St Peter's Yaxley

…reaching out in love and faith

Rescued by a Refugee

by

I wonder if you saw footage or read about the refugee from Mali who rescued a four year old in Paris recently.

The child had been left alone in his fourth floor apartment while his father went shopping. Somehow the boy got out onto the balcony and had climbed over the rail. He was hanging on by his fingertips. Mamoudo Gassama, who is 22, saw the boy and with strength and skill and no regard for his own safety scaled the outside of the building rather like Spider-Man. He reached the balcony where the boy was and Mamoudo pulled him to safety. A large crowd had gathered on the ground and one of them captured the incident on his phone. Footage then went viral.

Mamoudo has been hailed as a hero. He was then invited to meet President Macron who promised him fast track citizenship and a job with the city’s fire department.

Around two thousand years ago another refugee came to rescue the whole of humanity which was, at best, “hanging on by its fingertips”. With no regard for his own safety Jesus allowed himself to be lifted up and nailed to the cross. Soon afterwards having risen from the dead Jesus ascended into heaven to “sit beside the President”. The citizenship won by Jesus however was not for himself but for all who believe and trust in Him. Those who follow Jesus are promised permanent citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven.

If you feel like you are hanging on by your fingertips or if life has never been better or if you are somewhere in between you are very welcome to join us at St. Peter’s (or your local church) and find out more about the invitation to become a citizen of God’s everlasting Kingdom.

May I invite any primary school aged children to our Big Top Holiday Club from August 28th to 31st. There will be NO clowns. Further details on our website or from our church office (number below).
With my prayers,

Jon
Jon Randall (Vicar) 07939 449255; vicar@saintpeters.co.uk

The right way to live

by

Around 30 years ago I went to San Francisco on business. I was in my early 20s, but it was the first time I had ever been on an aeroplane.

It wasn’t a happy travelling experience – on the way out I had to clear Immigration in Los Angeles and nearly missed my connecting flight. On the way back, we were accompanied by a storm half way across the US and the plane was lit up by lightning too many times for comfort. In some ways I’m surprised I ever got back in a plane.

The work I had to do was also pretty dull, but there was some sightseeing at the end of the trip. This included a free firework display on the bay overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. It was spectacular, but I have no idea now what the people were celebrating. Of course, on and around November 5th we celebrate the failed plot to blow up Parliament and that our democracy survived.

After every one of the recent terrorist attacks, at home and abroad, leaders have rightly said that we will not give in to terrorists and their “bully boy tactics”. The right way to express disagreement is via the ballot box and through local, district and national government.

On one occasion, two of Jesus’ disciples asked him if they should call down fire from heaven to consume a village which did not receive Jesus well. Jesus rebuked them and told them that fire was no way to win people over. Rather, they were to tell people the Good News of God’s love for them.

I hope you enjoy the fireworks this year. Perhaps as we watch the fireworks we can celebrate living in a society where most people acknowledge that blowing people and buildings apart is not the right way to live. May we also celebrate that God does not send down fire from heaven, but invites us into his Kingdom through love.

As always, you are welcome at St. Peter’s for any of our services – or any of our local church services – as we celebrate God’s love for us all.

With my continuing prayers,

Jon Randall (Vicar) 07939 449255; vicar@saintpeters.co.uk

Read this article in the Yaxley Gazette.

Mistaken identity

by

I wonder if you have ever been subject to a case of mistaken identity?

To my amusement I read the other day about a group of priests who went into a pub in Cardiff to celebrate the ordination of one of their number. Thinking they were a stag party in fancy dress and anxious to avoid any trouble, the pub manager initially threw them out. The priests managed to convince the manager that they really were priests and an embarrassed publican offered them a free round of drinks by way of an apology.

When Mark Fuller wrote in last month’s Gazette that he was leaving Yaxley, several people mistakenly assumed it was me who was going. If that was a cause of celebration I’m sorry to disappoint you – I’m still here! I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Mark publicly for the huge contribution which he made to life here – both in the church and the community. We wish Mark, Becci, Josie and Ethan well in their new home and ministry in Portishead.

It seems to me that many of us think our identity is linked to what we do, what we have, what school we attend, etc. However, I believe that’s a real case of mistaken identity. Back in Genesis, the Bible tells us that we are made in the image of God. Early in his Gospel, drawing on the language of Genesis, John tells us that everyone who believes in Jesus is given power to become a child of God. That for me is our true identity – children of God who are invited to live in his everlasting Kingdom.

If you’d like to explore more about your true identity as a child of God please feel free to join us at any of our services – see our events calendar for more details, or get in touch to find out more.

With my continuing prayers,

Jon Randall (Vicar) 07939 449255; vicar@saintpeters.co.uk

Read this article in the Yaxley Gazette.

How to run the race of life

by

I wonder how you would react if you heard that one of the entrants in the recent London Marathon finished six days after he started?

If we’re honest we might wonder what on earth took him so long and be distinctly unimpressed. As you will have guessed there’s more to the story. A police officer has just “run” the race dressed as a gorilla AND moved on his hands and knees rather than his feet. By doing so he has raised £26,000 for a conservation charity. The winner of the marathon got most of the public acclaim, but the police officer has arguably achieved more. The last competitor to finish perhaps achieved the most.

One of the stories Jesus told that caused the religious authorities to get upset with him concerned a landowner who sent some labourers to work for him at the beginning of the day, some in the middle, and some near the end. He paid the ones who came near the end a full day’s pay, so the ones who worked all day expected more. When they too got only a day’s pay they grumbled, but the landowner did not change his mind. He told them that he had given them what they had been promised.

One of the messages from this story is that God’s Kingdom is open to us all and that those who come later will enjoy the same blessings as those who come earlier. The first to cross the finishing line is not necessarily the best. It’s much more about how we run the race. Wherever you think you are in the “race of life” you are welcome at St. Peter’s or any of the local churches. Details of services at St. Peter’s can be found here.

May I also invite you to our Strawberry Tea on June 25th at 106-108 Broadway from 3.00-6.00pm. There will be strawberries, cake, stalls and much more. We will close with a short service at 6.00pm. You are all very welcome.

With my continuing prayers,

Jon Randall (Vicar) 01733 240339; vicar@saintpeters.co.uk

Read this article in the Yaxley Gazette.