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At our regular PCC meetings one of the members starts the meeting with a thought and prayer. We are sharing these with everyone on our website as this new ‘thought for the month’ page. This month we share thoughts with Jackie White

Thought for the month - January 2012

In the Communion Service the Sentences come after the General Confession and Absolution and are as follows :


Then the priest shall say


Hear what comfortable words our Saviour Christ saith unto all who truly turn to him.


Come unto me, all ye that travail and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you.  Matthew 11.28


God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, to the end that all that believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  John 3.16


Hear also what Saint Paul saith :


This is a true saying, and worthy of all men to be received, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. 1 Timothy 1:15


Hear also what Saint John saith :


If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the propitiation for our sins.  1 John 2:1


I  think we might consider these words as we deliberate on the running of the

the Church at Burpham, reminding us that we can take the problems which arise to the Saviour for his comforting love and care for us.

The ‘Comfortable Words’

When I realised my turn had come  to start our PCC meeting with prayerful comments - I wondered how I would cope following the very thoughtful and erudite comments of my dear colleagues.



I wanted to feel ‘comfortable’ in what I had to say, and of course my answer was The Comfortable Words.

 


They have been used as part of the Anglican worship since the first efforts to produce an English language Prayer Book in 1548 and finally used as part of the Communion service in the 1928 edition of the Book of Common Prayer ... hardly ever used now.




   One Canadian Anglican commented:


   ''The Comfortable Words are a great teaching tool

    of the Gospel for the unwashed masses, of which

    I am the most unwashed...”  - a humble comment.



The most important explanation of ‘Comfortable’

is, in this context ‘Strengthening’


The sentences are meant to strengthen our belief.   


The Holy Spirit is often called The Comforter  

i.e. He gives us strength.

















Jackie White