It was good that so many of us—nearly seventy in all—were able to join us on what turned out to be one of the hottest Sunday of the year!

In the morning at our Parish Communion we tuned in to the way Simon Peter argued with Jesus about his needing to go to Jerusalem and ‘be killed’—effectively asking Jesus not to die for him: “Thanks, but no thanks!” You can hear my thoughts on this dramatic exchange in my sermon below.

And in the afternoon Sarah Noble had us all reflecting on how the Israelites were told to leave large stones by the River Jordan as a reminder (an ‘Ebenezer’) of what God had done in letting them cross over in safety. We were encouraged to take a stone, inscribed with a biblical promise, and use it as a reminder of God’s personal faithfulness to us as his servants today.

Thank you to Sarah and her team of helpers who helped relaunch Café Church for the coming year in such a wonderful way!

Earlier in the summer, when many were away on holiday, I preached a short series on Simon Peter’s life being transformed by his encounter with Jesus. The complete set of sermons can now be found here.

Enjoy the hot weather!

with love and prayers

Revd Peter