Thoughts from The Vicarage with Mothering Sunday, Coronation prayers and Riders of The Apocalypse
Greetings as we are just over halfway through Lent! And checking back in the dairy it’s now 3 years since we first went into Lockdown and had to lock the doors of the Church. That was the birth of Thoughts from The Vicarage when I first wrote about God’s constancy and constant love in the midst of challenge and uncertainty … and so it has continued!!
When you come to Church this week, please remember that it is Mothering Sunday with a service in each church along with the 8am BCP in St Michael & All Angels. For times and details please see the attached Pews News.
If you enjoyed Wild Isles on BBC1 on Sunday, Bishop Steven’s message to Diocesan Synod is a must watch: In an engaging and thought provoking 10-minute presentation he lays out the biblical imperative for Christians to invest resources to restore nature alongside working towards net zero. In an impassioned Presidential address including the Riders of The Apocalypse his views were clear. ‘If we sleepwalk through the next decade, the tragedy will be irreversible Humanity is given a sacred responsibility to serve & steward and watch over the earth: the land and the water and all that lives in them.’
You may have seen the rather lovely book of Daily Prayers for the Coronation of King Charles III published by the Church of England which can be used as a guide to reflection. The idea is that we pray daily from Easter Day through to Coronation Day. The prayers combine themed daily readings and share features of the Coronation Ceremony, exploring the Christian symbolism behind it. The readings also reflect the value that King Charles III places on charitable work, environmentalism, volunteering and community life. The Daily Prayers (a sample of which can be read online here are available to order as a booklet from Church House Publishing or from myself at a cost of £1.10 each.
Due to the generosity of so many in Lambourn the work in the chancel of St Michael & All Angels is underway. For this reason, the church is closed except for Morning Prayer 8.20 am, Lambourn Lambs, Sunday services and the funeral of Anne Blackwell on Monday at 12.30pm.
Come and See is back this Saturday at The Vicarage in Lambourn from 3.30. There will be a prompt end this week at 4.30 due to other commitments. Lambourn CE Primary school are using Come and See on Monday mornings in Collective Worship (assembly) which is great news.
Finally, do take a moment to reflect upon Bishop Steven’s eloquent call and for extra Brownie points (!) you may like to read Psalm 104, Proverbs 8 the Sermon on The Mount or Colossians chapter 1 and find out more about how the Bible from Genesis to Revelation teaches us that humanity is part of God’s creation with a particular relationship to the natural world – let us resolve to be better stewards of God’s creation!
God bless
Julie