Moments of Wonder

Dear friends,

It could be the glory of a sunset, filling the horizon across warm seas, that compels you to stop, and for once just look. It could be the surprise of a new song, or piece of music, that invokes a tear, a memory, or reminds you of a special person. It could be something very small that stops you in your tracks.  Something unheralded, unplanned, unexpected that flutters across your path, and reminds you that “there’s more than the journey.”

In the midst of the grandeur of majestic lakes and mighty mountains, our eyes were drawn down, and captivated, by the staggering beauty of a number of swallowtail butterflies as they enjoyed the mountain flowers along the edges of the trail. With a wingspan of perhaps 8-10cm, these incredible creatures were revelling in their brief moments in the sun. The raw beauty of the peaks was somehow insignificant in the presence of the wonder of life, and its fragile beauty.

Worship Services for Sunday  3rd September

9.30am Family Service at St John’s, Stoke Row with Mr Peter Ferguson

11am Morning Prayer at St Peter and Paul, Checkendon with Revd Romey Poston

Midweek zoom service: Wednesday Evensong at 5.00pm  410 935 129

Back to School

Please say a prayer for all those (students, pupils, and staff) returning to school next Monday, especially for those starting school for the first time – and their parents! Our small church schools in Checkendon and Stoke Row rely heavily upon volunteers and community goodwill to ensure their success and sustainability. If you’d like to offer help in any way, whether time, talents, or financial, please do have a word with me.

Our holidays offer us, as above, an opportunity to review (= look again) at God’s world, our lives, and our place in His plans. I do hope that these times have given you fresh eyes, whether that is to see something wonderful and new for the first time, or to better appreciate the miracles that are around us every single day, right under our noses.

With every blesssing, and joy in our Lord’s love.

Your Rector, Revd Kevin Davies