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The gift of remembering
Remembering, it seems, is an unmistakable part of the Christian faith. The lectionary, for example, guides us through perplexing Old Testament readings for Morning Prayer of kings, peoples, and sometimes wayward prophets, who fail to remember God or who mis-remember their relationship with God. Whether it is remembering with gratitude God’s bounty (Harvest Festival), or the loss of loved ones (All Souls), or those who have fallen in war, remembering becomes not just what we do, but part of who we are.
As a graduate student, I met a granny, who had started to speak to me from the pew behind at the end of a service one Sunday. She invited me to have tea with her at her residential home. I felt a bit ambushed, so I ignored the invitation for a while. Then I felt bad, so I gave her a ring. It turned out that God had a plan: that call started an almost weekly pilgrimage to have tea and fruit (I could not eat the cakes and biscuits, rather annoyingly, because of my food allergies).
Despite totally different upbringings and backgrounds, it turned out that we had much in common: West Africa, St Andrews, London, and then Cambridge. Shelagh had lived in all the places I had either lived or studied 20 or 30 year before me, and she relived them with me in her vivid recollections. She was a wonderfully, patient listener and had a faith that seemed unshakeable. Over time, Shelagh began to repeat these stories. I soon realised that her memory was in decline. She was eventually moved into full-time supervised care, returning home to God in 2015 at the age of 91. Our weekly conversations over two years were the making of an unlikely bond that means that I now have the gift of remembering her.
At the Eucharist we come before God to remember the sacrificial love of Christ. We are called to remember, once again, that we are invited, we are known, we are held. Always. As I leave St Mary’s, I am grateful for the opportunity to remember that, in this place, I have been brought closer to God, through the words and acts of generosity and kindness of this community. I have been reminded, in my time here, of a God, who constantly remembers us, whether we like it or not, numbering the hairs on our head and calling us by name.
Dr Mariama Ifode-Blease
Community Engagement and Outreach Officer
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| | The Week Ahead
This Sunday
Sunday 23 September The Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity
10:30 Sung Eucharist
Preacher: The Revd Dr William Lamb
12:00 Pilgrimage to Littlemore
15:30 Arts Society Service
Next Week
Monday, 09.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel 12.15 Eucharist - Chancel
Tuesday , Lancelot Andrewes, 1626 09.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel
12.15 Eucharist - Chancel
Wednesday Wilson Carlile, 1942 09.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel
12.15 Eucharist - Chancel
Thursday Vincent de Paul, 1660 09.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel 12.15 Eucharist - Chancel
Friday Ember Day 09.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel
12.15 Eucharist - Chancel
Saturday Michaelmas
Next Sunday
Sunday 30 September Harvest Festival
10:30 All-Age Choral Eucharist
Preacher: The Revd James Crockford
12:00 Parish Lunch Old Library
15:30 Contemplative Eucharist
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| OXFORD HALF-MARATHON
Please note that this event will take place on the morning of Sunday 7 October. There may be some road closures that morning.
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| | | Littlemore Pilgrimage On Sunday 23 September, we will have our annual pilgrimage to Littlemore to raise funds for the Newman Meeting Place. The church there was built by John Henry Newman, who was the Vicar of St Mary’s from 1828-1843.Everyone is welcome and sponsorship forms are available. Please bring appropriate clothing and a packed lunch. There will be hot drinks and cake on arrival.
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| | Arts Society
On Sunday 23 September, there will be a Service of Thanksgiving for the Arts Society at 15:30. This year the Arts Society marks its fiftieth anniversary, both nationally and here in the Wyvern Area. The Arts Society is a network of over 90,000 people worldwide, brought together through a shared curiosity for the arts and our artistic heritage.
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| | POETRY EVENING
Back Room Poets will be holding a Poetry Evening in the Vaults and Garden Café at 7.30pm on Friday 28 September at 19:30. Tickets are £6 (Concessions: £4). For further information, please speak to Jenyth Worsley.
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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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