When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”

(Luke 14:15)

This week, the sections of the email are:

• Opening reflection: You’re Invited!
• This Sunday: Luke 14:15-24
• Key notices: The Bible Course, Ride and Stride, The Harvest Appeal
• Coming Up: Prayer Breakfast, Men’s Night, Heritage Open Days, The Birth of St. George’s
• Local Church news: ACTS newsletter, Course on Psalms, Thanet Prayer Diary
• Interesting Blogs: Dear Kemi, Does ChatGPT have the answer
• Weekly Calendar
• Online Forms

Scroll on…

Opening Reflection

What would you love to be invited to? A banquet at Buckingham Palace? The after party for a Taylor Swift concert? A chimpanzee tea party at your local zoo? What invitation would you feel is too good to miss?

The man quoted above was at a dinner party with Jesus. In response to Jesus’ mention of the resurrection he declares how good it will be to be part of God’s heavenly banquet. In other words how good to share in the joyful celebration of eternal life that God offers. Jesus responds with a parable about people who refuse at the last minute to attend a host’s party with flimsy excuses. The host is furious and invites others to the party and vows that the original invitees will miss out on the feast.

The point Jesus is making to the man is this: You say it will be a blessing to be at the feast of the Kingdom of God, but I am here now telling you that the Kingdom of God is near, the feast is ready. If you refuse to accept my invitation you will miss out. This is a challenge and warning to everyone who likes the idea of being invited to God’s heavenly banquet, but focus instead on the less important matters of possessions, work and personal relationships.

September is a time of new starts for many. Children are starting a new school year and many of us are gearing up again after a summer break. It is a good time to consider again Jesus’ invitation. For some that may mean starting to attend church, perhaps for the first time or perhaps having fallen out of the habit of attending in recent years. For others it may mean committing to a deeper pursuit of growth in faith, maybe by joining the Bible Course. Whichever it is be assured you are invited and we would love to welcome you.

Paul Worledge

This Sunday

 You are invited (Luke 14:15-24)

This week we begin a series looking at the stories Jesus told. This week’s story is about invitations and excuses. All the normal children’s groups are starting again this week. We look forward to welcoming you!

Key Notices:

The Bible Course – Starting this week!

The Bible Course is an opportunity to see the big picture of the Bible and understand how it all fits together. There are eight sessions in which we will watch videos explaining how the Bible fits together and its relevance today. There will also be opportunities for discussion in small groups and guidance on reading the Bible for yourself. You can join us either on Monday nights, 7:30-9:00pm in St. Luke’s Hall or Thursday’s 11:30am-1pm in St. Luke’s church. We will be giving out course books, for which there is a suggested no obligation donation of £10. If you cannot make every session you can catch up on what you miss online. No need to book, just turn up and give it a try.

Ride and Stride – Saturday 13^th September

This coming Saturday is the annual Ride and Stride. If you would like to take part and be sponsored to raise money for the church and the Friends of Kent Churches, then please do grab a sponsorship form and details from the back of church. The idea is to visit as many churches locally as you can manage.

We also need people to man the church during the day on the Saturday to welcome those taking part. If you can sit in church for an hour or two on 13^th, then please sign up on the list at the back of church.

Harvest Appeal – Mercy Ships

This year we will be celebrating Harvest on 28^th September. As is traditional we will be collecting non-perishable food for the Salvation Army food bank, but we will also be having a financial collection for this year’s chosen charity: Mercy Ships.

Mercy Ships operates two hospital ships that visit various ports in sub-Saharan Africa. As well as completing thousands of urgent operations onboard the floating hospitals, the Africa Mercy and the Global Mercy, Mercy Ships volunteers also work closely with host nations to improve the way healthcare is delivered across the country, by training and mentoring local medical staff, and renovating hospitals and clinics. Please consider giving generously to their work and enabling those in countries with no affordable healthcare to receive the kind of treatment we have come to expect in our country.

Coming Up:

Churches Together Prayer Breakfast – Saturday -9-10am

Join other churches for breakfast and prayer at St. Laurence Church this Saturday.

Men’s Night – Wednesday 10^th September, 6pm

Petanque Evening at Charlotte Court. £5, but includes sandwiches. Please let Bruce Stokes know if you are going (07708 682464, bruce.stokes@btinternet.com)

Heritage Open Days – Saturday 13^th and 20^th

St. George’s will be open on Saturday 13^th and 20^th for the Heritage Open Days for Tower and Crypt Tours, and also on 13^th September as part of the Festival of Sound and with a Yard Sale.

The Birth of St. George’s – Saturday 4^th October, 3pm

An illustrated talk by Margaret Bolton looking at how Ramsgate developed up to the Regency period and what prompted people to build a church. Why did they call it St George’s? Where did the money come from? Why was it designed to look as it did? Who worked on the project? How has it changed since?

Tickets are £5 on the door or in advance from the website. All proceeds to the St. George’s Restoration Fund. Fliers available at the back of church.

Local Church News:

ACTS newsletter:

Find out the latest from the local Christian schools work charity: Page 1  — Page 2

Course on the Psalms:

Robin Plant is running a course on the Psalms called, ‘Thirsting for God’ at Newington Free church on Tuesday evenings. The first session is this Tuesday 9^th September at 7:30pm. Find out more.

Thanet Prayer Diary

Please check out the latest Thanet Prayer Diary for September and October. Copies available at the back of church or via this link.

Interesting Blogs to Share:

Dear Kemi…

In this article Graham Tomlin responds to Kemi Badenoch over the summer where she explained that she gave up on faith because of the unanswered prayers of Elizabeth Fritzl, who suffered at the hands of Josef Fritzl for years. Read more… (5 mins)

 

Does ChatGPT have the answer?

This article asked ChatGPT about what people today ultimately desire. The answer was surprising… Read more (5 mins)

Weekly Calendar

Sunday 7^th September – Twelfth Sunday after Trinity

Family Service (St. Luke’s Church), Luke 14:15-24, 11:00am-12:00pm

Monday 8^th   

Prayer Meeting (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am

The Bible Course (St. Luke’s Hall) – 7:30-9:00pm

Tuesday 9^th

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

Wednesday 10^th

Men’s Group (Charlotte Court) – 6:00pm

PCC Meeting (Perry Room) – 7:30pm

Thursday 11^th   

Prayer Meeting (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am

Cafe4All (St. Luke’s Church), Coffee and Chat for all – 10:00-11:30am

The Bible Course (St. Luke’s Church) – 11:30am-1:00pm

Friday 12^th  

Play and Praise (St. Luke’s Hall) – 10:00-11:30am

Saturday 13^th       

Prayer Meeting (St. George’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am

Sunday 14^th – Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity

Family Baptism Service (St. Luke’s Church), Luke 15.1-10, 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.

Finally, let’s dare to share our faith and our lives with those God has called us to.

Yours in Christ

Paul Worledge

(Vicar, St. Luke’s Ramsgate)