoundly express the struggle of faith meeting life, when belief in the all-powerful and all-loving God meets situations of desperation and despair. Their beautiful poetry grapples with the seeming contrast between God’s past actions and his present seeming inaction. The psalmists both praise God for his compassion and complain to him about their desperate straits.
It is not surprising, then, that Psalms have been an important part of Christian spirituality down the ages. By saying the Psalms, we discover that we share with people down the ages the same distress, despair and doubt as saints throughout history. Yet, out of the struggle we are also joined to their faith, which leads them out of the darkness of despair to the light of hope, out of the powerlessness of life to the power of God, our rock and our salvation.
Paul Worledge
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, from 27th January
In Ramsgate this is going to take place during the last week of January. There will be prayer meetings at the United Church, Hardres Street at 9:00am from Monday to Friday and a prayer breakfast at Centenary Hall, Hardres Street at 9:00am. Please do support this important expression of church unity in the town.
Please note that during this week (from 27th January), there will be no daily prayer at St. Luke’s or St. George’s.
Prayer and Verse of the Year – 2025
Please take one of the new prayer and verse of the year bookmarks to pray at home from church this week. You can catch a sneak preview on the church website: www.stlukesramsgate.org
Christ Church Services
There will be evening prayer services at Christ Church, at 3pm on 2nd Sunday of the month starting on 9th February.
Petra running for Air Ambulance
Petra is doing Run31 for air ambulance Sussex and Kent. Find out more…
It’s a Love Story, Concert 15th February, 7:30pm
Love Story will be another gala fundraiser night at St George’s church, featuring Coastal Choir and guests with the St George’s Community Meal and Speak Up sharing the proceeds. Tickets £8 from Beth Paterson, Brenda Clarke or online through St. George’s website.
Men’s Group – Bowling, Wednesday 22nd January, 6:15pm
The Men’s group January event will be bowling at Bugsy’s in Margate. There will be lifts available from Ramsgate at 5:45pm. The cost is £10. If you have not already signed up to go and would like to, then please contact Bruce Stokes on 07708 682464, or bruce.stokes@btinternet.com.
Crowdfunder
St. George’s have produced a Crowdfunder to help keep the hall financially viable for community use after a challenging year. This is aimed at people in the wider community. If you are able to share the fundraiser on social media then please do so using this link.
Links to Share:
Why should we love the church?
In this profound reflection on a poem by T. S. Elliott is an honest reflection on why people do not love the church. Read on…(5 mins)
Jimmy Carter: five takeaways from a life well-lived
With a new President about to take on the White House, check out these reflections on the life of the recently deceased former President, Jimmy Carter. Read on…(9 mins)
Finally, let’s keep seeking God in prayer.
Yours in Christ
Paul Worledge
(Priest in Charge, St. George’s Ramsgate)
Normal Weekly Calendar
Due to staff holidays and sickness, this notice sheet covers the weeks beginning Sunday 19th, 26th January and 2nd February.
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.
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.
“Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” (Psalm 103:2)
This week we begin our series, “Spirituality for dark times.”, ‘dark times’ is meant to refer to times of difficulty or struggle that many of us are or may face. So, how do we deal with these “dark times”? As Christians we have a distinctive perspective. We believe in a God who is both in charge of the universe in ways beyond our comprehension and yet incredibly is also totally committed to us at a deeply personal level. For us spirituality is not just a set of practices to make us feel better, but a way of renewing and deepening our faith in the God of Jesus Christ, that reorients our souls from darkness to light.
‘Abide with me’ was written by Henry Francis Lyte in 1847 when he was 54, in the last months of his life as his health was failing and he was approaching death. It is a beautiful poem, that struggles with the darkness he is facing in life, but also calls out to God.
Abide with me: fast falls the eventide;
the darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.
The poetry brings home the emotional reality that accompanied Henry Lyte’s life as he approached death:
“fast falls the eventide”
“the darkness deepens”
“helpers fail and comforts flee”
Dark Times?
The history of the world and indeed our lives have their ups and downs.
There can be times of peace and prosperity, but also times of war and poverty.
