This Sunday – 29th March 2026

“Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

(Zechariah 9:9)

This week, the sections of the email are:

  • Opening Reflection: Palm Sunday
  • Key notices: Clocks going forward, Easter Services, Can you help run a tour?
  • Coming Up: Romp through the Old Testament, St. George’s Day Service and Parade, Life in Tudor Ramsgate
  • Interesting Blogs: The Quiet Revival: One Year on, Sarah Mullally’s Politics of Dignity
  • Prayer Requests
  • Weekly Calendar
  • Online Forms: Event application, Submit a notice, maintenance report, access Safeguarding training

Scroll on…

Opening Reflection

On Wednesday, Sarah Mullally was enthroned in Canterbury Cathedral as the first female Archbishop of Canterbury. This was the official launch for her into her new role as leader of the Anglican church in England, a big moment for her, for the church she will lead and for women’s rights. As part of her preparation, she also chose to walk a 72 mile pilgrimage from St. Paul’s, Cathedral in her previous Diocese of London, to the Cathedral church of her new Diocese in Canterbury. One thing she didn’t do was ride a donkey!

This Sunday is Palm Sunday. We remember Jesus on a journey into Jerusalem. He, like many Jews, was on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem from his home region of Galilee (about twice as far as the Archbishop walked). Yet, he chose to arrive in Jerusalem deliberately announcing to the crowds that he was coming to be made king. He rode on a donkey in fuflilment of the prophecy in Zechariah.

The crowds, many of whom had witnessed his amazing preaching and astonishing miracles, responded by praising him and laying down branches along the path, symbolically welcoming him as their king. Yet, remarkable as this was, difficult questions remained. How could Jesus be enthroned when he was not welcomed by the temple authorities? (They were jealous of his popularity and angry at his criticism of them). And how could Jesus overthrow the military power of the Romans who occupied the city?

Yet, within a week, Jesus was crowned and declared to be king. At his crucifixion, a crown of thorns was placed on his head and a placard placed above him declaring him to be, “King of the Jews.” To most this looked like the authorities mocking his claims, but the deeper reality was that his claims were becoming true in ways people could not comprehend. On the cross Jesus became king of God’s eternal Kingdom, as his subsquent resurrection proved.

                                                                Paul Worledge

Key Notices:

Clocks going forward

Don’t forget that this Sunday morning, the clocks go forward by an hour. Don’t be late for church!

Can you help run a tour?

We are hoping to offer tours of St. George’s tower and crypt on Saturdays through the tower. This not only allows locals and tourists to experience the wonders of the building but also raises money for the church. If you are interested in being part of a team to run these tours, then please contact Jemima (07971782477 or regenerationofficer@stgeorgechurchramsgate.uk).

Easter Services

Grab a flier from the back of church and encourage others to come. There are also specific fliers for the Easter Story on Good Friday morning aimed especially at children and young families. You can also share the publicity from the websiteon your social media.

Coming Up:

Romp through the Old Testament

An interactive day of exploration, new insights and fun with Rev. Dr. Sue Woan. Free! (donations welcome) Bring your own lunch – drinks provided. Saturday 18th April, 9.30am – 3.00pm. Newington Free Church, St. John’s Avenue, Ramsgate. To book a place contact Robin Plant: robin.plant@protonmail.com.

St. George’s Day Service and Parade

On Sunday 19th April we will have a joint service at St. George’s church to celebrate St. George’s day at 11am. This will be for All Ages and will be followed by a Parade through town, which will this year include both a giant St. George and a giant dragon. After the parade, there will be lunch in St. George’s church, where the Pride in Place board will be launching the next phase of their engagement in working out how to spend the £20 million assigned to Ramsgate by the government. We hope as many as possible can join with some or all element on this day.

Life in Tudor Ramsgate

On Saturday 16th May, 3pm, Margaret Bolton will be giving a talk about Tudor Ramsgate. It will include insights into school life, the work of a housewife, the jobs people did, visits by important people and the experiences of family life. Tickets will be £5 with all proceeds going to the St. George’s Restoration fund.

Interesting Blogs to Share:

The Quiet Revival: One year on…

It now turns out, that YouGov have admitted that the research carried out behind the original Quiet Revival report a year ago was flawed and probably exaggerated the extent to which young people were turning to faith. Yet, that does not mean there are not important signs of a greater openness to faith today. Find out more…

Sarah Mullally’s Politics of Diginity

Andrew Atherstone, who has written a biography of the new Archbishop outlines what motivates her political engagement in this 5 minute read. Read more…

Weekly Calendar

Sunday 29th March – Palm Sunday (Clocks go forward)

Eucharist (St. George’s Church) Matthew 21:1-11 – 9:30am

Confirmation Follow Up (St Luke’s Vicarage) – 5:00-6:30pm

Monday 30th     

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

Confirmation Follow Up (St Luke’s Vicarage) – 7:30-9:00pm

Tuesday 31st             

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

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

Wednesday 1st April       

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

Maundy Thursday 2nd

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

Holy Communion (St George’s Church) – 6:30pm

Good Friday 3rd

The Easter Story for families (St Luke’s Church) – 10:30-11:15am

Churches Together Service (United Church, Hardres Street) – 10:30am

Open Air Witness (Town Centre) – 12noon

Meditation (St George’s Church) – 1:00-3:00pm

Saturday 4th               

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

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

Sunday 5th – Easter Sunday

Eucharist (St. George’s Church) Matthew 28:1-10 – 9:30am

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.

Please see Paul if you are interested in joining one. There are groups at the following times:

  • Monday evenings
    • Tuesday afternoons
    • Wednesday mornings
    • Wednesday evenings

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 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 look to Jesus as our amazing king.

Yours in Christ

Paul Worledge

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

Easter 2026

At the heart of the Christian faith is the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus died for our sins on the cross, bringing us peace with God. He rose from the dead giving us hope of eternal life. Join us to celebrate all that Jesus did for us and achieved and find peace and hope for today.

Maundy Thursday – 2nd April

  • Holy Communion (St. George’s 6:30pm) – remembering the very first meal in remembrance of Jesus’s death for us.

Good Friday – 3rd April

  • The Easter Story (St. Luke’s, 10:30am) – an interactive telling of the events of Easter for families and small children. Like a ‘Crib Service’ but for Easter.
  • Churches Together Service (Hardres Street United Church, 10:30am)
  • Churches Together – Good Friday witness (Town Centre, 12 noon)
  • Good Friday Meditation (St. George’s, 1:00-3:00pm) – reflecting on the Song of the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53). Come for one or more 30 minute slots starting at 1pm, 1:30pm, 2pm, 2:30pm.

