Piano Recital at St Mary’s In celebration of JS Bach's 340th birthday Christopher Burrows, virtuoso organist and pianist, will be giving a piano recital in St Mary's this Sunday, March 23rd, at 4pm. The programme will comprise short works composed by the Birthday Composer himself. This will include toccatas, preludes and selections from the
Goldberg variations and the Art of Fugue. Tickets £10 full, £9 concessions on the door only and please bring cash not cards! Tea and cakes will be provided by the Friends of St Mary’s in the Morrell Rooms after the concert. Any enquiries please text to 0776 233 9853.
Please come and pray for the life of our parishes: How do we communicate God’s good news locally? The prayer breakfast will take place in the Canterbury Room at St Thomas’.
A Quiet Day on the Stations of the Cross We have been sent details of a quiet day led by Revd Dr Zachary Guiliano and Revd Philippa White at the Community of St Mary the Virgin at Wantage on Saturday 5th April. This day is being organised by the Friends of Christ Church Cathedral and costs £35 for the day including lunch and refreshments. For more information please contact the church office.
This week we are asked to pray:
Prayers for the week from "Roots on the Web" Lord, we choose to turn back to you. Help us to start afresh: renewed and restored. Lord, we come to you admitting our weakness and failure. Thank you for giving us the chance to turn around and start afresh with you. Indeed, Lord, you are the God of second chances and we know, in our lifetimes, you have been the God of third and fourth chances, forgiving and restoring us a countless number of times. We are profoundly grateful. We know that without you, we would have no hope and yet, because of your love, we remain your children – even if rather wayward children at times. Lord, we choose to turn back to you. Help us to start afresh: renewed and restored. Lord, we think about the times this week when we have wandered away from you; and the times when we have determinedly gone in unwise and selfish directions. Yet you still desire to bring us back. We ponder those moments when we have found ourselves safely back with you. What was it that brought us there? A word of encouragement from a friend? A sign of love from our family? Verses from Scripture that challenged and enabled? Something beautiful that we saw or heard that reminded us of you? Lord, whatever or whoever you used to bring us back, we thank you. Help us to remember those joyful moments of reconciliation so that we are less inclined to wander away again. Lord, we choose to turn back to you. Help us to start afresh: renewed and restored. Lord, as we think about the disasters that Jesus spoke about, we remember things we have heard on the news this week that have shocked or saddened us. We remember particularly…. the Middle East as the ceasefire has crumbled and more people are dying. We think of the progress of diplomacy between Russia, the USA and Ukraine. Lord, may your words of peace and love rule in these places. May conflict cease and goodness return. We also pray for those places which are no longer in the headlines but are still seen and remembered by you… We thank you for the aid agencies that work tirelessly to bring supplies, medicines and comfort. Lord, may your people be fed, clothed and given safety wherever they find themselves. These are big prayers, Lord, but you are a big God. And we pray for the people or places that never make the news, where only you see the hurt and the pain. We know how much it grieves your heart of love. We pray for those who are trafficked or abused… those who suffer from addictions and long to be free... those who are in prison… or feeling desperately alone... . We long to see the world restored to the way in which you intended it. Lord, may your kingdom come. Lord, we choose to turn back to you. Help us to start afresh: renewed and restored. Lord, we think of those who we have struggled to give a second chance to this week… perhaps a friend or colleague who let us down; someone in our class who was annoying; someone in a shop who was rude or someone who cut us up in traffic; a family member that was trying our patience. We pray for each of those people now, whether they are known to us or just an incident we remember... Give us the grace to forgive and the patience to accept situations that we cannot control. And we think of all those who have given us second chances this week... We pray for them now with gratitude for their kindness and patience. Lord, we choose to turn back to you. Help us to start afresh: renewed and restored. Lord, we bring to you all those we know who are suffering for whatever reason. We pray for those who are sick… those who are sad… those who have had a difficult diagnosis and don’t know what will happen next… the confused and anxious… Lord, you care about each and every situation we face – we do not have to go it alone. We ask that you will bring your peace into each situation we have just prayed for. May there be restoration and healing and renewal of hope no matter how hard everything may seem. Lord, we choose to turn back to you. Help us to start afresh: renewed and restored. Lord, as we go forward into the new week, may we go from here restored and refreshed by having spent time with you. Send us out, filled with your love, to be peacemakers and forgivers. Help us to see you in the eyes of everyone we meet this week and to serve them as if it is you we are serving. Give us a new strength and determination to follow your way no matter how hard, challenging, or glorious it is! Lord, we choose to turn back to you. Help us to start afresh: renewed and restored. Amen.