Can I echo others’ thanks for the support so many gave during the recent successful Heritage weekend centred around All Saints Church in the heart of your community?
Thank you!
This kind of broad, welcoming series of events does, of course, take massive coordination and group effort, and it humbles me to see how so many folks from the locality love to come out to visit their Parish Church and value their connections to it. Another special gathering to invite everyone to join in is at Brampton Christ Church at 9.45 am on Sunday, the 6th of October, when we gather together as a Parish for a joint service when the Bishop of Sheffield will be with us. Do come along.
Thinking more widely, it is also important at this time of year to gather to celebrate and give thanks for our Harvest and God’s good gifts to us all. We are reminded of the abundant provision of food that we have access to, which we so often take for granted. We have the opportunity to mark this on Sunday 13th in our church services and with a Harvest Lunch in St James Room afterwards at noon. Do get in touch and book to come along.
Thinking more broadly still, we will shortly also be marking our Acts of Remembrance at 10am at Wath Church on 10/11. Again, this is so humbling for me to see the honour, respect and importance placed by so many here remembering others’ sacrifice, and giving thanks for our peace and security today.
God’s Invitation
I am mentioning these key upcoming events; Yes to invite us all, but also to ponder and prompt us together to look a little higher and deeper – beyond what we see and experience day to day. Our love for our community, our place of worship, our homes, loved ones and even pride in our nation are all worthy and honourable. Sometimes, however, we are called to stop and consider the upward call of God and His welcome for each of us to heed His offer of life and forgiveness through His son Jesus. His invitation goes out to us all to find a place in His family and a place in heaven for eternity.
For me, and I hope for you too, that is an ever-present hope which I pray we would all respond to and grasp hold of. May these words from Philippians 3:20 point us ever heavenward!
‘But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ…’
God Bless & see you all soon.
Rev Charles Burton
Published in the October issue of the Parish Magazines
Featured image courtesy of Unsplash