Easter Sunday – 5th April                

Holy Communion (St. George’s, 9:30am) – Celebrating the resurrection of Jesus and the hope of life it brings.

Peace (Philippians 4:2-9)

“Blessed are the peacemakers, because they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

When Paul writes about ‘the peace of God’, he does so in the context of urging Christians in the Philippian church to stop arguing (Philippians 4:2-3). In other words, Paul recognises that it is easier to find peace with each other, when we have first grasped the peace of God in our lives. Indeed, relationship breakdowns and even wars often arise out of contexts of deep anxiety.

To be a peacemaker, is to follow Christ’s example. He came to die for us, so that we could have peace with God. But also to be a peacemaker requires us to be free from anxiety, to not just have peace with God, but also the peace of God in our lives. Out of that God given peace we are equipped to work for peace.

As recorded at St. Luke’s
Listen on Castbox

Peace (Fruit of the Spirit, Philippians 4:2-9)

The loss of Peace

It’s now just over three weeks since the beginning of the US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Suddenly the world was plunged into a new conflict, even when war continues to rage in Ukraine, Sudan and many other parts of the world.

We are also seeing that war has a devastating impact beyond the actual fighting. War with Iran means major disruption to the world’s supply of oil, which means the cost of fuel goes up and ultimately the cost of everything goes up. Everyone becomes worse off. Lack of peace leads to lack of prosperity.

In turn this leads to increased levels of anxiety. The fear of our country being sucked into the war and the fear of the economic consequences, take away our inner peace.

What is peace?

We are going through the different characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit. The attitudes and behaviours that the Holy Spirit forms in us, so that our character is increasingly aligned with that of God’s. So that we look more and more like the children of God should look.

We’ve already considered, the first two characteristics, love and joy, and now we come to the third one: ‘peace’.

But what is meant by ‘peace’ in the Bible? Is it a state of mind, an absence of war or conflict or something more than that?

The Old Testament word for ‘peace’ is ‘Shalom.’ It meant more than an absence of war, it referred more to a state of blessing or wellbeing, to life as God has designed it to be.

We see that in the famous blessing, that the High Priest was to give:

“The LORD bless you and keep you;

the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;

the LORD turn his face towards you and give you peace.”

(Numbers 6:24-26)

‘Peace’ is the word, that sums up the whole blessing. It indicates a close relationship with God, himself, with his face shining on us and towards us. It talks of a kind of wellbeing, rooted in the graciousness of God, a wellbeing that includes a good state of mind, prosperity and harmony in all our relationships. It is not just an absence of war, but an absence of all the problems that war causes!!

So, how can we find this peace as Christians in a world that is becoming increasingly unpeaceful? How can we develop it as a characteristic of the Fruit of the Spirit?

I have three headings:

Peace is the work of Christ

Peace is the way of Christ

Peace is the word of Christ

Peace is the work of Christ

The message of the whole Bible, is that because we have rejected God as God in our lives, the world is fundamentally messed up. There is no peace, because ultimately we have ruined our relationship with God, by turning away from him.

In Colossians Paul sums up the situation like this:

“Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behaviour.” (Colossians 1:21)

There was no peace between us and God. When our most important relationship, our relationship with God is broken, then everything else is broken.

But, God was not happy with the situation. He sent Jesus to mend this fundamental relationship, to make it possible for us to receive the gift of peace with God. Talking about Jesus, Paul says,

“For God was pleased to have all his fulness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” (Colossians 1:19-20)

Jesus’ death on the cross, was the ultimate act of peace-making, the  greatest work of reconciliation. Peace is the work of Christ.

As Christians we can be confident that we have peace with God and from that truth much else follows. Just as war destroys prosperity and inner peace, reconciliation enables prosperity and inner peace to flourish.

During World War II, the European nations tore themselves apart and left the continent in ruins and poverty. However, from then on the nations of Western Europe worked hard to create a new order of peace and co-operation, that led to the flourishing of prosperity across the Western continent.

In the same way, because of Christ’s work in winning us peace with God, we can reap the benefits of a peaceful relationship with him. We can rejoice in Christ, no matter what the circumstances of life and when anxieties arise, we now have someone to turn to for help:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

Personally, I have always found this verse a deep encouragement. How do we find inner peace in a world of turbulence and change, a world where so much can seem wrong and unfair?

We focus on that most important relationship – our relationship with God. We bring all that is wrong to him, whilst also acknowledging that there is much to give thanks for. In doing so, we know that he is there for us, he cares for us, he knows and understands what we are going through. In that way, we find peace, a deep mystical peace that provides us with an inner security, because It guards our hearts and minds.

Because we have peace with God, we can seek an inner peace through prayer.

That is not always easy. If your state of mind means you find it difficult to pray – and to be honest, I sometimes find my mind is distracted in all kinds of ways, that make it hard to focus on prayer, then there are ways to pray that can help.

One idea is to write the prayers down. That can help you to focus your thoughts more clearly. Another idea is to ask others to pray with or for you. A third idea is to use the Psalms as words for prayer. They powerfully express a whole range of different emotions and difficulties that people face. Even if you can’t find the Psalm which expresses the things you are struggling with, just reading the attempts of others to come to God in prayer can be helpful.

In short, Peace comes from the work of Christ. He wins us peace with God, so that we can find peace in a fuller sense through prayer.

Peace is the way of Christ

But, peace is not just the work of Christ, it is the way of Christ. By that I mean, it is the way of life, the attitude that Christ calls us to in our relationships with one another and the world.

Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, talks of the work of Christ, as not just creating peace with God, but peace with one another. Paul had grown up as a Jew and despised all non-Jews or Gentiles. It was very much “them” and “us.” Yet, when he became a Christian, he campaigned strongly for the church to accept non-Jews as equal members of the church. Why? Because he believed that Christ had come not just to bring us peace with God, but peace with one another in the world. He writes in Ephesians about the hostility between Jew and Gentile:

“His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.” (Ephesians 2:15a-16)

When it comes to ‘peace’ being a characteristic of the fruit of the Spirit, it may be talking about the inner peace we have through being reconciled to God, but it is more likely to do with living a life of peace with others in the world. I say that, because the fruit of the Spirit is contrasted with the works of the flesh, and many of the things Paul lists as the works of the flesh are to do with things that destroy peaceful relationships:

“The works of the flesh are…

hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions…” (Galatians 5:20)

And the New Testament is clear in many places, that as Christians we are called to seek peace in our relationships with others, in imitation of Christ’s work of bringing about peace.

So, Jesus himself says:

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

Paul writes:

“Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace.” (Romans 14:19a)

And in Hebrews it says:

“Make every effort to live in peace with all…” (Hebrews 12:14a)

We are called to follow the way of Christ, and the way of Christ is peace, so we must seek to bring about peace in our relationships.

