Jean II Restout – Ananias Restoring the Sight of St Paul
Includes sermon Text
Sentence:
To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb the blessing and honour and glory and might for ever and ever.
Revelation 5:13
Collect of the day
Almighty God,
through your only son you overcame death and opened us to the gate of everlasting life:
Grant that we who celebrate our Lord’s resurrection, may, through the renewing is power of your spirit, rise from the death of sin to the life of righteousness;
through the same Jesus Christ our Lord who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen
Today’s readings
- Acts 9:1 – 20
- Psalm 30
- Revelations 5:6 – 14
- John 21:1 – 19
next week
- Acts 9:36 – 43
- Psalm 23
- Revelations 7:9 – 17
- John 10:22 – 30
A thought to ponder upon
There is something very daring and controversial in living out the gospel restoration and resource reconciliation. If we are made whole by the grace and love of God then our invitation is to live that relationship in community. Imagine what it was like for those who were once persecuted at Paul’s hand, to listen to him now preach the gospel of love and grace to them. The story popularly known as Paul’s conversion may be more about the daring and controversial work of redemption or restoration where the one who hurts a community is offered justice and grace by that same community, and is another example of resurrection at work in the living of the faith community.
We are an Easter people, and as people of faith we are called to live the hard edge of the gospel that accepts in grace and offer justice to those who been unjust towards that very community. What trust is required for you to risk transformation, especially in places of brokenness, so that God’s spirit may bring restoration, renewal, transformation? What stories do you know that began personally, spread locally and became global?
Welcome and thank you to the Rev Tim Spencer for celebrating Eucharist with us today.
A PDF Text version of his sermon can be found here;
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