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Singing in the Rain We love small talk about the weather. It is an infectious habit, and one in which many have been indulging keenly in the midst of this summer’s prolonged heatwave. The Met Office’s provisional statistics suggest it was the third warmest July on record in the UK (‘only the third?!’ we cry). The hottest recorded temperature was in Faversham in 2003, when it hit 38.5°C. This weekend, we have been promised rain and I expect few of us will feel the need to coop up indoors away from it. Some of us will be walking our ‘Pilgrimage & Pub’ trip out to St Margaret’s, Binsey, and some of us may well be singing with delight at the refreshment of rain. Rain is, to state the obvious, so profoundly needed for our well-being and to sustain the earth. It is easy to see why, in a somewhat primitive sense, it has carried associations of God’s blessing and providence, and why drought can seem like a curse for those who experience it. King Solomon, in a prayer to God at the dedication of the Jerusalem Temple, asserts that when ‘heaven is shut up and there is no rain’ it is ‘because they have sinned against you’ (1 Kings 8.35a). Such a straightforward and moralistic approach to causation (and, indeed, meteorology) can hardly be sustained. No, God doesn’t turn the heat up to pay us back for being a bit naughty. Yet in a more nuanced way we are being faced with the consequences that a consumption- and convenience-based society may be having, long-term, on the world around us – the world that God has charged us to care for and protect. While most of us still have running water, hosepipes, and desk fans, it is easy to lose sight of our great and direct reliance on the earth’s health and vitality, and the rain that nourishes it. As we are flustered in the heat, and relieved by the rain, let us keep in mind those who face its impact more harshly, those for whom the heat and the drought carry threats we can barely begin to understand. O Lord of heaven and earth, creator of light and darkness, sunshine and rain; look upon all you have made and in your grace sustain all creation with your heavenly blessing; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Revd James Crockford Assistant Priest |
| | The Week Ahead
This Sunday
Sunday 12th August - The Eleventh Sunday after Trinity
10.30 Choral Eucharist
Preacher: The Revd Julia Baldwin
15.30 Organ Recital: Graham Schultz (Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, Texas, USA)
Next Week
Monday, Jeremy Taylor, 1667 09.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel 12.15 Eucharist - Chancel
Tuesday Maximilian Kolbe, 1941 09.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel
12.15 Eucharist - Chancel
Wednesday, Blessed Virgin Mary 09.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel
12.15 Eucharist - Chancel
Thursday 09.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel 12.15 Eucharist - Chancel
Friday 09.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel
12.15 Eucharist - Chancel
Saturday 13.30 Lunchtime Recital - Nave (Peter McMullin & James Crockford)
Next Sunday
Sunday 19th August - The Twelfth Sunday after Trinity 10.30 Sung Eucharist
Preacher: The Revd Dr William Lamb
15.30 Organ Recital: Josef Laming
The Royal Academy of Music, London |
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| Organ Recitals
Our summer music series continues this Sunday. Our guest organist, Graham Schultz will be playing music by J S Bach, Buxtehude, Zipoli and Mendelssohn. The recital should last approximately 45 minutes, with a brief opening reflection and closing prayer. Please do join us.
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| | | Lunchtime Recital
On Saturday 18 August at 13.30, Peter McMullin and James Crockford will be giving a free saxophone and piano recital at St Mary’s, featuring a varied programme of works by Villa Lobos, J. S. Bach, Dave Heath, and Schulhoff. A retiring collection will be taken in aid of the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
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| | | Ride and Stride
On 8 September, the annual Ride and Stride event takes place in aid of Oxfordshire Historic Churches Trust. How many churches are you able to visit in one day either on foot or bicycle? If you would like to take part and require sponsorships and information about which churches will be open, please contact Margaret (margaret.chaundy2@btinternet.com).
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| | | St Mary's Volunteers Fair
Many members of St Mary’s congregation are already involved with and support voluntary organisations– e.g. Oxford Food Bank, Gatehouse, Christian Aid, prison visiting, Home Start, Parkinson’s Association, etc. We are planning a ‘Volunteers Fair’ to showcase this work and to encourage others to get involved. There is to be a planning meeting in the Old Library at 12noon on Sunday 16 September. The Fair itself will take place after the service on Sunday, 14 October. If you would like to be involved, please contact: Margaret Lipscomb (M.Lipscomb@ntlworld.com) or Janet Greenland (janetgreenland@gmail.com).
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| | Sponsored Cycle
We are pleased to congratulate choir member and church clock keeper Rupert Griffin on completing his cycle from Land’s End to John O’Groats. He has been raising money for Thames Valley Air Ambulance - who saved his life after he was involved in a serious traffic accident.
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