Thursday, 20 May 2010
Food for thought
I came across this video, when looking for some other material, and thought that it was a good reminder of what we are all about -
Sunday, 4 April 2010
Friday, 2 April 2010
Thursday, 1 April 2010
Maundy Thursday
Maundy Thursday, also known as Holy Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Great and Holy Thursday, and Thursday of Mysteries, is the Christian feast or holy day falling on the Thursday before Good Friday that commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles.
It is the fifth day of Holy Week, and is preceded by Holy Wednesday and followed by Good Friday. The date is always between 19 March and 22 April inclusive. These dates in the Julian calendar, on which Eastern churches in general base their calculations of the date of Easter, correspond throughout the twenty-first century to 1 April and 5 May in the more commonly used Gregorian calendar. In 2010 it falls on 1 April.
The Mass of the Lord's Supper initiates the Easter Triduum, the three days of Friday, Saturday and Sunday that commemorate the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus. It is normally celebrated in the evening, when according to Jewish tradition Friday begins.
Wednesday, 31 March 2010
A Prayer for the Sick
Heavenly Father, Giver of life and health,
Comfort and restore those who are sick
That they may be strengthened in their weakness
And have confidence in your unfailing love
Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord
Amen
From a friend of a member of Competa Congregation
Tuesday, 30 March 2010
“Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace...”
“Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace...”Isaiah 9 : 6
Our Lord and Father, it seems at times that our world, the world you created so magnificently, is falling apart. We hear so frequently about global warming and we see around us the negative effects that this winter’s rain and snow has and is still bringing to Spain. We hear of the ice that has broken free in Antarctica and its possible effect on the seas and marine life: and the fact that the recent earthquake off Chile has actually moved the city of Conception and the earth’s axis.
But Father we praise and thank You that, whilst so much around us is changing and threatening to change, You, and You alone, are the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace. Help us to remember this as things in the wider world change and threaten to frighten us, and when things near to us and closer to our hearts also change, unsettle us and cause us hurt. You are almighty, You are everlasting and, in You, we can find peace.
As we approach the season of Easter may we be reminded and appreciate once again what it cost you to bring us this security and peace - the death of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Father we pray for those who will be preparing to pass on the Easter message of forgiveness, salvation and peace with You - in Málaga, in Cómpeta and in the various areas and churches known to us.
As we see changes all around us, may we also be willing to pass on the Easter message to our neighbours, and to those we know and love who are in need of You. Please forgive us for the times when we have not done this or been as open about our beliefs in You that we might have been.
Father grant us, and those we love, Your peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord,
Amen
“The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms”. Deut. 33: 27
Submitted to the Prayer Circle by a member of the congregation
Monday, 29 March 2010
Prayer for Holy Week from the Prayer Circle
Prayer for Christian Worship
Holy Week
O Lord Christ, Lamb of God, Lord of Lords,
call us, who are called to be saints
along the way of thy cross;
Draw us, who would draw nearer our King
to the foot of thy cross;
Cleanse us, who are not worthy to approach,
with the pardon of thy cross;
Instruct us, the ignorant and blind
with the school of thy cross;
Arm us for the battles of holiness
with the might of thy cross;
Bring us in the fellowship of thy sufferings
to the victory of thy cross;
And seal us in the kingdom of thy glory
among the servants of thy cross;
O crucified Lord
who with the Father and the Holy Spirit
is alive and reigns, one God
world without end.
Amen
Wednesday, 24 March 2010
Saturday, 20 March 2010
Leona Lewis sings Footprints in the Sand
Leona Lewis was the winner a couple of years ago of the popular TV reality show X-Factor. In this song Leona takes this weeks Competa Congregation Prayer Circle chosen prayer & sets it to music.
Why not sit back in the quiet of the day perhaps with the prayer in front of you & listen to this very special setting of those famous words.
Click on the > button in the bar below and enjoy.
Prayers for this week - 22nd March - from the Prayer Circle
FOOTPRINTS
One night I had a dream.
One night I had a dream.
