Morning all!

Despite our two children’s increased independence which results in them being out of the house for considerable amounts of time, Helen and I currently find ourselves more housebound than usual. The reason?  – waiting in for deliveries that have been ordered for work, M13, and the occasional household item too. It’s proving a challenge to plan our days so that at least one of us is around when Parcel Express, DHL, Hermes, DPD and a whole load of other firms besides, attempt to drop off stuff that’s been ordered, and that’s before the annoyance of couriers that claim to have been here but find the property empty. 

So what have we learnt? Well, apart from never trusting any correspondence from Yodel!, (as well as acknowledging as I type, that this is a minor first world annoyance for me !) – for me I guess there is a renewed appreciation for those who are are living as sole carers, for those who are still shielding, and for those for many more reasons, who find themselves housebound. I was reading this morning of the new plans to “green” our city, with a new urban park to the east of Piccadilly station – wonderful when it finally comes, but only if you have the chance to access it. 

Pray today for those whose lives are  so taken up with the care of either others or themselves, that they are unable be outside, and be renewed.

Keep safe
Keep in touch
Keep the faith

Simon

Wednesday 5th August

Pause 
 

• Mark this time as one set aside for God by focusing on your breathing.
• Count to 5 as you breathe in, hold your breath for another 5, and then exhale slowly again counting to 5. 
• You might want to think about the things you want to receive from God: holding a word in your mind as you breathe in, and equally share with Him a word concerning something particular that you want to hand over and leave with Him (perhaps a worry, care, concern or failing) when you breathe out. 

 
Ponder 
                                                                     
“Conduct yourselves wisely towards outsiders, making the most of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone”. Colossians 4:5-6


Think: How can you be salt and light to the world currently?
How do you ensure that you make the most of your time?
                  
Pray

"Pray without ceasing”  1 Thessalonians 5.17    
 
Church family: Briyanna Mvoto, Yinka, Yoanna and Zaza    Elizabeth, Ore, Fifi and Victoria
 
Make the advice found in the bible reading today a prayer for yourself.
 
Pray for those researching and testing new and future vaccines.

Our Father in heaven, 
hallowed be your name, 
your kingdom come, 
your will be done, 
on earth as in heaven. 
Give us today our daily bread. 
Forgive us our sins 
as we forgive those who sin against us. 
Lead us not into temptation 
but deliver us from evil. 
For the kingdom, the power, 
and the glory are yours 
now and for ever. 
Amen.

Keep us, good Lord,
under the shadow of your mercy.
Sustain and support the anxious,
be with those who care for the sick,
and lift up all who are brought low;
that we may find comfort
knowing that nothing can separate us from your love
in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

And a final blessing

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with us,
wherever He may send us.
May He guide us through the wilderness,
protect us through the storm.
May He bring us home rejoicing
at the wonders He has shown us.
May He bring us home rejoicing
Once again into our doors.

Morning all!

Last week I received the sad news that Tony Davenport, known to a good number of us here at church, had died. Tony and to a lesser extent his brother, had a long relationship with our church family; living on the estate as children and partaking in our children and young peoples work here. His was a hard upbringing and sadly, over the years various addictions got the better of him. However, our church was always his church too, and he found himself drawn back here many times over the years.

So many people make comment concerning the warmth of welcome, and peaceful Godly atmosphere they encounter when stepping into our building. Pray indeed that we may soon be able to offer the same levels of hospitality as we once did, that others may receive a foretaste of the heavenly banquet that I believe Tony himself is now enjoying. 

Keep safe
Keep in touch
Keep the faith

Simon


Tuesday 4th August

Pause 

• Mark this time as one set aside for God by focusing on your breathing.
• Count to 5 as you breathe in, hold your breath for another 5, and then exhale slowly again counting to 5. 
• You might want to think about the things you want to receive from God: holding a word in your mind as you breathe in, and equally share with Him a word concerning something particular that you want to hand over and leave with Him (perhaps a worry, care, concern or failing) when you breathe out.  

Ponder
                                                                      
“Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom.  But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth.  Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish.  For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind.” James 3:13-16

Think: Is wisdom a gift that can be nurtured? 
What can we do to avoid envy & selfish ambition?

Pray
 
"Pray without ceasing”  1 Thessalonians 5.17     
 
Church family: Helen Tyrese and TJ Yeboah; Doreen Mellish
 
Pray for wisdom and humility for those who hold power currently
Pray for all those volunteering with Ardwick and Longsight Mutual Aid, and for discernment for the future when this ends at the end of the month.

Our Father in heaven, 
hallowed be your name, 
your kingdom come, 
your will be done, 
on earth as in heaven. 
Give us today our daily bread. 
Forgive us our sins 
as we forgive those who sin against us. 
Lead us not into temptation 
but deliver us from evil. 
For the kingdom, the power, 
and the glory are yours 
now and for ever. 
Amen.

Keep us, good Lord,
under the shadow of your mercy.
Sustain and support the anxious,
be with those who care for the sick,
and lift up all who are brought low;
that we may find comfort
knowing that nothing can separate us from your love
in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

And a final blessing

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with us,
wherever He may send us.
May He guide us through the wilderness,
protect us through the storm.
May He bring us home rejoicing
at the wonders He has shown us.
May He bring us home rejoicing
Once again into our doors.

Morning all! (just!)

It’s been a bit of a struggle to get into the routine of work today – where any deadlines are being met by the skin of my teeth (this one included!). Hopefully, there might be a few meatier reflections in the days to come. In the meantime; whether you find yourself busy, redundant, or somewhere in between.

