Thursday Prayer 9.00 -10am every week at Christ Church beginning 11th April.
A time of prayer for God’s renewing work in All Saints’ and in Christ Church. All welcome. Come when you can.
Prayer thought from Wendy March 2019
In Matthew 18 verses 15 following Jesus speaks about what should be done when a member of the Church hurts another. He states that the matter is best worked out between them. He emphasises the benefit of this approach. by saying, “You have won your brother back.” Should this fail then further disciplinary action is outlined. (v.17-18). In the next two verse Jesus having begun with the concept of discipline broadens it to make a valid point about prayer. I quote from the message: “When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven gets into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure I’ll be there.” So Jesus requests us to pray alone in secret (Matthew 6:6), and also to pray together with others. Both ways require discipline and faithfulness, willingness and resolve. From the earliest times, Christians knowing they are kindred spirits and one in Christ, have been drawn together to pray, and honour His name. They have experienced His presence in their midst, His ruling in their hearts, and His directing their thoughts, through shared prayer. I share an illustration from the life of St Seiriol.
St Seiriol built a circular cell beneath the cliff at Penmon on Anglesey in the sixth century. The remains can still be seen beside the Holy Well which is behind the monastery fish pond. He was a Celtic Christian with no connection to Rome. He lived simply. People visited him seeking advice, blessing and healing. Seiriol also had a peripatetic ministry, and a Celtic community gathered round him. The story of his weekly trek to fellowship with St Cubi, who lived in the North West at Holyhead, is still taught. St Seiriol left from the well to cover 17 miles one way to Clorach Well in the centre of the island at Llanerch-y-medd, where the two monks met up. At that time there were two wells on either side of the road, but since 1840 one well was lost under a road bridge, and the other, on the south side, has mainly collapsed and is heavily covered. St Seiriol walked with the morning sun and the setting sun on his back and was called Seiriol Wyn – “the pale”. St Cubi had the sun in his face both ways and was known as Cubi Felen – “the golden.” Their discipline and persistence puts us to shame. They expended effort and time to converse together with God, encouraged by the knowledge that His presence was with them.
Having a prayer partner, praying regularly with others, deepens our awareness of God, and our fellowship with one another His grace flows. Jesus tells us there is power in agreement when together we express our concerns, our burdens, our hopes and our goals. Our selfishness is kept in check as we pray for one another. Peace permeates our souls. We gain new strength for service, witness and mission as the love of Christ constrains us. We walk more closely with Christ, trusting His promises. We minister to each other through the agreement.
Three Minute Retreat
Do you feel that it’s hard to find time for prayer?
Even a short time spent in prayer can help you to refocus and to connect with God. Rev’d Sue and Reader Diane recommend this website which offers a guided 3 minute retreat. There’s a time to pause, a short reading, two questions to get you thinking and a little prayer. You can get it as an app for different types of mobile phone too.
https://www.loyolapress.com/retreats/simple-rules-start-retreat
United Christian Broadcasters (UCB)
UCB produce a great daily devotional which is recommend by our church. It is a helpful reflection on a very short daily Bible reading which helps readers to apply Biblical truths to their everyday lives. Click on the link below to read or listen to the UCB ‘Word for Today’
https://www.ucb.co.uk/word-for-today
Pause/Pray
Pause/Pray is a free series of Bible reflections, available as a podcast or download. They include original music, guided prayers and themes related to daily life. A new one is available each fortnight. To stream or download the episodes or subscribe to the podcast go to iTunes or your regular podcast app.https://www.engageworship.org/pausepray
Pathways to Prayer
The Diocese are running 3 ‘Pathways to Prayer’ events over the next few months. This is a wonderful opportunity for all people of every tradition to explore fresh perspectives on patterns and styles of prayer, contemplation and meditation through a diverse range of workshops. For further details, and to book, click on the links below.
Day with Bishop Philip 30th March at Whalley Abbey
Day with Archdeacon Mark 6th July at St Oswald’s Preesall
Day with Bishop Julian 21st September at St Ambrose Leyland
Day with Bishop Jill 19th October at Xavarian Mission Spirituality Centre
Our Diocesan Prayer.
Heavenly Father, we embrace Your call for us to make disciples, to be witnesses and to grow leaders. Give us the eyes to see Your vision, ears to hear the prompting of Your Spirit and courage to follow in the footsteps of your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. AMEN
This Prayer Page
At All Saints’ Appley Bridge, we believe that earnest, thoughtful, regular and honest prayer is the key to our individual and collective relationship with our wonderful Creator, God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. If you want to share a prayer or prayers on this page, do not hesitate to contact us with your thoughts. If there is a situation that you wish to bring before God and would like us to be mindful of as a Church family, share it with us. We want to share together what we want to say to Him.