| Editor: Sonia Marshall | Layout: Dave Merchant | Web version: Mark Warrick |
To:
Scripture readings for Sunday
The two thousand years have finally passed and we begin the third millennium of our Lord. Last year many of us made all sorts of resolutions concerning how we were going to live in 2000, the very special year, MM in Roman numerals. How has it worked out for you? It is important to look back in order both to learn the lessons that the past has to teach us and to express to our heavenly Father our contrition for our part in anything which has not been according to his will.
In many ways it has been a good year, and yet the relief of the poorest countries’ international debt has not gone as well as we hoped and although it will undoubtedly continue there will be many more deaths before the relief makes any real difference. The great intractable problems of the Holy Land seem a far from solution as ever, as do the more local troubles of Northern Ireland.
Whatever else you may resolve for 2001, may I suggest that it should include some prayer? We need some stillness in our lives to grow our relationship with God - and with each other, too - and we need to play our part in the intercessory prayer of Christians all over the world in bringing the world’s needs to God. When we ask God for his kingdom to come on earth then we are open to the possibility that he may start by enlisting those who are praying for it, and with his power just think what a difference we could make.
Happy new year!
Mark
7th January, Baptism of Christ:
14th January, 2nd Sunday of Epiphany:
21st January, 3rd Sunday of Epiphany:
28th January, Presentation of Christ in the Temple:
4th February, 4th Sunday before Lent:
If you’ve had a new computer for Christmas, or are otherwise a novice internet user, I’d like to suggest a couple of local web sites you may like to “visit”. I suggest them because I wrote them, so it serves my vanity if someone has a look at them!
One is the Priory Church’s own site, whose address has appeared on the front cover of Priory News all year: www.dsj.org.uk. The front page of this site carries buttons giving access to the rest of the pages and also shows latest news about what is happening at church, so if you want to know what is coming up in the next week or so, what services are being held this Sunday and whether Praise & Play or home communions are on this week, then this is the place to look. (It is much the same information that appears on the weekly notices in church, but if you missed church last Sunday you won’t have the notices, so the world wide web comes to your rescue!)
Information about a lot of our activities appears on the web site and is as up-to-date as time allows. The history of the church, and much of this very magazine are also there, and I hope that there will be more information in due course.
The other site is the Parish Council’s site at www.dsjpc.org.uk, or www.go.to/the.gateway and this provides links to all sorts of useful local pages and other websites (including the church one). It also carries some handy facilities such as constantly updated UK news headlines and a means of sending text messages to mobile telephones free of charge. It includes news and information about the Parish Council’s activities, of course, and again is kept up-to-date as much as possible.
Do have a look: the web may be world wide, but it is also extremely useful in a local context, and the mailing list, DSJ Exchange, provided by the Priory Church, has been a helpful feature of village life.
Mark Warrick
vicar@dsj.org.uk
webmaster@dsjpc.org.uk
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