Dear Friends
This comes with much love and prayers to you all as we continue to be in these bewildering and unknown times. Please continue to look at our Facebook page and website where we will do our very best to give hope through prayers, reflections and no doubt some humorous stuff that will make us smile. We do see the priority in physical distancing but our intention is to be very social for we will need each other.
The last few guests left last week and we are now in to a 14 day ‘lock-down’ where we will be living in small household groups. This is to make sure that if any of us are carrying the virus we have a plan to contain it. During this time we will be continuing our rhythm of prayer, and please do e-mail us if there is anything that we can specifically pray for you.
As we pray for you, please pray for us as many of our overseas community are unable to go home, even if they wanted to do so. As for all of us, the situation we find ourselves has a huge financial impact but we are committed to continue to support the Community in regard to allowances for the long-term future.
Our doors will one day be open again to be God’s hospitality, but in the meantime we are becoming a Community with a focus on prayer. This is a wonderful opportunity to develop our relationship with our gracious God as well as to learn to truly listen.
To finish, a short reflection from John’s gospel (John 20:19) where the disciples are locked for fear in the Upper Room. The risen Jesus comes amongst them and they recognise him through the wounds of love. It is love that dispels fear, as St John in his letter reminds us (1 John 4:18). Jesus speaks twice the words, ‘Peace be with you’ and breathes on them that they may be filled with the Holy Spirit. During these times, may we hear and know these words for ourselves.
So here is one of our prayers from our morning prayer sheets:
Spirit of peace
Quiet our hearts
Heal our anxious thoughts,
Free us from our fretful ways,
Breathe on us your Holy calm
So that in the stillness of your presence
We may open ourselves to trust and be transformed.