St John's Sharow
  • Home
  • About
    • St John's
    • The Holy Innocents
    • The Churchyard
    • The Bell Tower
    • Safeguarding
  • JOIN US
    • The Sunday Service
    • Magdalen Fellowship
    • Holy Communion Holy Innocents
    • Celtic Worship
    • Bible Study
    • Bellringing
    • Junior Choir
    • Wonderful Wednesdays
    • Art + Spirituaity
    • Pastoral Cafe
  • Meet Us
    • Church Team
    • Ministry Team
    • The Bell's Team
    • St John's Friends
    • Parochial Church Council
  • HIRE US
    • An Exceptional Venue
    • Weddings, Baptisms, Funerals +
  • Contact
    • Prayer Requests
  • NEWS & EVENTS
    • Special Events Calendar

News from St. John's Sharow

SPECIAL EVENTS CALENDAR

Welcome to July

30/6/2025

0 Comments

 
Picture
As July dawns, the Church finds herself deep in the long green season of Ordinary Time — a time that is anything but ordinary. These summer days, ablaze with light, invite us to contemplate the eternal radiance of God’s kingdom, breaking forth even in the midst of a fractured world. It is a month strewn with feasts and memories, of saints and martyrs whose lives whisper of heaven’s nearness.
Among those we commemorate are Thomas the Apostle (3 July), who dared to touch the wounded Christ and became a bold witness to the risen Lord — reminding us that faith often emerges through the honest struggle with doubt. On 22 July, we honour Mary Magdalene, apostola apostolorum, first herald of the Resurrection, whose tears at the empty tomb were turned into proclamation. And on 25 July, the Church turns toward St James the Apostle, son of thunder and martyr of Jerusalem, reminding us that discipleship is a road both radiant and rugged.
These saints are not distant relics of memory but vibrant companions who testify to the ongoing story of grace. As theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar once wrote, “The saints are sent so that the light of Christ may not go out in the world.” Their feasts anchor us, even as the long days stretch out like golden psalms over field and fen, summoning us into deeper communion with one another and with God.
In this season, the created order itself seems to lift its voice in praise. Gardens flourish, churches fill with the scent of flowers and Tony’s wood polish, and conversations linger at the thresholds of homes and sanctuaries. Community — sacred, messy, incarnational — becomes the living liturgy of July. The Kingdom is near, not only in the chalice and the creed, but in laughter shared across garden fences, in the elderly parishioner’s quiet wisdom, in the barefoot child trailing dandelions across the churchyard.
Yet, while the sunlight dances through stained glass and hedgerow alike, we cannot ignore the shadows that stretch across the global landscape. The world teeters dangerously close to the precipice of further war — from Gaza to Ukraine, from Sudan to silent battlegrounds within fractured societies. In this hour, we turn again to the God who “makes wars cease to the ends of the earth” (Psalm 46:9), and we dare to pray for peace, not as passive hope, but as costly commitment.


A Prayer for Peace

Lord of Hosts and Prince of Peace,
in a world riven with conflict and bruised by pride,
grant us the courage to be peacemakers in your name.
Let swords be beaten into ploughshares,
and the cries of the innocent be turned into songs of justice.
May your Church be a place of refuge,
your people bearers of light in every darkness,
and your Kingdom come — not only in heaven,
but here, amid the wild and waiting fields of July.
Through Christ our Lord,
Amen.


This month, may we not grow weary in our calling. Let us gather in worship and word, in bread and prayer, knowing that the Spirit is at work — quietly sowing seeds of renewal in our midst. As St Augustine reminds us, “In loving our neighbour, we prepare our eyes to see God.”

Let July be a hymn: sung under open skies, held by ancient rhythms, and charged with the holy possibility of transformation.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Newsletter Sign-up

    News

    Blog Submissions are always very welcome. Share anything you like ! Please send news, articles of interest and events to CommsStJohn'[email protected]


    Events Diary


    Categories

    All
    Art + Spirituality
    Beautiful Blog Posts
    Bell Tower News
    Children's Ministry
    Crafts
    Diary
    Events
    Floral Updates
    Friends Of St John's
    Holy Innocents
    News
    Newsletters
    Pastoral Care
    Ripon International Festival
    Social Justice
    Special Services
    The Churchyard
    The Magdalen Fellowship

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024

    Safeguarding at St John's
    St John's on Facebook

    RSS Feed


Come as you are. You'll find a welcome face. 

Typically, the church is open 10am-4pm,  seven days per week. Our Facebook Page is never left unattended for long, so please don't hesitate to pop in, join a service  or just message 'hello'. 
Receive our wonderful Newsletter
Past Newsletters

Donate Here

Picture
Safeguarding at St John's
Berrygate Lane,
Sharow, North Yorkshire,
​HG4 5BJ

  • Home
  • About
    • St John's
    • The Holy Innocents
    • The Churchyard
    • The Bell Tower
    • Safeguarding
  • JOIN US
    • The Sunday Service
    • Magdalen Fellowship
    • Holy Communion Holy Innocents
    • Celtic Worship
    • Bible Study
    • Bellringing
    • Junior Choir
    • Wonderful Wednesdays
    • Art + Spirituaity
    • Pastoral Cafe
  • Meet Us
    • Church Team
    • Ministry Team
    • The Bell's Team
    • St John's Friends
    • Parochial Church Council
  • HIRE US
    • An Exceptional Venue
    • Weddings, Baptisms, Funerals +
  • Contact
    • Prayer Requests
  • NEWS & EVENTS
    • Special Events Calendar