Dear friends,

A very warm welcome to this service. May God’s peace and the hope that Christ brings be with us all.

Our bishop has been encouraging us to re-engage with some of our foundational Christian texts: the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, the Apostle’s Creed and the Lord’s Prayer. I hope like me you are enjoying the challenge of trying to commit these to memory. Actually this is not something new. The builders of St John’s Stoke Row thought these words so important that they had them painted onto metal plates which adorn the spaces between the East Windows, in places where you cannot avoid seeing them. Next time you visit St John’s take note – our forbears have left us a message about what is important !

This week, we return again to the Ten Commandments. In the time of Moses these were written on tablets of stone. But where does the prophet Jeremiah say that God’s Law will be written in the future? Email me if you think you know the answer!

Your Rector                                Revd Canon Kevin Davies

The Ten Commandments

The form below is suitable for memorisation. If you would like to read the “full” text, the reference is Exodus 20:1-17.

I am the Lord your God; you shall have no other gods but me.
You shall not make for yourself any idol,
whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above,
or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
You shall not bow down to them or worship them.
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy.
For six days you shall labour and do all your work.
But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.
Honour your father and your mother.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness.
You shall not covet.