Trinity Church Nottingham

Blessed are you, creator of all,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
As your dawn renews the face of the earth
bringing light and life to all creation,
may we rejoice in this day you have made;
as we wake refreshed from the depths of sleep,
open our eyes to behold your presence
and strengthen our hands to do your will,
that the world may rejoice and give you praise.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.

Almighty God,
who sent your Holy Spirit
to be the life and light of your Church:
open our hearts to the riches of your grace,
that we may bring forth the fruit of the Spirit
in love and joy and peace;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.

August is the month when our church community enters a time of rest. God rested so we rest.

“The creation story starts with God working and ends with God resting. After six “days” of world making, it’s done. The universe is “completed.”

And you think your week was productive?

Then we read that God rested.

Make sure you catch that.

God rested.

God, who doesn’t need sleep or a day off or a vacation, who doesn’t get tired or worn down or grouchy, who is without parallel to any other being in the universe, rested.

And at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I want you to remember that we are made in his image. We are made to mirror and mimic what God is like to the world.

God works, so we work.

God rests, so we rest.”

- John Mark Comer’s book Garden City

Over the month of August we are, as church community in our annual season of rest. We invite you to join us.

“At the beginning of the Bible, Genesis tells the story of why there’s a world at all. God speaks and creation happens. And it’s good. And when God has created light and dark, stars and seas, whales and worms and wombats, he rests. He ceases activity to enjoy the goodness of what he’s made.

This rhythm of activity and rest is something God invites you and me into. He gives creation as a gift, and part of that gift is its rhythm of dark and light and activity and rest.

It’s hard to remember this when you’re trying to clear the decks before you leave for 2 intense weeks of family time…
But the reason for the rhythm is trust that God’s gift is enough – that he’s given enough light for all you need to do and enough dark for you to be replenished; that he’s given you a meaningful contribution to make and created a world that will continue to survive without you.

As we enter a lighter season of church life over August, I invite you into dependence. “Make every effort to enter God’s rest” (Heb 4:11). Move more slowly. Relax your routines. And rely on God with whatever comes.”

- Mark, from our Monthly email