May Day

May begins in Oxford, usually with huge crowds on the High Street early in May morning, as people listen to the muffled sounds of Magdalen College Choir singing from their bell tower. The bells of the city ring out, including the heavy lumpen sound of the bells of St Mary’s, while people queue expectantly for breakfast in the cafe to soak up the early morning drinks which have greeted the dawn. May is the month when we regain a spring in our step after the long months of winter. It’s a month when Christians, particularly Catholic and Orthodox Christians, have honoured our patron, the Blessed Virgin Mary, over the centuries.

This year, May is perhaps a more muted affair. Certainly, you can still enjoy a virtual recording of the Magdalen College Choir. But our memories of past May mornings will need to sustain us this year as we anticipate hopefully a return to our traditional celebrations in 2021. But amidst our recollection of these May festivities, it is perhaps worth remembering that May also marks Christian Aid Week. This year Christian Aid Week will fall on 10-16 May. We would usually have collections in St Mary’s during this week as part of our support for a charity which ‘exists to create a world where everyone can live a full life, free from poverty’. One of the things that we have learned in the current pandemic is that the health of our neighbours has a direct bearing on our own health and well-being. Coronavirus is only beginning to spread across the world’s poorest countries, and people facing a lack of water, food and healthcare, people who are homeless or refugees, will struggle to practise social distancing or rely on the quality of healthcare that our NHS provides. The St Mary’s Faith in Action Committee have decided to contribute £2,000 from church funds to Christian Aid’s Coronavirus Emergency Appeal this year. 

In many parts of the world, May Day is a day for solidarity, particularly for workers and labourers. ‘MayDay’ is also a phrase which signals a life-threatening emergency. While I recognise that many of us face financial uncertainties of our own at this time, would you be willing to make a donation to Christian Aid’s Coronavirus Emergency Appeal to help the most vulnerable and marginalised?  

Loving God, strengthen our innermost being
with your love that bears all things
even the weight of this global pandemic
even the long haul of watching for symptoms
of patiently waiting for this to pass
watching and waiting, keeping our gaze fixed on you,
and looking out for our neighbours near and far.

Instil in our shaken souls the belief and hope that all things
are possible with your creative love
for strangers to become friends
for science to source solutions
for resources to be generously shared
so everyone, everywhere, may have what they need
for your perfect love that knows no borders
may cast out any fear and selfishness that divides.

May your love that never ends
be our comfort, strength and guide
for the wellbeing of all and
the glory of God.
Amen.

The Revd Dr William Lamb

Vicar