Pray for the earth

Lynn Hurry April 2021

These photos were taken in the Vicarage Garden at St. Mary-at-Latton, Harlow by our Vicar, Lynn Hurry.

The young fox is waiting to give birth and knows that she is in a safe place with someone watching over her and giving her food when she is most vulnerable. On this Earth Day (April 22nd) many fine words have been said and gestures made with well-meaning intentions, but it is in Vicarage gardens like this one, where small acts of kindness towards those with whom we share God’s earth’ that huge statements are made. Doing small things with great care for all God’s Creation are special and effective when they are done with great love (as Mother Teresa of Calcutta used to say.)

A PRAYER FOR EARTH DAY

Creator God,
We acknowledge that as your handiwork,
we stand alongside all that you have made.
Trees and rivers, mountains and valleys,
soaring birds and scuttling creatures,
all are held within your care.
May we grow in our love and appreciation
for the fabulous variety around us;
and may our awe and wonder draw us closer
to the natural world, and through it to you,
the God of all things.
We pray in Jesus name,
Amen

Revd Cate Williams, Mission and Evangelism Officer
Diocese of Gloucester

Wait Patiently

My friend Joyce Smith has sent me this lovely tweet :

“This little kingfisher posed for about 15 minutes at Fisher’s Green. We might have been looking for the elusive bittern, but the kingfisher certainly made the trip worthwhile!”

We live in an ‘instant’ society where we want immediate action, results or answers. This is true in Christian terms too. Many prayers are filled with demands or browbeating God. But in our relationship with God there is a need for us to be patient. Had Joyce failed to be patient she might have missed the Kingfisher. The ‘elusive bittern’ is a joy to come on another day. The Kingfisher kindly offered an alternative view. It must have sensed a bit of disappointment because it stayed still, posing for about 15 minutes. Long enough to enjoy its colourful presence. Long enough to remind us that sometimes it is the things least expected which bring us joy and enlightenment.

The Psalmist tells us to be still and wait patiently for God to drop by.

There is a Taizé song, Wait for the Lord, sung often in Advent, but appropriate to think about at any time (or even sing!) when we long for God or for a sign of his presence.

The Taizé song tells us that God’s day is always near. His presence is close to us but we must prepare our hearts to receive him and clear away all the things that might get in the way and stop us meeting Him. His ‘Glory’ is rightly portrayed often as an amazing display of God’s holiness which is a shewing of God’s presence. It’s posh name is from the Greek, Theophany. An obvious example is the Transfiguration of Jesus on the Holy Mountain. A spectacular event but personally it is when we see God not with our eyes but in our hearts where God reveals himself in a special way. It may be an awesome thing but it is a source of rejoicing because, as the Taizé song and Joyce’s kingfisher tells us, those who seek and wait for God will be rewarded with joy and gladness.

Wait for the Lord, his day is near
Wait for the Lord, be strong take heart
Prepare the way for the Lord
Make a straight path for Him
The Glory of the Lord shall be revealed
All the Earth will see the Lord
Rejoice in the Lord always
He is at Hand
Joy and gladness for all who seek the Lord

P.S. Good luck, Joyce, with the Bittern!

Poet Laureate’s poem for Prince Philip

A poem by the Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage, to mark the passing of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.

The weather in the window this morning is snow,
unseasonal singular flakes,
a slow winter’s final shiver. On such an occasion
to presume to eulogise one man is to pipe up
for a whole generation – that crew whose survival
was always the stuff of minor miracle,
who came ashore in orange-crate coracles,
fought ingenious wars, finagled triumphs at sea
with flaming decoy boats, and side-stepped torpedoes.

Husbands to duty, they unrolled their plans
across billiard tables and vehicle bonnets,
regrouped at breakfast. What their secrets were
was everyone’s guess and nobody’s business.
Great-grandfathers from birth, in time they became
both inner core and outer case
in a family heirloom of nesting dolls.
Like evidence of early man their boot-prints stand
in the hardened earth of rose-beds and borders.

They were sons of a zodiac out of sync
with the solar year, but turned their minds
to the day’s big science and heavy questions.
To study their hands at rest was to picture maps
showing hachured valleys and indigo streams, schemes
of old campaigns and reconnaissance missions.

Last of the great avuncular magicians
they kept their best tricks for the grand finale:
Disproving Immortality and Disappearing Entirely.
The major oaks in the wood start tuning up
and skies to come will deliver their tributes.
But for now, a cold April’s closing moments
parachute slowly home, so by mid-afternoon
snow is recast as seed heads and thistledown.

By Simon Armitage, the Poet Laureate

Simon became the 21st Poet Laureate in 2019. He is professor of Poetry at Leeds University.
He has written almost 30 collections of poetry.

This ‘Elegy’ for Prince Philip is on YouTube with Simon reading it. It sounds amazing read by him.
Just go to YouTube and type his name.

Flowering of the Cross

Easter Cross at St.Mary-at-Latton, Harlow.
Unfortunately because of lockdown we were unable to display it this year, so here is a view from a previous year.
[Photo: Mr G]

The Flowering of the Cross

The flowering of the cross has been traced back to the 6th century. It is an especially striking and beautiful way to symbolize the new life that emerges from Jesus’s death on Good Friday.
Traditionally during the Easter Sunday service, the cross is covered with real flowers and draped with a white winding sheet. The entire cross is covered with flowers and is placed prominently at the front of the church to symbolize the new life in our risen Lord to all the worshippers present on Easter Sunday morning.
The contrast between the starkly bare cross that worshippers have seen for 40 days and the living flower cross of Easter Sunday dramatically and visually represents the new life that we are celebrating after witnessing the very instrument of death and endings transformed by Christ’s rising. It’s a symbol where flowers are refreshed regularly to mark the 50 days of Easter.

Lord, You have arisen forever
our hearts!
May the sunrise
Remind us to shine in Your light.

May the caress of a gentle breeze
Remind us of Your compassion.
May the fragrance of a flower
Remind us to blossom in Your love.

May the singing of birds
Bring a song of joy to our lips.
And in the closing of each day
May we remember to quietly pray.

Wherever we are, whatever we do
May our thoughts in joy return to You!

May the power of the cross,
the joy of the resurrection,
and the presence of our risen Lord
be with us all, now and always.
Amen