Category: Faith goes walkabout Page 5 of 9

Signs of Hope & Blessings

On February 17, 2019

Bless You – That’s my line!

Blessings, God Bless You, Blessed are the poor, the hungry, those who mourn, and those who are hated because of their faith…

What does it mean, blessings, blessed, bless you? Is it really a sign of hope, when hope is needed? Like the first daffodils in Spring, blessings for us all at the end of winter, we hope!

It seems that many people use the term, ‘Bless’, ‘bless you, bless him, and bless her’

I find it hard when people say that as I think what do they mean?

So, when people say to me ‘Oh, bless you,’ I often reply, ‘that’s my line!’

I must admit I deviated quite a bit from my sermon on the Beatitudes today, it seemed that hope was what was needed.

Rev’d Sue Martin

Happy Christmas

By faithgoeswalkabout

On December 26, 2018

In Christmas, church seasons, community, Faith goes walkabout

And all the bells on earth shall ring

On Christmas Day

And all the bells on earth shall ring on Christmas Day

In the Morning

Happy Christmas to All

Rev’d Sue Martin

Advent

By faithgoeswalkabout

On December 8, 2018

In Advent, Faith goes walkabout

Four weeks of preparation and getting ready! That’s a long time even for those, like me who are not that organised, all those endless jobs that need doing before Christmas are sitting in my lists, staring at me every day!

I met with a friend this week who has everything done and finished, just waiting now for Christmas to arrive! At first that seems wonderful but what would Christmas be like if we had it all completed before we had even started?

So, I give myself permission to remain unorganised, have many jobs left to do, and presents to wrap. But in the midst of that I hope to meet friends along the way to share time with, to see sparkling lights brightening the dark skies, to think of just how lucky we are and to find a time each day to thank God for the arrival of his son Jesus into the world over 2000 years ago.

A prayer…

Slow down Advent, and take time to look inwards at our hopes and fears, to look outwards at a world in need of hope and to look Godward confidant in his love and committment to the world.

Amen

Rev’d Sue Martin

Remembrance 2018 – 100 Years

By faithgoeswalkabout

On November 16, 2018

In community, Faith goes walkabout, Remebrance

Poppies made by the Girl Guides,Gayton

One hundred years ago the Armistice was signed between the Allies of World War 1 and the German Empire. The cessation of hostilities took effect at 11.00 am on 11th November 1918.

This year marks the centenary and Remembrance Day is commemorated across the UK.

In our Benefice on Norfolk, we held two main services with packed churches and two minutes silence at 11.00am. Even the traffic stopped on the road for us this year. In the evening two large bonfires were held and again huge numbers of people gathered to watch and the church bells rang out at 6.50pm to join in across the UK.

This was followed by singing the old songs and enjoying a glass of wine and some cakes and listening to stores of people from our village who went to war and never returned.

The first verse of the poem by Rupert Brooke, written in 1914, is a reminder of that time and the young men who gave their lives in the trenches in France and Belgium.

If I should die, think only this of me:

That there’s some corner of a foreign field

That is forever England. There shall be

In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;

A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,

Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam,

A body of England’s breathing English air,

Washed by rivers, blest by suns of home.

And think, this heart, all evil shed away,

A pulse in the eternal mind, no less

Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;

Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;

And laughter, learnt if friends; and gentleness,

In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.

Rupert Brooke 1914

Rev’d Sue Martin

The Bread of Life

By faithgoeswalkabout

On August 8, 2018

In church seasons, Faith goes walkabout, Sermons, theological, Trinity

What does it mean I am the bread of life? John 6:24-35

Jesus had left the disciples behind for a while and they had found him on the other side of the lake, Lake Galilee is very large so it would have taken some time to have found him.

You know those times when you just fancy a few minutes on your own to have a coffee or to have time with your thoughts, and then someone comes along and finds you.

And then what do they do, they invariably ask you a question.

The disciples did the same with Jesus, “When did you come here?”

Jesus had just performed the miracle of making the five loaves and two fishes feed a crowd of five thousand.

Presumably he had slipped away when the disciples were busy handing out the food, everyone was hungry.

Jesus doesn’t answer directly to the question from the disciples, that was not the important question. The answer that Jesus gave was about bread, but not just the bread that we eat with fish, but about the bread of life…

Pentecost, Holy Spirit and Emails

By faithgoeswalkabout

On May 18, 2018

In Faith goes walkabout

How to stay in touch, by email or the Holy Spirit!

Let’s imagine for a moment…

Email from office@heaven.central.

To Peter and disciples, Please all meet together on Sunday in Jerusalem at the Feast of Weeks. There will be people from many different countries speaking in many languages. More information to follow.

Email from peter@fishermen.galilee Many thanks but can you give more info please about where, when and what. We have been in upstairs rooms for quite a while now.

Email from office@heaven.central All will be revealed when you get there. No need for further info,if you really feel in need then visit

www.howtomakecontactwiththeHolySpirit,com

Email from peter@fishermen.galilee can’t get a signal or WiFi at the moment. Help!

