Love one another, as I have loved you.
Being a Christian is not always easy. For a start there are all these other people who claim to be Christian but don’t behave the way I do… so they can’t be Christians!
Sadly, this kind of thinking is all too common in our churches. It’s the kind of thinking that Jesus preached and taught against so often.
We need to start with the simple understanding that anyone who loves Jesus is a brother and sister – and then work from there.
There are enough reasons to disagree and argue with people in the world without us finding new ways to fall out with our own family.
As I return from the Holy Land I’m prompted to consider the part that I play in division and hatred. It may sound overly dramatic, but my own small part is a cog in a wheel that results in the hatred and hurt we see in the middle east.
In the same way that our small acts of good add up to change the world, or small acts of nastiness or gossip or unkind comments add up to make the world a worse place.
So in this Week of Christian Unity, I urge you to keep an eye out for your brother and sister Christians around the world and to pray that one day, with the Grace of God, we will once again be one in Him.
Not divided by doctrine and dogma, but united in love and in a joy of being a family in Christ.
Fr. Matthew
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Other News
Alpha started on Thursday evening and continues for the next 12 weeks. If you’re interested, or know someone who you think may find it helpful, given them a flyer or point them to our website at www.stanselm.co.uk/alpha
The foodbank is in need to tinned fish, long life milk, sugar and most of all… bags! Can you please have a dig around and bring some in on Sunday.
Next Sunday we have our family led mass put together by Fr. Josiah and Susan. It will be a wonderful opportunity to share the gifts of our children with the whole congregation. It will be a very special service.
Our new coffee bike is now in place alongside our new cafe area. We’ll be advertising shortly for somebody to come and run the cafe on our behalf for a set daily fee – if you know of anyone who may be interested please speak to Fr. Matthew.
PCC meeting on the 5th February immediately after mass – to include a special meeting for appointing Fr. Matthew as Vicar.
Fr. Matthew has brought Holy Water back from the Holy Land (the Well of Mary in Nazareth) and this will be available on Sunday.