Keep Going!

Readings – Genesis 32:22-31, Psalm 121, 2 Tim 3:14-4.5, Luke 18:1-8 Sermon – Rev. Gillian Webb Recently I read a book by Robert Harris called the Second Sleep. The book began with the journey on horseback of a priest that had been given the task of conducting the funeral of an elderly cleric in an out … Read more

Heaven’s Gate

Readings – Genesis 28:10-17, John 1:47-end Sermon – Rev. Kate McFarlane When you went back to school each September, were you ever given the task of writing a piece entitled ‘What I did on my summer holidays?’ I used to dread it, feeling I never had much to say, but this year I had one brief … Read more

Obsession

Readings – Exodus 32:7-14 , Luke 15:1-10 Sermon – Rev. Kate McFarlane My sermon today has been such a struggle. There were points where I doubted whether you’d get one at all. At first sight the readings didn’t seem too bad; the lost coin, the lost sheep. They’re good stories, old favourites, but then…what new can … Read more

Interruptions and Diversions

Readings Isaiah 58:9-14 , Hebrews 12:18-29 , Luke 13:10-17

Sermon – Rev. Kate McFarlane

So it’s Sabbath morning. The congregation are excited. They can’t wait to hear today’s preacher. This is a special day, a red letter day. From this preacher’s lips the people will hear what they have longed all their lives to hear; how to know God, how to be happy, the meaning of life itself!

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Calendar and events

We have a new calendar! It’s mainly exciting for our web admin who now has all the various bits talking to each other in one place, but hopefully it will allow visitors to see what’s coming up, when and where. It can be found under the Calendar tab at the top of the page and we hope you’ll have a look and come along to some of them. If it doesn’t work, do let the web admin know by sending a message through the Contact page.

As a taster, here are just a few of the social events coming up over the next couple of months…

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Samaritans

Icon by Dmitry Shkolnik

Readings Luke 10:25-37

Sermon – Rev. Kate McFarlane

I admit my heart sank when I looked at today’s readings and saw the Good Samaritan. If I had a pound for every assembly, family service or toddler group I have been to on that theme, I would be considerably more wealthy than I am.

The story’s a cliché now, isn’t it, so well known that even Microsoft capitalises the ‘Good’ along with the ‘Samaritan’ when you type it in. We all know the plot; we’ve all been told a bald ‘message’; see the unlikely person as your neighbour; it’s your Christian duty to help someone in need. We’ve been there, heard it all before, got the t-shirt.

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Slavery and freedom

Readings Isaiah 66:10-14 , Ps.66 , Gal.6:1-16 , Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Sermon – Rev. Gill Webb

On Friday the news reported that a group of five men and three women had been found guilty of modern slavery. These people had ruthlessly exploited vulnerable people from Poland to come to Britain with promises of a better life and what they really found was misery, degradation and daily abuse. It is hard for us to believe that others can seemingly prosper without any conscience through the misery of others. As they bought their expensive cars they had no pity on those living in the same city and controlled by their rigid rules.

The hope in this story is that the perpetrators will face justice and punishment while those who have been abused may find a better life and enjoy the freedom they have been denied.

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The priesting

This weekend we celebrated with enormous joy the ordination as priest of our curate, Rev. Kate. On Saturday she was priested and she presided over her first Eucharist on Sunday afternoon. We look forward to her continuing sacramental role in the parish. Congratulations, Kate!   Many of the congregation of St Mary’s were able to … Read more

Kate’s ordination to the priesthood

It is with great joy that we shall be joining Kate and her fellow deacons from across the diocese as they are ordained into the priesthood at the abbey church on Saturday 29th June.   Kate will be continuing her curacy at St. Mary’s after her ordination as priest, playing an increasingly sacramental role in … Read more

Windrush Day 2019

Today we marked #WindrushDay in our main service, with Angela reading “Psalm to Windrush: For the Brave and Ingenius” by Shirley J. Thompson as printed in the The Big Issue, an extract from which is at the bottom of this post. It was based on Psalm 84, and was today followed by the beautiful lines from our second reading (Galatians 3:23-29) about the universality of Christ’s love, and that any human-imposed separations between people are meaningless in God:

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