St. Luke's, Ramsgate

We continue the series learning from 1 Thessalonians

“And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.” (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

“He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’” (Luke 10:27) The Lion and the Mouse, The Boy Who Cried Wolf and The Tortoise and the Hare are just some of the fables attributed to Aesop, a Greek fabalist traditionally known to be a slave in ancient Greece.  As fables...

“We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.” (1 Thessalonians 2:8) We will be considering how Paul and his team went about sharing the good news of Jesus in the early days of the church and what lessons we can learn today.

"We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 1:3) Why do you do what you do? It is not an easy question to answer. We all have mixed motives for our actions in life, but some will be more important to us than others.  So, what drives your life? A desire to seek...

‘After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.’ (1 Kings 19:12) We learn more about God’s help for Elijah.

Romans 12:12: "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." This Sunday is Trinity Sunday. Many Christians do not like to think too much about God as Trinity, because it feels impossible to understand how God can be one and yet three persons. This is part of the mystery of God and we should not be surprised that the nature of the Creator of the Universe is beyond our comprehensio...

Acts 2:4: "All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them." This week it is Pentecost, when we remember the coming of the Holy Spirit on the church for the first time and the preaching of the gospel in tongues people from all nations could understand. It is also our special gift day, and we encourage regular members to bring their respon...

Matthew 26:53: Jesus said, "Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels." Like Eisha, Jesus is aware that he has an angelic army at his disposal, as he declares in the verse above. Yet, Jesus shows even greater strength and courage. When soldiers arrive to capture him, he allows it, going through with his crucifixion, trusting...

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) So, as Joshua did, let’s take courage in the growth of the church and meditate on his word day and night, treating it as the true gift it is.

Exodus 14:13a: "Moses answered the people, 'Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today." This week we look at the victory God gives to the Israelites, when they are trapped between the advancing Egyptian army and the Red Sea.

Then Deborah said to Barak, “Go! This is the day the LORD has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the LORD gone ahead of you?” (Judges 4:14a) In the book of Judges, God’s people are constantly caught in a cycle of walking with God and completely abandoning him and his teaching. Our society today can feel like this, cycling between belief in God and rejection of his teachings. However, we have th...

Jesus says: "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) Thinking of World War II it is often the case that the greater the suffering or challenge the greater the joy when the suffering or challenge is overcome. In the quote above, Jesus was preparing the disciples for his imminent death. For many at the ti...

"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" (Luke 19:38). Easter Sunday is the climactic Sunday of the Christian message as we gather to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-5) Palm Sunday reminds us both of the claims to kingship that Jesus made about himself, claims that were embra...

"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise!" (Revelation 5:12) This week, we are looking at the story of Jesus being anointed at Bethany (John 12:1-8). As Jesus reclines at a dinner held in honour of him, Mary anoints him with perfume worth the equivalent of a labourer’s annual salary. This is an extravagent and incredibl...

"When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.” (John 19:26-27) The communities we surround ourselves with can be places where we can mother others and be mothered through being nurtured, cared for, guided...

"It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life." (Revelation 21:6) In our verse above, Jesus makes clear that when we come to him and become part of his family, we receive freely from him the water of life. That is life in abundance, eternal life. This is God’s amazing grace. Will yo...

"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, from the house of the Lord we bless you!" (Psalm 118:26) How have we as churches (as opposed to individuals) disappointed Jesus? The shortcomings of the Pharisees are itemised in Matthew 23, but what might Jesus want to say to us today? Given that His summary of the Old Testament Law was that we should love God and our neighbour, it may b...

"We have a high priest who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet he did not sin" Hebrews 4:15 What has forty days in a wilderness fasting and being tempted by the devil to do with paradise? Everything. In the wilderness experience, Jesus wrestled with what it really meant to be God’s son. In so doing, he prepared himself to resist the temptations of a public ministry. Let’s all use t...

Jo Gale talks about her faith and what that means on a daily basis.

‘I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.’ Psalm 32:5 There are earthly consequences to our sin, broken relationships, justice, maybe if a law was broken. When you remember back to times you have confessed something you may have only got back guilt and shame from that person or done the same for someone confessing something to you. We a...

"Turn LORD and deliver me, save me because of your unfailing love." (Psalm 6:4) We continue our series on Spirituality for Dark Times with Psalm 6, ‘Crying’

Ross Worledge talks about his faith and what that means on a daily basis.

"Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing." (Psalm 34:9) We often think of spirituality as bringing us a sense of peace and comfort from connecting with God’s love and that is true. But it should also bring us into a healthy fear of God. Fear of God is freeing not limiting, it brings peace, because we are confident that justice will win out and it develops a wisdom in us,...