LEIGH BAPTIST CHURCH “MESSENGER” FEBRUARY 2026
VERNON ST / CHURCH ST. LEIGH. WN7 1BH
Website : www.leighbaptistchurch.org.uk Contact: admin@leighbaptistchurch.org.uk
Pastoral Leader – Val Hulme ( Days Off Tues and Fridays)
email : pastoral.leader@leighbaptistchurch.org.uk TEL 07817142192
Check LBC website for updates and info also LBC FACEBOOK page
Dates for your Diary:
Sun Feb 1st 10.45am Worship led by Valerie Hulme
Sun Feb 8th 10.45am OPEN SERVICE
Sun Feb 15th 10.45am Sunday Bible Study
Sun Feb 22nd 10.45am Communion Service Valerie Hulme
Wednesdays 4th 11th and 25th Prayer Meeting 10-11am - meet for drinks at 9.45am
Other Users of the building:
Wed 18th Feb - 9am -1pm ALFB foodbank
Wednesdays throughout Feb - All Singers Great and Small Community Choir 7.30pm -9.30pm
Thursdays 10am -12pm Atherton & Leigh Foodbank
A few weeks ago the hot tap in the ladies' toilet was accidentally left on after the service and was running for most of the week! This resulted in more than tripling of our water bill for the month and a higher gas bill! Please ensure taps are turned off after use. We are called to be Good Stewards.
The Love of God.
I always like to read the Old Testament prophecies, especially those relating to our Saviour, Jesus Christ. The ones in Isaiah are well known and are read at times such as Christmas and Easter. But the Psalms, which I have recently been reading, also have many prophecies in them.
As we approach Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent on 18th February it seems appropriate to remember what happened just before Jesus’ time in the wilderness being tempted by the Devil. Psalm 2:7 seems to refer to that time of Jesus’ baptism when The Holy Spirit descended upon Him and a voice from Heaven said, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” (NKJV). The NIV says, “This is my Son whom I love. With you I am well pleased” (Matt 3:17) The word ‘beloved’ tells us how much God the Father loved His Son. There are many times in the Bible we can read of the love of God, a good subject to consider during Lent.
In Paul’s Letter to the Hebrews 1:5 the question was asked, ‘To which of the angels did He ever say, “You are My Son. Today I have begotten you.”?’ Then in v8, ‘But to the Son He says, “Your throne, O God is for ever and ever.” This shows that no-one comes between God the Father and Jesus, for they are one. God further shows His love for Jesus by appointing Him ‘heir of all things’ (1:2) and ‘to sit at (His Father’s) right hand’. (v13). The Father’s love for His Son sustained Jesus throughout His ministry, as Jesus constantly spent much time in prayer to Him.
But why did God have to send Jesus into the world? Ever since Adam & Eve were tricked by the serpent into sinning, humans have repeatedly turned away from following God and obeying His commands. Because of His love for His people God sent His prophets such as Elijah, Elisha, Moses and Jeremiah to speak for Him to turn the hearts of the people back to Him, but they still went their own way. Finally, we are told in John 3;16 that ‘God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting Life.’ He ‘did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.’ (v17) We all know that that led to the appalling arrest, trial and crucifixion of Jesus as He took the burden and the punishment for our sins upon Himself. Even so we are all ‘prone to wander’ as the hymn says, but the Holy Spirit continues to show God's love by calling people to trust Him and acknowledge His great love in all that He continues to do for us. Moreover, He gave us the promise in John 14:3 that Jesus would come again and take us to be with Him in His Kingdom and said in v6 that He was “the way, the truth and the life” and that “No-one comes to the Father except through Me.”
What then should be our response? In John 13:34-35 Jesus told the Disciples, “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. If you have love for one another then everyone will know that you are my disciples.” (GNB) Also, one of the fruits of the Spirit is Love. (Galatians 5:22), then in 1Corinthians 13 we read that of the three main spiritual gifts, faith, hope and love, ‘the greatest of these is love.’ All the gifts we are given need to be accompanied by love and that is the love that reflects God’s great love. It is a mark of the Members of the worldwide Christian Church and is surely a challenge to us all. The 1st Epistle of John, especially chapter 4, is a good epistle to read about Christian love. Here are some verses from that chapter: ‘God is Love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in Him.’ (v16b) ‘This is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.’ Since God so loved us, we also aught to love one another. (vs10-11) ‘Perfect love drives out fear.’ (v18b NIV) There are many more passages or verses in the Bible which show us what God’s love really means to humankind. Kathie