Dear  Readers,

For most of us (including me!), the phrase ‘Thy kingdom come’ brings to mind the Lord’s Prayer (in its traditional form), as Jesus invites us to pray ‘Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’ Simply put, to pray this is to ask for God’s own reign of love, justice, peace, reconciliation and fullness of life to be present and active in every person and place throughout the whole of His creation!

In 2016, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York felt inspired to invite Christians in the Church of England to join in prayer for God’s reign during the eleven days between Jesus’ ascension to God, and the coming of the Holy Spirit giving birth to the Church at Pentecost. Since that time, it has evolved into a truly international and ecumenical movement which, in 2020, involved Christians in more than 170 countries and 80 different Christian denominations, actively praying for family, friends and neighbours to personally experience the life-transforming presence and power of God’s love revealed in our resurrected Lord Jesus! Following a most challenging 12 months of pandemic in which the world is actively searching for genuine hope, the truly Good News of God’s love in Christ is indeed a ‘game-changing message’ – in the words of Archbishop Justin Welby, “In praying ‘Thy Kingdom Come’, we all commit to playing our part in the renewal of the nations and the transformation of communities.”

This year, during the 11 days from Ascension (13 May) to Pentecost Sunday (23 May), each of us is invited to joyfully join in “lighting up the world with prayer” as we

· Ask God to deepen our own faith in his loving presence and promises in Christ

· Pray daily for five friends or family members to discover the joy of that living faith

· Pray that God’s Spirit will make us effective witnesses for his Kingdom coming!

For fuller information and a variety of resources to engage with this special opportunity (including Prayer Journals, specially designed videos and ‘adventures’ for families and young people, and many items which can be accessed digitally via your computer or smartphone), visit the website www.thykingdomcome.global ….may our faithful God fulfil that prayer request through you, and don’t forget to come and join in our celebration of the Spirit’s coming and the birth of his Church in our Benefice services on Pentecost Sunday!

With every blessing , Vicar John