This is deeply challenging. Churches can very easily slip into factions or groups, with one group judging or looking down on another. Are we working for peace within our church communities and perhaps especially between St. Luke’s and St. George’s as we dare to share more deeply with one another? Or do we slip back too easily into the kind of factional thinking that is the work of the flesh, rather than the fruit of the Spirit?

Are we working for peace with our work colleagues? Or indeed, are we someone who seeks to be a peacemaker in the work place when colleagues fall out?

Are we working for peace in our families as best we can? It is sad that so many families have breakdowns in relationship, that mean they don’t even speak to each other or see each other. Are there things you can do to help create peace within your family?

None of this is easy and the Bible recognises that peace is a two-way thing. Paul recognises, that it cannot always be achieved if the other person won’t co-operate. He writes:

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (Romans 12:18)

As Christians, though, if we are truly those who have the fruit of the Spirit, then we will want to follow the way of peace.

Peace is the word of Christ

So, peace is the work of Christ and the way of Christ, but it is also the word of Christ.

When we bring people the good news of Jesus, we are offering them peace. Peace with God and through that the opportunity to find inner peace and peace with others.

In Isaiah it associates the proclamation of good news, with the proclamation of peace:

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”” (Isaiah 52:7)

In Ephesians, Paul also talks about the gospel as a message of peace. He says that Jesus:

“…came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.” (Ephesians 2:17)

And later on when talking of the armour of God he says:

“and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” (Ephesians 6:15)

I wonder if seeing evangelism or sharing the gospel as a work of peace-making, changes your attitude to evangelism and the way you go about it?

As Christians, we are not trying to persuade someone to our way of thinking, we are seeking to show them that there is a way back to God, a way back to that core relationship with our maker. It is more like setting a friend up with their perfect partner than recruiting them to a cause.

And if the message is one of peace, then it needs to be shared in a way that promotes peace. We are not out to win an argument or prove that we are right and they are wrong, we are out to draw someone to share with us in the family of Christ. So, the way we share the message is just as important as the message we share. It will involve treating them with gentleness and respect, listening as much as speaking and showing them the love that we are called to show all people in practical support in life.

People of Peace?

Jesus lived during the age of the Roman Empire. At the time they often spoke of Pax Romana, because in conquering such a vast area, the Romans had created a kind of peace, which was at least a cessation of war. Yet, their “peace” was brought about through much bloodshed and at times bloody oppression of those who dared to rise up against Rome’s power.

Christ came to bring a deeper and fuller peace. Not won through the power of the sword, but the sacrifice of the cross. Not enforced by the armies of an empire, but the transformation of relationships. Not imposed on the unwilling, but welcoming all who will come.

Our call today, in a world, where war and division seems to be increasing, it to be a true people of peace, trusting that Christ has done the work of peace, following in his way of peace and holding out his word of peace.

This Sunday – 22nd March 2026

“Blessed are the peacemakers,

because they will be called children of God.”

(Matthew 5:9)

This week, the sections of the email are:

  • Opening Reflection: Peace
  • Key notices: Easter Services, Dare to Prayem, Annual Meeting new date, Gift from Councillors, St. Luke’s 150th Newsletter
  • Coming Up: Kent’s ‘Speak their Name” Memorial Quilt, Easter Cracked, Welcome Service for new Archbishop of Canterbury, Romp through the Old Testament
  • Wider Church: ACTS newsletter, Christian Aid Middle East Appeal
  • Interesting Blogs: What is the Bible?, Raising Kids who can handle the digital winds
  • Weekly Calendar
  • Online Forms: Event application, Submit a notice, maintenance report, access Safeguarding training

Scroll on…

Opening Reflection

It is often said these days that if you want to improve your mental health, then stop looking at the news. Certainly, there is a lot in the news at the moment to promote anxiety. The war in Iran and the recent meningitis outbreak are just the two most recent examples to get us worried. How can we find inner peace in a world of war and sickness?

In Philippians, Paul tells us that rather than being anxious, we should pray. When we do that, we will find, ‘the peace of God, which passes all understanding.’ (Philippians 4:7). Why does this work? Peter tells us: “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) At the heart of the Christian faith is the belief in a God, who is both all powerful and eternal, but who also cares for us on a personal level. A God who, as Paul writes elsewhere, “in all things works for the good of those who love him.” (Romans 8:28). When we know that God is there for us, then we can be confident that whatever problems or crisis we face, God will bring us through in the end. So, we can have the peace of God.

Interestingly, though, when Paul writes about ‘the peace of God’, he does so in the context of urging Christians in the Philippian church to stop arguing (4:2-3). In other words, Paul recognises that it is easier to find peace with each other, when we have first grasped the peace of God in our lives. Indeed, relationship breakdowns and even wars often arise out of contexts of deep anxiety.

To be a peacemaker, is to follow Christ’s example. He came to die for us, so that we could have peace with God. But also to be a peacemaker requires us to be free from anxiety, to not just have peace with God, but also the peace of God in our lives. Out of that God given peace we are equipped to work for peace.

Paul Worledge

Key Notices:

Easter Services

Here is a list of the upcoming Easter Services at St. Luke’s and St. George’s:

  • Maundy Thursday (2nd April) Holy Communion, 6:30pm at St. George’s
  • Good Friday (3rd April)
    • The Easter Story (for families), 10:30am, St. Luke’s
    • Churches Together Service, 10:30am, Hardres Street United Ch.
    • Open Air Witness, 12noon, Town Centre (outside Timpsons)
    • Meditation, 1:00-3:00pm, four half-hour meditations on Isaiah 53
  • Easter Sunday (5th April), Holy Communion, 9:30am St. George’s

 

Dare to Pray

Join us this Saturday 9:30-10:30am for our monthly Dare to Pray meeting. For members of St. Luke’s and St. George’s as we pray for the development of our vision 2030. This month, we will also pray for our upcoming Easter Services.

Annual Meeting

At our PCC meeting on 16th March, we decided to change the date of our Annual Meeting to Sunday 31st May. We will have a shorter than normal Sunday Service, then hold our annual meeting immediately afterwards.

Gift from the Eastcliffe Ward councillors

We are grateful to the Eastcliffe Ward councillors for gifting £500 each to St. Luke’s and St. George’s for our work in supporting the community and £200 to the work of Community Pastors.

St. Luke’s 150th Newsletter

The second version of this newsletter is now available at the back of church. Do take a copy!

