Dear Friends,
Our Rector will return from her sabbatical this month and we’ll be pleased to hear what she’s experienced and learned during the last few weeks. In her absence, we have been thankful for the help of visiting clergy, as well as being grateful to our licensed readers for leading more services. When I ‘did my bit’ at St Mary’s Harvest Thanksgiving service, I mentioned being “substitutes” in Glynis’s absence. We are not the only ones.
During November, we think of those in the armed services who have committed themselves to combating injustice and standing up for the oppressed and weak who cannot defend themselves. These individuals have risked their lives as “substitutes” for those who are unable to fight strong dictators and violent regimes. Many have made the ultimate sacrifice, so that others would be able to live in peace. We commemorate their courage and self-sacrifice in our Services of Remembrance on 13th November, and we thank God for them all.
Jesus was the greatest “substitute” of all, when He died for our sins on the cross. He loves us so much that He died in our place, taking the punishment we deserve. Because of Jesus, we now have direct access to God, in prayer, because God no longer recognises our sins, our disobedience to Him, which would otherwise be a barrier between us. Those sins were washed completely away by Jesus’ death, and we are free to live the lives God made us for – if we follow Jesus. We can be assured of His presence in all that we do, and in difficult or sad times. God made us in His image and loves us as His sons and daughters.
It doesn’t end there – we have the Holy Spirit, who helps us to become more like Jesus. That means we can be tools in Jesus’ hands, doing His work. We sing a song including the words “Brother, Sister, let me serve you – let me be as Christ to you”. We can never be a substitute for Jesus, but we can point others to Him, by committing our lives to Him and sharing with others the love He gives us, through our words, actions and prayers.
There is no substitute for following Jesus.
With my love and prayers,
Sue Shaw
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