We like to domesticate creation and animals to be pets…. Do we do the same for God? Do we try to contain or make him in our image? How can we let God be God?
We had a blessed and inspiring Confirmation service on Sunday. Bill and Enrique explained why they wished to be confirmed and some of what led them to this step. Good Wesley hymns and bells rang out. Keep praying for them and for each of our vocations to see God more clearly.
Plans are underway for Hilary and Nigel of Streatley to be confirmed at Nettlebed in September.
Friends of St Mary’s concert “Sound the trumpet! Raise, raise the voice!” The annual Friends of St Mary’s concert will take place this Sunday 21st July at 4pm in St Mary’s. Glynne Stackhouse will be playing the organ and piano and he will be joined by soprano, Stephanie Bodsworth and Brian Thomas on the trumpet. There will be music by Purcell, Strauss, Mozart, Gershwin and pieces for Soprano and Trumpet by Handel. Admission is £10 (FoSM members £8) and will be followed by tea and cakes in the Morrell Room.
This week we are asked to pray
Prayers for the week, based on the prayers of David Adam
O God, from whom all good things come, give us grace to live to your glory; give us respect for each other and for all your creation; fill our lives with a sense of wonder, and give us wisdom in all our dealings; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever, Amen. Lord of all creation, Keep us in your love.
All things come from you, O Lord, all goodness and good gifts. May we see your love and grace in all that is about us. Help us to enjoy the world with the great love that you have for the world. As we deal with weather we pray for farmers worldwide. Help to protect our planet. May your Church be seen as good stewards of your creation, using its resources to the benefit of others and to your glory. We pray for all relief organisations. Lord of all creation, Keep us in your love.
We pray for areas where there is tension, and deep hurt between neighbours. For Lebanon and Gaza and Israel, Ukraine and Russia, and in our own streets and cities our fears and insecurities. Lord of all creation, Keep us in your love
We pray that we will all remember that life cannot be bought or sold. We remember those who are not paid fairly for their work. We pray for places of deprivation, the world’s poor, for street children and dwellers in shanty towns. And we pray for Steve and Lindsay Poulson in their work for the young in Honduras. We pray for nations that are suffering from food shortage and bankruptcy. We ask you to bless all who are working for trade and justice. Lord of all creation, Keep us in your love.
We give thanks for all that you have given to us. May we share what we have received for the benefit of the needy and your glory. We pray for all who have enriched our lives by their care and generosity. Bless our homes and our loved ones. Keep us in your peace. May the Benefice in which we live be an acceptable and hospitable community. And we give thanks to all those who are housing people from Ukraine and for those who work in local housing. Lord of all creation, Keep us in your love.
Lord of all goodness, we remember before you all suffering peoples; the war torn and weary, the malnourish and the starving, all driven out of their homes and off their land, all who have been robbed of their livelihood or their health. We pray for friends and loved ones in difficulty in this time, those who are ill or unable to cope on their own. Lord of all creation, Keep us in your love.
We give thanks for all who, though poor in the eyes of the world, are precious in your sight. We pray for all who have departed this life. Lord of all creation, Keep us in your love.
Almighty Father, Accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.