Listening is important. It can make a great difference when we give people time and space to talk. I have valued the times when others have truly listened to me. But how often do we actually listen? The New Testament challenges us to “be quick to listen, slow to speak” (James 1:19). Listening can be transformative, allowing people to processes their experiences and emotions, but it is also draining and time consuming. It is an Read more…
Thy Kingdom Come is a global prayer movement that invites Christians around the world to pray for more people to come to know Jesus. What started in 2016 as an invitation from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to the Church of England has grown into an international and ecumenical call to prayer. This year it runs from Thurs the 13th to Sunday 23rd of May. Click here for more information.
1921 – 2021 Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, has died aged 99, Buckingham Palace has announced. God of our lives,we give thanks for the life of Prince Philip,for his love of our country,and for his devotion to duty.We entrust him now to your love and mercy,through our Redeemer Jesus Christ. Amen. A prayer on the death of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, from the Church of England Read a statement from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Read more…
“…as the dragon, poised to devour its helpless prey, looms over the stranded Princess, the gallant St George charges the crest of the hill, dealing a fatal blow to the scaly beast, freeing the young maiden and bringing peace to the traumatised countryside.” It’s not a bad story; many a film has been inspired by the fairy-tale trope of the helpless princess being saved by the dashing knight, which is so perfectly captured in St Read more…
At Christmas we sing about God’s glory. We join with the angels who sang Glory to God in the Highest. Luke 2 v 14 Jesus said to his disciples “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God.” John 11 v 40 Make time this Christmas to talk to our glorious Jesus. Ask him to open your eyes to see his glory as it rises over you. Isaiah Read more…
There are many people that can inspire and influence us. They can be people that we know or someone who we have seen, listened to, watched or read about. We may share similarities with them, or it can be through our differences that they impact and affect us. We can be influenced by what they do, inspired by what they have achieved and challenged by how they live. For over 2,000 the Church has remembered Read more…
Contemplation is one of the three strands to our common vision in the Oxford Diocese. Our call is to be a more Christ-like church – contemplative, compassionate and courageous. This week in the prayer course we looked at contemplation, which is one of the best ways to ‘put deep roots down’ into God. The key messages from Pete Greig were: Contemplative prayer is silent enjoyment of God’s loving presence. The contemplation journey has 3 stages: Read more…