Coming Up:

Kent’s “Speak their name” Memorial Quilt

This quilt composes of 66 squares, remembering 66 lives lost to suicide. It is presently touring Kent and will be on display in St. George’s church from 18th March to 1st April, with a Connection Event on Saturday 21st March from 2 to 4pm, where you can learn more about the quilt. Find out more…

Easter Cracked

St. Luke’s will be hosting 80 Year 6 pupils from St. Lawrence College and Newlands School on the morning of Tuesday 24th March for this interactive workshop run by ACTS.If you can volunteer to help host and run the workshop (setting up from 9am and tidying up until about mid-day), then please let Paul know.

Welcome Service for new Archbishop of Canterbury

The service, led by the Bishop of Dover, will bring together individuals and church groups from across our county highlighting the rich and varied communities which we serve. This will be the main opportunity for the whole Diocese to formally welcome and show our support for our new Diocesan Bishop. Saturday 28th March, 5:30-6:30pm. Canterbury Cathedral. Click here to book a free ticket.

Romp through the Old Testament

An interactive day of exploration, new insights and fun with Rev. Dr. Sue Woan. Free! (donations welcome) Bring your own lunch – drinks provided. Saturday 18th April, 9.30am – 3.00pm. Newington Free Church, St. John’s Avenue, Ramsgate. To book a place contact Robin Plant: robin.plant@protonmail.com.

Wider Church

ACTS – March Update

The latest copy of the Active Christianity in Thanet Schools newsletter is now available at the back of church or can be read here.

Christian Aid Emergency Middle East Appeal

The conflict in the Middle East is taking a devastating toll on innocent lives. While the death, destruction and displacement in the region are overwhelming, there’s still hope.

With your support, our partners can provide lifesaving supplies to civilians caught up in this conflict. Find out more…

Interesting Blogs to Share:

What is the Bible?

This is the first in the latest series of videos from the Bible Project on how to read the Bible. In 5 minutes, it gives a great summary of what the Bible is? Watch…

Raising kids who can handle the digital winds

In this 4 minute read, Anna Hawken shares some thoughts about how best to help our children prepare for a digital world. Read more…

Weekly Calendar

Sunday 22nd March – The Fifth Sunday of Lent

Eucharist (St. George’s Church) Phil. 4:2-9 – 9:30am

Confirmation Follow Up (St Luke’s Vicarage) – 5:00-6:30pm

Monday 23rd    

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

Confirmation Follow Up (St Luke’s Vicarage) – 7:30-9:00pm

Tuesday 24th            

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

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

Wednesday 25th       

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

Thursday 26th

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

Confirmation Follow Up (St Luke’s Vicarage) – 11:30am-1:00pm

Saturday 28th               

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

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

Sunday 29th – Palm Sunday (Clocks go forward)

Eucharist (St. George’s Church) Matthew 21:1-11 – 9:30am

Confirmation Follow Up (St Luke’s Vicarage) – 5:00-6:30pm

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.

Please see Paul if you are interested in joining one. There are groups at the following times:

  • Monday evenings
    • Tuesday afternoons
    • Wednesday mornings
    • Wednesday evenings

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 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 trust in God’s peace and be peacemakers ourselves,

Yours in Christ

Paul Worledge

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

Love (1 John 4:7-12)

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 4:10)

This weekend is Mothering Sunday, when we celebrate and give thanks for the love of our mothers. The relationship between a mother and her child is perhaps the strongest of all human bonds, forged as it is in nine months of pregnancy, the pain of childbirth itself and the intimate care of a newborn child. It is a relationship marked by a sacrificial gracious love.

Much of this mirrors God’s love for us. Out of love, he sent His Son to die for our sins and out of love he offers us the gift of forgiveness and eternal life.

So, let’s give thanks for our mothers and their love, whilst also remembering God’s love for us. As we do so, let’s learn to love others in the same way.

As recorded at St. Luke’s
Listen on Castbox

This Mothering Sunday – 15th March 2026

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us

and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

(1 John 4:10)

This week, the sections of the email are:

  • Opening reflection: Mothering Sunday and Love
  • Key notices: Mothering Sunday Services, The Great Ramsgate Spring Clean, Annual Parochial Church Meeting
  • Coming Up: Kent’s ‘Speak theire Name” Memorial Quilt, Easter Cracked, Welcome Service for new Archbishop of Canterbury, Romp through the Old Testament
  • Interesting Blogs: Story of a Church Plant, Participation and Church Planting
  • Weekly Calendar
  • Online Forms: Event application, Submit a notice, maintenance report, access Safeguarding training

Scroll on…

Opening Reflection

This weekend is Mothering Sunday, when we celebrate and give thanks for the love of our mothers. The relationship between a mother and her child is perhaps the strongest of all human bonds, forged as it is in nine months of pregnancy, the pain of childbirth itself and the intimate care of a newborn child. It is a relationship marked by a sacrificial gracious love.

A mother’s love is sacrificial, because the care of the child costs her personally. Not only is there a financial burden in bringing up a child, but it also requires a deep investment of emotion and time.

It is also gracious, because the love is given freely, without any expectation of payment in return. Parents give everything for their children, whilst, in their younger years at least, children offer no support or help to the running of the household. A child cannot earn its mother’s love, they receive it freely. That is grace.

Much of this mirrors God’s love for us. Out of love, he sent His Son to die for our sins and out of love he offers us the gift of forgiveness and eternal life freely. Although God is usually referred to as ‘Father’ and fathers do share in the love given to children by their mothers, there are times when God’s love is compared specifically to that of a mother. In Isaiah 49:15 and 66:13, God’s compassion and comfort for Israel is compared to that of a mother’s for her child, whilst in Matthew 23:37, Jesus compares himself with a mother hen, longing to gather her chicks under her wings.

So, let’s give thanks for our mothers and their love, whilst also remembering God’s love for us. As we do so, let’s learn to love others in the same way.

Paul Worledge

Key Notices:

Mothering Sunday, 15th March

This Sunday is Mothering Sunday. There will be a short, said communion service in the chancel area from 9:30am followed by an all-age service to celebrate Mothering Sunday from 10am, during which daffodils will be distributed to the women in the church.

The Great Ramsgate Spring Clean

Check out the poster at the back of church or this link and join in with one of the 18 picks around Ramsgate to help clean up our town.

Annual Parochial Church Meeting

This is now set for Monday 11th May at 7pm. At this meeting there will be chances to ask questions about our annual report and plans for the future as well as the election of members to the PCC, Deanery Synod and Church Warden roles. We really need to expand our team of people taking part in these roles as we develop our plans and ensure the smooth running of the church. So, please pray about whether you could serve the church in this way and play a part in shaping our future.

