A PRAYER FOR THE PEOPLE OF LEBANON
Loving and Compassionate Lord
We pray for all the people of Lebanon after the catastrophic explosion which devastated so much of Beirut. We pray for all those killed and their loved ones who now grieve for them with broken hearts. We pray for all those injured, those who wait in patience and silent prayer by their bedsides and those who care for them. We pray for those made homeless and who have lost all their possessions and possibly their livelihoods and for all who are trying to bring shelter and succour to them at this time.
We give our most grateful thanks for the response of people and agencies around the world who are offering help at this time, be it practical or monetary. Help us too to be generous in our response to this disaster.
And we give thanks too that, in all such emergencies wherever they occur, we know you to be with the suffering and afflicted and to strengthen, uphold and comfort them with you enduring love. This we ask in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
REFLECTION
by Virginia
Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning, for in you I put my trust.
Teach me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. Ps 143: 8
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path Ps 119: 105
The pandemic of 2020 has created so much uncertainty and it doesn’t matter who you are there is in all of us an element of doubt about where the future is leading us and exactly what lies ahead not just for us in the UK but worldwide.
The verses I’ve chosen for this reflection have a wonderful certainty about them and the words can surely give us reassurance that, no matter what, the way ahead will have God in it. God who will provide that lamp, that light in the darkness of fear and anxiety, of doubt and apprehension. For me these verses are such a comfort and a source of hope that whatever happens we can never be separated from God. We may well be separated from many of the more familiar ways of life as we adapt to a Covid 19 form of living but God in His infinite goodness and eternal changelessness will always be there for us. As we learn to recognise His steadfast love may it create in us that implicit trust that will lead us safely into the future even when the path is unknown and uncharted.
Look back, remember, and have confidence; the future like the past has God in it; His cupped hands bear the whole of time and you; the future holds nothing that can escape His covenantal care.
Loving Lord, when we feel hesitant and uncertain as to the future turn our thoughts back to you and help us recognise the light of your love for us illuminating the way ahead and providing us with the reassurance of your protective care. Amen
A message from Revd David Grundy, Associate Minister
Dear Friends,
Welcome to our church website. We are delighted that you are visiting it, whether you are new to the site or the area, or regularly involved in the life of the church.
We are coming out of lockdown! Lockdown has taught us so much: as individuals, it has made many of us appreciate the more simple blessings of life; as a church, it has led us to a far stronger online presence, and we are so pleased that many people have taken part in our online services. We certainly have no intention of turning our back on those people now.
I am delighted that once again the church can rediscover its identity as the visible body of Christ, as we meet together again: on July 19th (Morning Prayer, 10am), July 26th (Holy Communion, 10am), and August 16th (Holy Communion for the Leith Hill Benefice). We hope then to go back to regular services in September, at some point in the future including the monthly Funday for children.
As we start to reopen the building for worship, we will continue to provide services online every Sunday, using the sermon, hymns, prayers and readings from the service in the church that day, and on July 19th, we will also host the second of our newly formed monthly 'Christian Mindfulness' sessions on Zoom. Click here for more details.
Whatever your situation and wherever you are, we wish you all the best and God's richest blessing,
David
HOLMBURY SELF-SERVICE IS TAKING A BREAK...
There will be no Holmbury Self-Service on Sundays 2nd and 9th August, as services on these days will be hosted by other churches in the Leith Hill United Benefice. For online services on these dates we recommend that you visit the Services page on the website of St John’s Wotton, a sister church in the Benefice. Holmbury Self-Service will resume following this short break.
“God is light; In him there is no darkness...”
[1 John 1:5]
St Mary's, the parish church of Holmbury St Mary, is a beautiful place to seek & know God.
Holmbury church is not, though, just a building; it is a community of worshippers who are here to serve each other, the Holmbury parish and the world beyond in witness to the Christian faith.
St Mary's offers friendship, fellowship and support throughout the village and further afield, not just for those who come to services but for everyone, regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation and belief.
If you would like to find out more or speak to someone in confidence, please contact
Revd. David Grundy on 01306 731142 or at
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“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find;
knock, and it will be opened to you.”
[Matthew 7:7]
