St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Ardrossan

06/09/2026

Sunday: 7 September 2025

The Gospel: Luke 14. 25 - 33
Large crowds were traveling with Jesus;
and he turned and said to them,
‘Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother,
wife and children, brothers and sisters,
yes, and even life itself,
cannot be my disciple.
Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me
cannot be my disciple.
For which of you,
intending to build a tower,
does not first sit down and estimate the cost,
to see whether he has enough to complete it?
Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish,
all who see it will begin to ridicule him,
saying, “This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.”
Or what king,
going out to wage war against another king,
will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand
to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand?
If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away,
he sends a delegation
and asks for the terms of peace.
So therefore, none of you can become my disciple
if you do not give up all your possessions.’

30/08/2026

Sunday: 30 August 2026
The Gospel: Matthew 16. 1 - 28
From that time on,
Jesus began to show his disciples
that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering
at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes,
and be killed,
and on the third day be raised.
And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying,
‘God forbid it, Lord!
This must never happen to you.’
But he turned and said to Peter,
‘Get behind me, Satan!
You are a stumbling-block to me;
for you are setting your mind not on divine things
but on human things.’

Then Jesus told his disciples,
‘If any want to become my followers,
let them deny themselves
and take up their cross and follow me.
For those who want to save their life will lose it,
and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.
For what will it profit them
if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life?
Or what will they give in return for their life?

For the Son of Man is to come with his angels
in the glory of his Father,
and then he will repay everyone for what has been done.
Truly I tell you,
there are some standing here
who will not taste death ‘

28/08/2026

Sunday: 28 September 2025
The Gospel: Luke 16. 19 - 31
Jesus told this parable
to those among the Pharisees who love money:
‘There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen
and who feasted sumptuously every day.
And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
who longed to satisfy his hunger
with what fell from the rich man's table;
even the dogs would come and lick his sores.
The poor man died
and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham.
The rich man also died and was buried.
In Hades, where he was being tormented,
he looked up and saw Abraham far away
with Lazarus by his side.
He called out,
“Father Abraham, have mercy on me,
and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water
and cool my tongue;
for I am in agony in these flames.”
But Abraham said,
“Child, remember that during your lifetime
you received your good things,
and Lazarus in like manner evil things;
but now he is comforted here,
and you are in agony.
Besides all this,
between you and us a great chasm has been fixed,
so that those who might want to pass from here to you
cannot do so,
and no one can cross from there to us.”
The man who had been rich said,
“Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father's house -
for I have five brothers -
that he may warn them,
so that they will not also come into this place of torment.”
Abraham replied,
“They have Moses and the prophets;
they should listen to them.”
He said,
“No, father Abraham;
but if someone goes to them from the dead,
they will repent.”
Abraham said to him
“If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be convinced
even if someone rises from the dead.”’

27/08/2026

Keeping the Bishop Nick, diocese of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane in our prayers.

Arrangements have been put in place to cover the episcopal vacancy in the Diocese of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane following the retirement of Bishop Ian Paton later this year.

It was announced at General Synod in June that Bishop Ian will demit office and retire from full-time ministry on All Saints’ Day, 1 November 2026.

The process of electing a new bishop will begin when the mandate is issued – normally within 21 days of the Bishop’s retirement – and during the vacancy the following appointments have been agreed by the College of Bishops:

Acting Bishop of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane: The Rt Rev Dr Nick Bundock, Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway

Convener of Preparatory Committee: The Rt Rev Andrew Swift, Bishop of Brechin

Member of Preparatory Committee: The Rt Rev Dr Nick Bundock, Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway

The appointments will also assist in the on-going training of all bishops for the various roles which have to be fulfilled in the event of episcopal vacancy.

Bishop Ian informed the Diocese of the appointment of Bishop Nick as Acting Bishop earlier today, saying: “I am delighted to let you know that the Acting Bishop from 2 November will be the Right Rev Nick Bundock, Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway, who has become such a valued and caring colleague since his arrival in Glasgow in 2025.”