Coming Up:

Kent’s “Speak their name” Memorial Quilt

This quilt composes of 66 squares, remembering 66 lives lost to suicide. It is presently touring Kent and will be on display in St. George’s church from 18th March to 1st April, with a Connection Event on Saturday 21st March from 2 to 4pm, where you can learn more about the quilt. Find out more…

Easter Cracked

St. Luke’s will be hosting 80 Year 6 pupils from St. Lawrence College and Newlands School on the morning of Tuesday 24th March for this interactive workshop run by ACTS.If you can volunteer to help host and run the workshop (setting up from 9am and tidying up until about mid-day), then please let Paul know.

Welcome Service for new Archbishop of Canterbury

The service, led by the Bishop of Dover, will bring together individuals and church groups from across our county highlighting the rich and varied communities which we serve. This will be the main opportunity for the whole Diocese to formally welcome and show our support for our new Diocesan Bishop. Saturday 28th March, 5:30-6:30pm. Canterbury Cathedral. Click here to book a free ticket.

Romp through the Old Testament

An interactive day of exploration, new insights and fun with Rev. Dr. Sue Woan. Free! (donations welcome) Bring your own lunch – drinks provided. Saturday 18th April, 9.30am – 3.00pm. Newington Free Church, St. John’s Avenue, Ramsgate. To book a place contact Robin Plant:

Interesting Blogs to Share:

Story of a Church Plant

In this article, Lois Tackie-Obie describes her experience of starting a new worshipping community called Well City Church in the church building of St. Michael’s in Stockwell. Read more…

Participation and Church Planting

In this article is an extract from the introduction to a new book on the theology of church planting. Read more…

Weekly Calendar

Sunday 15th March – The Fourth Sunday of Lent

Mothering Sunday (St. George’s Church) 1 John 4:7-12

Said Communion Service, 9:30am

All Age Service, 10am

Confirmation Follow Up (St Luke’s Vicarage) – 5:00-6:30pm

Monday 16th   

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

Confirmation Follow Up (St Luke’s Vicarage) – 7:30-9:00pm

Tuesday 17th            

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

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

Wednesday 18th       

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

Thursday 19th

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

Confirmation Follow Up (St Luke’s Vicarage) – 11:30am-1:00pm

Saturday 21st              

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

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

Speak their Name Connection Event (St George’s Church) 2:00-4:00pm

Sunday 22nd – The Fifth Sunday of Lent

Eucharist (St. George’s Church) Phil. 4:2-9 – 9:30am

Confirmation Follow Up (St Luke’s Vicarage) – 5:00-6:30pm

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.

Please see Paul if you are interested in joining one. There are groups at the following times:

  • Monday evenings
    • Tuesday afternoons
    • Wednesday mornings
    • Wednesday evenings

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 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 keep giving thanks for the love of our mothers.

Yours in Christ

Paul Worledge

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

Fruit of the Spirit – Joy(Psalm 100)

“Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4)

How can you tell someone is a Christian? Jesus says, “by their fruit you will recognise them” (Matthew 7:16) and a key characteristic of the fruit of the Spirit is joy. So shouldn’t joy be a key sign that someone might be a Christian? At last Saturday’s confirmation service, there was a palpable sense of joy, especially among the candidates as they publicly declared their faith in Jesus. Joy often is a mark of Christians.

How do we cultivate this joy? By focussing on our reason for joy. By gathering together to praise God and celebrate what he has done for us in Jesus.

As recorded at St. Luke’s
Listen on Castbox

Fruit of the Spirit, Joy (Psalm 100)

“A joyful church is a growing church!” (Bishop Philip North)

  • Confirmation Service

Last Saturday, we had a wonderfully joyful service as we celebrated 29 candidates from across Thanet making public declarations about their faith, and over 190 people in St. Luke’s for the occasion. The bishop led it in a rightfully joyful way, but the true joy was to see the evidence of God at work in individual lives and indeed to see the joy on the candidates faces. This is what we long to see more of in our church life.

  • Fruit of the Spirit

Last week, we saw, that as Christians filled with God’s Spirit, we are called to walk in step with the Spirit and so to see the growth of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, a character that reflects the character of God.

Over the coming months, we are going to look in turn at the nine characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit. The second one in the list is joy. In other words, if the Spirit is truly at work in our lives, then we should expect to see people full of joy in our churches. Indeed, for our churches to be joyful churches.

  • Bishop Philip North

Last summer, Andrew McMillan, Mark Ogden and I went to a conference in London about planting and growing churches. you might expect it to have been a very evangelical affair, but one of the keynote speakers was Bishop Philip North, a well-known Anglo-Catholic. His talk was all about the importance of joy in our churches. He saw joy as key to effective mission and growth. He even claimed, “A joyful church is a growing church!”

Surely, this is right isn’t it? There is something attractive and compelling about true joy, that draws people in. Just like sunshine after weeks of rain, a joyful community in the midst of miserable world, lifts your spirits and makes you want more.

How do we find joy?

So how do we find joy as Christians and as a church?

Moments of joy:

There are of course moments of joy that all people whether Christian or not share in.

Weddings

When I was on holiday, someone asked me, as a vicar what was the most enjoyable part of my job. I said, leading groups with people exploring the Christian faith. She said, that she wanted me to say, taking weddings! Certainly, taking weddings are a joyful part of my role, because it is a privilege to be enable such a joyful occasion. And many will say that their wedding day was the happiest day of their lives. It even says so in the Bible of Solomon:

“… the day of his wedding, the day his heart rejoiced.” (Song of Songs 3:11b)

Childbirth

Another candidate for the happiest day in people’s lives is the birth of their child or children. Bringing a new life into the world, is certainly an amazing moment. Describing the occasion, Jesus says:

“A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.” (John 16:21)

Success

Perhaps a third moment of joy, is when we experience some kind of success. I was pretty happy last Monday night, when the chess team that I captain managed to win their match 4-0!  A great success.

But of course, there are bigger more important moments of success. For much of history, harvest time is a time of joy, because the success of your crops, was not just a reward for the hard work you had put in, but food security for the coming year. Similarly, success in war, especially when an oppressor is defeated is a reason for great rejoicing. The celebrations at the end of World War II were remembered by many as a moment of great joy.

These ideas are encapsulated in a famous verse from Isaiah:

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder.” (Isaiah 9:3)

All of these things bring great moments of joy that are common to all human experience and life. But life is more than these moments. It includes moments of great sadness and struggle.

The writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us that there is:

“a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,” (Ecclesiastes 3:4)

Permanent Joy:

Yet Paul commands in Philippians:

 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4)

 For Christians, there will be times when we are rightly sad and mourning. The outbreak of war in the Middle East is a reason to be sad and mourn. For many of you, there will be personal circumstances and reasons, that give you reason to weep and mourn.

 How then can Paul tell us, ‘Rejoice in the Lord always!’?

