VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, there is a particular gift in the quiet moments of rural life that so often pass us by. Not the showy ones—not the blazing sunsets or the dramatic thunderstorms—but the quiet, steady ones. The way the light lingers at the end of the day, as if reluctant to leave. The sound of the greenfinch in the ash tree, singing … Continue reading A Prayer for the Living Earth
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, it is the time of year for holidays. I have written a prayer for safe holidays. May you have a restful and enjoyable time. Dear Lord,We thank You for this season of departure, when the suitcases are dragged from the loft and the satnav is dusted off. Thank You for the excitement that fills the house on the … Continue reading A Prayer for Safe Holidays
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust that you are well and healthy. In light of the suspected murder of Ann Widdecombe, the following prayer is apt: Dear Lord,We come before You in this golden month, when the earth is soft and the light is long, and we ask for the grace of peace. Not the peace of absence—the mere silence of guns … Continue reading A Prayer for Calm
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust that you are well. Today, I have written a short prayer for the quiet custodians of this land—the ones whose hands are chapped, whose backs are sore, and whose work so often goes unspoken. Dear Lord,We pray this July for the farmers who rise before the lark, whose first sight of the day is the mist … Continue reading A Prayer for Those Who Tend the Earth
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, the first of July is almost upon us, and the countryside has settled into that deep, drowsy hum that only high summer can bring. The days are long and warm, the evenings soft and slow, and there is a sense, across the fields and lanes at least, that the land is content. It has given its early abundance, … Continue reading A Prayer for July
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, today brings us Father’s Day, and I find myself thinking of fathers not as they appear in greeting cards or sentimental verse, but as they are in the real, unvarnished life of the British countryside. The father who rises before dawn to check the livestock. The father who mends the same gate for the third time and does … Continue reading A Prayer for Fathers on Their Day
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, by the time you read this, it will be June the fourteenth. The year is well into its stride, and the countryside knows it. The roses are in their first full flush, heavy and sweet, spilling over garden walls and along cottage porches. The meadows that were cut early for hay are showing a fresh green fuzz of … Continue reading A Prayer for a June Sunday
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust this Sunday finds you settled into the gentle rhythm of high summer. The hay is in, thank God, or nearly so, and there is a particular stillness to the countryside at this time of year that no city can ever replicate. The wheat is turning from green to gold, the hedgerows are thick with bramble and … Continue reading A Prayer for the Grace of Ordinary Things
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust this Sunday finds you in good heart, despite the general thinning of common sense in high places. The garden, I am pleased to report, is coming along much better than the government. The peas have climbed their sticks with admirable discipline, the lettuces are forming tight, respectable hearts, and the early potatoes have that clean, hopeful … Continue reading A Prayer for a Nation That Deserves Better
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust that You are well and are able to enjoy the sunshine. Today is Whit Sunday. Whit Sunday is also known as Whitsun or Whitsunday, all names that refer to what is the Christian High Holy Day of Pentecost. The name White Sunday, used more commonly in Britain, refers to the special white garments worn by the … Continue reading Whit Sunday Prayer
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, As the first of the summer blackberries shows a blush of purple, I find myself turning from the garden to the news pages with a heavy heart. There is a particular weariness that comes not from honest toil, but from watching those entrusted with high office fail in their charge. The vegetable patch rewards patience and care. Westminster, … Continue reading A Prayer for a General Election
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust this Sunday finds you well, perhaps with the garden beginning to stir in earnest and the first of the summer roses showing hints of colour. There is a particular contentment to a Sunday in late spring, isn’t there? The hay is not yet ready to cut, the vegetable patch is planted and waiting, and there is a … Continue reading A Prayer for Those Who Bear Responsibility
VICAR As the sea shifts from calm to tempest and the tides dictate the rhythm of life, our thoughts turn to those who venture into the deep. Our fishermen are the heirs to an ancient and perilous tradition, reading the signs of the water and trusting in their skill and courage to harvest its bounty. Their work connects our coastal communities to the timeless power … Continue reading A Prayer for Fishermen
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust this Sunday finds you in good heart, perhaps with the last of the morning mist burning off the fields and a pot of something strong brewing in the kitchen. There is a particular blessing to a late spring Sunday, isn’t there? The hedgerows are frothing with cow parsley, the swallows have returned to the barn, and the … Continue reading A Prayer for Noticing
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust this Sunday finds you in a reflective mood, perhaps with the rain pattering gently against the windowpane and the scent of damp earth rising from the garden. There is a particular honesty to a rainy Sunday, isn’t there? It asks nothing of us but to be still. No urgent work in the fields, no pressing repairs on … Continue reading A Prayer for Rainy Sundays
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust this Sunday finds you well, perhaps with the last of the Easter chocolate still hidden away in the pantry and the spring sunshine warming the windowsills. There is a particular gentleness to the Sunday after Easter, isn’t there? The grand celebrations have faded, the family have returned to their homes, and the world settles back into its … Continue reading Sunday Prayer
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust this Easter Sunday finds you in reflective spirits, perhaps with the first light of dawn breaking over the fields and the promise of spring stirring in the hedgerows. There is something profoundly hopeful about an Easter morning, isn’t there? The daffodils are nodding their golden heads, the lambs are testing unsteady legs in the meadows, and the … Continue reading A Prayer for Easter Sunday
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust this Sunday finds you in good spirits, perhaps with the last of the morning mist still clinging to the valley and the kettle just coming to the boil. There is a particular hush to a Sunday morning, isn’t there? A sense that the world has paused for a moment, allowing us to draw breath before the gentle … Continue reading A Prayer for Home
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust this Sunday finds you well, perhaps with a fresh pot of tea at your elbow and the week’s newsprint scattered about you. As I look out from my window, the countryside is putting on its finest show. There is a particular quality to the light on a Sunday morning, isn’t there? It’s a light that seems to … Continue reading A Prayer for Peace
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust this Sunday finds you well, perhaps with a fresh pot of tea at your elbow and the week’s newsprint scattered about you. As I look out from my window, the countryside is putting on its finest show. There is a particular quality to the light on a Sunday morning, isn’t there? It’s a light that seems … Continue reading A Prayer for the Week Ahead
