"He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD."

Deuteronomy 8:3

What is God teaching us through this present crisis? Each of us will have our own individual answers to that question and there are no doubt many answers that are relevant to our society as a whole.

I think there is a very real sense in which we have been humbled as a world. Across the world many peoples lives and businesses have been radically curtailed because of a tiny virus. Although, we put our trust in science and government to protect us - and in part they are through the lockdowns - the limits of human power have been laid bear in the face of this disease.

When the people of Israel left Egypt and set off through the wilderness in their journey to the promised land their lives were transformed overnight. No longer could they rely on the food supplies they had in the region around the river Nile. Their normal sources of security and wealth, their normal routines and activities had been stripped from them.

But, God used that time to teach them. He taught them not to rely on limited human power, but the infinite provision of God. He provided them with a strange new food in the wilderness: manna, to show them that no matter what new circumstances they found themselves in, God could provide.

So as we are humbled by this virus will we also learn not to rely on limited human power, but on the wonderful and eternal provision of God?

Last Sunday: If you missed last weeks talk on Jesus's Family (Matthew 12:46-50), then you can listen or watch here.

We don't live on bread alone. Rather, God gives us his word, the word that teaches us how to find eternal life in him and make the most of life now. 

Many of us normally struggle to find time to read the Bible in any depth, but now that many of the normal distractions and busyness of life have been taken away from us there is a new opportunity. So why not take this as a God given time to read and grow in God's word.

There are a number of ways you could dig into God's word. You could start a regular reading programme that takes you through the whole Bible. One such programme with supporting videos and a phone app is produced by the Bible Project.

Or you could take one book of the Bible a day and read through it in one sitting, possibly writing a journal about what you think its key themes are.

Another idea is to start memorising key Bible verses. Check out this article. 

Or you could start using regular daily Bible Study notes to help you look at a section of the Bible a day and give you some help understanding it and questions to consider. The Explore App can help with this.

There are also resources available to use with children so that you can look at the Bible together: Family Resources.

God has spoken to us through the Bible. Will we spend time listening to His word, particularly at this critical time?

As we are not publishing a weekly notice sheet at present, I am going to start including some prayer requests in this email. Be assured I will do my best to check that people are happy for the requests to be shared before including them.

•  For the family of Rosemary Isaacs (Michael's nan), who passed away the Wednesday before last and whose funeral is on Thursday.
  
•  For Trevor, Hazel and family after the death of Vera Kenney on Thursday.
  
•  For Joy Smithers presently in hospital, but hoping to be moved to a care home and presently with a chest infection.
  
•  Give thanks for the Thanet Winter Shelter, which is now closed as all its guests have been housed in permanent or temporary accommodation.
  
•  For all NHS staff at this concerning and uncertain time.
  

A prayer published by the Diocese:

God of compassion,
be close to those who are ill, afraid or in isolation.
In their loneliness, be their consolation;
in their anxiety, be their hope;
in their darkness, be their light;
through him who suffered alone on the cross,
but reigns with you in glory,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Sunday Online: Thanks to all the positive comments about last Sunday's online service. There were over 250 views and around 85 views where it was watched all the way through. As each view was by a household, we estimate that around 170 people watched the whole service - many more than a normal Sunday!

We will be producing another service for this Sunday. It will be available from Sunday morning until the end of Monday, but we would encourage people to watch at the normal time of 10:30am.

You will be able to find it on our website: https://www.stlukesramsgate.org/ or in our YouTube channel, which you can subscribe to. I will also aim to put a children's activity sheet on the front page of the website, which you can download and print for the children to do alongside watching the service.

Churches Together in Ramsgate and Food Bank: We are developing a new website for the Churches Together in Ramsgate, with a special focus on the Food Bank run out of the Salvation Army at this time as the best means of offering support to the isolated in our community.

The web address is:

https://ramsgatechurches.weebly.com/

There will soon be information about how to donate as well as a place for people to go who are seeking help.

Clearly many people's minds are on other things this week. If, however, you haven't yet completed the questionnaire, then please do so in the next few days as we will close the opportunities for response at the end of March so that we can analyse the results. You can post paper copies to St. Luke's Vicarage, St. Luke's Avenue, Ramsgate, CT11 7JX.

It's good to spend time praying together as a family, especially now most of us are spending more time with our families! Here are some creative ideas from Messy Church:

See you online on Sunday!

Yours in Christ,

Paul.