Over the last few months, I’ve had the honour to receive so many messages in all shapes and forms from people telling me they are praying for me. One or two came from people I didn’t even know but who had heard of my situation from mutual friends. The love and support which came through…
“Pray at all times without ceasing in the power of the Holy Spirit.” Ephesians 6:18 When we intercede in prayer we stand before God on behalf of someone or some situation and ask our Father through the power of Holy Spirit to come to our help. This may mean asking several short prayers at one…
Centuries ago, a book was written called “The Cloud of Unknowing”. It’s still a classic with advice on how to pray and how prayer works. Perhaps the piece that is most remembered concerns silent prayer. We all need to cry out to God sometimes – often it’s an instinct beyond our reason. We’re in pain;…
When is the last time you asked someone to pray for you? A lot of us are only too happy to pray for others but it can be very hard to ask someone to pray for us. It’s only recently I’ve realised how rarely I’ve asked for prayer and yet it should be a natural…
Over the years there ‘s been so many ways of explaining how Father, Son and Spirit work together. St. Patrick famously used the three leaved shamrock and every preacher faced with Trinity Sunday tries to find their own explanation. Some of you may be, or may know, keen photographers. There are some types of photos which…
Today let’s consider another verse of St. Patrick’s Breastplate. This time a prayer for God to be with us everywhere and in every part of our lives. It focuses particularly on Jesus, making us aware of how God became at one with our humanity and thus is ever longing to draw closer to us. “Christ…
One of the greatest prayers ever written is St. Patrick’s Breastplate. It is an old prayer which we used translated from the original Irish. We used to sing it regularly during the season of Trinity but somehow, it’s been forgotten, perhaps because it is quite long and the musical setting is quite complicated. It’s…
It’s a wonderful time of year to wander in the garden in the early morning. Yesterday it was particularly still and, even early on the sun had a rich warmth. But what really struck me as I opened the back door was the smell. It was as if it had been waiting for me as…
One thing I have had recently is time to read. Among books I turned to was the whole Narnia Cycle. When I was 12, I saved up pocket money to buy the whole set-in paperback and in a substantial slipcase. They are well read and deservedly so. I was once asked to name the best…
In the Gospel of Mark Jesus encourages his followers to call God Abba. When the Disciples asked for an example of how to pray he starts his prayer “Our Father…” For many of us this is an amazing invitation of be in the most intimate of relationships with an almighty, ever loving creator God. The…