ST PAUL’S AND HOLY CROSS
August 2nd…  Southern Lebanon…
“…All that remains of the village is piles of rubble where only days ago a thriving community went about its daily business. There has been a complete exodus apart from a few elderly people, to whom we gave what water we had…. The sense of utter devastation and loss is all around us…”
No, not my words, but a rough paraphrase of one of the BBC reporters on the spot. From the distance from which we observe what we are told, it is perhaps too easy to jump to uninformed conclusions. Few if any of us can fully feel what it is like to be Israeli, or Lebanese, or a member of Hezbollah because we are not there and don’t personally have the history which is theirs.
But I believe that we can understand that the things we do, result from the ways in which we think, and the ways we feel. So much of our thought, our response, and our emotional reaction to situations we face is determined by what we have been taught, and our past experiences – good and bad.  We all know too well that sometimes head and heart can be in conflict.
How we behave depends upon our attitudes – the attitudes that “be” within us. In St. Matthew’s Gospel there are eight amazing sayings: we call them “the beatitudes”. (Blessed are…for they… see Matthew chapter 5 verse 5to 10).
This is foundational teaching for Christian believers: indeed for all humanity, as the credentials of Jesus, being the supreme revelation of The Creator, surpass those of all others.
In short, these amazing pithy sayings tell us, not just that what we are on the inside determines how we behave in the world but, so much more importantly, how what is inside can be in tune with the character of the Creator, so that our manner of life pleases Him and honours all people – yes all people, whether we happen to approve of who they are, and what they do, or not.

I shall be looking at these eight saying of Jesus, which lie at the very heart of Christian faith, at the 10.00am services on Sundays Sept. 17th, Oct. 1st & 15th, Nov. 5th & 19th. (Please note that on Oct.1st and Nov.5th these take place in Holy Cross church, Sarratt, the other three at St. Paul’s.)
May I invite you to come and consider them too, as our world in all sorts of ways is desperately short of deep compassion and care, and whether you espouse a Christian faith or not, it could be healthy to think afresh.
With my greetings,  Jim  Stevens