We are excited to be running an early version of the new Christianity Explored course in November and December. This course is perfect for those who are exploring whether the Christian faith is for them, are new to faith and wanting to understand the basics or just need a refresher. It is also great preparation for baptism or confirmation.
Join us as over seven sessions we look at Mark’s gospel in the Bible, watch videos and discuss your questions about faith. All are welcome.
We are going to offer a choice of three courses all hosted
at St. Luke’s Vicarage:
Sunday afternoons from 2nd November, 5-6:30pm (13-18 year olds only)
Monday evenings from 3rd November, 7:30-9:00pm
Thursday mornings from 6th November, 11:30-1:00pm
If you are interested in attending, then please press the button below to fill
Luke 18 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: ‘In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, “Grant me justice against my adversary.”
4 ‘For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, “Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!”’
6 And the Lord said, ‘Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?’
The Obvious Parable: The Persistent Widow and her Prayer
Introduction and Story
Steve Coneys introduced himself to the congregation and online viewers
I don’t generally pray with lists or prayer diaries…Do any of you?
But I do pray for Open Doors, so I hear the very often the raw cry from the heart of our persecuted Christian brothers and sisters around the world. But that cry really lands when you know someone. Recently a friend of mine told me of his own experience. When as a teenager he was on a bus:
Steve told a story of a young person surviving the massacre of Christians on a bus, where any Muslims had been told to get off before the remaining Christians were killed. At each stage of this dreadful process his friend said, ‘No one said anything’….
I suppose when we pray for people with stories like that we are saying something about their suffering. And standing with them in prayer.
That is almost certainly the context for this parable. By the time Luke wrote his gospel, Christians were experiencing persecution. So, the parable emphasises the need to pray always and not give up, and the widow’s persistent demand for justice.
Paul Worledge tells me you are near the end of series of straightforwardly wonderful parables from Luke like the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Also, some less straightforward ones like The Parable of the Shrewd Manager (who does wrong but is commended by Jesus).
You’ll have seen that usually with parables there is an element of surprise where things are shown to be not what we would expect (like in Luke’s story of The Good Samaritan in chapter 10, where the surprise is that the Samaritan is the righteous neighbour, not the priest or the Levite.
Next week is the final one in the series: the great Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector – one which definitely works in the classic way.
This one, I have called The Obvious Parable: The Persistent Widow and her Prayer
Obvious? Because the very first verse says:
18:1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.
The cat is out the bag. Surely there is nothing more to say!
The potential trap with that is where someone like me comes along and so emphasises that we should always pray and not give up that it guilt trips us. Because so many of us struggle with prayer – don’t we?
So we go home feeling worse than when we got here. And that helps no one.
Because church is the Grace Zone. Where we experience God’s mercy and overflowing love, which makes us better people than we were before. So we go home feeling better than when we arrived, not worse. Even when God’s mercy and love – being so radical – is challenging.
I’ll say something practical about how we can learn to be even more faithful and persistent in prayer at the end, as a take away.)
What else can we find in this parable?
As well as the teaching that we should always pray and not give up?
Justice is emphasised
3 “Grant me justice against my adversary.”
7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.
If, by the time Luke is writing this up, the church is experiencing persecution, this is why fairness or justice is emphasised. But
The parable is like a Cartoon
But finally (the judge) said to himself, “Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!”’ (Peter emphasised ‘bothering’ beautifully in the reading. 😊)
Or it could be translated she might come and slap me in the face!
Our Rabbi Jesus is telling us is: if persistence pays off in this cartoonish story, where this disgraceful and pathetic judge isn’t interested in serving justice, how much more is persistence due in prayer when we come before our loving and compassionate God?
Indeed, God’s character is implied
7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? (’Will he not delay long?’ NRSV)
That very last phrase (‘keep putting them off’) is hard to translate. The word used by Luke is often translated ‘patience’ or ‘longsuffering’. It is a compound word, with two parts. It literally means: ‘He pushes anger far away’. This tells us something important about who God is. (This insight comes from Kenneth Bailey.)
Just because we are being treated badly – let’s imagine we are being bullied – and we feel angry – and it’s not an ego-driven anger, but a right-thinking anger – that doesn’t mean that in the rest of life we are as pure as the driven snow either. For us, who are in Christ, God is love and only love because he pushes his anger far away in Jesus – who dies for our sins and rises again that we may have new life in him.
In that way this parable is very clear. God is our faithful God of love and justice.
Isaiah 61.8 says ‘I, the LORD, love justice. This like saying ‘God is justice, like we often say, ‘God is love’.
61.1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor
These are no random verses because in this same gospel (in chapter 4) they are the verses Jesus adopts to describe his own mission.
