“God rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.”

(Colossians 1:13)

One of the hardest to understand, yet most fundamental of Christian beliefs is that of God as the Holy Trinity. It is hard to understand, because the idea of God as three persons and yet one God feels like a logical impossibility. It certainly does not fit neatly with anything else we experience! Yet why should God be like anything else in creation or even be fully comprehensible by us?

It is fundamental to our understanding of God in many ways. For example, if God was just one person, then love, which is fundamentally relational, would be merely a part of creation not essential to the Creator. However, since God is more than one person, then love exists as part of the eternal relationship between the persons of the Trinity. The Father loves the Son, he always has and always will. Love itself is not merely something created, it is a description of what God is like in his very essence. That means God's commands for us to love both God and neighbour are commands to truly live as being made in the image of God.

The Trinity is also crucial in the way we live as Christians. We can know God is with us, because the Spirit dwells within us (Romans 8:9) and helps us to speak to God as 'Abba, Father' (Romans 8:15, 26). Yet, we can also know that God, the Son pleads to God the Father for us in the throne room of God itself (Romans 8:34). Amazingly, the Trinity, as three persons, is united as they talk together about you and me and all that we are going through.

This week's email includes:

• Join in this Sunday - videos to contribute for the opener
  
• Last Sunday - The Bishop's Pentecost Sermon
  
• Weekly Focus: PCC Briefing
  
• Prayer Requests
  
• Notices in Brief: Annual Report 2019, The Royal Harbour Church, Calling all singers, Zoom after the service
  
• Links of the Week: "Re-thinking our relationship with nature" and "same storm, different boats."
  

Join in this Sunday: It's Trinity Sunday.

It would also be great to have a number of people reading the following simple greeting from the start of Colossians:

• "Grace and peace to you from God our Father…"
  

Please send videos by reply to this email, wetransfer.com or Whatsapp (07769 871520).

Don't forget to join us on YouTube this Sunday (the video should be available from 6am on Sunday). This week we feature a sermon from the Archdeacon of Canterbury for just St. Luke's. Archdeacon Jo was due to visit St. Luke's in June before lockdown was announced, so it is great to have her joining us virtually.

Last Sunday: If you missed Last Sunday's talk from Bishop Rose, then as it was a Diocesan wide sermon it is not on St. Luke's website, but it is available on YouTube:

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is the group of elected members of the church who act as the trustees for the church. They meet about once a term (6 times a year) to discuss and decide on issues to do with church strategy and vision, as well as reviewing and agreeing our policies and making decisions about the building and finances.

As we are not at present able to meet in person, eight members of the PCC had a Zoom meeting on Monday evening. All the official decisions are being ratified by all members using email, so that even those who cannot use Zoom are not locked out of the decision making.

This was our first Zoom meeting since lockdown began. Our main discussions were about the positives of being online and how we can continue to have our services on YouTube once we start meeting back in church. It was proposed that we spend £940 from present funds to buy the equipment to make live streaming possible and ask for donations to enable us to improve this set up. Next week we will let you know how you can donate towards this if you would like.

The other major issue under discussion was replacing our present church heating system. We are looking at a number of different options, but the issues have proved complex and the investment needed potentially very large. So, we are now looking at whether we can keep the present system going for a bit longer, whilst we continue to investigate potential better options for the future.

Be assured I will do my best to check that people are happy for the requests to be shared before including them.

• For Gordon Warren. Give thanks that the operation on his heart on Monday was successful and a number of other health issues were sorted out. Gordon is now home and feeling much better, but needs to rest. The chemotherapy, however, is stopped for the moment and will be re-assessed. So do continue praying for Gordon and his wife June during this challenging time.
  
•  For Chantal Swallow's dad that he will be comfortable and not in too much pain after returning home from hospital
•  For Nathan Court, please keep on praying as he receives treatment.
•  For Joy Smithers, as she continues her recovery in hospital in Deal.
•  For Mitch Styles that he will be relieved from his severe anxiety.
•  For Shirley Crabb who is in a lot of pain, because of the delayed operation on her hip.
• For those who are struggling financially or worried about their jobs or business during this difficult period of lockdown.
•  For continuing wisdom for all those in government planning the easing of the lockdown.
•  For those still ill with Covid-19 and the medical staff continuing to treat them.

Collect for Trinity Sunday:

Oh merciful God, and full of grace,

Holy God,

Faithful and unchanging:

Enlarge our minds with the knowledge of your truth,

And draw us more deeply into the mystery of your love,

That we may truly worship you,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

One God, now and forever.

Amen.

Annual Report 2019: We do not yet know when we will be able to have our annual meeting, but the Annual Report about St. Luke's in 2019 has now been approved by the PCC.  It is available on the website so do have a read. Thank you to all those who have contributed.

The Royal Harbour Church: Due to Gordon's ill health those on the mailing for the Royal Harbour Church will have missed a couple of weeks. However, with the help of a team, Gordon is hoping that mailings will start again in the next couple of weeks.

Calling all singers: I have already invited those who are singing regularly for us at St. Luke's to fill in a short questionnaire to let me know their availability for a new rota. If you would like to join the rota, either to sing in a virtual choir or individually, then please fill in the questionnaire by this Sunday: Questionnaire.

Zoom after the service: It's great to meet and catch up after the service on Sundays. Do join us if you can at 11:30am. Just click the button below:

Call for re-think in our relation with nature

The above 10 minute YouTube video is an interesting discussion about how we as Christians should be thinking about our relationship with nature and particularly wildlife in the light of Covid-19 and Biblical teaching.

Same Storm, different boats

This is a link to an anonymous poem which reminds us that although we are all faced with the challenge of a global pandemic, the experience will vary dramatically between different people. It is an important issue to be aware of as we seek to discern how best to help and support one another at this time.

Don't forget to join us on YouTube this Sunday (Video should be available from 6am on Sunday).

Yours in Christ,

Paul.