Do you believe in the power of prayer? Do you think that God acts as a result of our individual and corporate prayer? William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury in the 1940s, is well known for saying, '<em>When I pray</em>, <em>coincidences happen</em>, and when I don't, they don't ...’

On Thursday, this coming week, it is Ascension Day, the day when we commemorate that Jesus Christ ascended to be with His Father in heaven. Just before He departed from His disciples, He instructed them to gather together for prayer until the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them. The Spirit would give them power to witness for Him. In our reading from Acts, we read how Peter was indeed so emboldened when he was preaching the Good News to some Gentiles, that the Holy Spirit came upon them also. Jesus didn’t just choose his first disciples to bear fruit for Him, but also us, who have been chosen by Him. In John’s Gospel Jesus invites us to love and serve one another and to pray, asking our Heavenly Father to act in the Name of Jesus and to draw more people to Himself.

From Ascension Day until Pentecost, we will, as we have done in the previous few years, take part in the ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ initiative. I would like you to watch a short video that explains a bit more about it.

Play video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3k3pIwVqisA

I am going to talk about some of the events we have planned for this year, for our Parish, but before I do that, I would like to share with you what we hope to achieve.

During the 11 days of Thy Kingdom Come, it is hoped that everyone who takes part will:

· Deepen their own relationship with Jesus Christ

· Pray for 5 friends, neighbours or family to come to faith in Jesus

· Pray for the empowerment of the Spirit that we would be effective in our witness

After the very first Ascension Day, the disciples gathered with Mary, constantly devoting themselves to prayer while they waited for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Like them, our reliance on the gift of the Holy Spirit is total – on our own we can do nothing.

We are praying that the Spirit will inspire and equip us to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with our friends and families, our communities and networks. It is our prayer that those who have not yet heard the Good News of Jesus Christ and his love for the world will hear it for themselves, and respond and follow Him. Also, this year, we are considering those who have become lost, especially because of the effect of living through a pandemic. Specifically, we again invite each and every Christian in the Parish to pray that God’s Spirit might work in the lives of 5 of their friends or family who are yet to respond with their ‘Yes’ to God’s call.

So, what have we got lined up?

1. We are having an Ascension Day Service, at 5am (gasp!) outside the church, on the triangle where, hopefully, we will see the Sunrise at 12 minutes past 5. I challenge you to be there!

2. At the back of the church, there are named Prayer Journals written by Archbishop Steven Cottrell for you to collect. These are for your own devotions, but will also be used during Compline each weekday evening at 9pm on Facebook Live. We will be delivering the Journals that remain here after this service, so if you could take one or more to deliver to people who live near you, that would be really helpful.

3. During Morning Prayer at 10am each weekday morning on Zoom, we will be using specific Bible passages to reflect on the theme ‘Lost?’

4. Louise is going to be especially busy with children and families. She will be posting a daily ‘Cheeky Pandas’ video on our Facebook page at 4pm. These were designed and produced by ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ for young children. All Year 2 children at Burbage Infants will receive a Family Adventure Prayer Map, which ties in with the Cheeky Pandas theme and can be used in conjunction with a phone app. Give Louise your prayer support – we really do want to reach local families with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

5. On Friday 21^st May, starting at 6pm and ending 24 hours later, on Saturday 22^nd May at 6pm, we will stage our first, to my knowledge, 24-hour Prayer Vigil. Well, we have had two 24-hour choir ‘Hymnathons’ in the past, so why not? I am not expecting anyone to pray for the whole 24-hour period (but if you really want to, I won’t discourage you!). At the back of the church there is a sign-up list so you can volunteer to take a one-hour slot for prayer, which will either take place here in the Chancel, or during the wee small hours, you may pray at home. Just to show that I am prepared to put my money where my mouth is, so to speak, I have already signed up for one of the graveyard shifts! At the back of the church there are also a few handouts designed to help you to keep praying for an hour. I have registered our 24-hour Virtual Prayer Room with ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ and they have provided an online sign-up tool. Please use this if you are able, and I will endeavour to combine the online and physical lists. I will get Christine to send you all the link by email. https://www.24-7prayer.com/signup/be6bd9 Just imagine the power of there always being someone from the Parish praying over a 24-hour period. Expect the Holy Spirit to come in power!

6. May I encourage you to pray at other times and in other ways. For instance, when you walk around the village, pray for the people who pass you in the street, or for those who live in the houses near you. And, of course, don’t forget to pray for your ‘5’.

7. Finally, on Pentecost Sunday, there will be three services at St. Catherine’s, culminating with a Choral Evensong.

…Much activity, but the emphasis is on Prayer and seeking to be empowered by the Holy Spirit so that we can be effective witnesses for Jesus. May we lovingly support one another during this season.

Amen