And, a little bit more below the surface…
A woman is the hero
Middle Eastern culture was then, as it is now, in certain respects, one of deference and respect towards women. (I am not saying in all respects.)
Who are then protected – and can get away with more than men.
In the parable, a persistent man would have been removed at once, possibly very forcibly.
But not a woman.
This is why it was the women who gathered around the cross of Jesus at the end. Any men would have been arrested. (John, the beloved disciple in John’s gospel, got a free pass, as he was both known to the High Priest (Jn 18.15) and younger.)
So, this woman models for all of us confident, persistent prayer.
(My then vicar said to me, 40 years ago, ‘The church will be renewed through the prayers of faithful women’. I have not seen anything to counter that claim. A challenge to some of us men. 😊)
So persistence in prayer is often needed
Keeping praying about the same thing is the thing to do, right up to the point there is an answer. If God says ‘no’ or provides a way forward different from the one we were planning on, as faithful pray-ers we say ‘Thank you Lord, your will be done’. But up to that point persisting in prayer is part of being faithful.
Unlike in the parable, we pray from within that relationship of love – covenanted loving-kindness – with our heavenly Father.
The final note of this parable: we have hope
“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Martin Luther King could easily have added, ‘And towards the Kingdom of God’. History is not random and it has an end goal, in the Kingdom of justice and love. God will bring about justice for his chosen ones (‘putting his anger far away’) as he reaches out to us in love. But:
We need to stay on our toes
Because of that wistful final sentence, ‘When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?’
Will he find faith here, among us?
Here’s the practical thing, the take away
Which works for Prayer and any spiritual practice (such as Bible reading, coming to church, serving, being in a small group, etc.)
To be faithful in prayer, and persistent, and to be changed in the process, our prayer needs to become our daily habit. Like brushing your teeth is a daily habit…and you feel bad if you forget. ☹
So how does prayer become habitual, so that it changes us and becomes part pf us? The 80% rule.
Let’s say your hope is to pray for 10 minutes every day.
If in practice you pull it off 80% of the time:
that plan is right for you
it will become your habit, so that when you miss it you feel you’re missing out
it will change you as a person so that it becomes deeply part of who you are
In that way the Spirit is at work in you
If in practice you don’t pull it off 80% of the time:
that plan – 10 minutes a day, every day – is not right for you at this time
There’s no guilt about this. You just need to set a more modest target which does work for you 80% of the time. 5 minutes? 2 minutes?
This this means that we change with the reality and rhythm of our lives. What I can do now is very different from when I was the Dad of 3 children under 5 – let alone what my wife could do then! So we change.
When we do hit our target 80% of the time, the habit grows, prayer becomes more ‘us’, who we are, and we become more thirsty for God. The godly habit then can flex and grow as you are led by the Spirit.
Then we will be those who are faithful and persist in prayer, as the parable says.
That way, when the Son of Man comes…he will find faith on earth.
Pie Factory Music and St George’s are teaming up for another gala fundraiser on Saturday 8th November in St George’s Church. The evening features alumni from Pie’s Emerging Artists programme, set in our beautiful church in the heart of Ramsgate town centre.
Taking to the stage are Char.B, Claire Pitt Wigmore, Zico, Aaron and Evan Williams (who recently toured with The Libertines), with special guest Kingfisher. Each will perform their signature styles, from singer-songwriter to jazz, rap and soul.
The immersive pairing of young musical talent with community togetherness is set to thrill, with all proceeds going towards Pie Factory Music and emergency repairs to the Vestry roof of St George’s.
With funding provided by the Diocese of Canterbury, Project 200 is a five-year regeneration project leading up to the 200th Anniversary of St George’s Church in 2027. Now nearly three years into the project, the church has been opening up to the wider community in Ramsgate, with events and projects outside of Christian worship.
This year’s Raise the Roof is also generously supported by Ramsgate Town Council.
St George’s regeneration officer Jemima Brown says: – ‘St George’s Church is delighted to be hosting artists from Pie Factory Music in our beautiful building. It will be fantastic to have young local talent showcased in the church.
Pie’s Music & Creative Arts Project Manager Moa Norrsell Fahlander says “We’re delighted to be returning to this beautiful building to showcase the talent of these young Kent musicians. It feels ever more important to demonstrate the power of music to bring people together. We can’t wait to see you there.”
Technical production is being provided by Matt Smith and Pie Factory Music alumni, Sound Engineer James Brown, who gained a level 3 MOCN NVQ in Music Business in 2007 with support from Pie.
