30 Northumberland Square | North Shields | NE30 1PW Weekly Update # 211 – 14th July 2024
From the Minister Big Church / Little Church
The United Reformed Church’s annual General Assembly is taking place this weekend. From Friday 12th to Monday 15th with representatives from URC congregations all across England, Scotland and Wales meeting together. There will worship, prayer, and a lot of discussion about the life of our denomination, both today and in the here and now and in the days ahead. It’s called ‘General Assembly’ because when the first Christians met together they just used the Greek word for an ‘assembly’ to describe themselves. The word was ‘ekklesia’, from which we get ‘ecclesiastical’ to describe ‘church’. So ‘General Assembly’ simply means ‘General Church’ (as opposed to ‘local church’). The URC is not a hierarchical church/ekklesia/assembly, with congregations beneath Synods, and Synods beneath General Assembly. Instead, General Assembly is where the representatives of local churches and Synods gather in order to make decisions on behalf of everyone (this year, three of the representatives are members at Saint Columba’s, North Shields). For most people, most of the time, their focus is on their local church congregation, but ‘church’ is both general and local. As United Reformed Church Christians we are not alone.
Trevor
Images of General Assembly: United Reformed Church.
Prayer
Almighty God, your Son promised his disciples that he would be with them always. We pray for your servants met in General Assembly. May your Holy Spirit rest on them; a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and power, a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord. Grant them vision and courage; unite them in love and peace; teach them to be trustworthy stewards of your truth. And so guide them in all their doings that your kingdom may be advanced, your people confirmed in their faith, and your love declared to all the world. Amen.
Book of Common Order of the Church of Scotland, 1996.(adapted)
Worship Sunday 14th July
10.30 a.m. A communion service led by Mr John Drew.
Livestreamed Worship from Saint Columba’s
To watch the morning service live, catch up with it later in the week, or view previous services,
10.30 a.m. “If there’s a God what are they like and why does it matter?”
The first in a series of five Sunday morning services, led by Trevor Jamison, addressing “big questions”, and with an opportunity for those who wish to do so to chat about it together after the service.
Bible readings
Amos 7:7-15 God is measuring up the people’s behaviour
Psalm 85:8-13 ‘Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
righteousness and peace will kiss each other’
Ephesians 1:3-14 What God has done for us in Jesus Christ
Mark 6:14-29 Herod’s wife holds a deadly grudge against John the Baptist
Reflection on the Readings
The Herodian family did not get on with Jesus’s family. One King Herod attempted to have Jesus killed at birth, turning him and his parents into international refugees. (Matthew 2:13-18) That Herod’s successor, also called Herod, jailed Jesus’s cousin, John the Baptist for criticising his complex (and incestuous) marriage relationships. (6:17) This whole Gospel passage is a “flashback”. Herod has heard about Jesus’s ministry and is reminded of John, who it turns out he had had executed when his wife and daughter combined to request he do so. His young step daughter had danced for Herod, and he had liked what he saw (6:22) and so John’s fate was sealed. (6:27) John’s disciples come to take away his body and lay it in a tomb (6:29), prefiguring the time when some of Jesus’s disciples will do the same for him. According to Luke, as part of the quasi-judicial process that led to his execution, Pilate sent Jesus to Herod for an interrogation. (23:6-11) All in all this passage from Mark’s Gospel is a sombre tale, suggesting that there will always be tension between powers-that-be and following the way of Jesus Christ; and sometimes there is more than just tension.
Saint Columba’s Summer Concert – Tickets Available
Our Summer Evening Concert takes place on Friday 19th July at 7.00 p.m. A great night’s entertainment featuring local talent, and hosted by Steve Arnott. Tickets are on sale, priced at £10.00 which includes refreshments. Please see Norma to get your tickets.
Next Update – Sunday 21st July
Trevor Jamison will edit the next Update. Please get your information to him by Tuesday 16th July.
Keeping in Touch
You can contact your Elder, the Minister, or Church Secretary.
To watch the morning service live, catch up with it later in the week, or view previous services,
