Reflection: Sunday 5th October and for the week ahead:Collect for Trinity 16Lord, we beseech you mercifully to hear the prayers of your faithful people who call upon you; and grant that they may both perceive and know what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfil them.Reflection:This Collect reminds us of the need for prayer to guide our decisions. Knowing that God hears us and cares about us, we pray that He will guide our actions. Of the various possibilities that lie open to us, we have to make a choice, to choose between what is easiest or most appealing and what is right. But that’s not all! Having established what we ought to do we may or may not actually decide to do it. And so we pray for strength, spiritual and physical, to do what we know is right.Show me your ways, Lord, guide me in your truth and teach me (Psalm 25.4-5)Revd Rosemary
Scripture & Reflection: Sunday 28th SeptemberScriptureRejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4. 4-7)Reflection‘Do not worry about anything’ is a command much easier said than done. On one level it is obvious. God is sovereign and will provide for all my needs so there should be no need to worry. The trouble is, it’s not always that easy to allow that head knowledge to invade my heart and mind.Not worrying is something we cannot easily do by ourselves, however, we can learn over time to trust God, bringing everything (large and small) to him in prayer, letting the knowledge that he is near seep into our hearts and souls bringing peace, a peace that surpasses all understanding and gradually allowing him to turn our worry into his contentment.Lyn Hayes, ALM