23/08/2026

Sunday: 23 August 2026
The Gospel: Matthew 16. 13 - 20
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi,
he asked his disciples,
‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’
And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist,
but others Elijah,
and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’
He said to them,
‘But who do you say that I am?’
Simon Peter answered,
‘You are the Messiah,
the Son of the living God.’
And Jesus answered him,
‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah!
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you,
but my Father in heaven.
And I tell you, you are Peter,
and on this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven,
and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’
Then he sternly ordered the disciples
not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

16/08/2026

Sunday: 16 August 2026
The Gospel: Matthew 15. 10 - 28
Then Jesus called the crowd to him and said to them,
‘Listen and understand:
it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person,
but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.’
Then the disciples approached and said to him,
‘Do you know
that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?’
He answered,
‘Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.
Let them alone;
they are blind guides of the blind.
And if one blind person guides another,
both will fall into a pit.’
But Peter said to him,
‘Explain this parable to us.’
Then he said,
‘Are you also still without understanding?
Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach,
and goes out into the sewer?
But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart,
and this is what defiles.
For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery,
fornication, theft, false witness, slander.
These are what defile a person,
but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.’

Jesus went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon.
Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out
and started shouting,
‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David;
my daughter is tormented by a demon.’
But he did not answer her at all.
And his disciples came and urged him, saying,
‘Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.’
He answered,
‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’
But she came and knelt before him,
saying, ‘Lord, help me.’
He answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food
and throw it to the dogs.’
She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the
that fall from their masters’ table.’
Then Jesus answered her,
‘Woman, great is your faith!
Let it be done for you as you wish.’
And her daughter was healed instantly.

09/08/2026

Sunday: 9 August 2026
The Gospel: Matthew 14. 22 - 33
Immediately after feeding the crowd
With the five loaves and two fish,
Jesus made the disciples get into the boat
and go on ahead to the other side,
while he dismissed the crowds.
And after he had dismissed the crowds,
he went up the mountain by himself to pray.
When evening came, he was there alone,
but by this time the boat, battered by the waves,
was far from the land,
for the wind was against them.
And early in the morning
he came walking towards them on the lake.
But when the disciples saw him walking on the lake,
they were terrified, saying,
‘It is a ghost!’
And they cried out in fear.
But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said,
‘Take heart, it is I;
do not be afraid.’

Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you,
command me to come to you on the water.’
He said, ‘Come.’
So Peter got out of the boat,
started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus.
But when he noticed the strong wind,
he became frightened, and beginning to sink,
he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’
Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him,
saying to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’
When they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
And those in the boat worshiped him, saying,
‘Truly you are the Son of God.’

07/08/2026

Thank you for your love care and dedication Jeanette.

Today marks the fortieth anniversary of the ordination of the Rev Canon Jeanette Jenkins to the diaconate. During that time she has become a well-kent face in the Ayrshire region of our diocese and further afield. We encircle her in prayer and love, with gratitude for her care, witness, faithfulness and ministry in Glasgow and Galloway and the Scottish Episcopal Church.

Jeanette was ordained on 6 August 1986 along with the Rev Eileen Hawkins and the Rev Karan Brewin by the Rt Rev Derek Rawcliffe at Holy Trinity, Kilmarnock, marking the first ordination of women to the diaconate in the diocese.

02/08/2026

Sunday: 2 August 2026
The Gospel: Matthew 14. 13 - 21
When Jesus heard that Herod had beheaded John the Baptist,
he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.
But when the crowds heard it,
they followed him on foot from the towns.
When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd;
and he had compassion for them and cured their sick.
When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said,
‘This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late;
send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages
and buy food for themselves.’
Jesus said to them,
‘They need not go away;
you give them something to eat.’
They replied,
‘We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.’
And he said, ‘Bring them here to me.’
Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish,
he looked up to heaven,
and blessed and broke the loaves,
and gave them to the disciples,
and the disciples gave them to the crowds.
And all ate and were filled;
and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces,
twelve baskets full.
And those who ate were about five thousand men,
besides women and children.