Stay Awake!

Week 42

Luke 22: 39-46

With apologies to the late F. Scott Fitzgerald for borrowing one of his most famous novel openings, in my younger and more vulnerable years I thought I could burn the candle at both ends. I could stay out late into the night and early morning and still get up in time for work. I didn`t need the amount of rest I do now that I`m older and marginally wiser! What I didn’t realise was that I wasn’t functioning effectively.

Tiredness can be a killer. I remember when I was about ten years old, and my father was driving my mum and me home from a day out along with my grandparents. It was late at night and the roads were dark. We were all drowsy and I remember being awakened by either my mum or nana shouting at my father who was dozing off at the wheel. We were fortunate that he was roused before it was too late.

Tiredness can also make us irritable and prone to acting in ways that we would not otherwise choose. There is all sorts of advice available online designed to educate people on how to deal with tiredness in a whole range of different circumstances, and even a Government page telling everyone to “take a 15-minute break every two hours”. You can be forgiven for thinking that we shouldn`t need to be reminded of something quite so obvious.

But we do. And for even more important reasons.

When we are tired our resilience levels fall and our defences weaken. It’s not merely our physical lives that are at threat but also our spiritual lives. It’s why Jesus’s words to the disciples appear in Matthew, Mark, and Luke’s Gospels, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you will not fall into temptation,” he said. Jesus knew that the disciples were weak and needed to be strengthened through prayer.

I know that tiredness is my enemy, but it may be yours too. It is also why in 1 Peter 5:8 the apostle tells us, “Be alert, be on the watch! Your enemy the Devil, roams round like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Be firm in your faith and resist him, because you know that your fellow believers in all the world are going through the same kind of sufferings.”

Our temptations will be different for each one of us. More often than not they will be subtle and offered to us as inconsequential. An unkind or critical thought about someone; watching something inappropriate on TV or even the internet; another bar of chocolate or glass of wine. All are just the first steps on a slippery slope. Whatever it is we know that Jesus was tempted in every way that we are and that He has defeated His enemy and our enemy too.

Whether or not we are tired victory over our temptations is only a prayer away.

Prayer: Jesus, please strengthen us in our fight against temptation and the devil and help us to remember that prayer is our most effective weapon.

Neil Bromage, 07/10/2023

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and when

We meet at the Church Building (details here) for our Sunday Service starting at 10:30am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There are disabled toilets in the main foyer.

Our service

The main service begins at 10.30am with a warm welcome from one of our team members. Then follows a time of sung worship, led by our worship leader. We typically have two songs followed by a children's slot. The children and youth will then normally go off to their respective groups. If you have children you will be able to spot and speak to one of the leaders - they will be wearing a bright yellow t-shirt! There will usually be a time of prayer and communion. We normally have another time of sung worship followed by a sermon that is bible based and that we can apply to our everyday life. We then finish with a final worship song. Sometimes there is an opportunity to receive prayer at the end of the service.

When our team is available we serve tea, coffee and biscuits from 12pm, after the service. It is a great way to meet people, or simply take time to find your bearings. All refreshments are free.

sunday services

What about my kids?

We have a great programme lined up for kids/teens:

Creche - from approx. 6 months to 5 years (decided on a child by child basis)
Limitless Kids (4/5 - 11/12 years)
Limitless Youth (school years 7-11)

Children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service for two worship songs and the “Kids slot” and then go to creche or Limitless Kids. Limitless Youth may go out at the same time as the children but sometimes stay in the service to take communion before going to their class. Children can be picked up by parents after the service ends (but not before 12pm).

The kids group activities vary depending on the age but usually there is a friendly welcome, bible stories, testimonies, praying, music, craft, drama, fun games and free play. Please pick your children up as soon as the service finishes.

Getting Connected

Small Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a couple of groups that meet every week, some afternoons and some evenings. Check out Small Groups and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a small group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to Join a team.

Other Ministries

We also run the following ministries and regularly support various missionaries who are part of the Elim Missions work:

Toddlers & Co weekly group
Foodbag provision
Open Doors Team
Church in the Cafe
Youth Community Outreach

We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at the church.

Best Wishes
The Gatehouse Church Team

About us

Get in touch with us to plan your visit

If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you. (*Mandatory Fields)

*Name:

Telephone:

*Email Address:
*Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.