Special Community
‘Marriage should be honoured by all, and the marriage bed kept pure’
Hebrews 13:4.
So important is the union of a man and a woman in marriage, that we are told both to honour
our parents and also to leave them. If God wills, the new marriage will be a home with children,
and the family is the very first community of which we are usually aware. In God’s normal
provision each child is granted a mother and father who will protect and nurture them,
shaping their characters for the experience of adulthood. It is not surprising, therefore,
that the marriage bond is protected by God’s word and we are commanded to honour it.
This is something which Mary Sumner understood and from her care for family has come the
Mothers Union and its charter to care for marriage and family life. Thank God for our founder.
Question for thought: Do I pray without ceasing for the children in my family and beyond?
Gracious Lord, we thank you for the over 800 members In Southwark Diocese in England
praying and working together to share Christ’s love through the encouragement,
strengthening and support of marriage and family life. We pray too, for the Diocese of Gloucester
as they seek to demonstrate and share their Christian faith in their communities. Amen.