We are a parish in Raynes Park South London under the Diocese of Southwark. We are grateful for your interest and invite you to learn more about our parish family.

Our main service is at 9.30am on Sundays and evening prayer at 4pm also on Sundays. Please have a look at Services Page for more details.

The Parish is now part of a United Benefice with All Saints' Church, South Wimbledon, (about two miles distance), with whom it shares its Parish Priest.  All Saints' Church is another Forward in Faith Parish under the pastoral care of the Bishop of Fulham.  

 

6th May 2012

Fifth Sunday of Eastertide

The Almighty hath magnified me!

Mary magnifies God by the overflowing of the Holy Spirit from her heart. It expresses itself in thankful praise and adoration for the faithful goodness of God. She also proclaims 'he that is mighty hath magnified me!' This is the wonder of God at work in the incarnation of Our Lord. Through the gracious acceptance of Mary her whole being becomes the dwelling place of him whom 'heaven and earth could not contain'.

This is the beginning of the Good News which St Paul reduces to one sentence ' Christ in you, the hope of a glory yet to come.' With Mary all humanity is 'magified' or 'made greater and more glorious'. The image of God in each of us can be restored to its full glory through the love and mercy of Jesus. Mary has become the 'God bearer' in order that we all may be God bearers too. The partaking of The Lord in Holy Communion is a sign to us of how great we have become in the sight of God.

 

 

The Eucharist Just as the wooden branch of the vine, placed in the earth, bears fruit in its own time - and as the grain of wheat, falling into the ground and there dissolved, rises with great increase by the Spirit of God, who sustains all things, and the by the wisdom of God serves for the use of men, and when it receives the Word of God becomes the Eucharist. St Irenaeus

 

 

 

 

The word of the Lord

1 John 3. 28-24 These few verses contain a good summary of our faith: believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and live in love with all. The Epistles and Gospels written under the name of John continually emphasise the importance of love, of love not only in pious words but expressed in all our acts and relationships. In his last words to his disciples on the eve of the Passion, Jesus told them to love one another as he loved them. We cannot live in a pretence of love, for God knows us completely and individually. It is his love that saves us from despair about our sins. Repentence can lead to anxiety and guilt unless we accept that his pardon is complete and that we are still loved just as we are. The most wonderful part of the message is the assurance of our dwelling in God and he in us. Through his Spirit we are given a holiness that we could never achieve by our own wills.

 

 

The Ritual Reason Why
The sign of the Cross

Why do we make the sign of the Cross with Holy Water on entering a Church?

When you enter a church very often near the door you will find a small bowl or stoop filled with water. This water has been blessed by the priest and is what is called holy water; it is set aside for specific purposes. When you enter a church dip your fingers in the water and make a sign of the cross. We do this to remind ourselves of our Baptism. Every time we became a Christian, when the priest poured water over our heads and claimed us for Christ. In Baptism we enter the Church as a Christian so it is appropriate when we enter any church that we are reminded of this fact. It reminds us that our sins are forgiven by God when we come to him and ask for his forgiveness. You might like to set up a stoop in your home to remind you when you go out that you go out into the world as a Christian to witness for Christ.

 

Forward! is published each week by Forward in Faith , 2A The Cloisters, Gordon Square, London WC1H 0AG

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