Trinity Church Abingdon

Trinity is a joint URC / Methodist church. It is an active member of the Church in Abingdon – a thriving ecumenical project comprising 14 Abingdon churches.

Minister's Letter (from February Triangle)

Dear Friends,

One of the things that comes up on my Facebook feed quite regularly is this question: “Where did you find God this weekend?” It is an interesting question. For many of us the answer used to be quite easy. We’d find God as we met with each other to sing, pray, hear the Bible read to us and the thoughts of the preacher. During this pandemic some have been joining in worship through the Circuit Zoom Service, by rediscovering Songs of Praise on the telly or the various services available on the radio as well as those “Worship @ Home” services that are sent out each week.

The wide variety of services that people have been tuning into has been a delight to hear about. It is also very true that some styles and options suit some people better than others. This should not surprise us! Yet I wonder if the question that comes up on my Facebook feed needs changing to: “Where did I find God today?”

God has promised to be with us in all things, so we can expect to find God in our midst whether we feel we can venture out to the shops or whether our food and medicine is delivered to our door. My experience is that the more I seek God the more I find God and can marvel at the way in which God weaves in and through so many people, so many instances, often when and where we least expect it.

On 2nd February we remember the occasion when Jesus was presented in the Temple (Luke 2:22-40). Here we find the lovely story of Simeon and Anna two people who spent a lot of time in the temple and were thought to be very holy and devout. Yet with the help of the Holy Spirit, they recognised this child, Jesus, for who he was. God’s Son. Simeon gave thanks to God for keeping his promise and Anna spoke about what was to happen to the child.

Perhaps we need to learn from Simeon and Anna that we can ask God’s Holy Spirit to help us see what God is doing in our lives and in the lives of those around us. In this story, they glimpsed God by recognising Jesus and they praised God. Where did you glimpse God today? What led you to offer thanks and praise to God today? And do you expect to glimpse God in the everyday? Our church buildings may be closed, but God’s work and the work of his church continues just as it always has. Let us be excited by God as we join in with God in his work today.

Wishing you Every Blessing

Rev Ian