Some background info

This Sunday, as we continue our series on Paul's Prayers, we're going to have a couple of readings from Paul's letters - one in Colossians and the other from Thessalonians. If you want a bit of 'Bible Project' background to those two letters then here are two helpful videos.






If you want to explore more from the Bible Project then click here.

Justice - what does the Bible have to say?

The team at the Bible Project, based in Portland, in the US, chose not to release a new video this week as planned, but instead paused to create "space for the important conversation being had about justice".

Yesterday they flagged their theme video on justice. It's well worth a watch as we reflect on issues that are very much front-page news at the moment.

How are we supposed to respond?

I hope that we've all been shocked and upset by the stories and scenes that we have seen coming out of America over the last week. I hope that we're deeply concerned that we still need to state 'black lives matter' and that it's still acceptable to believe and behave as if some people are worth less than others.

A lot has been said on social media over the last days - but is that ever enough? And what can we do? What should we do?

Here are a series of articles and responses from representatives within the BUGB.

https://www.baptist.org.uk/Articles/579501/George_Floyd_our.aspx

Pentecost Assembly

Last week was half-term - although it seemed much like the week before - so there was no Wednesday assembly. But today we're back, looking at Peter's story. This week we're looking at Pentecost, as Peter's story moves from the gospels into the book of Acts.



Although Christians now celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday, originally Pentecost was a Jewish harvest festival celebrated 50 days after the Sabbath after Passover - or seven weeks after Easter Sunday. You can find all the details in Leviticus 23:15-22 and similar passages in Numbers and Deuteronomy.

Over time Pentecost became the day when Israel celebrated the giving of the law, which was given to Moses.

The Holy Spirit coming on the day when Isreal was celebrating the giving of the law adds significance to Jeremiah's prophecy in Jeremiah 31:31-34.

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant
I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to them,”
declares the Lord.
“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
after that time,” declares the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
No longer will they teach their neighbour,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive their wickedness

and will remember their sins no more.”