Page 22 - Issue 77 Online

St Nicolas’ Church Services

On 6th May, as a nation, we celebrated the Coronation of King Charles III. The
Church of England circulated a prayer booklet for use in the month leading up
to the event. Some of you might have seen or have one of these, they were
distributed at St Nicolas church.
The booklet tells us that ‘To pray is to respond to the God who reaches out to us
in Jesus Christ.’
Praying is one of the ways we let God into our daily lives. It is an important part
of the life of a Christian. I’m talking here of private prayer, not the intersessional
prayers such as offered during a service of worship.
There are times when even the most hardened and indifferent person is brought to
prayer. However, prayer which is merely about asking is a poor form of prayer. It
should not be narrowed down to a series of requests. Prayer is about a relationship
with our God through our Lord Jesus Christ; therefore, it involves a two-way
communication. A degree of quiet and listening, of meditation, confession, praise and
thanksgiving. It is a time of communion.
The comedian Sally Phillips said, in her broadcast on Good Friday, ‘I’m learning that
prayer is just shutting up for 20 minutes.’
It is, of course, impossible to prove prayer by logical reasoning or by mathematical
or scientific workings. There is still much in our world that is beyond the sphere of
scientific explanation. St Paul says in his letter to the Hebrews, ‘Faith is something
hoped for the evidence of which is unseen.’
Prayer is about a communication with our creator God, not to seek a blessing on our
own desires, but to seek to live our lives in accordance with His good purposes for
our lives.
Stephen Tooke
Licenced Lay Minister
Benefice of Six Fen Churches

OUR SERVICES

Services at St Nicolas Church for July - September
9th July 10:30am Holy Communion
10:30am United Benefice Service at St Mary's Church, Doddington
23rd July 10:30am Morning Prayer
30th July
13th August 10:30am Holy Communion
27th August 10:30am Morning Prayer
10th Sept 10:30am Holy Communion
24th Sept 10:30am Harvest Service
Benefice Administrator - Christine Day 01354 688063
Church Wardens- Rosemary Hankins 01354 680585 & Bob Day 01354 688063

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