“Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”
(Mark 3:35)
Marks Gospel is a gospel of action! Jesus has been busy: healing and driving out demons (1:21-34); healing and forgiving sins of the paralysed man (2:1-12); befriending sinners (2:13-17); upsetting the pharisees (2:23-3:6); encountering crowds (3:7) and impure spirits (3:11) and finalising his team (3:13-19). And here we are again in 3:20-35 and the crowds have gathered around Jesus. It seems non-stop.
In these verses that follow we read in v21 that: When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” Is that would you would expect from Mary, from family?
I am fascinated by family. Family dynamics can be fraught and entertaining. They are a unique culture, that can provide amazing traditions and family traits and likenesses. They can be wonderful things to be part of, but can also cause great harm. Family are often people we have spent significant time with and know all our faults and flaws and have a formed opinion of who we are.
In Jewish culture the family unit was tight and long-lasting, children often lived and worked closely with their parents. There was a sense of loyalty to family as being part of their God-given thinking. And yet in these verses following on from Jesus being accused of being a member of Satan’s family – Jesus challenges his loyalty to his family unit: “Who are my mother and my brothers? … Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”
As followers of Jesus, we are now family –Jesus the radical King is the head of the family and we bear his likeness, sharing his power and authority – sharing the ways of his kingdom and living in obedience – we have a family business of living out God’s kingdom in word and deed. Let’s encourage each other in that task.
Claire Coleman
This Week’s Sunday Service – 11am
Join us at St. Luke’s for a normal service with groups for children, hymns and songs of praise, prayer and Bible teaching. This week we continue looking at Jesus in Mark’s gospel and discover what Jesus says about his family.
Claire’s Licensing Date
Claire Coleman will be remaining with us until mid-August, when we will organise a goodbye and thank you celebration for her. After a break to enable her to move house and prepare for her new ministry, she will be licensed at St. Martin’s in Dover at 7:30pm on Thursday 19th September. Hopefully, many of us will be able to go to Dover to support her at the start of her new ministry.
Welcoming Beth and Family
Beth our new curate, husband Tom and son Toby are moving to Ramsgate in the middle of June. They are moving into a different house to Claire!
It would be good to provide some kind of welcome package for when they move in. If you would like to volunteer to co-ordinate this or to help in some way, please let Paul know by Tuesday this week.
General Election – Call to Prayer
The bishops of the Church of England have issued a call to put prayer and participation at the heart of the General Election campaign as the UK prepares to go to the polls.
Speaking after the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced he is seeking a dissolution of Parliament ahead of an election on 4 July, Archbishops Justin Welby and Stephen Cottrell urged people to set aside time amid the heat of the coming campaign to reflect and pray for our nation and our world.
Yard Sales at St. George’s
The first of the summer Yard Sales a St. George’s is on Saturday 15th June from 11am to 4pm. There will be stalls and activities, vintage clothes, refreshments, music, bric-a-brac, crafts and family fun.
Volunteers – Welcomers
We rely heavily on a large team of volunteers in all kinds of areas to ensure the smooth running of our Sunday Service. We are particularly looking to recruit a few more welcomers to join our team. If you are interested, please have a chat with James Patterson or to find out what is involved why not ask one of our present welcomers.
ACTS – Primary Schools Work Facilitator
ACTS (Active Christianity in Thanet Schools) has an exciting opportunity for a suitable candidate to join and help develop an established mission that seeks to inspire a generation of children and young people to engage with the Christian Faith and explore its values! Check out the full Job description and how to apply.
Intercession (leading prayers in church) Training Workshop
Thanet Deanery Intercessions Workshop at St Peter in Thanet Church, CT10 2TR Tuesday 2nd July from 7.30pm-9.30pm or Wednesday 3rd July from 11am-1pm. Join us for a chance to get together and discuss leading intercession in your church. This workshop is suitable for anyone who is currently leading or would like to lead intercessions in their church setting. To confirm a place please contact Rev Matt Hodder via revmatt@stpeterinthanet.org.uk
Links to Share:
Why come to church?
In this 3 minute video, Glen Scrivener gives a beautifully succinct answer as to why as Christians we should be a part of a church. Watch video.
Cheeky Pandas and Story Bible Videos
This new set of videos and resources for young children telling some of the stories about Jesus is now freely available online. Great for families. Watch the promo… (1 min)
Finally, let’s rejoice that we can be part of Jesus’s family.
Yours in Christ
Paul Worledge
(Vicar, St. Luke’s Ramsgate)
Weekly Calendar
Sunday 9th June
Creative Group Singing Practice (St Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:30am
Family Service (St. Luke’s Church), Mark 3:20-35, 11:00am-12:00pm
Monday 10th
Prayer Meeting (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Study Group (South Eastern Road) – 7:15-9:30pm
Tuesday 11th
Prayer Meeting (St. George’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Christ Church Toddlers @ St Luke’s (St. Luke’s Church Hall) – 9:30-11:30am
Study Group (Lyndhurst Road) – 2:30-4:00pm
Wednesday 12th
Study Group (Langdale Avenue) – 10-12 noon
Study Group (South Eastern Road) – 7:30-9:30pm
Thursday 13th
Prayer Meeting (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Cafe4All (St. Luke’s Church), Coffee and Chat for all – 10:00-11:30am.
Friday 14th
Play and Praise (St. Luke’s Church Hall) – 10:00-11:30am
Gather, Women’s Drop-In (St. Luke’s Church) – 12:30-2:30pm
Saturday 15th
Prayer Meeting (St. George’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Yard Sale (St George’s Church Grounds) – 11:00am-4:00pm
Sunday 16th
Creative Group Singing Practice (St Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:30am
Communion Service (St. Luke’s Church), Mark 4:26-34, 11:00am-12:00pm
Online Forms
Under the ‘Contact’ tab on the website, there are now three forms that you can use to help us in managing the church:
- Events Application Form. Use this if you are organising a church event that needs a church room booked, advertising or ticketing.
- Submit a Notice. Use this if you want to ask us to include a prayer request or other notice in the church notice sheet or email.
- Maintenance Reporting Form.Use this to report any non-urgent issues with our buildings or grounds.
St. Luke’s Website
- What’s On – a page which lets you know what is happening this week and gives information about upcoming events.
- Notices – You can read the latest notices on this page.
- Sermons – Read a transcript of a recent sermon or watch the YouTube version recorded at St. Luke’s. You can also listen to the sermon through the podcast website castbox.
Safeguarding Training
If you volunteer in anyway at church the national authorities are strongly encouraging you to take at least the Basic Module in safeguarding training once every three years.
If you have not completed the training in the last three years, then the module can be completed online and takes about ninety minutes. You can access the training by following this link. You will need to first register, to access the training. Once the training is completed, you will be sent a certificate. Please forward that certificate to James (office@stlukesramsgate.org), so that we can keep records of who has done the training.raining. Once the training is completed, you will be sent a certificate. Please forward that certificate to James (office@stlukesramsgate.org), so that we can keep records of who has done the training.
St. Luke's Church Ramsgate 