This last Sunday at the bandstand it was a ‘bring and share’ – i.e. anyone could bring any contribution to our time together.

Wendy kicked off with the theme of pilgrimage, having been at Nevern in Pembrokeshire on the ancient pilgrimage route to St David’s, where there is a very old Celtic cross. With an eye to a new term / new academic year / new beginning, everyone was invited to reflect on their own pilgrimage (a journey to and with God). With an image of the cross at Nevern, we were all able to wander in the park with 3 questions regarding the coming year: What concerns me most? What do I yearn for? What am I called to? We also had the final words of St David to inspire us on: Be joyful. Keep the faith. Do the little things.

Back in the bandstand we commissioned one another for the journey ahead by praying our own version of the Lord’s prayer (See previous entries!)

Barbara writes: I had been reading a novel by Tim Severin and noticed he had written a book called the Brendan Voyage – Across the Atlantic in a leather boat, this I thought I must investigate. St. Brendan has always held an interest for me ever since Michael Mitton likened those of us in Third Space to the early Celtic monks who set sails on their boats and went where God the Holy Spirit was blowing them.

I started reading this fascinating story which I felt was full of creativity, commitment, authenticity, design, research, hospitality and community, (very like Third Space really) and I have only got to the part where they launch the modern day curragh named Brendan in an endeavour to cross the Atlantic in a leather boat.  I am looking forward to reading the rest of the book which gives an account of the voyage.

Taking the symbol of The Cross of St. Brendan that I found reproduced in the photographs of the sails on the boat I asked people to draw a red Celtic Cross on a white background. Whilst colouring each of the four quarters of the circle as it intersected the cross I suggested people pray;

• for their own journey with and to God,
• the journey of those of us in Third Space,
• the journey of family, friends and those we love,
• for those refugees we hear about who are fleeing war and desperately trying to find a place of peace and sanctuary.

Fiona then led us in prayer for the refugees and asylum-seekers, so much in our thoughts, in a situation so troubling. The prayer can be found at www.24-7prayer.com We loved the tag ‘the-refugee-crisis-we-don’t-know-the-answer-but-we-know-we-have-to-pray.

Grayden wrote us a creed which we used to complete our worship along with sharing  bread and wine:

This is our community, this is our faith.

We are a community of faith. We share a vision of God: a God whose Spirit is love, accessible to all and yet beyond our knowing. We seek God in pray, through creation, and in the many stories which have been handed down to us:

Of God the Creator, who made everything that is, who is the source of all being, and the one who fills the cosmos.

Of Jesus of Nazareth, who lived among us, healed, taught, suffered and died, and how in the mystery of the resurrection Jesus continues to be present in the world. He shows us the Way, which is leading to the reconciliation of all things. It is the Way of love, compassion, justice, forgiveness and peace. 

Of the Spirit, the Breath of God, the Giver of Life, who inspires the people of God to cry out for justice for the powerless and oppressed, and to see the presence of God in every created thing.

We are followers of the Way shown by Jesus: to love God with our whole being; to love our neighbours as ourselves; to treat others as we would have them treat us; to strive for justice and peace; to have respect and compassion for every person and for the whole of creation. We journey together in the Way of Jesus towards the reconciliation of all things. 

We break bread together and drink wine together.  This is our community. This is our faith.