As each little snowdrop, known as God’s lantern points to light and hope to come, may we amid the difficult and dark places bring God’s light and the Good News to the poor and oppressed that Jesus said were central to his mission.
Prayer Breakfast, this Saturday, 25th January.
Please come and pray for the life of our parishes: for our re-launch of Discoverers this Sunday, to give thanks for the new bereavement café and to seek God in all our church life.
Real Easter Eggs Once again Real Easter Eggs are not being sold by supermarkets so the only way to obtain one is to order directly. The eggs are Fairtrade, palm oil and plastic free and many come with a 24 page Easter story/activity book. There will be sign up sheets in our churches or please contact the church office to order. The makers have asked us to order early so we will be placing an order on 17th February.
This week we are asked to pray:
Prayers for the week from "Roots on the Web" Let us pray to the Lord, asking for the help we need to live the good news in a broken world. Even though answering the call to justice and to peace asks for all we have; even though life and its demands consume much of our energy; even though we are anxious about the future: the joy of the Lord is our strength. So, with confidence we pray: Send us, lead us, and fill us with your Spirit. Even though living for you at home, at school and at work is often challenging; even though standing up for what we believe in a sceptical world is tough; even though we fall short of what you ask of us and we let people down: the joy of the Lord is our strength. So, with confidence we pray: Send us, lead us, and fill us with your Spirit. Even though the world is troubled and building the kingdom relies on our small offering of faith; even though peace is so fragile and hope is hard to come by - remembering especially the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the West Bank where fresh violence has broken out; even though we often lose our way and fail to listen, we can begin again: the joy of the Lord is our strength. So, with confidence we pray: Send us, lead us, and fill us with your Spirit. Even though the pendulum of popular opinion is swinging, politics seems volatile and wise and empathetic leadership seems in short supply; even when society’s problems are deep-seated and complex taking all available reserves of courage and commitment to resolve; even though the failure to provide answers to social and economic woes hurts people and places some of the burden of need on our church communities; the joy of the Lord is our strength. So, with confidence we pray: Send us, lead us, and fill us with your Spirit. Even though the world is so often full of suffering; even though our hearts are troubled by our own pain and by the suffering of others - remembering today those we know who are going through illness, redundancy or life changing events; even though in our distress we do not see the signs of God’s presence with us: the joy of the Lord is our strength. So, with confidence we pray: Send us, lead us, and fill us with your Spirit. Even though in the UK the threats of extremism and radicalisation are rising and the surge of online violence seems unstoppable; even though we are far from the inclusive and equal society that enables everyone to flourish; even though good news for the poor and freedom and healing for all will require our time, love, persistence and practical compassion: the joy of the Lord is our strength. So, with confidence we pray: Send us, lead us, and fill us with your Spirit. Even though, as Trump begins his presidency, we are alarmed by the flurry of hardline policies including deportation threats against immigrants; withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement and from the World Health Organisation; even though there is much more to do to make our church communities places of welcome and safety; even though we often feel powerless against choices that shape all our lives: the joy of the Lord is our strength. So, with confidence we pray: Send us, lead us, and fill us with your Spirit. Even though living memory of the holocaust is fading; even though the lessons of history are ignored and lives are still scarred by genocide and persecution and we are called to tell the story of this pain to change hearts and minds; even though the light we can offer in the midst of the darkness of prejudice seems so small: the joy of the Lord is our strength. So, with confidence we pray: Send us, lead us, and fill us with your Spirit. Even though we feel small and insignificant, the good news is for us to share; even though the need around us is great; our hands are empty and our courage fails; even though the gifts we offer seem inadequate: the joy of the Lord is our strength. So, with confidence we pray: Send us, lead us, and fill us with your Spirit.