Welcome to the website of St James, Bramley. We hope you will find it helpful and informative, and would be delighted to welcome you to come and worship God with us on a Sunday soon.
To find the church with a SatNav, use the postcode RG26 5DF
This Week’s Services
These are the services in Bramley and Little London this coming Sunday, 27th January:
- 8.00 Holy Communion – St James
- 9.00 Sunday@nine – Cross House
- 10.30 Holy Communion – St James
Please do come and join us at one of these services.
Word for the Week
The Gospel of John tells us about just seven of Jesus’ miracles, starting with the account of how He turned water into wine and ending with the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Each of these miracles is described as a “sign”: in other words, Jesus’ purpose in performing the miracle goes beyond the miracle itself – the intention is to show those who saw it (and those like us who hear about it later) something significant about Jesus. In the case of our Sunday reading from John 2, the water being turned into wine, John specifically comments in v.11, “[Jesus] thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.”
When we look at the other miracles performed by Jesus that John describes, it’s possible to see how each one reveals something particular about Jesus. In chapter 4, for instance, he heals the son of an official without ever seeing the boy; the son lay dying in Capernaum and the official came to Jesus in Cana, 14 miles distant, to ask Jesus to intervene and heal his son. Just as God is able to answer prayer “remotely” when we cry out to Him, Jesus’ power was not limited by distance or by not seeing the boy: He spoke a few words of assurance and it was done.
Our readings this week look at each of the “signs” described in John’s Gospel. What is revealed about Jesus by each sign? What did they communicate to people at the time about Jesus, and what do they say to us who read about them? (Hint: sometimes you need to read on a bit further, as in the case of John 6, to see what Jesus Himself says about the significance of the “sign”.)
| Monday | John 4:43-54 | |
| Tuesday | John 5:1-15 | |
| Wednesday | John 6:1-15 (& 25-59) | |
| Thursday | John 9:1-12 | |
| Friday | John 11:1-44 | |
| Saturday | John 21:1-14 |
Other Services in our Benefice
Our parish of Bramley and Little London is part of a group of parishes known as a Benefice. We work together, sharing resources and helping one another out when needed, while also retaining our individual styles and preferences as we worship the living God.
These are the services in the other churches in our Benefice this Sunday, 27th January.
- 8.30 am, St Mary’s, Hartley Wespall: Holy Communion
- 10.00am, St Leonard’s, Sherfield-on-Loddon: Together in Worship
