Review of Piano Recital, “Peaceful Dreaming”, at St Mary’s Last Sunday St Mary's was delighted to welcome back Rachel Neiger for an uplifting concert of peaceful and happy music interspersed with poetry. You can read a full review by clicking here.
Your Lent adventure? Join in Morning Prayer together. Please do. We offer ourselves in worship, listen to the Bible and pray for our world and church members in turn. Monday: 8.30am Goring, Tuesday and Thursday: 8.30am Streatley. Friday: 9am Goring.
Prayers for the week from Roots on the web Lord, as we come to you today, our minds are full of questions. Just like Nicodemus, we want to know how and why. Thank you that you are a God who listens, a God who invites us to ask, a God who wants us to relate to you. So, here we are with our questions… some of which we name in our hearts right now. Lord, we have so many questions Help us to listen for your answers
Lord, today our first questions must be: Why? We come with heavy hearts asking why there are wars in Ukraine and Gaza and so many parts of Africa. We want to know why the leaders of so many nations want to wield power instead of bowing down to you. We ask why we have allowed ourselves to spoil your world with pollution and mismanagement of resources so that many millions starve while others have more than enough. Lord, these are heartfelt questions that we can’t answer. But you are the God who sees. You are the God who will one day bring justice. You are the Lord to whom one day every knee will bow. In the meantime, Lord, show us how to be peacemakers. Show us how to work for justice. Help us to be the answer to our prayers. Lord, we have so many questions Help us to listen for your answers
Lord, we pray for our local community as we ask: What? Help us to see what you are doing and to follow you. We ask: What are you doing in our schools? We pray for pupils and teachers, for all who love you who are trying to show their friends and colleagues who you are. Thank you for a new openness to spirituality and for all those schools that have prayer spaces, allowing young people to connect with you. We pray for local businesses and shops, our health facilities and community centres. We ask you to show us what we can do, as individuals or as a congregation, to serve those who work around us each day. Lord, we have so many questions Help us to listen for your answers
Lord, as we think of our neighbourhood, we ask: Who? Who needs to know the touch of your love this week? We think particularly of those we know who are in pain or sick. Lord, wrap your loving arms around those who are sad today, we pray… give peace to those who are fearful or troubled or awaiting test results or a diagnosis… Help those who struggle in any way, maybe at school, or because they are not as young as they once were. And Lord, we also rejoice with those who are happy today: because of a birth, or good news, an exam passed, a successful interview, a birthday. Even if we are not feeling happy, give us the grace to rejoice with those who are. Lord, we have so many questions Help us to listen for your answers
Finally, Lord, we think about: Where? Where are you sending us this week? We picture the places that we expect to be going to: work, school, surgery, shops, friends’ houses. Go before us, Lord, and prepare the way so that our words will be your words and our actions your actions. And Lord, some of us may be going to places we don’t expect this week. Give us the courage to go to places that may be scary or unusual or new. Help us to know that you are with us every step of every day. Lord, we have so many questions Help us to listen for your answers
Lord, so often we bombard you with questions and demand answers. Help us this week to be quicker to listen than to speak. Help us to trust you in the storms and the calm. Help us to watch what you do and follow with courage and joy. And give us the grace to see when we can be the answers to our prayers.
Thank you for being the God who listens to our prayers. Amen.