Week 3 - God in our choices

God in our choices

Our theme for the third week of Lent is God in our choices

Bible reading: Isaiah 30.20,21

Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself any more, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’

Prayer

O Spirit of God, we ask you to help orient

all our actions by your inspirations,

carry them on by your gracious assistance,

that every prayer and work of ours may always begin from you
and through you be happily ended.

Amen

Reflection by Aggy Palairet

A reflection on from Sunday’s gospel: John 2.13-22

Our passage took place near the time of Passover, a celebration where God’s people retell the story of their ancestors, of their experiences of God’s mighty deliverance. At the temple, with zeal, Jesus drove out the money changers, the traders and the animals from the court of the gentiles and hence re-established the place of worship and prayer.

Some of the people there challenged him, asking: ‘with what signs can you show us for doing this?’ And the disciples remembered Jesus words after his resurrection: ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up’. Speaking of the temple of his body and referring to his death and resurrection.

Scripture tells us that it was only after these two events, and upon remembering what had happened, did the disciples realise that Jesus was referring to the temple of his own body and not the temple in Jerusalem. This show us that sometimes we have to allow God to journey with us for a period of time, before we can put all the pieces together; that will enable us to see the bigger picture, to gain that understanding and discernment of what God might be saying to us.

So let us be watchful and humble ourselves before the presence of God, to reflect upon God’s presence in our experiences, and asking God to help guide us in our choices on our journey of faith and discipleship.

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Sermon on Sunday,10th August 2025

By matthew.buckmaster • August 10, 2025

Preached by the Revd Laura Verrall-Kelly, Associate Vicar

Interregnum Information

By Laura.Verrall-Kelly • August 7, 2025

Keeping You Updated During the Interregnum As I prepare to go on maternity leave at the end of August, I want to share some important updates regarding our Sunday Services and communication during the Interregnum period. We’ve taken time to consider what is sustainable and meaningful in this season of transition, and while some of the changes have been difficult, they are intended to ensure we can continue to worship together well. Service Changes 8am BCP Eucharist We’ve made the difficult decision to pause this service during the vacancy, following a PCC vote (with 3 votes against). This is due to the limited availability of clergy to cover two Eucharist services on a Sunday. We’re grateful that this decision has allowed us to secure strong cover for the other services. If you’re looking for an early service, the Cathedral offers Morning Prayer at 7.40am and BCP Eucharist at 8am. This change to the 8am will happen from the beginning of October. Mattins & Evensong These will continue with support from a growing team of Lay Leaders. If you're interested in helping lead, please speak to Simon Goodman. Please note: bespoke online orders of service will no longer be produced weekly. Instead, we will use a standard booklet and hymn book in church. Online viewers will receive a standard order of service plus a document with Bible readings and hymns. 10.30am Sung Eucharist Some small changes are being made to simplify things for visiting clergy: Notices will be read by a Church Warden, Duty Warden or Church Representative Communion distribution will return to queue formation A Gradual Hymn will replace the Responsorial Psalm - there is simply not the resource to produce a weekly or termly Psalm hand out in church. We’ll use a standard “Eucharist during the Vacancy” order of service (in booklet form), with hymn books provided in church. As with other services, online resources will mirror this setup. These changes to the 10.30am will happen from the 17th August. Christingle Service Due to the scale of this service and the planning it requires, we’ve made the difficult decision to pause it this year. Without full-time clergy to oversee preparations and lead the service, we don’t believe we can deliver it safely or well. We know this will be disappointing, but this service will be back. Ongoing Communication Thanks to Chris Duncan and Sam Love, we will continue to send out a weekly email during the Interregnum. I’m very grateful to both of them for stepping up to support in this way. We know some of these decisions may not affect everyone, while others may feel them more deeply. We don’t expect universal agreement, and that’s okay — your questions and thoughts are welcome and valued. All we ask is that feedback is offered with kindness and respect for those who have worked hard to make these plans in a short space of time. Thank you for being part of this community and for your ongoing support as we navigate this together.