Email from office@heaven.central Hi Peter, expect to be truly amazed. You are about to start something so huge.

Email from peter@fishermen.galilee More info needed asap. Tried the website www.howtomakecontactwiththeholyspirit.com but couldn’t access the right pages. Please send password straight away. I have my iPad ready.

Email from office@heaven.central Hi Peter, new password sent over, only active for an hour, need to change asap. But too late now as the Holy Spirit is on his way. Check out stuff for 3000 baptisms.

Joy in Lent

By faithgoeswalkabout

On February 14, 2018

In Faith goes walkabout, Lent, Uncategorized

Kalpana, brothers and sisters in the Himalayas. We support them.

Lent is a time for reflection and for giving things up. But why can’t it also be a time for joy!

This year as part of a Lent Reflection I will be posting about joy.

Joy can be seen all around us, it is infectious and children share it very easily.

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy. It is for all the people“. Luke 2, verse 10.

What better news could there be.

Joy, happiness and blessings in abundance.

Rev’d Sue Martin

Rocky ground, thorns and good soil

By faithgoeswalkabout

On July 15, 2017

In Faith goes walkabout, Sermons, Trinity, Uncategorized

The Parable of the Sower – Rocky ground, thorns and good soil. We all have time with rocky ground, thorns and good soil.

I would like to tell you about my garden.

Living in a new house for nearly a year now, and builders are great but they are not gardeners! The garden is, well let’s say it’s getting there!

On visits and walks in this village and other villages I see gardens of all sorts.

I have a little categorisation going on in my mind about gardens:

There are those where everything seems to remain in neat and tidy order all the time. How does that work? I’m never really sure how that can happen?

And then there are gardens where disorder has taken over completely, it could be in design, or not sure how to make a garden, or that life has become hard and the long worked over garden has just got out of control.

And then there are gardens where plants are purchased from the garden centre at least twice a year and order is restored, or the gardens where shrubs and everlasting plants are intertwined with gravel paths and maintenance is very low, but the effect is okay, nothing needed to be done.

And finally the garden where children’s games and toys are everywhere, plants are battling with the Buzz Light Year toy in the shrubs or tennis balls and footballs long ago punctured scattered across the garden. A grass lawn is usually there too, but with patches and areas where too many ball games have even worn down the grass.

The Parable of the Sower is a bit like modern day gardens. Jesus tells the story of how and where God can find his word present and alive. Jesus used parables as a way to explain the unexplainable, to give a picture in people’s minds of how God can be alive in everyone and how sometimes we are all a little deaf to His voice.

Mary Magdalene and the women by the cross

By faithgoeswalkabout

On April 22, 2017

In Faith goes walkabout

Mary Magdalene is of high importance in the story of Jesus, not just for the role she played as one of the women by the cross , but throughout all the gospels she appears and is seen with Jesus and the disciples.

This week, after reading the Easter story again and again, I have been wondering even more about Mary Magdalene, who she was, what did she do and do we have a good image and picture of her?

I came across a very interesting website, The Junia Project,with a recent blog, called The Women Who Stood by the Cross, by Gail Wallace. The words below are taken from the blog, which makes excellent reading;

“Some women were watching from a distance, including Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and Salome. When Jesus was in Galilee, these women had followed and supported him, along with many other women who had come to Jerusalem with him.” (Mark 15:40-41)

We know from all four gospel writers that a number of women were present at the crucifixion and death of Jesus, and that some of those women were also at the burial and the empty tomb. Who are these women who stood near the cross, and what can we learn from their example of discipleship?”

It has long been argued that Mary Magdalene is wrongly portrayed and the emphasis has been on her femininity, rather than in her devotion and support of Jesus in his teaching and throughout his life.

There is a recorded Gospel of St Mary, which was found in Egypt in 1896, and was not included in the canon.

It is widely though that Mary went to France after the crucifixion and from the book Mary Magdalene by Esther de Boer it concludes that many of her relics are at the Benedctine Abbey in Vezeley, France.

Mary Magdalene remains for me a central character, disciple and apostle of Jesus. Worthy of spending some time in research to look at her role from a woman living in Magdala on the shores of the Sea of Galilee to follower of Christ.

Rev’d Sue Martin

Light up a Life!

By faithgoeswalkabout

On December 7, 2016

In community, Faith goes walkabout

Light up a Life services with the Norfolk Hospice, Tapping House are being held this week.

Over a hundred people joined us on Sunday 4th December, at King’s Lynn Minster and lit candles which were placed on the altar. Carols were sung and people had chance to reflect and join together over a cup of tea and a mince pie.

On Monday December 5th, a service was held at the Sandringham Visitor’s Centre and more than a hundred people listened, prayed and lit candles too. Tea and mince pies again on offer and a well needed chance to meet and chat!

When we lose someone we love.… a chance to read the address

Rev’d Sue Martin

Chaplain to the Norfolk Hospice, Tapping House