Certainly, there is much in our world that is causing an increasing sense of darkness for many people today. Wars in the Ukraine and the Middle East, failing economies, crumbling public services, an uncertain political future with the election of Trump in the United States and the increasing power and influence of Elon Musk and the growing concern over climate change and its effects, probably including the catastrophic fires in Los Angeles this week. There is much in our news that speaks of gloom and darkness.
But, even without the concerns of the news, many will face difficult personal circumstances that lead to a sense of darkness. Like Henry Lyte, your health may be failing, or perhaps you are wracked with guilt for past wrongdoings, or perhaps it feels your life is stuck in a pit due to addiction, debt or just the circumstances of life.
Dark times can catch us in life unawares at any time, whether we are a Christian or not. But how can we deal with this darkness? Is there a way out of darkness?
Yes, I think there is. This is where Christian spirituality comes in. Christian spirituality is taking on various activities, that re-orient us to fully grasp what God has done for us and continues to do with and for us. Like Henry Frances Lyte’s famous hymn, itself a great example of Christian spiritual expression, Christian spirituality helps us grasp that God truly does abide with us. More than that it helps us comprehend what that really means.
Praise my Soul – Psalm 103
‘Praise my Soul’ was another hymn written by Henry Lyte earlier in his life. It is probably his best known other hymn. It is based on Psalm 103, which is our reading today.
It is a song of great praise of God, but it is honest about human struggles and frailties, the dark side of life. It talks about our sins, our diseases, of life being stuck in the pit (verses 3-4).
In fact verses 13-17 are used at funerals. Why? In verse 14, it describes the reality of our mortality and the frailty of life in beautiful poetic language: “We are but dust” hints at the idea from Genesis 2 and 3, that God makes us out of dust and when we die, we return to being dust. As the funeral service puts it: “Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” We are also like the flowers of the field, we may seem to bloom beautifully for a while, but all too soon we have vanished from the face of the earth, soon to be forgotten as those who knew us also pass away. The reality and frustration of death is not ignored but faced head on.
The Psalm does not ignore the darkness of life, but I think it gives us a way out of darkness. A way that gives us the fundamental clue to Christian spirituality. The Psalm takes us from self-absorption to God-absorption. We come out of darkness by re-orienting our souls to praise God for who He is. As the first line of the Psalm says, “Praise the LORD, my soul!”
The Expanding Psalm
This Psalm does this by constantly expanding our horizons. It begins with the soul, but ends with the whole of creation.
Praise the LORD, my soul
Firstly, the Psalm starts with the soul. Indeed, the first line and indeed the first five verses are addressed to ‘my soul’. When your read it and say about God that he ‘forgives all your sins’, you are actually saying that God ‘forgives all my sins.’
This is confusing and strange. Why does he express it in this way?
I think this is the first stage of expanding our horizons. By stepping outside of yourself and your circumstances, feelings and emotions, you gain a slightly expanded perception of reality and can all the more effectively instruct yourself and so re-orient your thinking. This is perhaps particularly important when life feels particularly dark. We can close in on ourselves and quickly become self-absorbed and self-pitying.
The same technique is used in another Psalm:
“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God.” (Psalm 42:5)
So speaking to yourself, and giving yourself instructions is the first step of expanding our horizons. The second step is to remind ourselves what God does for us. This is what we tell our souls, when we read verses 3-5.
Praise for what God has done for me – vs. 3-5
Darkness of the soul can come in a number of forms as we saw, but the Psalm in broad brush strokes reminds us that is ultimately only God who can rescue us. It emphasises at least three ways in which God does help us:
He forgives our sins. That may not be the first thing that you think you need, but knowing that sins are forgiven, that God does not hold us against them, that as the New Testament puts it, “in Christ there is no condemnation” is crucial to grasp if we are going to carry on praising God rather than avoiding him! What is more the psychological release from the burden of guilt can be immense in people’s lives.
He heals all your diseases. The promise is not that we will never have disease, either physical or mental, but that God will one day deliver us from them, sometimes miraculously in this life, but certainly in the next.
He redeems your life from the pit. Again trusting in God and finding support and new ways of living as one of his people can be the secret to coming out of all kinds of difficult situations in life. But the ultimate promise is to be rescued from the pit that is death.
