Weekly letter from St Lukes - 24 January 2025

Dear Parish Friends

Our Old Testament reading this weekend comes from the book of Nehemiah and this is the only time in the three-year cycle of Sunday readings that this book is read. It is set in the time after the Israelite's exile in Babylon as they return to Jerusalem to rebuild and start again. In this context, the part we read tells of the public reading of the books of the Torah (the first five books in the Hebrew Scriptures) gives an important message. As the people strive to rebuild their city and their religious life, it is (and has to be) build on the ancient wisdom of their scriptures. This is the same message that we find in our reading from Luke where, at the start of his ministry, Jesus reads from the prophet Isaiah; in the book of Acts where the believers met to read the scriptures; and in the time of the European Reformation where a great weight was placed on the reading of the bible in the language of the people. We are therefore called to put an equally high weight on the reading of scripture, but coporatly and individually.

We are back to our usual pattern of Holy Communion at 7am and Family Communion (with Children's message and Zoom streaming) at 9am. See the links below for a copy of the week's notice paper and order of service for 9am.

Regards

Rev'd Timothy