Dear Friends,
Last week Julia encouraged us to rest and reminded us of God’s call to rest on the Sabbath day. I took her words to heart, making more time to relax every day, especially on the incredibly hot days we’ve been experiencing. I hope you’ve been able to do the same.
Julia’s theme of rest reminded me of Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:28: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Not only does God ask us to make time to rest, but we also hear in this verse that God longs to hear our prayers, to take away our worries, celebrate our joys and give us rest in mind, body and soul.
I wonder how you might find time to be with God in prayer this week. Could you make time each day to slow down, breathe deeply, and reconnect with the rhythm of creation. The heat has forced me to change my daily rhythm in order to enjoy the cooler hours and I have found myself praying late into the night.
I have been praying particularly that those in power will take action to care for our planet, stop polluting our seas and skies and make real moves towards renewable energy. I have also been praying for our local community, particularly for the children off school for the holidays who might come along next Friday for summer fun. You might choose to pray in a similar way, or perhaps you have specific worries that you can give to God in prayer.
Speaking of which… do you know that we have a prayer chain that will pray for you or situations you know about? You can share your prayers with Jenny by phone on 07963 905663 or email the office on office@stnicolas.org.uk and the prayer chain will pray for you. Affirmatively you can write your prayers on a card and put it in the prayer box in church. All requests in the box are prayed for on a Sunday morning by our Prayer Ministry Team.
My prayers are with you this week as ever.
Emma
Emma Major, LLM (Licensed Lay Minister)