Without God, life does just become worse and worse, burdened with more and more things to feel guilty about, increasing illness as we become older and ultimately the pit of death. But with God, the promise is that this is not the end.
When we grasp this perspective through praising God, then we can indeed be lifted out of darkness.
Praise for what God has done for his people – vs. 6-10
In verse 6, the Psalm moves on from self-focus to reflect on what God has done for his people. He doesn’t just help me, he helps all the oppressed.
For the Psalmist writing in 1000BC, the great story of God helping the oppressed was the rescue of Israel from slavery in Egypt and bringing them into the promised land. That is where he revealed his saving power to Moses, but also more importantly his key characteristics of steadfast love and compassion.
For us as Christians, we can look to the gospel message of Jesus. How he died for our sins and conquered death for all who follow him. This is the God who works in history for the underdog and the oppressed. He brings people out of darkness and into the light. We need to expand our vision by praising him not just for what he has done for me, but what he has done for all his people.
Praise for the vastness of his love and compassion – vs. 11-14
And the Psalm keeps expanding in the following verses it picks up on those characteristics of love and compassion and shows us both how vast and intimate they are.
He thinks of the greatest distance he can imagine and says that is how great God’s love is. Paul prays a similar thing in Ephesians 3:
“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
may have power, together with all the saints,
to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
and to know this love that surpasses knowledge–that you may be filled to the measure of all the fulness of God.” (Ephesians 3:17b-19)
At the same time, he highlights the intimacy of this love, by comparing it to a Father having compassion on his children. Again a theme picked up in the New Testament when Jesus teaches us to pray, ‘our Father.’ As the intimate father, God understands and knows the reality of my existence and frailty. That our life is short.
Praise for his eternal commitment – vs. 15-18
Yet, this leads to one of the most beautiful, ‘BUTS’ in the Bible. We are mortal and frail, here one day and gone tomorrow BUT God’s love remains committed to his children. Our hope for eternal life, is rooted in God’s eternal love and commitment to us.
Only with God, is there hope in the face of darkness. Only God can help when death approaches, as Henry Frances Lyte expressed so beautifully in Abide with Me.
Praise for his universal rule – vs. 19-22
So, the Psalm goes on expanding our horizons. We’ve moved from the soul, to God’s benefits to me, to God’s salvation of his people, to the vastness of his love and his eternal commitment to finally his universal rule in verse 19.
This God who loves and cares for me, is the one who is ultimately in charge. That raises questions about why he allows darkness to come now, but is our ultimate source of hope that darkness will not last, that he will indeed lift our lives from the pit.
So as the Psalm has expanded its horizons, so now it calls on the praise to be expanded from the miniscule praise of my soul to the full chorus of heaven! With hosts of angels praising God.
Praise – The Harder and Better way
We have called this series, spirituality for dark times.
At the heart of Christian spirituality is the command to our own souls, to praise God. Not just to intellectually list the good things God has done, but to emotionally and whole heartedly praise him for them. This action of praise is the first step to dealing with the darkness of our world.
But, it is not the easy way.
The easy way: is to try and ignore the darkness and allow ourselves to be constantly distracted by entertainment, social media, gaming or to bury our emotion under addictions of alcohol, drugs or pawn or just the busyness of life. This is the easy way, but it does not lift us out of darkness, it is burying our head in the sand.
The harder way is to give our souls a talking to, as this Psalm does. The harder way is to create space in our lives from distraction and busyness, space to guard our souls and re-orient them to God.
We need to do this with and for others, which is why regularly attending church meetings is so important. There we help one another to focus on praising God.
But we also need to carve out time and space day by day to be with God. Even if it is just 10 minutes each day set aside to be with God, to guard your soul and through Bible reading, prayer and praise to re-orient your soul to the wonderful love of God.
This week we begin our series, “Spirituality for dark times.” Although, we are starting the series in January, when the days are still relatively short and the skies often gloomy, ‘dark times’ is meant to refer to times of difficulty or struggle that many of us are or may face. Certainly, a glance at the news suggests much to be depressed about: economic stagnation, crumbling public services, Los Angeles fires that point to the wider climate crisis, wars in Europe and the Middle East and an increasingly uncertain international order with the political rise of people like Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
In addition, many people may well have their own individual darkness. This could be due to personal circumstances causing grief, stress or anxiety or simply problems with one’s mental health. Either can feel very real.