Have Your Say – come along to the St George’s workshops and drop in sessions
Thanet District Council are holding a number of consultation meetings about the Ramsgate Plan for Neighbourhoods programme, which involves spending a £20million grant from the government to improve the town over the next 10 years.
You can read more about this and see a full list of meetings and how to book to attend on this website. St. George’s will be hosting some of these meetings and there will be refreshments available. See below for the session which start on Saturday 18th October:
Time and date
Group
Location
Saturday 18th(12 – 3pm)
Community Soup (Open drop-in session)
St George’s Church
Tuesday 21st (4 – 7pm)
Community Meal (Closed – meal volunteers and attendees only)
How do you see yourself? What labels would you give to yourself?
The BBC show ‘Who do you think you are?’ answers the question by looking at people’s ancestry. Who they are descended from. It sees our identity as being linked with our parents and their parents and so on. Our identity, it claims is rooted in our family relationships.
So, are we defined by our genealogy? People today, often prefer to see themselves as self-defined. But there is no escaping our family relationships. In fact the New Testament has two genealogies for Jesus’ human family.
The genealogy of Jesus in Luke, goes back to Adam and finishes:
“… the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.”
There is a sense in which Adam is seen as the son of God. This also connects with the idea in Genesis 1, that we are created in the image of God. The same word is used to describe how Adam’s son, Seth is connected to Adam:
“When Adam had lived one hundred thirty years, he became the father of a son in his likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth.” (Genesis 5:3)
In other words, the image is passed on from one generation to the next. We are all in the image of God, because we are all descended from Adam. We are also all children of God, because we are descended from Adam.
As Christians, this is doubly true, because through Jesus we are re-adopted into God’s family. Indeed, Jesus taught us to pray to God, as ‘Our Father…’ explicitly affirming that we are his children.
But do you see yourself first and foremost as a child of God? Do you think God sees you in that way? Do you think of God as your Father? If so, what kind of Father do you think he is? What kind of Father does Jesus say he is?
To answer that question Jesus tells a story. It is one of his most famous parables and is normally called the Parable of the Prodigal Son.
Context and Key
Jesus introduces the three key characters right at the start of the Parable: “There was a man who had two sons.”
The first part of the story focuses on the younger son, who runs away with his share of money, squanders it all and becomes destitute before finally returning home to see if he can get any help from his father.
The second part then focusses on the father’s reaction to his younger son’s homecoming, which is to welcome him with open arms and throw a huge part to celebrate his return.
The third part of the story then focuses on the older son, who is refusing to join the party and is angry that his father has welcomed his younger brother with such enthusiasm when he had acted so badly.
As we have seen with parables like this, it is important to understand the key. In this case, who does the father, the younger son and the older son represent?
The context helps us here. This story comes in the context of Jesus welcoming tax-collectors and sinners to hear him, whilst the Pharisees are grumbling that Jesus is welcoming such people.
It is clear then, that the younger son represents the sinners and tax-collectors. In fact, the tax-collectors were despised because they had betrayed their own nation of Jews and sided with the non-Jewish or gentile Romans in order to make money. The younger son, grabs the money from his father and runs off with it to a gentile land, a fact underlined by the fact that he ends up feeding pigs, that Jews would never own.
It is also clear that the older son represents the Pharisees. Both the Pharisees and the older son are grumbling that people who have behaved wickedly are being welcomed enthusiastically.
And so, the father in the story most naturally represents God. Jesus, who teaches us to call God, ‘our Father,’ is using this story to teach both the sinners and tax-collectors what kind of Father, this God is. But he is also challenging them to consider how they understand their relationship to God. So let’s look at each in turn.
The Younger Son
At the start of the story, the younger son does not care about his family or his dad. He doesn’t want the family relationships. He just wants the family money. In a move that would have been universally condemned, he asks his father for a share in his inheritance before the father has died or even close to death. And when the father rather surprisingly agrees to the request, rather than farming the land and flocks alongside his father, he sells off the estate and runs away to a foreign land to live it up. In doing so he shows utter contempt to his father and utter contempt to the family’s inheritance.
But life without God, often does not live up to its promise. So, for the younger son. His money soon runs out, and he is left destitute.
The he comes to a realisation. He has nowhere else to turn. So, he hatches a plan. He would go back, acknowledge his wickedness and plead to be treated like a hired man. Notice, that the son, does not plan to return and dare to ask to be treated as a son, but simply as a hired servant. Someone paid by his dad, who could maybe then earn enough money to eventually pay his dad back. That’s the best kind of relationship he thinks he can hope for.
Imagine you were the son, heading home. Wouldn’t you be fearing the utter deserved rejection and judgement of the father? What would you be expecting.
