Welcome to Trinity Church, Newport
Trinity Church is a friendly welcoming community which seeks to enable people to explore the Christian life of faith, worship and service.
In view of current restrictions due to Covid, Sunday services have been suspended for the time being.
But please feel free to contact us if you wish - see our Contacts page.
We will be pleased to hear from you.
Reflection by Revd Fiona Brown
January 17th 2021
Jesus is at the start of his ministry and is gathering around him a group of disciples.
Read Saint John’s Gospel Chapter 1. Verses 43 – 51
The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”
Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” said Philip.
When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”
Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”
Reflection
The previous day Jesus had met Andrew who was so impressed by Jesus that he immediately went to find his brother, Simon Peter. Now Jesus has met Philip, who has that same reaction. He was so convinced that Jesus was the Messiah that he went to find his friend Nathanael. “Come and see” he said. Nathanael was sceptical – not quite the reaction Philip was looking for. However once Nathanael met Jesus for himself he was also convinced.
Jesus said to Andrew “Come and see”. Andrew said to Simon, “Come and see”. Philip says to Nathanael “Come and see”.
What we have to do is to “Go and tell” so that we can encourage others to “Come and see”. It’s the personal encounter with Jesus that changes people.
Prayer
Dear Lord, thank you for the people who invited us to come and see you. Give us the confidence to be willing to pass on the Good News of your coming amongst us. Thank you for the generations before us, the Saints in heaven, who have faithfully passed on the Good News.
We continue to pray about the pandemic and those who are bereaved. We also continue to pray for our doctors and other healthcare workers.
Amen.
Read STF 462 Come with me, come wander
Please feel free to contact us if you wish - see our Contacts page. We will be pleased to hear from you.
