I enjoy my visits across the Pennines to visit Rev Debby, and on my summer visit this year, she introduced me to a beautiful picture book called “The Lost Words”. It’s an over-sized picture book by Robert Macfarland and Jackie Morris, and was written as a response to the removal of everyday nature words from … More Lost Words Blessing – Jim Molynexy & Kate Howard
It’s hard to believe that summer, which this year has seen 4 heat waves, is drawing to a close and autumn is round the corner. The clocks will be going back on Sunday, 26th October and the days will begin to get a little shorter and cooler. The sun will still be around, but not … More October letter to the parish
This month’s letter to the parish is from Rev Steve: This month sees the 40th anniversary of the fire that re-shaped the life of St Margaret’s. It happened on 21st February 1985. The lessons learnt in times of adversity stay with us throughout our lives. So many of our scriptures are framed through the experience … More February Letter to the Parish
Matthew’s Beatitudes, which are all blessings, are spoken by Jesus on a hill or mount and we can be fairly certain that Matthew was directing this at mainly a Jewish audience making Jesus a bit more elite. Whilst Luke’s Beatitudes are given on a plain and Jesus has gone down to be with the crowd and it is directed more at a Gentile audience, making Jesus more inclusive to everyone, but specifically for the disciples who needed reassurance … More The Beatitudes
“Benedictus” is a Latin word which translates literally to “blessed”. Very often in communion settings – indeed in the one we use at St Margaret’s – the Benedictus is bundled up with the “Sanctus” (see last month’s magazine), which is Latin for “holy”. Originally, they were separate paragraphs in the eucharist, and therefore treated separately by composers … More Benedictus
This article first appeared in the July 2020 issue of the parish magazine. Here it is again for you to reflect on:
For many, lockdown has been an incredibly difficult time of worry, isolation, ill-health, boredom and captivity. It has been tough, and will continue to be so for many months to come.
For others it has offered opportunities and blessings. I am fortunate to be in this group … More Lockdown Blessings
Good morning and welcome to our service of holy communion for Sunday 30 October, on which we celebrate All Saints’ Day. We also welcome Rev Mike Dyson (of St Paul’s Kersal Moor) who will preach and preside.
We begin with the hymn “The Church’s One Foundation” … More All Saints’ Day 2022
One of my favourite songs in the Sunday School Repertoire is Thank you Lord, by Mark & Helen Johnson of Out of the Ark Music. I tend to drop it into our weekly singing practices whenever I feel there is something to be grateful for – the sunshine, the rain, plentiful hot clean running water, my family, my friends, the food in the cupboards, for waking up reasonably healthy, for being born into a first-world country … More Thank You Lord
Good morning and welcome to our service of Holy Communion for Sunday 13 February, the third before Lent. Rev Sue presides, and our ALM Carol will offer a reflection.
We begin with the hymn “All my hope on God is founded” … More Seeing the World Through Jesus’ Eyes
C. Escher is an artist whose drawings challenge the mind just by looking at them. I have one here of architectural impossibilities so you can see what I mean. One thing that stands out is the water which just keeps going round and round without ever getting higher or lower it seems on the same level. Stairs that go every which way but at the same time, go nowhere. Escher’s drawings always evoke a double-take. You look at them, and they seem okay, but then it begins to dawn on you that something is not right with the picture. Things are not as they seem. Our world appears like this, we think it is normal; but it is not normal; it is not right. It is not the way God intended. Everything is upside-down and backwards. … More Do We Live in the World of M. C. Escher?
St Margaret's Church Prestwich 