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Readings – Romans 8.6-11, Psalm 130, John 11.1-45  Rev Kate McFarlane Wasn’t today’s psalm beautiful and apt: ‘My soul waits for the Lord…..in his word is my hope.’ We are, all of us, in this uncomfortable and difficult time of … Read More

Readings – Exodus 2:1-10, Luke 2:33-35 Rev Gill Webb I have preached many sermons for Mothering Sunday but never one in such strange circumstances. Today there will be no hymns, no congregation and no pulpit to deliver my thoughts. Our … Read More

Please see our update below after today’s announcement from the Bishops about gathering in church. If you’d like to be added to our mailing list to receive similar updates in future, please email curate@stmarysmarston.org   Dear  <<First Name>> Following today’s guidance from … Read More

Presidents of Churches Together in England have issued a call to prayer in the light of the Coronavirus pandemic. This is for all churches and people of prayer to join on Sunday 22nd March, Mothering Sunday. They write…. This Mothering … Read More

Readings – Romans 5:1-11, John 4:5-42 Rev Kate McFarlane What a very anxious week we have had and what a host of new phrases are suddenly on everyone’s lips: ‘self-isolation’, ‘household isolation’, ‘withdrawal’, ‘lockdown’. Suddenly we are fearful of shaking … Read More

Readings – Isaiah 49:1-7, Psalm 40:1-12, 1 Corinthians 1:1-9, John 1:29-42 Rev Gillian Webb I wonder if you have ever heard people being interviewed on television or the radio or recorded in articles declaring that they had always known from … Read More

Readings – Matthew 2:1-12 Sermon – Rev. Kate McFarlane So, we can all breathe a sigh of relief. Christmas is over. The gifts have all been safely bought and safely given. Do you struggle with present buying? I certainly do, because … Read More

Readings – Jeremiah 23:1-6, Psalm 46, Colossians 1:11-29, Luke 23:33-44 Sermon – Rev. Gillian Webb As a few of you know I celebrated a special birthday last week and I received a card which noted some of the key events on … Read More

Readings – John 14:27, James 3:17-18, Sermon – Rev. Kate McFarlane Most Holy Spirit who didst brood Upon the chaos dark and rude And bid its angry tumult cease And give, for wild confusion, peace. These are the words we have … Read More

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 … Read More

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 … Read More

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; … Read More

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 … Read More

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. … Read More

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 … Read More

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 … Read More

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 … Read More

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 … Read More

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 … Read More

Readings – Acts 11:1-18 & 22-31, Romans 5:1-5 , John 16:12-15 Sermon – Rev. Gill Webb With the recent coverage of all the 75th anniversary events to mark the D-day landings in Normandy I watched again the film the Monuments Men. … Read More

Today we have prayed together as a family… Find five small stones (light coloured ones are best) and write each of the people on your list onto each ofthe stones. Place them on your desk, bedside table or fireplace as … Read More

Today I have used the post-it note method to pray for five people I know… Use five post-it notes and write one name onto each.Stick them onto your mirror, above your bed or somewhere that you’ll see them regularly and … Read More

Today I have prayed with my daughter… On the side of a piece of Lego, write the name of someone you want to pray for. Each time you pray for that person, put another piece of Lego on top of … Read More

So today I have made a string prayer … Take a piece of string or cord, and tie five knots in it to represent each of the five people you have committed to pray for. You could carry the knotted … Read More

Readings – Acts 11:1-18  Sermon – Rev. Kate McFarlane A revolution – that’s what today’s reading from Acts is – a revolution. It changes the church forever because it is the point at which the first Christians realise that Jesus’s message was … Read More

Congratulations and celebrations! Twenty five years of women’s ordination, and twenty five years of priesthood for Rev. Gill Webb who continues to serve Marston and Lidlington with kindness and generosity.