I dreamed I was walking along the beach with God,
and across the sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
one belonged to me and the other to God.
When the last scene of my life flashed before us
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that at times along the path of life
there was only one set of footprints in the sand.
I also noticed that it happened
at the very lowest and saddest times of my life.
This really bothered me and I questioned God about it.
“God, you said that once I decided to follow you,
you would walk with me all the way,
but I noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life
there is only one set of footprints.
I don’t understand why, in times when I needed you most,
you would leave me”.
God replied, “My precious, precious child, I love you and I would never,
never leave you during your times of trials and suffering.
When you see only one set of footprints
it was then that I carried you”.
22nd March 2010
Dear Lord,
Thank you for carrying us when we are at our most needy
and, for the blessing of friends to help carry us forward.
Please use us to help you in carrying others forward when they need us.
Give us the eyes to see their need and hearts to respond.
Once again we seek your blessings on those whom we know
to be ill, in need or trouble.
Remind us daily, we pray, that we are your hands and feet here on earth.
Bless our weak efforts to do your will.
We ask your blessing on the work of our Chaplaincy
and the four congregations.
and the four congregations.
We pray that you will make your will known to us
and that we may faithfully use our opportunities
to further your kingdom here.
Amen
Monday, 15 March 2010
An audio version of the weekly prayers from the Competa Congregation Prayer Circle
We are pleased to be able to introduce an audio version of the weekly prayers from the Competa Congregation Prayer Circle.
Click on the '>' button below to hear this weeks prayers set to music -
Prayers for this week from the Prayer Circle
PRAYER FOR THE PRAYER CIRCLE
Lord, as we come to you in prayer,
we ask for your blessings on those
who may not be as fortunate as each of us are
For the lonely, the depressed,
For the sick, in body mind or spirit
For those who have lost their way in the world
For those seeking new directions in their life
For the homeless, the down at heart
For the bereaved, those whose life seems pointless
For each of these and for those many others
Who day by day seek guidance & help
Give them hope, direction & nourishment
In all that they do, think or say
In your name we ask this
The giver of all things wise & wonderful
Amen
Please will you pray for
The people who were on last weeks prayer list who still need our prayers, and thanks to all of you for remembering them.
Thursday, 11 March 2010
Getting fit and keeping trim
We are now all very familiar with the need to exercise daily (even if we don’t) and to eat that balanced diet which includes five vegetables a day. Over the past years our understanding of what makes a healthy person has increased greatly, and whilst there are still food fashions and fads ( I once worked with a man who insisted on eating three pounds of tomatoes a day!), it does seem that the advice we are being given will help to avoid strokes and heart attacks and the like.
But in the end, we are not immortal, so whilst we may prolong our life we will finally have to account for it. That is why Lent is such an important time. All of us need to think about our spiritual health just as much as about the health of our physical bodies. Lent provides a focus time to enable us to review who we are and what manner of life we are leading. It gives us the opportunity to say “no” to some of the things which do us harm and to find ways of living our lives more in tune with the eternal dimension. The discipline of Lent is not made up of sack cloth and ashes, but made up of a sensible and serious self examination with a view to leading a better life.
Whatever our religious beliefs (and everyone lives by some kind of faith - else we wouldn’t get up in the morning) we can all benefit from a period of reflection and reassessment.
One way of doing just that is to join us for worship in one of our churches, for that way there is the opportunity to turn away from self and look to God. You can, of course, do that anywhere and everywhere, but human nature being what it is, we actually don’t.
We look forward to seeing you.
Peter Wolfenden
Chaplain
Monday, 8 March 2010
Prayers for this week
Prayer for Christian Worship
Steadfastness
The Lord is the same, yesterday, today and forever (Hebr. 13:8)
Therefore let us also be steadfast in our belief, our trust and all our dealings.
Give thanks to the Lord for he is good. His love endures for ever. (Ps. 136)
O Lord God, we pray to you today, knowing of your love for us – knowing that you hear us and are with us. We pray that you may strengthen us in your faith – that we will trust you and put ourselves into your hands in all our dealings. That we will do your will and obey your commands.