The Father
The story, then switches to the perspective of the Father. Will he reject and judge the son, as he deserves? Will he accept his plan to become a hired hand and pay back the money he took?
The answer to both those questions is, “No!” He neither rejects his son, or takes him back as a hired hand. Rather, he reinstates him as his son.
The father runs to greet him as soon as he sees him. Then before the son even has a chance to offer to be a hired servant, he calls to his servants to bring out a robe for him to wear, a ring to put on his finger, and sandals on his feet. All symbols to show that he is to be treated as a son.
Then he throws an enormous feast, which involved slaughtering the fattened calf. This would have involved the whole village being invited to celebrate together the return of his son.
Why does he do this? He tells us: “For this son of mine, was dead and is alive again, he was lost, but now he is found.” (Luke 15:23)
Notice, the emphasis on the relationship: “this son of mine.” Here is the utter joy of restoration and reconciliation, when a parent is reunited with a child.
For nearly twenty years, the story of the loss of Madeleine McCann has been in the news. Her parents still desperately hoping that she might somehow be found alive again. Imagine the ecstatic joy they would have if their daughter did turn up and they were reconciled once more.
That Jesus says, is what it is like for God, when people repent when they return to him. This is the kind of father, Jesus means when he talks about God as ‘our Father.’
But this is not easy for everyone to understand.
The Older Son
Let’s turn to the older son. Remember he represents the Pharisees who are grumbling about Jesus welcoming back the sinners.
Many people instinctively feel sorry for the older son or relate to him. After all, the son who has treated his dad and family so badly is being welcomed back with a lavish celebration. Isn’t his father condoning wrong behaviour? Surely, it’s no wonder the older son becomes angry.
But the problem is that the older son, has stopped seeing his brother and dad as family members. He only sees right and wrong, crime and lack of punishment.
Notice how the older son speaks to his dad, when he comes out to plead with him to come and join the celebration. First of all, although the younger son begins his speech to his dad, with, ‘Father’, and the father begins his speech to the older son a bit later, with the words, ‘My son’, the older son, does not address his father at all.
Then look at how he describes his relationship to his dad. “All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders.” He sees himself not as a son, but as a slave. That’s one step below the ‘hired hand’ that his younger brother had hoped to become, a dogsbody that is not even paid to work for his dad. He may not have squandered his dad’s money, or been disloyal to the family business, on the surface he looked like a good son, but the inner reality was, that he saw himself as a slave and his relationship with his dad not as a father to a son, but as a boss to an employee.
Finally, look at how he describes his brother to his dad, “This son of yours.” He recognises the family relationship of the dad to the younger son, but distances himself from them.
The older son, in his desire to be seen as the more righteous one, has lost touch with the heart of God. In so doing he denies his own status as his Father’s son and instead just sits in judgement on his brother and his father. He has forgotten who he is.
Who do you think you are?
Jesus tells this story, to show what he means when he calls God, “Our Father.” God is like the Father in this story. But he also tells it to help us ask who we think we are in relation to God.
So, who do you think you are in relation to God?
Maybe you relate to the younger son as one who has always rejected God as in any way important to you, but now you are realising this is no way to live. Now you are wondering whether there may be a way for God to help you, if only you could show you can work for him.
The good news is, that God still sees you as his child. Return to him and he will be absolutely delighted and fully reinstate you as his son or daughter in his family. No need to pay him back, the welcome is full and instant. Just start living as one of the family.
Or maybe you relate to the older son. You struggle with grace. You think life is about right and wrong. You see God as a taskmaster and not as a father. You cannot bring yourself to accept God’s gracious welcome to sinners.
If so, read again what the father says at the end of the story:
“But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'” (Luke 15:32)
Hear once more the father’s invitation to come and join the party, to return to the heart of the family, in tune with God’s love and compassion and welcoming sinners back as your brothers and sisters in Christ.
From the Wider Church: Thanet Winter Shelter, Safe Families
Interesting Blogs: Some blogs discussing the appointment of the new Archbishop of Canterbury
Weekly Calendar – 9th to 23rd October (Two Weeks)
Online Forms: Event application, Submit a notice, maintenance report, access Safeguarding training
Scroll on…
Opening Reflection
This week Madeleine McCann was in the news again. She disappeared at the age of 3, over 18 years ago. If she is still alive, she would now be 22 years old. If her parents saw her again, she would be an adult, not the toddler they lost.
This week, we heard about the trial of Julia Wandelt, who is accused of stalking Madeleine’s parents, and claiming to be Madeleine. Her parents do not believe she is their child, even though they hold out hope that she is still alive. Indeed, Kate McCann her mum, is quoted as saying, “I want Madeleine back and to call me mum.” The love of a parent for a child is powerful and strong.
