As it was a special day I led the service from my church, St Stephen Walbrook in the City of London, by kind permission of our vicar, Stephen. Many believe the church owes its existence to the nearby pagan Temple of Mithras. Augustine's pragmatism in encouraging the re-purposing of sites like this has led Robin Mackintosh to suggest that Augustine didn’t only provide spiritual leadership to the emerging English nation, but helped to form the English character itself. It is thanks to Augustine, he says, that we believe even pragmatism can serve the purposes of God! May we remember and be ever inspired by Augustine’s leadership – his firm belief in the eternal values of our faith, but also his pragmatism, as we all face decisions about where we go, what we say and what we do in the days and weeks ahead. Join me for Night Prayer using the Common Worship order of service in contemporary language. If you are following in the red prayer book, the service begins on page 337 and Psalm 86 is on page 775 - but don't worry if you don't have a prayer book to hand, the words to say will appear on screen.
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