I don’t think Paul is saying we should always smile and pretend to be happy no matter what is happening in our lives. Such joy is just a mask. It’s not the real thing. No, Paul is calling on us to hold on at a deep level to the joy that we have in and because of Christ. A joy that no matter how bad the circumstances of life become can never be taken away. It is a joy that comes through the deep connection with God that Jesus brings. This is not a joy rooted in the circumstances of life, but the permanent truths about Jesus and the eternal salvation he brings.

A key passage on joy comes from Jesus’ teaching to his disciples in John’s gospel. He is teaching in a moment of gloom, because he has told his disciples that he is leaving them. The next day he will be crucified.

Nonetheless, Jesus talks to them about how they can find joy:

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” (John 15:9-12)

Notice, how Jesus roots joy in love. Knowing that we are loved by God and obeying his commands and especially his command to love others. When we are fully embedded in this network of love, then not only is our joy complete, but Jesus finds joy in us!

If this is the case, then the barriers to joy are obvious. We lose our joy when we become disconnected from God and others. When love fails, joy fails.

Barriers to Joy:

In some ways it is odd to be talking about joy in Lent. After all isn’t Lent a time or mournful self-reflection. Yes, it is, but the point of the mournful self-reflection is to reach a deeper joy with God.

In talking to his disciples about his coming death and resurrection he says to them:

“I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.” (John 16:20)

Without Good Friday, there would be no Easter Sunday. The cross deals with our sin, the resurrection guarantees our hope as forgiven people. In the same way, Lent is a time to deal more seriously with our sin in order to embrace more fully the joy of the resurrection life we have in Jesus.

 And sin is our greatest barrier to joy, because sin disconnects us from God and others. If our joy in Christ has been blocked, then we need with God’s help to deal with the blockage, so that joy may flow again.

Disconnected from God – Psalm 51

David knew this very clearly. Psalm 51 was his great confession, that he wrote following his sin of committing adultery with another man’s wife and then having him killed to cover it up. It is one of the key Psalms that has been focussed on in Lent.

In the Psalm, David begs for God’s forgiveness. In doing so he longs for what he has lost because of his sin – his joy in God.

“Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.” (Psalm 51:8)

“Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” (Psalm 51:12)

 If you have lost the joy of your salvation, then maybe it is because you need to confess your sin once more to God. Why not use Psalm 51 as a model prayer to help you!

Disconnected from Others – Psalm 133

A second reason for loss of joy is to become disconnected from others. In Psalm 133, the joy of unity and good relationships is celebrated:

“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1)

 If we have lost our joy, it may be because we have fallen out with others and particularly other fellow Christians. If so, we need to do something about it.

After all, Jesus says:

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23-24)

Lack of Corporate Thanksgiving – Psalm 100

The third blockage may be more to do with laziness, than with broken relationships. Have we stopped making meeting with others to praise and worship God a priority in our life? In other words are we failing to attend church as regularly as we could?

Psalm 100, is known as the Jubilate, because the first word in the Latin version, is translated, “Shout for joy!” It is also the only Psalm to have the title, “a Psalm for thanksgiving.”

But it, is not so much a Psalm for thanksgiving, as a Psalm that calls on us to come together to give thanks to God.

It includes 7 commands:

  • Shout for joy
  • Worship
  • Come before God
  • Know God
  • Enter the place of worship
  • Give thanks
  • Praise or bless his name.

The first three and last three are in effect all a call to join with others in praise to God. Whilst the middle one is an invitation to know why we should praise and give thanks to God, because he made us and he is our good shepherd. The last verse also underlines how God is good, loving and faithful.

There is every reason to thank God, so let’s come together and do so together! Let’s be a joyful church, not because the momentary circumstances of life are good, but because our God is always good and his love for us endures forever!

 When we do, then we are being truly radical in today’s secular, individualised and moaning society. We will be a truly joyful church and I believe we will see more people want to join us in God’s network of love, and perhaps we will have many more moments of celebration like last Saturday.

Be ready for a joyful church (depending on time)

But, if we want that, then we need to be proactive. One way to do that is to prepare for coming to church, rather than just turning up.

With my children going to university in recent years, I have learnt about the idea of pre-drinks. Students often have cheap shop drinks at home, before going out to clubs in order to help them be tipsy enough to have fun when they arrive at the club. Shouldn’t we, as Christians consider a similar idea for church. I don’t mean having a quick tipple of Sherry on a Sunday morning before church but preparing ourselves that we might enjoy ourselves (and encourage others) when we come to church.

How can we do that? Well, think about the barriers we mentioned.

  • Get right with God
    • Spend some time in prayer with God, reflecting if there is any sin that you need to repent of
  • Get right with others
    • Spend some time thinking about whether there are any people you have fallen out with and how you might offer reconciliation to them, as best as you are able.
  • Give thanks for God’s goodness
    • Remind yourself, what God has done for you in Jesus.

 Perhaps if we did this kind of preparation more fully, then our services would be truly joyful occasions, the highlights of our week and a draw for all who come and visit us.

This Sunday – 8th March 2026

“Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice!”

(Philippians 4:4)

This week, the sections of the email are:

  • Opening reflection: Joy
  • Key notices: Churches Together Prayer Breakfast, Mothering Sunday
  • Coming Up: Men’s Group Games Night, Easter Cracked, Welcome Service for new Archbishop of Canterbury, Romp through the Old Testament
  • Interesting Blogs: How to pray for the Middle East, An Iranian perspective on the conflict
  • Weekly Calendar
  • Online Forms: Event application, Submit a notice, maintenance report, access Safeguarding training

Scroll on…

Opening Reflection

How can you tell someone is a Christian? Jesus says, “by their fruit you will recognise them” (Matthew 7:16) and a key characteristic of the fruit of the Spirit is joy. So shouldn’t joy be a key sign that someone might be a Christian? At last Saturday’s confirmation service, there was a palpable sense of joy, especially among the candidates as they publicly declared their faith in Jesus. Joy often is a mark of Christians.

But how can we maintain our joy? Is Paul’s command to, “Rejoice always!” realistic? Clearly to rejoice always cannot mean always acting with a happy or cheerful demeanour. Elsewehere, Paul tells us to “weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15) just as Jesus wept at the grave of Lazarus (John 11:35). In a similar way the Psalms are full of expressions of pain and suffering.

Yet, the Psalms frequently move on from acknowledging the struggles of life to focus once more on God and rejoice in the salvation he brings. This is how we are to rejoice, not by denying our pain, but seeing that God is above and beyond our pain and will bring us through. That is why Paul’s command is not simply to rejoice, but to ‘Rejoice in the Lord!’ We may not have much to be happy about in our lives, but we can always rejoice in who God is and what he has done for us and will do for us.

