Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Beatitude 1 – Poor in Spirit

Matthew 5v3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

On Sunday mornings, I have been interested to look at the commands of Jesus in sequence in Matthew – seeing what he has actually told us to do: we are now at what we call the “Sermon on the Mount”. This sermon is heavily reliant on the idea of the kingdom of heaven, and much of it is expansion of the principles set in the beatitudes. I intend to reflect on each beatitude in turn over the next few weeks in this “Thought for the week”.

In our culture it is often the assertive, the self-confident and the self-assured who obtain things. In the kingdom of heaven it is quite different. Jesus says the kingdom of heaven belongs to those who are “poor in spirit”. He means those who are humble, who are not self-promoting. It is those who do not consider themselves to be the most important or to be the most “OK”. Someone who is poor in spirit will recognise their errors and admit them, they will defer to the preferences of others, and they will not presume their own importance; they will not seek their own ends, but consider the needs of others above their own. Our reliance is on God our heavenly Father.

Jesus exemplifies this spirit. He is the one who gave up heaven for a season to come to earth as a human. He served and served, even washing his disciples’ feet. He was ill-treated and abused even to death, but he never retaliated.

What situations are we facing where we need to exercise this poverty of spirit, this spirit of humility?

May the Spirit of Christ dwell in each one of us.

With love and blessing,

Roland

News

Regathering Reminders

• Invitation – You are welcome to invite people to our Sunday morning gathering.
• Bring – Face covering, (and optionally, water-bottle and Bible).
• Arrival – Please arrive between 10.15 and 10.25, wear facemask, sanitise hands and proceed to the meeting room to sit in households.
• Facemasks – Facemasks must now be worn while in the building.
• Social distancing – Please note the government guidelines require social distancing between households. This is for our mutual protection.
• Toilets – If you use the toilet during the morning, please use the spray and paper towels to wipe the surfaces you touch afterwards.
• Exit – Please exit promptly to the grass area, taking all belongings, sanitising your hands and putting any rubbish in the bin. You may social distance with others and then exit through the gate.

• Autumn Hope Magazines –
  • The magazines have arrived and will be available from this Sunday to take for distribution. Please respect social distancing while collecting.
  • To name a set for yourself, please let me know.
  • While delivering: Take hand sanistiser with you; maintain social distancing from people you meet; Do not touch your face without sanitising your hands; Sanitise your hands before you begin and at the end.

Programme –

Please contact roland@hopeadmaston.org.uk if you would like to join any of our meetings via Zoom.

Sunday morning worship is now live-streamed on both Youtube and Facebook from Admaston House at 10.30am.

Prayer

• Give thanks
  • For our church family
  • For the increasing freedom we are able to experience.
• Prayer
  • The Holy Spirit’s anointing on our gathering together.
  • For wisdom for all in the application of guidelines.
  • Use our daily prayer guide and let’s pray for one another in this time of change.

Other general information

Pastoral Care – If you are in isolation and need support (eg shopping), please contact natalie@hopeadmaston.org.uk who will arrange with the team of helpers.