Stockton Road Church News November 2025
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Mark 12: 30-31 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your strength, and you shall love your neighbour as yourself”.
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We are a union of Presbyterian and Congregational churches at the heart of Sunderland city life, growing from a past rich in mission and hospitality. We embrace this heritage utilising the Five Marks of Mission to guide and enable us to take forward current opportunities for mission and service. |
NOVEMBER REFLECTION
2 Thessalonians 1:1-4,11-12
The letter begins with a typical greeting (1 Thessalonians 1:1). The apostle identifies his co-authors and partners in the gospel and locates his audience not simply in their home city but in the very life of God. ‘Grace’ and ‘peace’ are favourite terms of Paul – the first a summary of the loving generosity of God, and the second of God’s desire for harmony and reconciliation in creation. Both flow from the gospel that reveals ‘God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ’, mentioned twice in the opening verses. There is much to be thankful for in churches whose faith and love are flourishing in the face of (unspecified) opposition and suffering. Not only does Paul give thanks to God, he also shares his pride in the Thessalonians’ faithfulness with other churches (v.4). Their example is good reason for celebrating the love of God at work through the gospel (see 2:16).
Such a positive opening puts the letter’s audience in a good frame of mind, so that they can receive the challenges that are the main reason for writing. For now, Paul’s prayer reminds them of their high calling to maintain their loyalty to God in the face of all that would undermine it (vv.11-12). This is not something they do in their own strength: notice the prayer’s dependence on God’s power and grace, which more than match the Thessalonians’ resolve and faith. The consistent emphasis on Jesus as ‘Lord’ in this opening section is a consoling reminder of where ultimate power lies: not in Rome, with the imperial pretenders to divine lordship, but in the exalted Lord Jesus as God’s heavenly judge, whose coming will hold to account all who resist the work of God revealed in the gospel (see vv.5-10, omitted by the lectionary perhaps because their vindictive tone and detail
are at odds with Paul’s customary statements of divine judgement).
How can we tell if God is at work in the world’s trouble spots? One way is by listening to the stories of people who live there. Sara, her husband and three children live in an informal settlement in Beirut. Her family have been helped by Tahaddi (Arabic for ‘challenge’), a Lebanese organisation dedicated to fighting poverty. Their children are educated at the Tahaddi Education Centre and, through its health centre, Sara was diagnosed with cancer and received financial help to pay for her treatment. This is what she says about God’s work in her community: ‘Without Tahaddi’s help and God’s grace, my children wouldn’t have an education, and I might not have survived.’
- What things can we ‘boast about’ as a church community?
- Is it obvious to the wider community that God is ‘at work’? How?
- What else is God calling our church to do during this season?
A Prayer
Grace be to us from God our Father.
Peace be to us from our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Let us live with everything we have been given by God.
Go with everything he will help us to be.
Go in peace. Amen.
Lectionary Readings
2 – 8 November – Celebrating God at work
Isaiah 1.10-18; Psalm 32.1-7; 2 Thessalonians 1.1-4,11-12; Luke 19.1-10
9 – 15 November – Living tradition
Job 19.23-27a; Psalm 17.1-9; 2 Thessalonians 2.1-5,13-17; Luke 20.27-38
16 – 22 November – How to live now
Malachi 4.1-2a; Psalm 98; 2 Thessalonians 3.6-13; Luke 21.5-19
23 – 29 November – King of the turning world
Christ the King: Jeremiah 23.1-6; Psalm 46; Colossians 1.11-20; Luke 23.33-43
30 November – 6 December – Come, Jesus, and put the world to rights
Advent 1: Isaiah 2.1-5; Psalm 122; Romans 13.11-14; Matthew 24.36-44
Church Services November
All services at 10.45 in the sanctuary unless otherwise stated
Nov 2nd Barbara Ledger. Coffee and Croissants in the Lower Hall.
Nov 9th Revd Jane Rowell. Remembrance Sunday.
Nov 16th Christine Hutchinson and Barbara Mitchell.
Nov 23rd Revd David Whiting.
Nov 30th Revd Jane Rowell. Joint Pastorate Service at Roker URC. 11 am.
Weekly Activities (all welcome)
Bible Study Group Tuesdays at 10.30am
Food Cycle Lunch Tuesdays at 12.30
Diary Dates
Elders Meeting Friday 14 November 10.30am
Church Meeting Tuesday 25 November 2.00pm
Love, Amelia
Remember to check out Love Amelia’s Wishlist. There’s a collecting box in the vestry. Read all about their work on their website www.loveamelia.org.uk. You can also donate via their Amazon Wishlist where items you buy can be sent direct.
Newsletters
Church Newsletter July 2025 final (1)
March Newsletter 2024