Nonetheless, parents and adult children can often become estranged. For example, if you were a father, would you still want to have anything to do with a child that has shown you complete disrespect, threatened the family business and wasted everything you have given them on a lifestyle you disapprove of? That is one of the questions posed by the story Jesus tells in Luke 15.
In Jesus’ story, however, the father is a character that is meant to show us what God is like. Jesus teaches us to pray, ‘Our Father’ when we speak to God. This story shows us what Jesus means when he calls God, ‘Father’.
So, how does the father, that represents God respond, when the son who has treated him and his family so badly returns. Does he act to preserve his honour or out of love for his son? Jesus’ powerfully describes a father who not only welcomes but goes all out to celebrate his son’s return and reinstates him back in the family. This is what God does for us if we return to him. You may feel that you are too far gone for God, but God just wants you back and to call him, ‘Dad’.
Paul Worledge
Key Notices:
Dare to Pray, Saturday 18th October, 9:30-10:30am
Join us to hear about and pray about the developing plans for our churches.
Myriad – Planting New Worshipping Communities
Last week we welcomed Shiela Porter to speak at our services about Myriad. A key part of our vision for 2030, Dare to Share, Dare to Grow, is to start new worshipping communities, small congregations aiming to reach and connect with those not already attending church. There are different ways we could do this, but one possibility is for ordinary church members to form small teams and develop their own worshipping community with people they know. Could this be you? If so, Myriad could help. Check out more about them on their website and their guide, Am I Called?If this is something for you, then do talk to Paul by the start of November.
Harvest Update
Our plate collection for Christian Aid last Sunday was £138.
Thanet Winter Shelter
Some of you will remember that in 2016 the churches in Thanet under the leadership of Ramsgate Salvation Army provided a winter shelter for rough sleepers. This was eventually taken over by the council with government funding. However, there is now a need for the churches to step up again and plans are in place to set up a winter shelter for rough sleepers at St. Laurence Church Hall from 6th October. Volunteers are urgently needed. If you want to offer some kind of support please go to the Volunteer Portal to sign up: https://portal.thanetsheltersupport.org
Coming Up:
Samaritan’s Purse Coffee Morning, This Saturday 11th October
There will be a Coffee morning to promote and raise funds for the Samaritans Purse shoe box appeal. There will be coffee, tea and cake and books and gifts for sale. St Lukes Church Hall, 11th October at 10am – 12. All welcome.
Flamenco – St. George’s, Friday 17th October, 7:30-9:00pm
Performing artists include Rebeca Ortega, an elegant and accomplished dancer based in Seville, maestro gutarrista Ramon Ruiz from Granada who trained in Seville, and Natalia Marin, renowned puro flamenco singer from Seville. Tickets, £20 on door or through EventBrite.
Light Party – Friday 31st October, 4:30-6:00pm
Our alternative to Halloween. A party event for all ages. This annual event is great fun and a good way to provide a positive alternative to the darkness that is the focus of Halloween celebrations. Do come and encourage both church and non-church friends to come. Everyone welcome and all is free.
If you would like to volunteer with running an activity or providing food, then please speak to Tonya or sign one of the lists at the back of church.
Christianity Explored – Starting – November
We are planning to run a trial version of the soon to be published new Christianity Explored in November and early December. This course is for you:
if you are interested in Christianity or new to faith
are looking to be baptised or confirmed
have questions about faith or want a refresher of the basics
Filling in this form will help us to plan at what time of the week it is best to run the course or courses. It expresses and interest not a commitment to attend.
From the Wider Church:
Thanet Winter Shelter
Some of you will remember that in 2016 the churches in Thanet under the leadership of Ramsgate Salvation Army provided a winter shelter for rough sleepers. This was eventually taken over by the council with government funding. However, there is now a need for the churches to step up again. On Monday 6th October, a winter shelter for rough sleepers at St. Laurence Church Hall was started. Numbers attending are small at present, but expected to grow. Volunteers are urgently needed. If you want to offer some kind of support please go to the Volunteer Portal to sign up: https://portal.thanetsheltersupport.org
Safe Families and Home for Good
You can read the latest from Safe Families and Home for Goodhere.