So, as Christians we can find joy that goes beyond the circumstances of our present experience. It is this joy rooted in our relationship with God, that enables us to stand out from the world in a way that is deeply attractive and contagious.

How do we cultivate this joy? By focussing on our reason for joy. By gathering together to praise God and celebrate what he has done for us in Jesus.

Paul Worledge

Key Notices:

Churches Together Prayer Breakfast

St. Luke’s will be hosting the Churches Together Prayer Breakfast at St. Luke’s Hall on Saturday 7th March, 9am to 10am. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Mothering Sunday, 15th March

Next Sunday, we will be celebrating Mothering Sunday. There will be a short said communion service in the chancel area from 9:30am followed by an all age service to celebrate Mothering Sunday from 10am, during which daffodils will be distributed to the women in the church. Do join us for one or both of these services.

Coming Up:

Men’s Group Games Night

The next event is a Games night at St Lukes, Church Hall on Thursday 12th March. Please let Bruce know if you are going.

Easter Cracked

St. Luke’s will be hosting 80 Year 6 pupils from St. Lawrence College and Newlands School on the morning of Tuesday 24th March for this interactive workshop run by ACTS.If you can volunteer to help host and run the workshop (setting up from 9am and tidying up until about mid-day), then please let Paul know.

Welcome Service for new Archbishop of Canterbury

The service, led by the Bishop of Dover, will bring together individuals and church groups from across our county highlighting the rich and varied communities which we serve. This will be the main opportunity for the whole Diocese to formally welcome and show our support for our new Diocesan Bishop. Saturday 28th March, 5:30-6:30pm. Canterbury Cathedral. Click here to book a free ticket.

Romp through the Old Testament

An interactive day of exploration, new insights and fun with Rev. Dr. Sue Woan. Free! (donations welcome) Bring your own lunch – drinks provided. Saturday 18th April, 9.30am – 3.00pm. Newington Free Church, St. John’s Avenue, Ramsgate. To book a place contact Robin Plant:

Interesting Blogs to Share:

How to pray for the Middle East

This 3-minute video from Tearfund, suggests ways that we can pray for the situation in the Middle East. Watch…

An Iranian Perspective on the Conflict

Steve Dew-Jones who works for a human rights organisation documenting Christian persecution in Iran gives a personal perspective on the US attacks. Read more (4 minutes, note this was written last Saturday)

Weekly Calendar

Sunday 8th March – The Third Sunday of Lent

Eucharist (St. George’s Church) Psalm 100 – 9:30am

Sunday School (St George’s, 10:30am)

Confirmation Follow Up (St Luke’s Vicarage) – 5:00-6:30pm

Monday 9th   

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

Confirmation Follow Up (St Luke’s Vicarage) – 7:30-9:00pm

Tuesday 10th            

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

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

Wednesday 11th       

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

Thursday 12th

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

Confirmation Follow Up (St Luke’s Vicarage) – 11:30am-1:00pm

Men’s Group Games Evening (St Luke’s Hall) – 7:00-9:00pm

Saturday 14th             

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

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

Sunday 15th – The Fourth Sunday of Lent

Mothering Sunday (St. George’s Church) 1 John 4:7-12

Said Communion Service, 9:30am

All Age Service, 10am

Confirmation Follow Up (St Luke’s Vicarage) – 5:00-6:30pm

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.

Please see Paul if you are interested in joining one. There are groups at the following times:

  • Monday evenings
    • Tuesday afternoons
    • Wednesday mornings
    • Wednesday evenings

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 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 in the Lord always!

Yours in Christ

Paul Worledge

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

Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:13-26)

“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:25)

Last week, we looked at the two humanities on offer. The one rooted in Adam’s disobedience to God in the Garden of Eden and the other rooted in Christ’s obedience to God in the Garden of Gethsemane as he expressed his willingness to die on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins. We now have the option of continuing to live simply in the old way as a descendant of Adam and his disobedience, or by faith in Christ as those reconciled to God and assured of his forgiveness.

Join us this Sunday as we introduce our new series on the Fruit of the Spirit.

As recorded at St. Luke’s
Listen on Castbox

Two Humanities in our Lives

Last week we were looking at Romans 5, and how two key moments in history defined two possible ways of being human:

Adam’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden

and

Jesus’ obedience expressed in the Garden of Gethsemane, that led to his willing sacrifice on the cross.

We all inherit Adam’s disobedient humanity, through our natural birth, but we can become part of Jesus’ true humanity through being born again by faith in him.

In Galatians 5, Paul uses two different terms to talk about how these two humanities are expressed in our lives as Christians today.

 ‘The Flesh’ stands for what we are by natural birth. It is the disobedient attitude that we inherit from Adam, our natural tendency to say, ‘No!’ to God’s will and live for our own self-interest.

 ‘The Spirit’ stands for what we are by new birth, because when we put our faith in Jesus, we received the Holy Spirit in our lives. This is expressed powerfully in the Confirmation service, when the Bishop prays for each of the candidates that they will receive the Holy Spirit.

 Paul is clear that these two humanities are ultimately incompatible:

“For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.” (Galatians 5:17)

 As Christians we have this constant struggle, between the flesh or the humanity we inherit from Adam and the Spirit that we receive when we put our faith in the new humanity of Christ. It is an inner war, which we all experience, but the encouragement is to lean into the Spirit and reject the flesh.

 This all may sound a bit abstract, but Paul makes it concrete with two lists, ‘the works of the flesh’ and ‘the fruit of the Spirit’.

The Works of the Flesh

Not a complete list

Let’s start with the works of the flesh. The first thing to say, that this is not a complete list of all possible vices, that arise out of the flesh. In a similar list, a Jewish philosopher called, Philo, who wrote a little before the New Testament had 140 examples. This is just an example list, a taster.

Neither is Paul saying that everyone who lives according to the flesh does all of these ‘works’. Most of us can probably see that we have been caught up in a few of these works or attitudes in the past, not everyone will have been guilty of all.

Remarkably Contemporary

Secondly, this list is remarkably contemporary, with perhaps the exception of ‘idolatry’ which is usually not expressed in the same way as it was in the first century Graeco-Roman culture. Otherwise, these are all actions and attitudes that are common today. Indeed, when I’ve talked about this passage when doing baptism preparation, it is a passage that people find quite easy to relate to!

There are 15 different actions and attitudes listed, and although it is not easy to put them into groups, the following four groups is a reasonable way to categorise them.

  1. Sexual (3)

The first three are all to do with sexual sins.

It is notable, that a lot of our modern culture appeals to our sexual appetites, with sexualised images used to sell us things or distract us on social media and pornography awash on the internet.

