Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Beatitude 7 – Happy are the Peacemakers

Matthew 5v9 “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called sons of God..”

What a blessing it is when people bring peace. Think of people you know who tend to bring peace and reconciliation. What is it about them that enables them to do that?

The Bible paints God as the great reconciler – he reconciles to himself people who were alienated by sin. As he does this reconciliation, he also reconciles diverse mankind to one another (see Ephesians 2v11-22 for example). This act of reconciliation is not without cost as it requires the death of His Son Jesus Christ.

Peacemaking is the business of God, and so to be a peacemaker is to follow in the footsteps of God. Hence, in this verse, Jesus says peacemakers “will be called sons of God”.

I wonder if in thinking about what enabled someone you know to be a peacemaker, some of the following arose:

• A selfless act of listening in order to understand. This is listening to God in his Word and by his Holy Spirit as well as to each party. God fully understood, but he also became human so that he could fully empathise with us.
• A selfless act of helping each side to understand the cause of the issue. This may require correction for both sides which may put our own relationship on the line. God, in Jesus, taught about how we should live and called people to ‘repent’ ( that is to change their thinking and attitude). Without repentance, there is no reconciliation with God. This requires also the work of the Holy Spirit ( see John 16v7-11)
• A selfless act of seeking to bridge the gap to help parties move closer. This may require sacrifice on our part as we step out in our actions to make a path of peace. For Jesus, this required his death on the cross. Do you feel reconciliation is worth making sacrifices for?

Imagine we became known as the people who bring peace – in our homes, in our workplaces, in our neighbourhoods – and of course in the church!

With love and blessing,

Roland

News

• Alpha
  • It is exciting to see people asking questions. Do pray for the Holy Spirit to bring illumination.
• This Sunday
  • This Sunday, our churches around the world are celebrating “ChristCentral Sunday”. We will have an update from Ukraine in our broadcast time and a message from Jeremy Simpkins in our Zoom time.
  • We have also come to Matthew 6v1-4 in our teaching, and it would be natural to take an offering for the work of ChristCentral in areas of greater need. Jeremy will refer to this and if you wish to participate in this offering, you may do so by bank transfer to our Hope account with the reference “ChristCentral”, or directly to Christ Central as shown on this link: christcentralchurches.org/giving/
• St Christopher’s cafe
  • The St Christopher’s cafe is open this Friday from 10-1 for drinks and light snacks. There are no main meals being offered at present. It is fully Covid-19 compliant, so expect there to be new ways of working when you arrive. If you would like to volunteer to help some weeks, please contact Dawn.
• Live Worship evening
  • As part of our prayer day on Wednesday 28^th October, we are going to have live worship in the evening. Tony is organising a small band to lead the worship from Admaston House and it will be broadcast on Facebook/YouTube so that you can all participate. Do put this evening in your diaries!
• Prayer Day
  • On Wednesday 28^th October, we will have a prayer day. You may choose to spend much of the day in fasting and prayer. We will have specific hours of prayer on Zoom and in person and are planning a prayer walk where you live!
• Christmas Community Carol Event – Sunday 20^th December
  • How can we connect with the community? How can we bring some community celebration to Christmas this year? What about an outdoor Carol Service to which everyone is invited? We want to make it special with a well-decorated tree, lights, maybe fireworks, mulled wine, mince pies, as well as excellent musical sound. Of course it all needs to be Covid-19 secure.
  • The police are fully aware of our outline plans and have confirmed accord with current guidelines. We agree with the police that this is an important opportunity for our community to get together in a safe and positive way. It is also a fantastic opportunity to point people to Jesus.
  • It will be a feature event in our magazine which will go to the printers at the end of October.
  • Excited? Want to be part of it? Fantastic – you can be involved in planning, preparation and action. There are many roles required and we want to do it well – whether it is stewarding & social distance marking, ticketing, serving mulled wine, lights / special effects, sound and music, tree and decoration, programme etc. Join us on Zoom on Sunday morning to talk more.
• CAP- Telford
  • The Christians Against Poverty Debt Advice Centre in Telford have issued an update video which is available here. https://youtu.be/eu4vy1F3uA4

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 those who are participating on Alpha courses at present.

Prayer:

• Those who are suffering with ill-health at present.
• Let’s pray for spiritual breakthrough in our neighbourhoods.
• For the Live Worship and the Christmas Carol event outlined above.

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.