Christ Church Lausanne - Weekly eNews (14 October)

The Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity

Dear Friends

People often talk about ‘St Luke’s Little Summer’, a period of late summer weather that lulls us in to thinking that autumn is yet to arrive and winter is a long way off. We will see if this coming week lives up to this hope, though it does look set to be fairly warm in Lausanne.

I will be in Sicily, where thunderstorms are predicted. I am attending the centenary celebrations at St George’s Church in Taormina. This little Anglican church was opened in 1922, when the population of that beautiful little town perched on the cliffs above the Ionian Sea was home to many visitors escaping the dreary English winter weather.

One of the early benefactors of St George’s was the family of Admiral Nelson, who had been given an estate nearby for fighting off the French. Ironically it was the Royal Navy that blew out the windows of the church when they bombarded the town during the war. Needless to say, there has been a constant and faithful congregation at St George’s for the last hundred years, providing support to tourists and the now much reduced English population.

Whatever the weather of life, with its unpredictability and constant change, God offers us a reliable presence and support. St Luke speaks of Jesus being concerned particularly for the marginalised and oppressed, whoever they may be in our society. Such underlines the point that we are all children of God who at different times need to give and to receive through the church.

This should be the basis of all our Christian lives – knowing when we give to others and when we receive from others. The church is a family, with a variety of gifts and needs, and we are encouraged through the Spirit to think how we can help in the ministry of all and what the needs are of our community and the wider society. St Luke tells us how Mary responded to God’s call on her life: “I am the Lord’s servant, may your word to me be fulfilled” (Luke 1:38).

May God bless you in all that you are called to do.

Fr. John

Prayer for St Luke

Almighty God, you inspired Your servant St. Luke the Evangelist and Physician

to set forth in the gospel the love and the healing power of your Son.

In faithfully detailing the humanity of Jesus, he also showed the divinity of Jesus

and his genuine compassion for all human beings.

Amen.