‘Praying Pilgrims’ on a Journey of Discovery Together - Prayer Changes Everything

Our merry little band began with The Rev David Palmer suggesting we should meet together each week to pray. This happened the week before Palm Sunday 2025, as we met to agree on a format for a service to be held in Goadby Church.

The first Wednesday after Easter, we began to meet for prayer. We met every Wednesday at a house in Goadby. The format slightly changed as we went along. We began with a short reading and reflection after-which everyone added thoughts about the reading and reflection.

This led to a time of everyone talking about what God was doing in their lives in the past week or asking us to do in the upcoming week, including what we would like prayed for. 

Our next change of direction was four weeks ago, as God’s Spirit was leading us to continue with our gatherings, but instead of holding them in a house, let’s visit a different church every Wednesday, with the intention of meeting in every church in our Minster Community. 

The tally to date is short. We have met in Church Langton, Tur Langton and Welham. God willing, we will be at Billesdon on Wednesday, 6th of August, at 9 am, where another small change is planned, as we will break bread and share Holy Communion.

We are now recording written reflections of what God has revealed to us during our time together each week, as we meet and seek His presence. A way of looking forward and looking back, a journey of discovery as God’s spirit shapes us and answers prayer, because most importantly, recognising that prayer changes everything.

We welcome anyone to join us, whether you have strong faith, are wavering with uncertainty, or are seeking to understand who this God is whose will we are seeking. We will let you know when we are coming to you. Please join us as we visit your church. God’s Holy Spirit hasn’t missed a week so far!

Our reflection: Matthew 14:22-33

Jesus walks on the water.

Jesus goes up the mountain alone to pray. Did he pray all night?

The disciples are in a boat far from the land.

Early in the morning Jesus came walking on the water.

Disciplines are terrified is it a ghost?

Jesus spoke “Take heart it is I; do not be afraid.”

Peter “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to to you on the water.”

Jesus “come,”

Peter gets out of the boat, walks on the water to Jesus.”

What an act of faith and obedience.

Would you get out of a perfectly good boat in a storm?

Peter begins to sink, Jesus reaches out his hand and caught him.

Jesus says to Peter “you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Jesus and Peter got into the boat.

The wind ceased!

They worshipped him, saying “Truly, you are the Son of God.”

In Genesis 1: v 2 we have God’s Spirit upon the waters.

In Matthew 14: v 28  we have Jesus upon the waters.

What God’s Spirit said to us:

The boat was well off the shoreline. Could they even see the shoreline?

The wind was strong, and there was uncertainty about their direction.

Is this our church, the boat, unable to see the shoreline? Where is the land?

Are we unable to make out where Jesus/ God is?

Are we able to listen to God’s command? And if so, what is it?

We don’t know if the water was still when Jesus walked on it, but the words echoed..

‘Take courage, do not be afraid’ and ‘be still’, ‘listen for God’s voice.’

Jesus commanded Peter to walk on the water. We remembered that God is holding each one of us, but we need to be bold in stepping out in our prayers to God. We don’t need to be afraid.

Our prayers then turned to ‘growing faith’ and what boldness in prayer and worship looks like. We prayed for an ‘Intergenerational hub’. For the voices to be heard in the shaping of this, and how it would impact the Minster Community of Launde. We prayed for enabling and equipping those in Launde, God’s Kingdom, to be communities of hope.

We prayed for one another, for the communities in which we were, the church and those before us, sat on ancient pews, that had been bold in and faithful in prayer. We lifted to God the spaces and places, the people we had encountered through weddings, funerals, conversations, and those whom we would meet with in the week ahead. We asked for God’s blessing.

 

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all and those that you love, Amen. 2 Corinthians 13:14

Every four months, the diocese produces a prayer diary with daily prayer requests.
Why not try using it as part of your Everyday Prayer?
Click on the button below!

There is also a link on the page that will take you to an audio version of the
Church of England Daily Prayer.