WELCOME TO ST MARY'S AND ALL SOULS
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Poverty and Hope Appeal 2024/25: Loving our neighbours around the world This year it has been agreed that our Parish Lent Appeal will be for the Diocese’s Poverty and Hope Appeal. Visit the News page to find out more |
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Take a look at the churches in the Benefice from the air |
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St Mary's and All Souls Services We will post any revisions to services here and on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/StMarysAndAllSouls |
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St Mary's and All Souls latest Newsletter |
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PCC Papers You can now download minutes and other PCC documents from the PCC page |
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Food Bank latest needs: https://bromleyborough.foodbank.org.uk/give-help/donate-food/ *PLEASE DON'T SEND US FROZEN OR CHILLED ITEMS AS WE DON'T HAVE THE CORRECT STORAGE FOR IT AND IT SPOILS BEFORE WE CAN DISTRIBUTE IT* WE'VE GOT PLENTY OF PASTA, CEREAL & BISCUITS
Thank you!
Judith Simmonds will be taking the Parish contributions towards the end of the month so please drop your donations into our box in the porch before then. |
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Phillip Southby writes:
Is that really true? That’s a question that we’re often having to ask ourselves these days.
We live in a world that’s increasingly influenced by conspiracy theories, often spread via social media, and now we’re told that much of the information, including pictures, that we can find on the internet, may be generated by artificial intelligence, the accuracy of which is not always guaranteed. But this concern for the truth is nothing new.
Two thousand years ago, after the crucifixion of Jesus, the Jewish authorities asked for a guard to be placed on his tomb. They were aware that Jesus had said that he would rise again on the third day and were concerned that his followers might steal the body and falsely claim that he had risen from the dead. A guard would prevent any such deception.
There was no question that Jesus died, the Romans knew how to execute people, but we then have a number of eyewitness accounts that he did rise from the dead.
Of the four gospel writers, Matthew and John were apostles of Jesus, and Mark’s gospel is largely based on the testimony of Peter, another apostle. All three agree that the first people to find the empty tomb were the women who had gone to anoint Jesus’ body, and that they brought the news to the eleven. Then Jesus appears to them in the upper room and later by the Sea of Galilee. So we have three eyewitness accounts.
Luke was not one of the twelve. He wrote the fourth gospel much later, and it’s clear that he consulted a number of people before writing. It does appear from his detailed description of Jesus’ birth that he had access to Mary or someone very close to her. He actually writes; “Mary treasured these things in her heart” and we know that she was present at Jesus’ death.
Luke also wrote the book of Acts and he begins it with the statement that over forty days Jesus showed himself to the apostles and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. While Paul, in his letter to the Church in Corinth, says that the risen Jesus appeared to the apostles, to more than five hundred people at the same time, and to James.
And to James? The apostles included James, the son of Zebedee, and James, the son of Alphaeus, but Paul is talking about James, the eldest son of Joseph and Mary, Jesus’ half-brother.
James had grown up with Jesus, he knew him well but, when Jesus began his itinerant ministry, James had thought him out of his mind. However, his life was changed, turned around, by an encounter with the risen Jesus and, by the time that Paul and Luke visited, he had become head of the church in Jerusalem. Surely the most convincing evidence for the truth of the resurrection.
May we too, like James, meet the risen Jesus this Easter.
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