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)
Anger, lust, violence, joy, bravery, valiance, malice, envy, elation, depression, confusion, empathy. Humans are complicated creatures with many difficult emotions shown and perceived in complex ways, and our passage this week is undoubtedly one to stir up a reaction!
At the battle between the Israelites and Canaanites, 10,000 fight against an army with 900 iron fitted chariots. Just away from the fighting, by herself in a tent, is a woman called Jael. Her and her husband are friends with both sides of the fight, living peacefully as tinsmiths and nomads of the land. But the leader of the enemy, Sisera, fleeing from the battle, is defeated not by the army 10,000 strong but by this lone woman, vulnerable in her tent, giving hospitality and rest before she hammers a tent peg through the mans skull. We can see that her time for neutrality between these two sides had come to a crossroads and she was faced with a choice to lie to the Israelites and hide the Canaanite at his request, or make a different choice, one that alights with the Israelite people. The Israelites were now free from their oppressors and the words prophesied by Deborah to the Israelite mility leader Barak that ‘the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman’ had been fulfilled.
This may either be seen by you as a shocking account, an impressive account or both. Whatever your reaction, it shows itself to be a series of events where God’s people are delivered, but not in a way anyone would have expected. Instead of a defeat for the oppressor of Israel by strength, numbers and brute force, he is delivered into the hands of the Israelites by a lone woman. 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 the teachings of Jesus and a reconciled relationship to God through his sacrifice and the holy spirit to guide us through our journey. Let’s look for the unexpected ways God is moving in our lives and be thankful for the blessings we have been given in our walk with God today.
Beth Keenan
This Sunday
A Woman’s Fight (Judges 4:1-24)
This week we continue our them of ‘Fight the good fight’ and consider one of the battles in the book of Judges, where it was the women that followed God’s initiative. Tomorrow is a Holy Communion service with the normal children’s groups running.
Planned Giving Review
This week we are launching our annual ‘Planned Giving Review’. This will climax with a Gift Day on Pentecost Sunday, 8th June. We are asking people to consider how much they can give to financially support the church as well as how they might be able to offer practical support and help with Vision 2030.
Please check the back of the church and take the envelope with your name on it. (If there is not an envelope with your name take one of the spare ones.)
APCM and PCC membership
Our Annual Church meeting (APCM) will be on Thursday 22nd May at 7:30pm in the Church Hall. At this meeting we will be updating you on plans for our Vision 2030 and electing members to our PCC. Please put the date in the diary. Also, please consider standing for our PCC or nominating someone who would be a good fit. We need the wisdom of a variety of church members to help us guide the church over the coming years.
Joy Brenchley – Funeral
Joy’s funeral will be at 12 noon in St. Luke’s Church on Thursday 15th May. If anyone has any memories of Joy at St. Luke’s that they would like to be shared, then please let Paul know.
Brian Belsey – Funeral
Brian Belsey who played a key leadership role at Christ Church for many years has sadly passed away. There will be a service of thanksgiving at Christ Church on Monday 19th May at 2pm.
An Update about Youth Hangout and Youth Work
We’ve had a meeting to discuss on how to go forward with providing a safe place for the youth of our church and local community. We’ve considered what worked and what didn’t and feel the way forward is to change the day and time to an evening session. This will include Biblical teaching through activities and games, an easy meal to share together and a big game at the end.
In order to help this vision to take place we are asking if anyone with a passion to engage and explore helping with this initiative to speak to Tonya Curry, Tina Gilham, Paul Worledge or Beth Patterson as soon as possible. We are praying for at least 6 extra volunteers so a rota could be set in place.
Young Voices Questionnaire
If you are aged 11 to 24 or know someone who is, then do encourage them to fill out the Canterbury Diocese Youth Council questionnaire which focuses on mental health. These snapshot questionnaires are an opportunity to hear the voices of young people from across our diocese. It closes on 23 May.
Joy Brenchley – Funeral
Joy’s funeral will be at 12 noon in St. Luke’s Church on Thursday 15th May.
Brian Belsey – Funeral
Brian Belsey who played a key leadership role at Christ Church for many years has sadly passed away. There will be a service of thanksgiving at Christ Church on Monday 19th May at 2pm. This will follow a funeral service at the crematorium.
Youthscape Launchpad Diocesan Event
6:30-9:00pm on Monday 2nd June at St. Laurence church in Ramsgate. Led by Bp Rose Hudson-Wilkin, with Jen Tobin the Diocesan Lead Officer for Children & Young People’s Work and Launchpad Youth Scape Representatives. This is an intergenerational event for young people 11 years old and upwards and those helping to lead young people’s work. See Tonya Curry if you are interested in going as part of a group from St. Luke’s.
New Ladies Group
We would love to start a “Share and Care” group where we can get to know each other better and support and encourage one another.
To get the ball rolling we would like to invite you to a coffee and cake morning at Hazel’s (15 St. Augustine’s Park, Ramsgate CT11 0DE) on Saturday 24th May at 10.30 till 12.00 so that we can throw some ideas around. All ladies welcome.
Please let one of us know if you can come (to help us gauge catering) and if you need a lift or if you cannot make it bur would like to be part of future events: Hazel Kenney (07887863176), Lesley Turner (07896634090), Brenda Clarke (07508174251).
Next Men’s Group Meeting
7pm, Thursday 15th May at the Ramsgate Harbour Lifeboat Station. Your chance to see what is involved in the running of our lifeboat station. This is a free event, but a £5 (or more) donation is suggested. For more information contact Trevor Kenney, 07792828097, trevorkenney1@gmail.com.
Sponsorship Request
Cyra McWilliams, one of our newer members, is doing a walk 100 miles in May 2025 to raise money for Young Lives vs. Cancer. Click here to support her.
Links to Share:
This week an article and a video about the recent Bible Society report: “A Quiet Revival”.
The Sound of a Quiet Revival
In this short article, Lauren Westwood helpfully summarises the recent research on church attendance that suggests a ‘quiet revival’ is going on particularly amongst younger people. Read more… (10 mins)
Reports of Revival
In this video Glen Scrivener gives ten shifts that the report suggests and five caveats to the report that we need to be aware of. Watch (22 minutes)
Finally, let’s keep fighting the good fight that God calls us to.
Yours in Christ
Paul Worledge
(Vicar, St. Luke’s Ramsgate)
Weekly Calendar
Sunday 11th – Fourth Sunday of Easter
Family Service (St. Luke’s Church), Judges 4:1-24, 11:00am-12:00pm
Monday 12th
Prayer Meeting (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Tuesday 13th
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 14th
Study Group (Langdale Avenue) – 10:00-12:00 noon
Study Group (South Eastern Road) – 7:30-9:30pm
Thursday 15th
Prayer Meeting (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Cafe4All (St. Luke’s Church), Coffee and Chat for all – 10:00-11:30am
Joy Brenchley’s Funeral (St. Luke’s Church) – 12:00 noon
Men’s Group (Ramsgate Lifeboat Station) – 7:00pm
Friday 16th
Play and Praise (St. Luke’s Church Hall) – 10:00-11:30am
Saturday 17th
Daily Prayer (St. George’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Sunday 18th – Fifth Sunday of Easter
Family Service (St. Luke’s Church), Exodus 14:10-18, 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.
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.at we can keep records of who has done the training.e 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 