11/07/2025
Worship in your CofE churches this Sunday
9:15 St Cuthbert's Etherley, Holy Communion
10:30 Hamsterley Churches Together Centre (Methodist church) Holy Communion
11:00 St Philip and St James Church, Witton le Wear, Holy Communion
11:00 Escomb Saxon Church Service of the Word
4pm Celtic Communion
Our bible readings this week are, as ever, full of both challenge and joy. The joy of the promise of God's closeness to us. The challenge of living as God wills us - with God's character of generosity, self-sacrifice, and love.
Our gospel reading contains the parable of the Good Samaritan - a man who put himself in harm's way, and made significant sacrifice, to help a total stranger, from a culture that was hostile to his own. A story told as an example of what it means to love God and neighbour wholeheartedly.
A challenge to think about how a perhaps familiar faith, is actually counter-cultural in any culture, because of our instinct to self-preservation. Perhaps particularly counter-cultural in the Western world, with the high value that we place on individual freedoms.
Come, ponder, bring God your love, and allow God's love to transform you, and so our world.
At 4pm at Escomb Saxon Church we have our monthly Celtic Communion service. This month as we approach what for many is holiday season, we're exploring the concept of Sacred Rest.