So, how do we deal with these “dark times”? As Christians we have a distinctive perspective. We believe in a God who is both in charge of the universe in ways beyond our comprehension and yet incredibly is also totally committed to us at a deeply personal level. He is both transcendent and immanent. He created and loves the whole universe, but he also made and cares about me. And you. Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, but also for my sins. Nothing can separate us from his love.
We know all this as Christians, but how can we make those great truths become effectively planted in our hearts? What turns them from mere facts into spiritual preservation of the soul? How can belief about God, be turned into a living and sustaining relationship with Him? This is the role of Christian spirituality. For us spirituality is not just a set of practices to make us feel better, but a way of renewing and deepening our faith in the God of Jesus Christ, that reorients our souls from darkness to light.
Paul Worledge
Christmas Tree Festival
The Christmas Tree festival raised over £800. Thank you to all who worked so hard to helps set it up, man the church and clear away.
Thanks too to Maxine from Ramsgate Town Council, who arranged for the trees to be taken to a local farm. The goats eat the fresh needles, play with the trees and the trunk is then used to make fencing. Check out the website post for photos…
It’s a Love Story, Concert 15th February, 7:30pm
Love Story will be another gala fundraiser night at St George’s church, featuring Coastal Choir and guests with the St George’s Community Meal and Speak Up sharing the proceeds. Tickets £8 from Beth Paterson, Brenda Clarke or online through St. George’s website.
Happy New Year from Claire Coleman
I just wanted to send a new year message to properly thank you all for all the kind gifts, cards, wishes; for all those who were able to attend my licensing and those who have supported me in prayer. It’s been a whirlwind starting, moving and then advent and Christmas. I am so thankful to you all for the time I served in Ramsgate – thank you all for the part you played in my ministry.
Men’s Group – Bowling, Wednesday 22nd January, 6:15pm
The Men’s group January event will be bowling at Bugsy’s in Margate. There will be lifts available from Ramsgate at 5:45pm. The cost is £10. If you have not already signed up to go and would like to, then please contact Bruce Stokes on 07708 682464, or bruce.stokes@btinternet.com.
Local Church First Aid Course
As churches we are meant to have First Aiders at most of our meetings. Elim Oasis Church in Broadstairs are running a course on Saturday 8th February. Taking part in the course will give you a qualified First Aid at Work certificate. Refreshments and lunch are included. If you are interested in taking part in First Aid training, then please see Paul by Sunday 12th January. There are also Thanet District Council run courses available on 19th and 20th February. Please see Paul if you are interested in these instead.
Crowdfunder
St. George’s have produced a Crowdfunder to help keep the hall financially viable for community use after a challenging year. This is aimed at people in the wider community. If you are able to share the fundraiser on social media then please do so using this link.
Thanet Prayer Diary
The prayer diary for January and February can be downloaded using this link.
Any notices for the rest of January?
If you have any notices to share with the church for the next couple of weeks, then please submit them using this online form before next Thursday (16th January). Next week’s email and notice sheet will be the last for a few weeks because of staff sickness and holidays.
Links to Share:
Faith Sharing – What’s your style?
When we think about sharing our faith, maybe we only think of one way of doing it. This can be problematic if we are uncomfortable with that way. And yet, faith sharing can happen in a number of different ways. This helpful short article considers some of the tensions in the different attitudes have between the way they share their faith with others and also suggests six different faith sharing styles. Which best reflects the way you share your faith? Read more…
What do ‘experts’ recommend when it comes to finding happiness?
As we think about ‘spirituality for dark times’ it is worth asking what experts from the non-religious world recommend as the secret to happiness. This article summarises some of the top tips. Read more…
Finally, let’s pray we can increasingly share the joy of being a disciple of Christ in 2025.
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.
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.
The Christmas Tree festival raised over £800. Thank you to all who worked so hard to helps set it up, man the church and clear away.
