Subject: News from the University Church of St Mary the Virgin Oxford

 

Transfiguration: why settle for less?


by the Revd Dr Jane Baun


Whom have I in heaven but you? And having you, I desire nothing upon earth (Psalm 73:25)


All last term, I prayed dutifully for ‘guidance and grace’ for the day in my morning devotions.  One morning, God decided to put a word in edgeways.  ‘What about glory?’ came the subversive thought.  Is that all?  Just guidance and grace?  What about glory, Jane?  Have you given up on that?  This Saturday, 6 August, Christians worldwide celebrate the Transfiguration of Christ, attested in all four Gospels.  Why not read it for yourself?  Choose your favourite synoptic Gospel: Matthew (17: 1-8), Mark (9: 2-8), and Luke (9: 28-36) all describe the scene.  Imagine yourself into the story, go up the mountain with Jesus, Peter, James, and John, and abide there with the disciples as they are awakened from sleep and their eyes are opened to behold the glory of God shining out from Jesus.  Bask in the radiance of that glory and grace.  I have just come back from a week’s individually-guided retreat on the glorious Welsh coast, in a hillside villa belonging to St Beuno’s Jesuit Spirituality Centre.  The entire arc of Ceredigion (Cardigan) Bay was ever-present in sight and sound, filling every seaward window of the house.  God decided it was time to enlarge my heart, mind and expectations.  Why settle, God asked?  Why settle for a pond, why settle for anything less, when you can have this—when you can have me—the vast, flowing ocean of my love?


Picture: Sunset from the Jesuit Retreat House, Llanaber, Gwynedd, 22 July 2022

Livestreamed Services

at the University Church

SUNDAY 7 AUGUST, 10.30AM

President: The Revd Dr William Lamb

Preacher: The Revd Hannah Cartwright

We are back livestreaming our morning service. Please bear with us as we get accustomed to our new AV system and train new staff. For any comments or suggestions, please email ana-maria.niculcea@universitychurch.ox.ac.uk

Livestreamed Services Playlist

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Notices


GODLY PLAY: SUNDAY 7 AUGUST

Godly Play takes place monthly on the first Sunday of each month in the Old

Library during the first 45 minutes of the service for children aged 3-8 years

old and their family. Thanks to the dedication of our team, Godly Play will be

continuing throughout the summer and will be meeting next on 7th August at

10:30am in the Old Library 


RETIRING COLLECTION

This Sunday there will be a retiring collection for Christian Aid’s emergency appeal for East Africa. In Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia, communities are experiencing the worst drought in 40 years with four consecutive failed rainy seasons, plunging millions of vulnerable people into extreme hunger. Please give generously.. If you prefer to donate online, please visit https://www.christianaid.org.uk/appeals/emergencies/east-africa-hunger-crisis-appeal


ORGAN RECITAL: SUNDAY 7 AUGUST

Join us on Sunday at 3.30pm for an organ recital by Alexander Pott, Assistant Organist, Magdalen College. Next week we welcome James Lancelot, who was for many years the Master of the Choristers and Organist at Durham Cathedral.


THE GATEHOUSE

The Gatehouse, with which this church has been historically very involved, is looking for volunteers to staff sessions and to make sandwiches. See Victoria for more information. victoria@morthome.com 07736 163237


THE OXFORD PROMS

The Oxford Proms are delighted to announce five evening concerts taking place in St Mary's during August. Tickets and more information are available on the Oxford Proms website: www .oxfordproms.org


SUPPORTING UKRAINIAN REFUGEES

The Diocese of Oxford has joined Citizens UK in providing a safer, more streamlined system designed to provide support for those undertaking the sponsorship process for supporting Ukrainian Refugees. For more information on hosting or supporting refugees visit: www.oxford.anglican.org/everyday-faith/becoming-a-christian/how-to/make-a-difference-in-ukraine.php


STILE ANTICO: ENSEMBLE IN RESIDENCE

Stile Antico, our Ensemble in Residence, will be offering two events in the

autumn. There is a concert, A Garden of Delights, which will take place at 8.00pm on 23 September 2022, and a workshop for singers on Saturday 12 November 2022 beginning at 2.30pm. Please make a note in your diaries if you would like to attend either of these events. You can book on the church website.


NEW TO ST MARY’S? If you are new to St Mary’s and have started coming to services in the last six months or so, we may not have your contact details. If you would like to find out more about what is going on at the University Church, please email admin@universitychurch.ox.ac.uk with your name, address and telephone number and ask for your name to be added to the Parish Directory. This directory is used only by parish staff but it enables us to get in touch with you as the need arises.

St Mary's Church, High Street, OX1 4BJ, Oxford, United Kingdom

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