The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Matthew 28:5-6
There's a wonderful parable about unborn twin baby boys snuggled together in their mother's womb. As they lay side by side, they wondered what it might be like on the other side of their warm, comfortable home. The first twin believed there was a world beyond the womb "where people walk upright, where there are mountains and oceans, a sky filled with stars". The other twin thought this was absurd. He was sure there was nothing outside the womb, only death. Suddenly, the first twin was forced through the birth canal, leaving behind the only life he had ever known. He was met by his parents who delighted in the arrival of their new son. However, the remaining twin was deeply sad, convinced that a terrible tragedy had befallen his brother. What this twin didn't realise was that he had witnessed not death, but birth, and that what had happened to his brother was not a tragedy, but a miracle (from Teaching your children about God, by Rabbi David Wolpe).
The good news is that you and I have an older brother who has travelled beyond the tomb, through the birth canal of eternity into a world that we can only try to imagine; and that he has returned to assure us that there is another realm for us beyond the womb of this life. This is the promise of Easter: that no matter what this life may throw at us, God has not finished with us yet. The tomb is empty; death does not have the last word.
Almighty God, who through your Son overcame death and opened the door to everlasting life, we pray that whatever the future brings, you may remove the presence of fear and anxiety from our hearts and grant us strength to face whatever difficulties or pain cannot be avoided. May we live well the lives you have given us until the day comes when we rise to new life and meet you face to face. Amen
Martha Golden 25th April 2022
St. James' Church is now open daily. Please do come in and enjoy our beautiful church when you are passing. Look at the Diary here for schedule of services.
You can see here some that would have been heard at Saint James' and other Benefice churches, including all the weekly thoughts that you see here. Also, you can see from Coldharbour here.
Tony Berry, the Rector since 1993, retired at the end of September 2021. The Rev'd Kia Pakenham was installed as the new "House for Duty" Rector on 7th April 2022. See the May2022 edition of the Parish News and here for more from Rev'd Kia.
Press Ctrl+F5 to refresh this page so you see the latest. See Site Map for all the information available on this site (parish registers, history, pictures, music etc.). Click on the address header to see a random page.
As you will gather as you browse over these pages, we are a church with a long history and, as a community, Abinger goes back even further. Even if we take the Domesday Book as a start point, we have been a Christian worshipping community for a very long time. So, we are very proud of our church building. It has had a very chequered history, not least in the 20th Century. But now we are doing our best to meet the challenges of the 21st both for our building and church community.
Worship, praise, prayer and the reading of God's word are all part of our regular Sunday services, and if you are ever passing and would like to join us, we'd love to see you and make you feel welcome. But we don't believe that our church building any more than our faith, is just for Sundays. We are always looking for ways which enable the building to be a community resource during the week. We use the church for a Café morning on Wednesdays in term time from 8.30am until 10.00am. We also believe in developing our understanding of the Christian faith, so we meet in small groups to study what practical things the Bible has to say about living out the Christian faith in today's world.
Again, if you would like to join us you are more than welcome; you should be able to find the dates somewhere on the website, failing that then do by all means get in touch. Thank you for visiting the website; I hope you find it helpful, informative and enjoyable, and we look forward to giving you more than a virtual welcome when you visit us for real!
Tony Berry, Rector
Tony Berry retired at the end of September 2021. See the page for information and updates on appointing his replacement.
Click on a diary entry for more information - including links for Zoom servives.
For more details of music in (sung) services, see the Services page.
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For any information not shown in these pages, or to enquire about Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals, contact the Parish Office here.