Friday Football is back and meeting on the Common from 5.30-6.30 pm from Easter to October.
It happens every Friday that school is on. So no football during school holidays.
It’s for anyone in year 6 and at secondary school.
At half time there’s a short talk based on a part of the bible to encourage everyone to think about Jesus.
Why not join Friday Alive back at the Holy Redeemer Parish Hall after football? It starts at 7 pm.
It’s just a 10 minute walk from the Common down Streatham Vale.
In conjunction with the SVPOA, Holy Redeemer is hosting a
Jubilee Tea party on Friday June 3rd from 3-5pm
to celebrate the 70 year reign of Queen Elizabeth II
Proceeds from the sale of cakes and refreshments will be split between the SYCT and the Holy Redeemer.
Please bring as well as buy cakes on the day!
Illustration by H Raven
One of the greatest privileges of being a Christian is knowing God our almighty creator as Dad. It is the privilege of being able to pray. To come to the Holy One on the throne of the universe any time of the day or night, knowing we’ll find grace and mercy to help us.
When his disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples. He (Jesus) said to them, ‘when you pray say: Father …’” Luke 11:2
The wonder of this comes home when we realise that it is only Christians who can pray like this. If you’re reading this and you’re not ‘in Christ’ you can’t pray like this. You can recite prayers; you can chant; you can repeat mantras; you can light candles, you can spin prayer wheels, you can wish for things … but you can’t pray to God as Father without following Christ as Lord.
So, if you’re reading this and you are ‘in Christ’ God has chosen you to be one of His ambassadors. Pray to be able to use your privilege well. Not just to pray for your own needs but for the needs of others … and their greatest need is to come to Christ.
That is what ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ is all about: Christians praying for 5 friends each to discover who Jesus is.
Between Ascension day, 26th May, and Pentecost, 5th June, the challenge is to pray for the five people the Lord puts on our hearts.
When you’ve read this, why not get a bit of paper and jot down the names of the five people you see most regularly. They could be friends, family, colleagues or neighbours. And ask for the Lord’s help to pray for them over the 11 days of the ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ initiative.
Your brother in Christ,
Ian
Follow the link, or copy and paste into your browser, for more information on ‘Thy Kingdom Come’.
The message of Jesus’ resurrection is: “Jesus is Lord!”
Because Jesus has overcome death, He’s the boss … because no one else has done that!
Shortly after the resurrection, Peter stood up in Jerusalem, the city where Jesus had recently been crucified, and proclaimed, “This Jesus whom you killed, God has raised. Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
Paul specifically connects the resurrection of Jesus with his role as judge of mankind at the end of the age. He says, in Acts 17:31, ‘God has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.’
Jesus’ judgement is necessary for heaven to be heaven. Disobedience spoils heaven. If we choose to be rebels, God will respect that choice. But it will leave us, by our own choice, in the realm of darkness that Jesus, in the Bible, calls Hell.
The resurrection is great news for those who live with Jesus as boss, and terrible news for those who don’t.
Since Jesus’ resurrection, God’s invitation to mankind is, “end your rebellion and make Jesus King in your life!”
And his promise to all who do is, ‘’you’ll receive a full pardon and eternal life.”
Jesus’ friend Peter tells us, “in his great mercy God has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish spoil or fade.”
May we be those who rejoice in this hope and share it with those who are yet without God and without hope in the world.
Best wishes for a joyful Easter.
Ian
The Easter holiday is longer than usual and a great opportunity to follow Mary’s example in Luke 10:42.
Jesus has come to stay at Mary and Martha’s home; Martha is preoccupied with hospitality, and that’s great. Jesus turns to Mary, who is listening to his teaching, and commends her for doing:
‘The one thing that is necessary.’
She sat at Jesus’ feet, and listened to His teaching. She took the position of the disciple with her master. Paul tells us in Acts 22:3 that he ‘sat at Gamaliel’s feet.’ That’s what it is to be a disciple. The word means one who learns.
In those days women weren’t encouraged to learn like this. But Jesus is not conventional. He wasn’t bound by other’s expectations. He sat at God’s feet, and did what God wanted, not what the people around him expected.
He was willing and glad to teach Mary. And he is willing and glad to teach each of us. None of us is too small to be important to Him. None of us is too wise not to need His teaching. The question is, are we planning in time to sit at Jesus’ feet to be taught?
If you are, do you stop to thank God? That’s a sure sign that He’s at work. Pray for the Holy Spirit to continue to make us hungry for His teaching. Plan when you’re going to sit at his feet: why not decide now to put aside the first 15 or 20 minutes of the day to sit at His feet and be a Mary, before attending to all the other demands on our time.
Your brother in Christ,
Ian
On Sunday 20th, this coming Sunday, we have the opportunity for the church family of Holy Redeemer to meet together to discuss the important work of the church at the AGM of the PCC. It will take place immediately after the end of the church service.
Please pray for the leaders of our church: the vicar, the warden, and the PCC members as they seek to lead the church well and conduct the business of the church in a way that will bring glory to God.
Also, please do come along to the bible study on Wednesday evenings in the vestry at 8pm as we continue looking at Jonah.
Your brother in Christ,
Ian
All the believers were one in heart and mind. Act 4 v 32
Fun for all primary aged children.
Booking open now:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/childrens-holiday-club-tickets-292819219167
19th March 6.30pm What’s the gift that Jesus gives to everyone who comes to him?
Dear Church family,
As creatures made in God’s image, we’re created for relationships, both with God and with other image-bearers.
By God’s design, therefore, genuine relationships are the basis for all human flourishing. We learn in the Bible that sharing a meal together is one of the primary ways relationships are established, deepened, and enjoyed both with God and with others.
Think of the covenant meal the elders of Israel enjoyed with God on Mount Sinai. Moses records the spellbinding experience in Exodus 24:9–11:
'Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, and they saw the God of Israel. . . . And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.' One of the things I’ve missed in the lockdowns has been eating together. There is nothing like food to bring a family together. The same applies to God’s family. So, I’m very pleased that this Sunday, the 6th March, we’re having our first Church family lunch. We’ll be meeting together around the Lord’s table and then going next door to the hall to enjoy lunch together. And, on the subject of meals, remember the 19th March guest invitation dinner. Do keep praying for opportunities to invite friends and neighbours to come. Take an invitation card on Sunday to give to them. Or take a photo of it on your phone and send it to a friend who perhaps you haven't seen in a while. Your brother in Christ, Ian
Sadly , due to circumstances beyond our control, there will be no 10:45 am service or Junior Church this Sunday 19th December.
The good news is that the Candlelight Carol Service is still going ahead at 6:30 pm in the Main Building, so we look forward to seeing you there for carols, the foretelling of Jesus’ birth throughout the Bible, and maybe a few mince pies afterward!
Also, don’t forget about the Children’s carol service at 4 pm on 24th December. Why not bring your little ones to hear a fun re-telling of the Christmas story with carols and activities for the whole family!