Today we pray for those of us who have lost their way – who are stumbling in the dark.
Lord, in your mercy, hear us.
We thank you Lord for your bounteous gifts.
We thank you for being there – without you we are nothing. We thank you for giving up your life for us – to save us from our sins and to open the gates of heaven for us. We especially pray for those of us who are in any kind of trouble, pain and sickness.
Lord, in your mercy, hear us.
We pray for our church in Malaga, Tapia, Cómpeta and Puente Don Manuel. May the numbers increase with faithful believers and may our worship be pleasing in your eyes.
Amen
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
Say One for Me
A new web-based service from the Church of England, launched today to mark the beginning of Lent, lets people across the country confidentially share their hopes and concerns anonymously in the form of a prayer – and also have those thoughts offered to God by a bishop.
Prayers received via www.SayOneForMe.org over the next 40 days will be displayed on the site and shared with a number of Church of England bishops, who have agreed to remember the submissions in their own prayers over the season. The website invites visitors to type in their prayers – and then click ‘Amen’ to post them.
The Rt Revd David Walker, Bishop of Dudley, says: “Priests are well used to having people shout at us ‘say one for me’. Whatever the initial intention of that yell in the street, underlying it is the fact that people feel a need to pray – especially during difficult times. Our visits today and the new website are both simple ways for us to harness that desire and engage with people where they are. Of course, nobody needs a dog collar to be heard by God, but for many people, knowing that someone else is praying for us gives us the confidence to make our own prayers, and prayer is often the gateway to hope. The website allows people to share their prayers anonymously via their own home computer or even on the move through a mobile device.”
In addition, to mark Ash Wednesday, a number of bishops are taking to the streets to invite prayers from passers-by, which will then be offered to God at a service later today:
- The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, will be joined by clergy from in and around the city and two sisters (Anglican ‘nuns’) in touring York to collect prayers from locals and tourists throughout the morning. Their words will be offered, anonymously, during brief special services to be held at St Helen’s, Stonegate, on the hour between 10am and 1pm, with the archbishop leading the prayers at 10am and midday.
- In the West Midlands, the Bishop of Dudley will be collecting prayers in Dudley Market between 10am and midday. Bishop David explains: “Prayer matters and prayer makes a difference. Many people who don’t pray regularly deeply appreciate somebody taking the time and interest to say a prayer on their behalf. I’m coming to Dudley to ask people what they want praying for, then I’m going to offer those prayers to God in our cathedral in Worcester tonight at 7.30pm, as part of how we mark Ash Wednesday”.
- In the North West, the Bishop of Manchester, the Rt Revd Nigel McCulloch, will be visiting the Job Centre in Moss Side at lunchtime, while the Bishop of Bolton, the Rt Revd Chris Edmonson, will be chatting to people at Bury Market. The bishops will collect prayers to be read at the 7.30pm services at Manchester Cathedral and Bolton Parish Church respectively.
- The Bishop of Birmingham, Rt Revd David Urquhart, will be in the city’s cathedral churchyard this lunchtime, collecting prayers from shoppers and workers. He will then read the prayers during Choral Evensong at the cathedral at 5.45pm.
- The Rt Revd Tim Stevens, Bishop of Leicester, will be in the market square outside St Dionysius church, Market Harborough, from 10.15-11.30am today. He will join other clergy in listening to people’s thoughts and concerns and inviting their prayers, which will then be taken to Leicester Cathedral for the Ash Wednesday service at 7.30pm.
For those unable to get to one of these locations, the dedicated website, www.SayOneForMe.org, will be available until Easter Sunday, 4th April. The site is a web version of the public prayer boards popular at many cathedrals and churches. Prayers will be read by a member of Church of England staff before being posted on the website and shared between the participating bishops listed above, who will each decide how best to use the submissions in their own cycle of prayer during Lent.
Surveys conducted in recent years indicate that around two-thirds of UK adults pray*, leading the Church of England’s Head of Research and Statistics, the Revd Lynda Barley, to describe prayer as “one of the best kept secrets in modern Britain”.
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