Interesting Blogs to Share:
The Archbishop Designate’s message for Canterbury Diocese
Michael Bird, who is an Australian Anglican, who often collaborates with NT Wright gives a helpful summary of the new Archbishop’s background and the challenges she faces. Read more (5 mins)
The challenges faced by the new Archbishop
Ian Paul writing from within the Church of England, who was not a fan of Justin Welby (it shows in the article) gives his take on the appointment of the new Archbishop. Read more (15 minutes)
The one thing the new Archbishop can offer the world
Graham Tomlin in reflecting on an argument between Madonna (the singer) and the Pope (the head of the Roman Catholic church), offers advice for the new Archbishop of Canterbury. Read more (5mins)
Weekly Calendar
Sunday 12th October – Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity
Eucharist – (St George’s, 9:30am), Reading: Luke 15:11-31
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@churchramsgate.org), so that we can keep records of who has done the training.
Finally, let’s rejoice that we have such a wonderfully gracious heavenly Father.
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9)
Jesus tells a parable to challenge the Pharisees of his day, who were themselves lovers of money. In the story, there are two characters, a rich man and a homeless man who sleeps at this gate, called, Lazarus. The rich man has clearly lived a life that is all about gaining all you can and spending all you can. He did nothing to help Lazarus, he did not take seriously the teaching of the Bible to be generous, he was nothing like Christ. Jesus is blunt. The rich man ends up in hell. Let’s not make the same mistake. Rather than, ‘Gain all you can to spend all you can,’ let’s be those who, ‘Gain all we can, to give all we can.’
Today we have heard from Shiela about setting up new worshipping communities, with the support of Myriad. The point of these communities is to create a space where people who might struggle to be welcomed in a larger more formal setting might find a welcome in a smaller more informal community that will help them to find a welcome from Jesus Christ. It’s all about welcome.
Not that more traditional services or larger congregations are not welcoming. Indeed, unless we are good at welcoming new people, our existing worshipping communities will decline and die off. Church has to be about welcoming new people if it is to flourish.
Homelessness Sunday and Thanet Winter Shelter
You may also know that today has been labelled, Homelessness Sunday. I hope you have also read the church email or notice sheet and see that the church in Thanet is setting up a Thanet Winter Shelter again this year. What’s the point? To provide a welcome to a warm place for those living rough who have no-one to welcome them. It’s all about welcome.
An Odd Parable
The Parable we are looking at today is about welcome and lack of welcome. But it is also a rather odd when you compare it with many of the other parables we have been looking at.
A Parable with Little Symbolism
Firstly, whereas most parables contain a lot of symbolism that require you to work out a key to discover their meaning, this parable contains almost no symbolism. The rich man is simply a rich man, Lazarus is simply a homeless man, and Abraham plays his traditional role in Jewish thinking of the time as host at the great heavenly banquet.
The only important interpretation to make is to see that the Rich Man is meant to represent the Pharisees, whom Jesus is arguing with and who only a few verses earlier, had sneered at Jesus, when Jesus was talking about the dangers of money becoming your master. Luke says this was because they were lovers of money.
The Only Parable with Names
Secondly, this is the only parable where one of the key characters is given an actual name. Lazarus, the homeless man, who sleeps at the rich man’s gate is given a name by Jesus, whereas the rich man remains nameless. But this is just one of the contrasts between the two that are expressed in the first half of the parable.
In this life, the rich man lives in a house with a gate, whilst Lazarus sleeps in the road by the gate. In this life, the rich man has top of the range clothes, whereas Lazarus is covered in sores. In this life, the rich man gets to feast every day, but Lazarus has nothing to eat, but his sores are licked by dogs. The rich man has everything, Lazarus has nothing. He is never welcomed to the daily feasting of the rich man but is left shut out at the gate.
But that is all reversed when they die. The fact Lazarus is named, perhaps hints that his name is written in the book of life, the guest list for the great heavenly banquet. Lazarus gets a fantastic welcome into heaven: the angel escort and a seat with Abraham. In contrast the rich man is simply buried and left in the agony of hell.
The Only Parable featuring an OT hero
Thirdly, this is the only parable to feature an Old Testament hero. The second half of the parable is a conversation between the rich man in Hades and Abraham in heaven. In a way it is a conversation between two rich men, because Abraham was renowned as being wealthy. The Parable is not saying the rich are shut out of heaven.
The contrast is how they use their wealth. Abraham was also renowned for welcoming strangers, whilst the rich man had never done anything to welcome Lazarus into his home.
So, now Abraham welcomes Lazarus into the eternal feast in heaven, but points out to the rich man, that he has had his good life, now it is Lazarus’s term.
It’s too late for the rich man, because he didn’t listen to the teaching of the Old Testament. It will be too late for his brothers too, because if you don’t listen to God’s word, then even a miracle or a resurrection will not convince you. If life is all about eat drink and be merry, then you will never be ready for what happens after you die.
