Pew Sheet, Sunday 12th October, 2025. 17th Sunday after Trinity

Events, as they say, have conspired against me this week, so I apologise for the much-reduced pew sheet this week. Many of you already know that my mother has been unwell for a very long time now; and has been in hospital (barring a few months in a convalescent home and one disastrous, and very unsafe discharge home of less than 24 hours just a few weeks ago!) since early spring – February the 17^th in fact; so it has been a truly difficult year. By far my hardest since coming into ministry, and that includes the year my father died of a heart attack during Covid which in many ways, seemed much easier to deal with, being sudden and acute, though completely unexpected.

Having celebrated mum’s 81^st birthday with her on Tuesday evening, it is clear that she is now in the very last days of her life; so I would like to apologise to you all in advance if there is some disruption to our normal service patterns and activities in the days and weeks to come. I know that our very able ministry team and church wardens will gather round and make up for any deficit on my part as and when the time comes to take some time out to put her affairs into order, arrange her funeral, and empty her flat so that someone else might now benefit from it.

I am conscious that unlike many others, my siblings and I have been given the great luxury and privilege of time to prepare for what must ultimately happen, and to make our farewells as best we can. And we are truly thankful for that! As usual, the Lectionary seems most apt again this week, for the theme of thankfulness is very evident in our readings. We saw last week how thankful Paul was for Timothy and his ministry, and we are reminded in our Gospel that we should always give thanks to God for all that he has given to us, and does for us – but so often forget to do.

Sometimes it is easy to look at our lives and bemoan the fact that we do not have the same advantages as other people; or feel that we lack that certain something which would make our lives better or complete. The truth very often, is that we probably already have it, but just don’t realise or appreciate that fact, and almost certainly forget to thank God for it.
It could be our health, our relationships, our vocation, our skills, our calling – anything in fact, but whatever it is, we seldom see its true value until it is gone. In a few weeks, we will be entering remembrance season once again, when we think of, and give thanks for all those who have departed this life in the ‘faith and fear’ of God - as the Reformers put it. But we do not have to wait until we lose someone to appreciate or say thank you for them. Confronting our mortality, or the mortality of a loved one reminds us that our true priority in life should be the appreciation of those whom God has lent to us for a short time only, for it is only in loving others that we truly see God’s love reflected to us. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away, but blessed be the name of the Lord (Job 1:21), and may we never cease to be thankful for those God has given to us!

Collect

Gracious God,
You call us to fulness of life.
Deliver us from unbelief and banish our anxieties,
with the liberating love of Jesus Christ our Lord,
Amen.

Psalm 111

The Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
Great are the works of the Lord,
studied by all who delight in them.
Full of honour and majesty is his work,
and his righteousness endures forever.
He has gained renown by his wonderful deeds;
the Lord is gracious and merciful.
He provides food for those who fear him;
he is ever mindful of his covenant.
He has shown his people the power of his works,
in giving them the heritage of the nations.
The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy.
They are established forever and ever,
to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
He sent redemption to his people;
he has commanded his covenant forever.
Holy and awesome is his name.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all those who practice it have a good understanding.
His praise endures forever.

2 Timothy 2:8-15

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David—that is my gospel, for which I suffer hardship, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. Therefore, I endure everything for the sake of the elect, so that they may also obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. The saying is sure:

If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he will also deny us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful—
he cannot deny himself.

Remind them of this and warn them before the Lordthat they are to avoid wrangling over words, which does no good but only ruins those who are listening. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth.

Luke 17:11-19

On the way to Jerusalem Jesuswas going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten men with a skin disease approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean.Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’s feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? So where are the other nine? Did none of them return to give glory to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

Post Communion Prayer

Lord,
we pray that your grace may always preceded and follow us,
and make us continually to be given to all good works,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

This week’s events

Monday (King Edward the Confessor, 1066)

Bell ringing at 7.30pm in St Laurence. Contact Jan on 07835 461361.

Tuesday

Zoom Morning Prayer at 9am. Meeting ID: 539 3978774 Password: TuaR0T (The 0 in R0T is a zero not an ‘O’) or email: [email protected]

Evening Home Groups, contact Jo on 07803 942 687.

Wednesday (Theresa of Avila, Teacher of the Faith, 1582)

Morning Coffee from 10.00 am in the St Laurence Rooms/Great Horwood Village Hall followed by Midweek Holy Communion at 12.00 noon in St Laurence’s.

Thursday (Nicholas Ridley, Bishop of London, and Hugh Latimer, Bishop of Worcester, Reformation Martyrs, 1555)

Daytime Home Group, contact Jo on 07803 942 687.

Friday (Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, Martyr, c107)

Junior Choir, 6.30pm in St Laurence, followed by full Choir Practice at 7.30pm.

Saturday (Luke the Evangelist)

Repair Café, 10.00-12.00 hrs, St Laurence Rooms.