Thanks too to Maxine from Ramsgate Town Council, who arranged for the trees to be taken to a local farm. The goats eat the fresh needles, play with the trees and the trunk is then used to make fencing. Nothing goes to waste!
“When the wise men saw the star, they were overjoyed.” (Matthew 2:10)
Matthew’s gospel does emphasise, Jesus’ Jewish credentials. His coming is rooted in the work of God through Israel, its kings and prophets. But it also presents us with a bigger more universal vision for the Kingdom of God. As we start a New Year, let’s pray that God extends our vision of who God may be calling to share with us and the Magi the joy of being a disciple of Christ.
Matthew’s gospel is often considered the most Jewish of the four gospels. Certainly, the book starts with a long genealogy of Jesus beginning with Abraham, the Father of the Jews, emphasising David, the most important king of the Jews and highlighting the exile to Babylon, the most traumatic moment in Jewish history. Then in the first two chapters, Matthew explicitly quotes four times from the Jewish scriptures.
Yet, these first two chapters also show that Jesus comes not just for the Jews, but to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). This is clear even in the genealogy, which mentions four women: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Uriah’s wife. All but the last of these were foreign women, whilst the last of these had been married to Uriah, also a foreigner, before David effectively stole her as his wife. Their inclusion in the genealogy shows that already, God is including people from all nations in his plan and as part of his people.
Then there are the Magi or Wise Men. Here are a group of foreigners, who come to worship Jesus as the newborn king. When they arrive in Jerusalem, the Jewish people are disturbed by the idea of a new king, who could potentially upset the status quo. King Herod the de facto ruler of the Jews does all he can to have the baby killed. The Jews are not happy about Jesus’ arrival, but the Magi are ‘overjoyed’ when they find Jesus. These foreigners worship him and present him with expensive gifts, demonstrating discipleship of Jesus before he has even grown up.
Matthew’s gospel does emphasise, Jesus’ Jewish credentials. His coming is rooted in the work of God through Israel, its kings and prophets. But it also presents us with a bigger more universal vision for the Kingdom of God. As we start a New Year, let’s pray that God extends our vision of who God may be calling to share with us and the Magi the joy of being a disciple of Christ.
Paul Worledge
It’s a Love Story, Concert 15th February, 7:30pm
Love Story will be another gala fundraiser night at St George’s church, featuring Coastal Choir and guests with the St George’s Community Meal and Speak Up sharing the proceeds. Tickets £8 from Beth Paterson, Brenda Clarke or online through St. George’s website.
Men’s Group – Bowling, Wednesday 22nd January, 6:15pm
The Men’s group January event will be bowling at Bugsy’s in Margate. There will be lifts available from Ramsgate at 5:45pm. The cost is £10. If you have not already signed up to go and would like to, then please contact Bruce Stokes on 07708 682464, or bruce.stokes@btinternet.com.
The group plans to meet monthly. The February date is yet to be confirmed, but other dates planned are:
Magic Night with Colin Hoult, Tuesday 20th March
Circular Walk to Pegwell Bay, Wednesday 10th April
Local Church First Aid Course
As churches we are meant to have First Aiders at most of our meetings. Elim Oasis Church in Broadstairs are running a course on Saturday 8th February. Taking part in the course will give you a qualified First Aid at Work certificate. Refreshments and lunch are included. If you are interested in taking part in First Aid training, then please see Paul by Sunday 12th January.
Links to Share:
A review of 2024 and possible Bible reading schemes for 2025:
Review of 2024 – Is Christianity in the West turning a corner?
In this thoughtful article, Graham Tomlin reviews the events of 2024 that suggest both a possible re-emergence of Christian faith in the West, but questions whether the church is in a state ready to capitalise on it. Read more.
Bible Reading Plans
Getting to grips with the Bible by reading themes, large chunks or the whole Bible can really help us connect with God and live for him. This page gives a selection of 30 different Bible Reading plans from the Bible Project. Why not try one out in the New Year? Find out more…
Finally, let’s pray we can increasingly share the joy of being a disciple of Christ in 2025.
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.
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. of who has done the training.
‘For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’ (Isaiah 9:6)
St. George's Church Ramsgate 