Friday 15th May 09.30am 

w/c Sunday 17^th May 2026

Dear Friends,

Thy Kingdom Come, a global wave of prayer between Ascension and Pentecost, is taking place from the 14-24 May 2026. Resources at:  https://www.thykingdomcome.global/resources.
An ecumenical gathering for prayer and worship is to be held at Exeter Cathedral this Sunday, 17th May at 6pm. 
The Archbishop of Canterbury suggests we choose five people to pray for during Thy Kingdom Come. 
Watch her Facebook video to find out more. 

Thought for the week

This Sunday we remember Jesus’ Ascension.
It is one of those elements of Jesus’ life and mission

that it can be quite easy to gloss over, especially as Ascension is always celebrated on a

Thursday.

I wonder what you think of when you think of the Ascension? Perhaps you don’t think much at all.

Perhaps you think of feet dangling from a cloud.
Perhaps you think it’s just all a bit weird.
Perhaps

you think it’s really hard to understand what was going on and why it happened (and I think you

could be right!).
Or perhaps you have an idea of how Jesus’ Ascension fitted into God’s plan for

redemption.
In a 400 word reflection, we don’t have time to delve into the theology of the

Ascension.
So maybe there’s another way of engaging with the Ascension?

Could reflecting on feelings help us learn something about the Ascension? I wonder how you feel

about the Ascension and what we might learn from the apostles’ feelings at the Ascension? As

Jesus ascended; I wonder if they were shocked at him disappearing from sight (however that

happened) or maybe they weren’t overly shocked as Jesus had been doing a lot of surprising

things since his death: rising to life, appearing in locked rooms etc.
Maybe this was just one more

of the impossible things Jesus did before breakfast.
I think they probably felt a bit perplexed,

though, as Luke tells us in Acts that they were stood gazing up to heaven, and it was only angels

speaking to them that roused them from their reverie.

We might have expected them to feel bereft as this was the second time in just a few short weeks

that they were losing Jesus. But there weren’t tears, they didn’t lock themselves away in that

upper room in fear and confusion like they did following Jesus’ crucifixion. Instead, that upper

room is filled with prayer and Luke tells us in his Gospel, that the apostles also went out into

Jerusalem filled with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God (22.52-53).

I think one of the things that made the difference between the emotional reactions of the apostles

post-crucifixion and post-Ascension was that they had come to understand more about his

mission. Their thinking and feelings were aligned. So, both thinking and feelings are important!

Having seen the risen Christ and listened to his teaching, they knew that Jesus had completed his

earthly mission and had to ascend to heaven to reign in heaven and to extend his mission to a

global scale rather than a localised one. To enable this universal mission, which we take part in,

Jesus would send the Holy Spirit, and that’s what we’ll celebrate at Pentecost next week.
Rev Alex

Notices and Diary

• South Brent Mothers’ Union quiz in the Church room at 10am on Thursday 28^thMay.
• United Mission Community Service on May 31^st at 10am at Yonder Cross, Hillside

S Brent with many thanks to the Barclays. There is v limited parking for disabled folk only – so please park along Hillside and walk up the hill. Please bring something to sit on.  If wet it will be in St Petroc’s.

• St Petroc’s Flower Festival June 5-7^th with Songs of Praise on 7^th at 4pm

Sun 17^th May                       Littlehempston APCM after morning service

Wed 20^th May                      St Petroc’s Morning Prayer at 8.30am

Thought for the week at 10am by zoom and telephone

St Petroc’s Parish Lunch 12.30-1.30pm

St Luke’s PCC at 6.30pm

Fri 22^nd May                          Morning Prayer at 9am by zoom and telephone

Sun 24^th May                       Rattery Baptism during service (Platt)

                                                      Rattery APCM after service

Mission Community Services

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