Morning Worship Bishop Justus Church of England School Saint Distaff’s Day-back to work day Season of Epiphany 7 th January 2014

Gather The Lord be with you And also with you

Receive Give yourself to the Lord; trust in him, and he will help you; he will make your righteousness shine like the noonday sun. Psalm 37: 5-6

Resolutions—Back to work.... · Think about where you want to be with your work in a year’s time… · What do you need to do or give up to get there? · Make a new year’s resolution about your work and write it down · Think about the pitfalls—what will be tempting to you / will stop you reaching your goal? · Watch this song to open this discussion—challenge the message · Write yourself a letter—address it to yourself and give it to your tutor / mentor · Tutors / mentors—give out the letters in a few weeks time when resolutions are forgotten or slipping as an encouragement and a reminder of that resolve Spinning · The distaff is symbolic of women’s work from the past—spinning · Look at this spinning you tube clip —the distaff is the stick the flax is put onto which is then spun using the wheel into linen yarnhttp:// · Spinning is a process which transforms something · Reflect how you want to be changed? · What needs to be transformed in your life? In school? Engage

Respond Lord, I commit my failures as well as my successes into your hands, and I bring for your healing the people and the situations, the wrongs and the hurts of the past. Give me courage, strength and generosity to let go and move on, leaving the past behind me, and living the present to the full. Lead me always to be positive as I ‘entrust the past to your mercy, the present to your love, and the future to your providence’. Amen Adapted from St Augustine

Go May the grace of Christ our Saviour be with us all Amen