Friday 30th May  10.50 am

  w/c Sunday June 1^st 2025

Dear Friends,

What a strange week it has been weather wise!
We have lurched from beautiful sunshine to torrential rain, from t-shirts to warm jumpers.
A real up and down, unpredictable sort of week.
It’s a bit like life isn’t it – full of ups and downs, of unpredictable things.
Yet the wonderful thing is that despite all we are going through, the highs, the lows and everything in between, our God is faithful.
And incredibly, as we read in this week’s Gospel, and as Rev Alex highlights, Jesus not only walks with us through all this, but prays for us in all we do and experience – what an incredible truth, what an incredible God!

Thought for the week,

In our Gospel reading this week we hear the final section of Jesus’ prayer to God, before he leaves for the Garden of Gethsemane and faces his upcoming trial and death.
In the previous three chapters of John we hear Jesus concerned to tell his disciples all those ‘final’

things he particularly wants them to know before he physically leaves them – firstly through

death and then, as we celebrated this week, through his Ascension.

In chapter 17, the final thing Jesus does with and for his disciples is pray.
This whole chapter is often referred to as the priestly prayer as he is interceding for others.
He prays on behalf of his disciples, those dearest friends of his who have followed him for the previous three years.
But I think the wonderful thing in this prayer for us is right there in the first line of our passage today:

I ask not only on behalf of these [disciples] but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word’.
That’s you and me – we believe because those first disciples told others, who told others right down the ages until you get to us here and now.

Yes, Jesus is praying for us and still does! Sometimes, I think it can be easy to forget that –we focus on praying (which is, of course, very important) and forget that Jesus, having ascended into heaven is our great High Priest and ‘is interceding for us’ as Paul tells us in

Romans 8.34. How amazing is that? Jesus prayed for us on the night before his death and continues to do so today.
And does knowing that change anything about how you read this passage, or indeed the whole prayer?
Or even how you think about Jesus and his relationship with you? In this prayer there are, as is so often the case when Jesus speaks or prays, some comforting and encouraging parts and some parts that we may find more challenging.
This week, if you have chance, I think it’s worth spending some prayerful time with this passage reflecting on what it means to you as a disciple of Jesus.
In the end, though, I think the most important thing is to remember to be grateful that we have a Saviour who still sees us, still loves us, is still with us and still prays for us today.
Rev Alex

Notices and Diary

• Littlehempston Celebration of Bells on Sat 31^st May from 11am – in aid of new bell ropes. Come and enjoy bells of all shapes and sizes, and tea and cake
• St Petroc’s Celebration of Flowers on June 7^th and 8^th. Tea and cakes 10-4 on Sat; 11-4 on Sunday. Songs of Praise on Sun 8^th at 4pm. Donations of cakes gratefully received
• St Luke’s Saturday June 14th at 2.30pm HANDEL AND MOZART CONCERT.  A free concert with the organist Richard Lester. Retiring collection for church funds.
• Harford special spaces walk on Saturday 21st June, 2pm-5pm from St Petroc’s, South Brent to Harford for tea and cake. Please wear sturdy shoes. Dogs are welcome on leads.

Sat 31^st May                         Littlehempston Celebration of Bells from 11am

Landscove wedding at 1pm (Davis/Forte)

Wed 4^th June                       St Petroc’s Morning Prayer at 8.30am

                                                      Thought for the week at 10am by zoom and telephone

Fri 6th June                          Morning Prayer at 9am by zoom and telephone

                                                      Staverton/Landscove PCC at 10am

Sat 7^th June                          St Petroc’s Celebration of Flowers with tea and cakes 10-4

                                                      Rattery wedding at 12.45pm (Watt/Summers)

Sun 8^th June                         St Petroc’s Celebration of Flowers with tea and cakes 11-4

St Petroc’s Songs of Praise at 4pm

Church Services

 Know you are in my heart and in my prayers.
Rev Gina