  1. Replacing God (2)

The second two are to do with replacing the true God with counterfeits. In Paul’s day this meant worshipping idols, that was going to temples with statues of made-up divinities to worship. In our day, God is replaced most frequently with an advertising industry that sells us a vision of life being satisfied by material possessions and exciting experiences rather than a deep relationship with God.

The Greek word for witchchraft or sorcery is pharmakeia, which is where we get our word, ‘Pharmacy’ from. The sorcery of Paul’s day was often accompanied with drug taking to try and simulate a spiritual experience. Once again, today, many people replace God with drugs. 

  1. Self over Community (8)

Perhaps, sex and drugs is what you would expect from a Christian list of vices. But the majority of the list is taken up with attitudes and actions that are about concern for self and damaging to the rest of the community.

Again, these feel incredibly contemporary. Social media tends to appeal to some of these attitudes, perhaps particularly hatred and factions, where people are fed only the thoughts and ideas of people like them and the more outrageous and hateful posts tend to gain the most interest. The result is people increasingly aligning with one group against another, which they hate. So, community is increasingly divided and angry.

 It can be seen from the context, that Paul is concerned to discourage behaviours that tend to destroy the sense of community in the church:

 “If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.” (Galatians 5:15)

 “Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” (Galatians 5:26)

 Our vision to ‘dare to share’ is a challenge to work towards cohesion within and across our church communities. Not to fall into the ways of the flesh, that will created hatred and factions within and between church communities, but to work towards mutual understanding and concern for each other.

  1. Drunkenness (2)

The final two in the list are to do with excessive drinking or wild partying. It is making oneself out of control through drink. A great contrast to the self-control that is one of the characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit.

Works of the Law

The phrase, ‘works of the flesh’, echoes a phrase Paul has used earlier in the letter of Galatians: “works of the Law”. This is deliberate.

 Paul links self-centred immoral behaviour, with a religion that focuses on human achievement and self-identification through following legal or religious regulations. Such behaviour leads not to true righteousness, but a kind of self-righteousness that can express itself in hatred, discord, factions and selfish ambition.

In contrast, Paul says, that as Christians we are not about following the Law in that way.

In particular, he says:

“But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.” (Galatians 5:18)

There is a fleshly way of following the law, that leads to self-righteousness, and there is being led by the Spirit, which produces the kind of character, which naturally lives according to the Law. Paul calls this character, ‘the fruit of the Spirit.’

The Fruit of the Spirit

So, why does Paul use the term “fruit” rather than saying the works of the Spirit?

Holistic Character Formation

Primarily, because this is about a holistic character formation, rather than specific actions or attitudes. Notice the word, ‘fruit’ here is singular. These are characteristics that describe one fruit not lots of different types of fruit.

So, for example, we might describe a banana as yellow, bendy, with a tough skin and soft innards. A banana needs all of those qualities to make it a banana. If it is yellow and bendy, with a tough skin, but without soft innards, it is not a banana.

In the same way this list of nine qualities or virtues, are all necessary for the character being described to be truly the fruit of the Spirit.

Most non-Christians will have some of these qualities, but when the Spirit gets to work in us, we will develop all of these qualities in increasing measure.

Gradual, Inevitable Growth

But it does not happen overnight. We may become Christians overnight and therefore enter immediately into a new relationship with God, knowing we are completely forgiven and filled with his Spirit. We become part of the new humanity Christ brought in.

But just as it is often hard to tell when looking at a tree what kind of tree it is, it becomes obvious as time goes by, because the fruit will gradually and inevitably grow and so you can tell whether it is an apple tree or a plum tree or an oak or a sycamore.

Love Centred, Other Focussed

Finally, it is worth noticing that ‘love’ comes first in the list. It has priority, and compared with other lists of virtues in the world of Paul’s day, ‘love’ is distinctively seen in Christian lists.

Why is it so important? Because love, the concern for others as much as for ourselves is the true fulfilment of the Law. When we follow the Law for religious achievement or identity, as some were encouraging Paul’s original readers to do or we use Christianity as a badge for our own ideologies or political outlooks, then we are not showing love, we are ultimately being selfish and denying the heart of the law. When, however, we live by the Spirit, and the quality of love grows in our lives, we truly fulfil the Law:

“The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbour as yourself.”” (Galatians 5:14)

I am not going to look at the rest of the list in detail now. This is actually an introduction to a sermon series. Over nine sermons, spread out over the next few months, we are going to look at each of these qualities that describe the Fruit of the Spirit, so that we can truly grow this fruit more and more in our lives and community.

How to Live

But, how can we grow the fruit in our lives. Verses 24 and 25 help us. Remember Paul, has said that within us as Christians is a battle between the flesh and the Spirit, between our old humanity inherited from Adam, and our new humanity that we have through faith in Christ.

So, how do we interact with this battle?

See the Flesh as Crucified

Firstly, we need to see our flesh as crucified:

“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:24)

Notice, that ‘crucified’ is in the past tense, it has already happened. When we accept that Jesus died for our sins on the cross, we are putting our own fleshly life which we inherit from Adam on the cross.

Crucifixion in the ancient world was not just designed to inflict a torturous death, it was designed to humiliate the victim, to destroy their dignity in the sight of all those watching. In Jesus’ crucifixion, we see Jesus dying for the sins that arise out of our fleshly desires. In this way we see the true horror of what our flesh results in. The cross of Jesus humiliates and shames the sinful nature. We are meant to think, if that is what the flesh does, to our saviour, then how can I follow the desires of my flesh any more.

So, the first step towards the fruit of the Spirit, is to see the true horror of the flesh within us. So, that we may naturally reject it more and more, when it seeks to influence the way we live.

Walk in step with the Spirit

The second thing we are to do is to keep in step with the Spirit:

“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:25)

On Strictly come dancing, celebrities who are most amateur dancers are paired with professional dancers. To start with they can’t dance well at all, but as they practice with the professionals, they learn to follow the steps of the professional, and gradually they look increasingly impressive as dancers in their own right.

The Holy Spirit is God and shares the qualities of God. The more we seek to live in the way the Spirit lives, the more we will grow in the fruit of the Spirit, imitating the virtuous qualities of God and Jesus themselves.

There will be some steps that come more naturally to some than others. One person may already be naturally gentle, but not very self-disciplined, by walking in step with the Spirit, their self-discipline will continue, another may be joyous, but not patient, by walking in step with the Spirit they will become more patient.

So, as we set out on this journey of exploring the Fruit of the Spirit together, let’s pray for God’s help to see our flesh as crucified in Christ and our lives increasingly walking in step with the Holy Spirit.

This is not Cultural Christianity, this is transformational Christianity.