Keep safe
Keep in touch
Keep the faith

Simon

Monday 3rd August

Pause 
 

• Mark this time as one set aside for God by focusing on your breathing.
• Count to 5 as you breathe in, hold your breath for another 5, and then exhale slowly again counting to 5. 
• You might want to think about the things you want to receive from God: holding a word in your mind as you breathe in, and equally share with Him a word concerning something particular that you want to hand over and leave with Him (perhaps a worry, care, concern or failing) when you breathe out.

Ponder
                                                                     
“Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favour of him. And he said to her, ‘What do you want?’ She said to him, ‘Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.’ 22 But Jesus answered, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?’ They said to him, ‘We are able.’ He said to them, ‘You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.’
When the ten heard it, they were angry with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave;   Matthew  20:20-27

Think: “This is Manchester –we do things differently here” – how could church be run differently following the words and attitude of Jesus in our reading – what might it look like?      

Pray

"Pray without ceasing”  1 Thessalonians 5.17     
 
Church family: Matthew Wilson  Sharon Finn.
 
Pray for those whose anxiety levels have increased with Manchester’s ‘major incident’ declaration.

Our Father in heaven, 
hallowed be your name, 
your kingdom come, 
your will be done, 
on earth as in heaven. 
Give us today our daily bread. 
Forgive us our sins 
as we forgive those who sin against us. 
Lead us not into temptation 
but deliver us from evil. 
For the kingdom, the power, 
and the glory are yours 
now and for ever. 
Amen.

Keep us, good Lord,
under the shadow of your mercy.
Sustain and support the anxious,
be with those who care for the sick,
and lift up all who are brought low;
that we may find comfort
knowing that nothing can separate us from your love
in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

And a final blessing

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with us,
wherever He may send us.
May He guide us through the wilderness,
protect us through the storm.
May He bring us home rejoicing
at the wonders He has shown us.
May He bring us home rejoicing
Once again into our doors.

Hi Everyone,

Apologies, I seem to have managed to forget to send this Pause, Ponder and Pray yesterday. Like a lot of people, at the moment I seem periodically get the day of the week mixed up - so blame my muddled brain. For those who are, like me, a bit confused at the moment, today is Sunday. Some have already been up bright and early to share communion in person. If you missed it (or if you just fancy a double helping), don't worry, there is still the opportunity to worship together shortly in our Zoom service at 10:45am.

Whenever you get a quiet moment today, why not also take the opportunity to Pause, Ponder and pray.

With love

Jess

Pause

Take a moment now to recognise that you are in the presence of God. It might help to slow your breathing. Take a few deep breaths in and out.

Let’s proclaim together:

This is the day that the Lord has made. 
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

We say together our family prayer:

Our Father in heaven, 
hallowed be your name, 
your kingdom come, 
your will be done, 
on earth as in heaven. 
Give us today our daily bread. 
Forgive us our sins 
as we forgive those who sin against us. 
Lead us not into temptation 
but deliver us from evil. 
For the kingdom, the power, 
and the glory are yours 
now and for ever. 
Amen.

Ponder

Today’s reading is Colossians 3:12-14
As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

• Which of the qualities that Paul is asking is to clothe ourselves with do you find easiest to adopt and which do you find most challenging?
• Is there any person you can think of, aside from Jesus, who displays these characteristics well? What specific actions, attitudes or behaviours led you to think of them?
• What is Jesus saying to you today?

Pray

Father God, thank you that you love us completely no matter who we are or what we do. Help us to grow into the people that you want us to be as we seek to follow Christ. Amen

Say a prayer today for the world wide church.

On our church list today we pray for:
Jenny Evan, Nate, Abby and Erin Ferneyhough 
Lila, Luis Alex and Richard Tome

Let’s finish by saying this blessing:

May the Lord bless us and watch over us, 
the Lord make his face shine upon us 
and be gracious to us, 
the Lord look kindly on us and give us peace.

Hi Everyone,

No doubt lots of us will have seen the news about the changes to the Covid-19 restrictions in Manchester and some other areas of the North West. I know that lots of us are worried, disappointed or frustrated by the news. We aren't promised an easy life but we are promised peace. That's my prayer for each of us today that we would know that peace that passes all understanding.

For those who are wondering what this specifically means for church, let me reassure you that nothing has changed for the time being. We have put lots of work into making everything safe so 9am Communion in the building is still going ahead on Sunday for those who wish to attend and of course we'll still be on Zoom at 10:45am.

We look forward to seeing you however you wish to join us but for now, lets all stop to Pause, Ponder and Pray.

With love

Jess

​
Pause

Take a moment now to recognise that you are in the presence of God. It might help to slow your breathing. Take a few deep breaths in and out.

Let’s pray together:

Give us the joy of your saving help 
and sustain us with your life-giving Spirit.

We say together our family prayer:

Our Father in heaven, 
hallowed be your name, 
your kingdom come, 
your will be done, 
on earth as in heaven. 
Give us today our daily bread. 
Forgive us our sins 
as we forgive those who sin against us. 
Lead us not into temptation 
but deliver us from evil. 
For the kingdom, the power, 
and the glory are yours 
now and for ever. 
Amen.

Ponder

Today’s reading is John 15:11

I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.
This is part of the talk that Jesus is giving to his disciples where he refers to himself as the vine.

• What aspects of your faith bring you a particular sense of joy?
• How important do you think joy is in your faith?
• What is Jesus saying to you today?

Pray

Father God, thank you for the joy that you bring into our lives. Help us to enjoy you as we follow you. Amen

Say a prayer today for those who do not experience joy in life.

On our church list today we pray for:
Henry Phillips 
Meseret Resoum

Let’s finish by praying this blessing:

May the almighty and merciful Lord, 
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, 
bless us and keep us. 
Amen.