FROM ST GILES’ CLERGY
All over the world, athletes are training hard for London 2012, striving to maximise their performance, improve their technique, and develop their stamina. Tension and excitement is mounting, and not just for those taking part - I’m really looking forward to going to the Olympics as a spectator.
In Ickenham, we’ve had a challenge too. Not exactly a warm-up for the Olympics, but nonetheless requiring a degree of determination and commitment.
The E100 Bible Reading Challenge has been surprisingly demanding, but also very rewarding. The challenge has been to read five selected Bible readings a week for 20 weeks that together give a good overview of the big Biblical story of God’s love and rescue plan for humanity. Half time took place over the summer after completing the first leg of 50 passages from the Old Testament, and we began again in September with readings from the New Testament.
I’ve enjoyed connecting these great stories together and seeing the over-arching storyline of the Bible, as well as the challenge of preparing the E100 sermons, which can be viewed in the Downloads section of www.stgileschurch.co.uk if you have missed any of them. But the main challenge has been to listen to God speaking through his ‘word’, the Bible. Sometimes God seems to speak very clearly and a verse jumps out of the page as if marked with a divine highlighter pen! Mostly God speaks by reminding us of things we have read previously, so reading the Bible now is about investing in the future.
As a young person I memorised several verses of scripture, one of which was ‘Have no anxieties about anything, but with prayer and petition, let your requests be made known to God.’ God has used that many times to remind me to turn anxieties into prayer. God speaking to me has resulted in me speaking to him, and through this my relationship with God has developed. In what ways have you heard God speaking to you through the words of the Bible?
I know some people have already completed the challenge, which is fantastic. Congratulations! I am planning an E100 celebration to mark the official end from 8pm – 9pm on 7th December in St Giles’ Church. I look forward to hearing how you have got on and how it has helped you.
Every Blessing
ADRIAN
CONFIRMATION SERVICE
Bishop Edward Holland will be officiating at the St Giles’ Confirmation Service on 6th November. This will commence at 6pm and will be followed by refreshments in the Church Hall.
