Events, News and Miscellaneous

 The church magazine will not be published until further notice.

St. Mary’s Cottingham

 Prayer in the Ether 15

Praise him all creatures here below;

Praise him above ye heavenly host;

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Father

these words are so familiar to us,

yet they also remind us of the mystery which surrounds you.

We realise that there is so much we do not understand about you,

but we trust in your promises,

that you are with us always and we feel safe in your loving care,

especially in these troubled times.

So be it forever.

 Try to focus on the present – rather than letting your energies be diverted into past regrets – or future expectations.  God gives you only the present, moment by moment.

 Many of us have noticed the wildlife during the lockdown.  We can hear various birdsong and see more birds at our bird feeding tables or where we have hung food from a tree or bush for them.  Foxes have also been noted coming more into our environment than before.  Make the most of nature, and protect the wildlife – and their future and ours.

 As we are allowed out more, do more exercise, try to maintain alertness in walking, sitting – even in

what you eat – and try to get peaceful and restful sleep.  It seems that many people have lost their usual sleep patterns.  Remember, Now is Now.  Be with the present – here and now.

We praise you, Lord for the blessings of your healing power.

Your word is full of promises of healing and protection for those who trust and believe in you.

Those promises have by no means diminished, only the poverty of our faith.

We see the miracle of your creation which helps us to understand that with you, anything is possible.

We bring to you now those who are sick – some suffering with advanced disease.

Lay your powerful healing hand upon them now as, believing in your mighty healing power, we pray for each one, including those known personally to us ..................

Amen

 Lord, we pray for the young people who will be leaving School this Term, particularly those who do not have plans for the future.  We pray for those who are leaving Further Education and are facing new challenges and those who do not yet know what the future holds for them.   May your guiding Spirit lead them into the right path.

Amen

Hull Deanery Synod Prayer Diary June 2020

Read Matthew 10, vs 40 to the end

 The custom of the day when Jesus spoke these words was that to receive a messenger or envoy was to receive the sender themselves.  To respect an ambassador was to respect the king who sent him.

 This passage sets out the four links in the chain of salvation.  First and foremost, it is God from whom salvation emanates.  Then, secondly, Jesus who brought the message to us.  Then follows the human messenger, the prophet who speaks the message, the good person who is an example and the disciple who learns and passes on to others the good news which they have received.  Finally, the believer who hears the message, accepts the message, and finds eternal life.  We cannot all be priest or prophet, preaching the good news, but this passage tells us that those who offer to the messenger and the message the simple gift of hospitality will receive no lesser reward than the messenger.

 H.L. Gee told the story of a boy from a little country village who, after a great struggle, became a minister.  Along the way, the village shoe maker, who was a well-read man, was a great help to him.   When he took up his first ministry, he returned to thank the old man.  The old man told the minister that it had always been his ambition to be a preacher, but he had never had the chance.  He promised to keep the minister in shoes free of charge provided he promised to always wear them when preaching.  “I can then feel that you are preaching the message I would have loved to preach, and you will be standing in my shoes.”  Without doubt both were serving God.

 The great beauty of this passage from Matthew is the stress on the simple things in the Christian life.   The Church and Christ will always need their great orators, their shining examples of sainthood, their great teachers, but the Church and Christ will also always need those who offer hospitality, who wash up the cups, those who care for the needs of others in Christian love.  “All service ranks the same with God.”                              

 Revd. Trevor Holborn

Lord, we pray in resurrection hope for your world.

We pray for the voice of conscience crying in the wilderness;

for the lone voice speaking out in the babble of indifference and neglect;

for the pressure groups exposing injustice;

and for the Church speaking to a godless world.

We pray for refugees fleeing from violence, and having trouble finding a welcome;

for those who have resettled, but still long for the land of their birth;

for young people leaving home to seek security or love;

for those ill-treated by their marriage-partner;

for children caught up in a cycle of abuse.

We pray for those whose morale is low

because life has become a cul-de-sac;

because of illness in themselves or loved ones;

because of unemployment or lost opportunity.

We pray for your Church in its mission and service,

especially for those places with dwindling numbers.

May your resurrection power give hope

for those who struggle to be the conscience of society as part of their witness.

May your resurrection power give courage.

We pray for this congregation as we witness here in Cottingham,

welcoming the Revd Nicola to lead us,

that your resurrection power will give us faith.

Lord, though our prayers may be small and weak,

may those for whom we have prayed hear your Eternal Word …

“Nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord”

 (Romans 8: 39.)

Amen