| | I go out in the name of God
by Dr Esther de Waal I go out in the name of the Son
I am walking in Thy path O God
Thou O God upon my doorstep.
God before me, God behind me,
God over me, God beneath me.
God within me, God without me!
The God of marvels leading me.
During these recent months of coronavirus, with all its uncertainties and confusions, with a sense of apprehension and of danger hanging over me, I have turned to two things: the saying of the daily office, and the prayers and blessings of the people of the Hebrides. The two have much in common. Here we see a people who pray from dawn until nightfall, from birth to death. Their sense of the presence of God is powerful - a God who supports and protects at every moment of the day, and at every step of life. These men and women felt themselves encircled by the three members of the Trinity:
May the encompassing of the Three shield me in my means,
The encompassing of the Three shield me this day,
The encompassing of the Three shield me this night.
From hate, from harm ,from act, from ill.
From hate, from harm from act , from ill.
The encompassing of God and His right hand
Be upon my form and upon my frame,
The encompassing of the High King and the grace of the Trinity
Be upon me abiding every eternally
Be upon me abiding eternally.
Prayer was entirely natural and unselfconscious. They lived in a state of prayer dictated by neither liturgy nor lectionary but by the demands of a hardworking existence. They asked for the blessing of their daily work: ‘Bless the handling of my hands O God.’ They let the pattern of daily living become a way to God. So, at the end of the day as they go to bed, they can say:
I lie in my bed
As I would lie in the grave,
Thine arm beneath my neck,
Thou Son of Mary victorious.
It was impossible to think of sleep without thinking of death, and to think of death without thinking of Christ, victorious over death.
God under my Roof Celtic Songs and Blessings has just appeared as a Fairacres
Publication. (£5) | | Songs of Hope and Renewal Saturday 26 September, 5pm and 8pm We invite you to a concert in aid of Help Musicians UK, with Peter McMullin, Gilly McMullin and Julia Hollander. This concert takes place at 5pm & 8pm next Saturday, 26 September in Holywell Music Room, with the 8pm performance live streamed on the University Church Facebook page. From Julia Hollander (Voice): Gilly McMullin used to worship (and play and sing) at the University Church and is now a freelance professional cellist. She plays for the major symphony orchestras in London and is a member of the Behn Quartet. She will be playing lovely French music with Pete (her dad) - Debussy and Ravel, plus some Frank Bridge. In keeping with the Bridge, I will perform folk songs set by Benjamin Britten, plus some other pastoral songs by Vaughan Williams, Michael Head and others. We will have an audience of up to 30 people present (God willing), and it will be lovely to have people watch/listen on line. We are asking for donations to Help Musicians UK (formally the Musicians Benevolent Fund), for obvious Covid-related reasons! If you would like to donate, you can do it here: https://www.helpmusicians.org.uk/support-our-work/make-a-donation See full poster here. You can access our Facebook page here. You do not need a Facebook account to watch the performance. | | Book your visit to the Tower online We are very pleased to announce that you can now purchase a ticket to visit the Tower online or at the welcome desk at the High St entrance. You can find more information as well as our Terms & Conditions on our website. | | | | Sunday, 20 September 2020: The Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity Sunday Services There will be two services on Sunday 20 September, one at 8.30am and one at 10.30am. Those attending must have registered on Eventbrite to ensure that we have your contact details for test and trace, and to ensure that we maintain social distancing. Please note that following Government & Diocese guidance, from 8 August, face coverings are required by law to be worn in a greater number of public indoor settings, including places of worship. Those who are leading services and those who assist them (for instance by reading, preaching, or leading prayer) do not need to wear a face covering if physical distancing can be maintained. This exemption does not apply to worshippers, who should wear face coverings when attending services. Click the link below for Upcoming Services in order to register for Sunday 20 September. https://www.universitychurch.ox.ac.uk/content/upcoming-services Registration will be open for services on Sunday 27 September 2020 at 11am on Sunday 20 September. University Church Online We will release our video cast on Sunday around 11.00am. Catering for those who need to shield at home, the video will include a recording of the Eucharist as well as music recorded virtually by the University Church Choir. You can watch the video cast on our YouTube channel, on Facebook or on our website on Sundays. You can also listen to it on our Soundcloud. If you would like to be added to our online events mailing list, please fill in our Keeping in Touch form. | |
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