The Vicar's Letter (written by Reverend Joy Cousans, Vicar of St Mary's Church in Eaton Bray) has been appearing in the villages Focus magazine since June 2017
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Vicar's Letter

May 2022

Reverend Joy Cousans, vicar of the Church of St Mary The Virgin, Eaton Bray with Edlesborough.

Our Father who art in heaven.' This is the opening of one of the most well-known and well used Christian prayers. Jesus taught it to his disciples when they asked him how to pray. Known as the Lord's Prayer it encourages us to address God as our father' and to ask him for all our needs. The Lord's Prayer begins by praising God and recognising his holiness. We also pray: Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.' Christians believe that God is the creator of heaven and earth. As creator, he knows what is best for us and for our world. We pray that God's kingdom will come on earth; that his priorities will be our priorities. Jesus said that the most important thing is to love God and love our neighbour as we love ourselves. We can help that day come closer by living in a godly way.

During the period between Ascension and Pentecost from 26th May to 5th June, Thy kingdom come' an initiative of the Archbishop of Canterbury will encourage people across the world to pledge to pray. You are invited to join the global wave of prayer. The first Thy kingdom come' initiative was in May 2016 when 100,000 Christians pledged to pray. That number has grown year on year, and in 2021 Christians from 172 countries participated in praying for friends and family.

This praying together has been across our diversity and our differences as every person, household and church are encouraged to pray in their own way.

Thy Kingdom Come at St Mary's Eaton Bray will start with a service of Holy Communion on 26th May, Ascension Day at 7.15pm. We will then be holding prayer times each morning at 10am and each evening at 6pm during the 10 days of Thy Kingdom Come'. These will be led by a variety of people and will last about 20 minutes. There will also be material to lead you on a selfguided prayer walk around the villages which you can do whenever you wish. Look out for the information on the noticeboard, on St Mary's Facebook page and in the weekly pew leaflet. You can also find out more about our plans on our website www.stmaryseatonbray.org.uk. There will be some free prayer journals available in St Mary's church if you would like to come and collect one.

Whether you have joined in Thy kingdom Come before or not, we invite you to take part- along with churches from over 80 different denominations and traditions in nearly 90% of countries around the world. Archbishop Justin Welby writes: "In praying Thy Kingdom Come' we all commit to playing our part in the renewal of the nations and the transformation of communities."

On Pentecost Sunday, 5th June, we will be holding a Jubilee tea party for families. There will be party food and Smartie Artie to entertain you in the churchyard during the afternoon. We will need numbers for catering purposes, so if you would like to know more or to book a place, please contact us.

I hope you will come along and get involved in Thy Kingdom Come, the global prayer initiative. And that you will join us on 5th June to celebrate.

Her Majesty the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

Every blessing,

Rev'd Joy Cousans, Vicar of Eaton Bray with Edlesborough

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About the Vicar's Letter

The Vicar's Letter has been appearing in the villages Focus magazine since August 2002.

The Rev. Peter Graham also used to publish The Vicar's Letter in the parish magazine of 1964. Please see the area for these.