2nd March 2025

Seek first the Kingdom of God

"Seek first the Kingdom of God..."
Generosity is rewarded in eternity

One of our guiding principles as we have approached this month of generosity has been that generosity is grounded in the nature of God. God our Creator richly blesses us, God's creatures, with the gifts of creation. Jesus our Redeemer generously gave his life that we might live. The Holy Spirit, our Sustainer, takes the tiny mustard seeds of faith that we hesitantly offer and generously makes them grow into enormous trees.

The second guiding principle has been that God is God and needs nothing from us. And yet, in God's wisdom and generosity towards us, God invites us to be partners - in God's creative work of pouring out blessings on the world, in God's redeeming work by giving our lives in service to others, in God's sustaining work of creating spaces where tiny mustard seeds can grow into enormous trees.

When Jesus invites his followers to "seek first the Kingdom of God" rather than worry about the material things of life (Matthew 6:19-34), this is what he is inviting them to be part of. Not a series of "must-do" tasks that they will be scolded for failing to complete. Not a specific programme or a clear input-output calculation. Jesus is inviting them to reimagine life as part of God's Kingdom, where generosity and giving rather than seizing and grabbing are the rule by which they are to live. And it is those acts of generosity, of enacting the Kingdom in the here and now - however small they seem - which will remain long after the material things of life have withered and disappeared.

As we began to grow in a noticeable way as a church about this time last year, several people from both legacy churches said to me words to the effect of - "This is what we've been praying for for years." As faithful people over 10, 20, 30, 40, 100, 150 years have prayed and given, loved and served, they have played their part in reimagining life as part of God's kingdom here in Penge. Their small acts of generosity continue to resonate down the years, creating the space within which God's kingdom can flourish and continue to grow.

So I wonder, what mustard seeds of generosity are we planting, here and now in 2025? And how might our generosity and service, however small it seems, be building the Kingdom of God here for 2035, 2045, 2055?

Jessica name

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

New to Church?

If you're coming to Holy Trinity with St John's for the first time, this information will help you know what to expect.

Where and When?

Our 8am service is at our Holy Trinity Site (location details here).

Our 10:30am service is at our St John's Site (location details here).

For more information about our different Sunday services, please click here.

What about my children?

We actively welcome families with children of all ages. If your child is a baby or a toddler, they will remain with you for the duration of the service. A welcomer will give you a Toddler Bag as you come in - these contain a variety of toys and games to entertain your child. We are aware that it can be very hard for a toddler to remain in their seat throughout the service. If your child is getting restless, there is space on the carpeted area at the back where they can move about - and don't worry at all if they make a noise!

To find out more about our groups for children and young people aged 3-18, please click here.

Midweek Activities

A variety of community activities run across our two sites throughout the week:

Christians Against Poverty

We are pleased to be working in partnership with Christians Against Poverty (CAP), a national debt support and advice charity that works through a network of centres based in local churches. More ...