The Only Parable to describe Life after Death
And that is the final area where this parable is odd. It is the only parable to describe in any detail life after death. How literally we are to take the description is unclear, but the key points seem to be that after death it is too late to change. If you don’t sort things out now, you will be left on the wrong side of the uncrossable chasm. You need to take seriously the need to be welcomed into God’s home now, before it is too late.
What are we to learn?
So, what are we to learn from this most explicit of parables.
So, what are we to learn from this most explicit of parables?
Firstly, it is a warning: God rejects the careless. If you live your life for yourself not caring about the needs of others or the teaching of God, like the rich man, then the eternal consequences are disastrous and irreversible. What should concern us most in this life is being welcomed into God’s eternal home in the next. It is all about welcome.
And if being welcomed into God’s eternal home is what matters most, then we will want to be welcoming people in this life. That includes providing a home for the homeless like Lazarus and it includes finding ways to welcome new people into the church as Jesus was doing in chapter 15, with the tax-collectors and sinners.
But, the Pharisees, grumbled when Jesus welcomed sinners and tax-collectors, and sneered when he talked about being generous with their money, which welcoming others necessitates. They may have been religious and identified with God, but this did not show in their sense of compassion or generosity. God is a God of welcome, you can’t expect to be welcomed by him, if you refuse to welcome others like him. This parable is fundamentally a warning to the Pharisees that they need to change their heart attitude.
So, will you heed Jesus’ warning. Will you take seriously the need to seek a welcome into God’s eternal home. Or will you spend eternity locked out as Jesus warned back in chapter 13:
“There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out.” (Luke 13:28)
Secondly, it is an assurance. God welcomes the helpless like Lazarus. We do not reach heaven because of success in this life, but when we seek to trust and follow Jesus.
Indeed, like Lazarus, you may have nothing in this life and be completely helpless. But helplessness is what is needed. It is when we accept our helplessness that we turn to God for help. When that happens, we can be confident of being taken by angels to a wonderful welcome at God’s eternal banquet.
This is the only parable, where one of the characters is given a name. Yet, it turns out that the name Lazarus has a meaning. It means, “God helps!” And when we are relying on God’s help, we find the deepest assurance.
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”
Coming Up: The Birth of St. George’s, Samaritan’s Purse Coffee Morning, Flamenco, Light Party, Christianity Explored
Interesting Blogs: Hea Woo at Spring Harvest, Quiet Revival Podcast
Weekly Calendar
Online Forms: Event application, Submit a notice, maintenance report, access Safeguarding training
Scroll on…
Opening Reflection
When it comes to the issue of money, we live in a society where the mantra seems to be: “Gain all you can to spend all you can!” Many of the heroes of modern society are those who through skill (e.g. footballers), talent (e.g. pop stars) or ingenuity (e.g. entrepeneurs) have had enormous success and amassed incredible wealth.
Jesus is different. He had everything, but became poor for our sakes. As the Son of God, he had access to what ever he wanted, but by becoming human to live the life of a villager in 1st century Israel and ultimately die a gruesome and humiliating death on the cross he became poor in every sense. Why did he do it? So we might become rich. He died so that we might join him in God’s eternal and luxurious home. Isn’t this the kind of hero you want to worship?
But, if we worship such a hero, then we are called to imitate him. Following his example we will be willing to give up our wealth to help others become rich. To live in the opposite way is to deny the fundamental story of the one we claim to worship. Yet, many people today still love money more than God.
Jesus tells a parable to challenge the Pharisees of his day, who were themselves lovers of money. In the story, there are two characters, a rich man and a homeless man who sleeps at this gate, called, Lazarus. The rich man has clearly lived a life that is all about gaining all you can and spending all you can. He did nothing to help Lazarus, he did not take seriously the teaching of the Bible to be generous, he was nothing like Christ. Jesus is blunt. The rich man ends up in hell. Let’s not make the same mistake. Rather than, ‘Gain all you can to spend all you can,’ let’s be those who, ‘Gain all we can, to give all we can.’
Paul Worledge
Key Notices:
Churches Together in Ramsgate Prayer Breakfast
The Ramsgate Churches Together Prayer breakfast has been cancelled for this Saturday. So we will hold a normal Daily Prayer. 9:30-10:00am at St. George’s this Saturday.
Thanet Winter Shelter
Some of you will remember that in 2016 the churches in Thanet under the leadership of Ramsgate Salvation Army provided a winter shelter for rough sleepers. This was eventually taken over by the council with government funding. However, there is now a need for the churches to step up again and plans are in place to set up a winter shelter for rough sleepers at St. Laurence Church Hall from 6th October. Volunteers are urgently needed. If you want to offer some kind of support please go to the Volunteer Portal to sign up: https://portal.thanetsheltersupport.org
Myriad – Visiting Speaker
Part of our Vision 2030 is to create new Worshipping Communities. One way that could happen is through the support of Myriad, which trains small teams of lay people to start small new worshipping communities.
