Holy Communion Service – Sunday 25th May, 10:30am

Today’s service marked the last Sunday of Easter – with Ascension Day coming on Thursday 29th May – and a new church season begins.

Today’s Collect Prayer

God our redeemer, you have delivered us from the power of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of your Son: grant, that as by his death he has recalled us to life, so by his continual presence in us he may raise usto eternal joy; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Themes and thoughts

The conversion of Lydia

¹¹ Setting sail therefore from Tro′as, we made a direct voyage to Sam′othrace, and the following day to Ne-ap′olis, ¹² and from there to Philippi, which is the leading city of the district^[a] of Macedo′nia, and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days; ¹³ and on the sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. ¹⁴ One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyati′ra, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to give heed to what was said by Paul. ¹⁵ And when she was baptized, with her household, she besought us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.

Acts 16:11-40

One of the readings today talked about St Paul – during his time spreading the Word near to Europe. The story told of his meeting with Lydia – a seller of purple – one of the most expensive dyes – and her conversion to Christianity. Lydia was the first European convert – and our Lay Preacher, Maxine is still so excited about this important step in the growth of the Christian faith around the world. Like Jesus on the first Sunday – the first revelation came to a woman.

A thorn in my side

Also, the story is one of hope – St Paul, so devout and strong – was at that time experiencing ill-health and had a period of struggle before meeting Lydia. His words fell on deaf ears on his long journey and his spirits were low. He described his discomfort with a phrase that has become part of the English language – ‘A thorn in my side’, which describes perfectly that awful feeling of being ‘out of sorts’ not quite our usual self. Lydia’s conversion helped him through that time and brought with it, new hope and belief for him.

Hymn

One of the hymns at our service was “Guide me, O thou great Redeemer” (also known as “Bread of Heaven”) has a rich history, originating in Wales in the 18th century. It was originally written in Welsh by William Williams (1717-1791), a Methodist preacher. The hymn was translated into English by Peter Williams in 1771 and became widely known as “Guide me, O thou great Redeemer”. The tune “Cwm Rhondda”, composed by John Hughes, was later associated with the hymn, making it one of the most beloved hymns today. 

Guide me, O thou great Jehovah,
Pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but thou art mighty,
Hold me with thy powerful hand;
Bread of heaven, bread of heaven
Feed me till I want no more;
Feed me till I want no more.

Wonderful words that resonate in English and the original Welsh as 

Cwm Rhondda

Coffee and social afterwards

We followed the service with a good cup of coffee or tea and caught up with news from everyone – This is the time of year when people come and go on holidays and trips, so it’s great to see photos and hear about adventures.

Thanks to our service team for a warm and thought provoking service.

Donations

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We thank you for your kind and continued support.