What if everything you reject about God, is not God?

In preparing for the autumn study course at All Saints Belton, and the Alpha course which begins with a meal on Friday the 30th September, I read that “most people who reject God are really rejecting religion, without knowing it. They aren’t really rejecting God for who He is, but rejecting God for who He isn’t!”

So, I wonder what your answer would be if I asked you what you think God is like?

?A new season begins? was the conversation in the week I was writing this article; for the person talking to me it was the football season ? The Championship ? but within a week it is the Premier League that begins, all before the finish of the cricket season! Sometimes, these days, it seems that the seasons all run into one.

The harvest began later this year so the rush will be on for the farmers to get fields ploughed and seeded with the winter wheat before the autumn rains.

A number of years ago, Tim and I had a holiday in the USA; we were invited to a friend?s wedding in Chicago. It was the sort of holiday that we don?t usually have. I don?t know about you but I like to get away from it all when I?m on holiday and so going to an extremely busy city was very different.

When you celebrate anniversaries, do you use the time to look back to what happened on the day that you are remembering, and perhaps look forward to what might happen in the future? My husband Tim often says, ?last year at this time.....? or ?can you believe it its ? years since......? or ?it was only last week when we were....? And, last Saturday, a number of people, reminiscing about a previous Garden Party, remembered the occasion when we had a massive hail storm.

Do we need a reason for a party?

Well, actually, we usually do! Whether it be moving into a new house, retirement, getting married, a new baby, a wedding anniversary or a birthday, it isn?t often that we just have a party with nothing to celebrate. The weekend of 10-12th June will see the official Birthday celebrations for Her Majesty the Queen, and what better reason to have a party, to celebrate Queen Elizabeth?s 90th birthday. Hopefully it will also include a win for England who play in the European Cup on the Saturday evening, too.

Do you like to celebrate birthdays? As we get older we may not like to celebrate our birthday as it reminds us of how old we are, and the fragility of life. By the time you read this, the Queen will have celebrated her 90th birthday on the 21st April and you will be hearing more about plans to celebrate that birthday, when she has her official birthday weekend of 10th-12th June.

I have been thinking about what it means to live in the light of Easter........

At Eastertime we remember Jesus?s death on the cross and how he overcame death, and we celebrate his rising to life again. We will have eaten numerous hot cross buns and Easter eggs, created to help us recollect this life-changing event, and will have enjoyed two bank holidays, originally given for the purpose of holy reflection and celebration.

Rev Rosie writes

Twelfth Night, Epiphany, 6th January??. different  names for the date that Christians remember the arrival of the wise men in Bethlehem to worship Jesus.  After their visit, Joseph has a dream telling him to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt to escape what turns out to be a massacre of all the baby boys of 2 years and under.

Our television screens and newspapers remain full of details of violence and hateful crimes against humanity;  we hear so much about the refugees fleeing from danger.