This week we welcome Shiela Porter to our services, who will be giving a talk about this exciting work and how we might be involved.
Harvest Collection
Thank you to all those who generously donated food and money at our harvest service last week. The food has now been transferred to the Salvation Army food bank.
We haven’t yet a total for the collection for Christian Aid, but it is not too late to give. We will also be having a special collection, which will go towards Christian Aid. Either put the money in an envelope labelled, ‘Mercy Ships’ in the collection or give by bank transfer: St Georges Parochial Church Council/ 30-99-50 / 48005763 / Ref.: ‘Harvest2025’ .
Coming Up:
The Birth of St. George’s – Saturday 4th October, 3pm
A great chance to learn more about both the history of the town or church. An illustrated talk by Margaret Bolton looking at how Ramsgate developed up to the Regency period and what prompted people to build a church. Why did they call it St George’s? Where did the money come from? Why was it designed to look as it did? Who worked on the project? How has it changed since?
Tickets are £5 on the door or in advance from the website. All proceeds to the St. George’s Restoration Fund. Fliers available at the back of church.
Samaritan’s Purse Coffee Morning, Saturday 11th October
There will be a Coffee morning to promote and raise funds for the Samaritans Purse shoe box appeal. There will be coffee, tea and cake and books and gifts for sale. St Lukes Church Hall, 11th October at 10am – 12. All welcome.
Flamenco – St. George’s, Friday 17th October, 7:30-9:00pm
Performing artists include Rebeca Ortega, an elegant and accomplished dancer based in Seville, maestro gutarrista Ramon Ruiz from Granada who trained in Seville, and Natalia Marin, renowned puro flamenco singer from Seville. Tickets, £20 on door or through EventBrite.
Light Party – Friday 31st October, 4:30-6:00pm
Our alternative to Halloween. A party event for all ages. This annual event is great fun and a good way to provide a positive alternative to the darkness that is the focus of Halloween celebrations. Do come and encourage both church and non-church friends to come. Everyone welcome and all is free.
If you would like to volunteer with running an activity or providing food, then please speak to Tonya or sign one of the lists at the back of church.
Christianity Explored – Starting – November
We are planning to run a trial version of the soon to be published new Christianity Explored in November and early December. This course is for you:
if you are interested in Christianity or new to faith
are looking to be baptised or confirmed
have questions about faith or want a refresher of the basics
Filling in this form will help us to plan at what time of the week it is best to run the course or courses. It expresses and interest not a commitment to attend.
Interesting Blogs to Share:
Hea Woo at Spring Harvest
Chrissie Retallick shares hearing from Hea Woo a Christian from North Korea at this year’s Spring Harvest. Read More…
The New Quiet Revival Podcast
What do you think of the Quiet Revival? It’s been discussed across the media. People who have no idea what goes on inside a church know that the Church is expanding.
But is it true? If you’ve seen it in your own church, you’ll have a good idea, but if you haven’t then you might be wondering if we can trust the data. Dr Rhiannon McAleer, Bible Society’s Director of Research and co-author of The Quiet Revival report, says the results were a shock.
In the first episode of the new podcast<https://biblesociety.cmail19.com/t/r-l-tkykvjt-kumldyhm-j/> exploring the revival, Rhiannon explains why we can trust the report’s findings. With Dr Andrew Ollerton, author of The Bible Course, Rhiannon discusses the opportunities and challenges that the Quiet Revival presents to churches.
Weekly Calendar
Sunday 5th October – Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity
Eucharist – (St George’s, 9:30am), Reading: Luke 16:19-31
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@churchramsgate.org), so that we can keep records of who has done the training.
On Friday 17th October Performing artists include Rebeca Ortega, an elegant and accomplished dancer based in Seville, maestro gutarrista Ramon Ruiz from Granada who trained in Seville, and Natalia Marin, renowned puro flamenco singer from Seville.
A great chance to learn more about both the history of Ramsgate and St. George’s church.
An illustrated talk by Margaret Bolton looking at how Ramsgate developed up to the Regency period and what prompted people to build a church. Why did they call it St George’s? Where did the money come from? Why was it designed to look as it did? Who worked on the project? How has it changed since? A great chance to learn more about both the history of the town or church.
Tickets are £5 on the door or in advance from the website. All proceeds to the St. George’s Restoration Fund. Fliers available at the back of church.
St. George's Church Ramsgate 