Wednesday 28 July 2021

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Greetings from the UK! David and I arrived here on Monday evening and we are now quarantining in our house in Keswick. The journey went surprisingly smoothly, without any long queues. We are very glad to be here, though it is strange not being able to go out of the house! Thank you to many of you for your good wishes and prayers for our trip.

Until 8th August, I am working from our house in Keswick. You can contact me through email, phone or zoom.

This Sunday the worship at St Ursula's will be a Service of the Word led by Archana. I am preparing a sermon, which will be read out by James. I am very grateful to Archana and James for their help and support. If you would like a seat on Sunday please contact the office by tomorrow morning.

As usual, you can also follow the Sunday service online: Service Resources at St Ursula's Church, Berne We are all very thankful to Hector, Martin and Art for making this possible.

Congratulations and thanks to Hans-Karl
I have discovered that Hans-Karl celebrated a special birthday recently! I am sure we would all like to wish him a belated happy birthday and pray for God's blessing on him and Elizabeth for this coming year. I would also like to thank Hans-Karl for all his hard work with the choir and the music at St Ursula's over many years.

Opening our eyes and being thankful
Above my desk in our house here I have one of my favourite poems copied out in beautiful handwriting by one of my sons. It is an encouragement to me to be thankful to God for the gift of life. The poet, E. E. Cummings, deliberately puts his words in a strange order so as to catch our attention and to sharpen our awareness. I pray that we can all look at the world around us with fresh eyes and a deeper wonder and give thanks to God.

I Thank You God for Most This Amazing

i thank You God for most this amazing
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday; this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings: and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any – lifted from the no
of all nothing – human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

e.e. cummings

With love in Christ,
Helen