VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, Happy Christmas and Happy New Year! I trust that You are ready for some work on Wednesday and that You realise today is Sunday. This week I ask You to look around. It may be that there is an elderly neighbour who has been visited by no-one this Christmas. Perhaps a foreign student is sat there in a … Continue reading A Prayer for the Lonely this Christmas
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust that this message and prayer find You well on this last, the fourth Sunday of Advent 2023. Today we light the final purple candle to mark the final week of prayer and penance as we wait for the birth of our Saviour. In the fourth week of Advent, we relight the three candles of HOPE, PEACE, and … Continue reading Fourth Sunday of Advent
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust that You are well. Gaudete Sunday has arrived this Sunday. The third candle is lit on this day along with the first two. It is the Shepherds’ candle, reminding that God sent the angels to proclaim His arrival to common man and that He still uses ordinary people today to spread the good news of Christ. … Continue reading Prayer for Gaudete Sunday
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust that You are well and busy, that You are somewhat prepared for the Christmas holidays which loom before us. What does the 2nd week of Advent represent? Isaiah 9:6 – For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, … Continue reading Second Sunday of Advent Prayer
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust that You are well and healthy this Advent Sunday, the first Sunday in Advent as we build up to Christmas. What is Advent? The word “Advent” comes from the Latin word for “coming”, and the season marks the countdown to Christmas. Churches observe this period by remembering the anticipation for the birth of Jesus, and preparing to … Continue reading First Sunday of Advent 2023
VICAR Lord God of peace, hear our prayer! We have tried so many times and over so many years to resolve our conflicts by our own powers and by the force of our arms. How many moments of hostility and darkness have we experienced; how much blood has been shed; how many lives have been shattered; how many hopes have been buried… But our efforts … Continue reading A Prayer for Peace
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust that You are well and that You are relaxed and happy. This week I would like You simply to pray for the week ahead. That is all. Keep it simple. Keep things manageable. Do not strive to over-complicate or micromanage prayer. Simply look forward to this time next week and pray for what You want to happen … Continue reading A Prayer for the Coming Week
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust that You are well and that your loved ones are happy and healthy this Remembrance Sunday. This week I’d like to draw your attention to our armed services and their families. Romans 13:4 For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. … Continue reading Remembrance Sunday 2023
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust that You are well and healthy. This time of year so many people seem to have flu, Covid or some other illness. This week I would like You to pray for the dying. Of course, We are all dying. Death is not something We should fear. Nonetheless, Life is a gift in which We should rejoice: … Continue reading A Prayer for the Dying
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust that You are well this Sunday morning. Winter is coming, as the clocks went backwards one hour at 2am this morning. This gave us an extra hour in bed as we prepare for the colder months when the sun sets earlier and days get significantly shorter. The clocks won’t go forward again until Sunday 31st March 2024. … Continue reading A Prayer for Sunday Morning
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust that You are well. I hope that You are not too frustrated, or held back by autumnal depression. I trust that You are not flooded either – there has been a lot of rain this last week or so, so it would seem. I notice at this time of year the look on some people’s faces. … Continue reading A Prayer for the Overwhelmed
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust that You and Your families are well. This week it seems appropriate to pray for those at war in the world, from Israel to Ukraine. There seems to be violence everywhere and 2023 has been a bad year for the deaths of innocents from terror and war. Many assume the Bible is against war. However, God … Continue reading A Prayer for Those at War
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust that You are well and that Your autumn is going well for You. This week I would like to focus on our pets. Proverbs 12:10 says, “The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.” Kindness to animals is godly. In fact, caring for them is part … Continue reading A Prayer for Our Pets
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust that You are well and that You and Your families have had a good week. This week I would like to pray for the Gamekeepers, many of whom are having a tough time of things of late. Uncertainty has been cast on their future in parts of Scotland, some have been forced to move off the … Continue reading A Prayer for Our Gamekeepers
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust that You are well. This week let us pray for each other. The Bible commands us to pray for one another: “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16). God manifests Himself in … Continue reading A Prayer for Each Other
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine I trust that You are well. As the heatwave cools I trust that You are having a good start to the autumn and I wish You a peaceful Sunday this day. This week I would ask that You consider rural communities in Your prayers. These communities have come under attack from all sides recently. Many parish churches have been closed … Continue reading A Prayer for the Countryside
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine I trust that You are well. If You have children they will be back at school or perhaps heading for University soon. So this week I’d like to focus on education. In fact today is Education Sunday. Churches Together in England have prepared resources for 2023 on the theme of The armour of light, inspired by the reading from … Continue reading A Prayer for Education
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust that You are well and, if You have children of school age, that You enjoy with them the last weekend before school starts. This week I would like You to think about the wildlife that surrounds Us and to pray for it. Particularly, let Us focus on the birds. September for us is the real start … Continue reading A Prayer for the Birds
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust that You are well and enjoying the bank holiday weekend. It is often not our default mode to be thankful. There are people complaining all the time. Without whining social media would be less successful, newspaper columns less interesting and the service sector would not be able to improve by reacting to complaints. Still, it is … Continue reading A Prayer of Gratitude
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust that You have had an excellent weekend so far and that You are looking forward to the week ahead. This week I would ask You to kindly focus Your minds on the women who are abused. 1 in 5 adults experience Domestic Abuse during their lifetime. This equates to: 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6-7 men. … Continue reading A Prayer for Abused Women
