It is lovely to be with you on this Maundy Thursday, that special day in the church’s year when we recall the Last Supper, the Footwashing and the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prayed; it feels like too much for one day rather like a triple decker chocolate cake from Slattery’s! … More Maundy Thursday Sermon
Today we remember Hugh, who was the Bishop of Lincoln in the 12th century. The king at the time was Henry the Second. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, had been murdered in Canterbury Cathedral by four knights who thought that they were acting on the King’s wishes … More Speaking truth to power
Taken as a story today’s gospel reading has everything. Royalty and power, sex, violence, narrative tension – it’s no wonder that it inspired the play Salome by Oscar Wilde, an opera by Richard Strauss and a film starring Rita Hayworth. But it’s an unusual story to find in the gospels– it hardly refers to Jesus at all … More Power (still) corrupts
The woman had heard that Jesus was coming to town. From somewhere she dredged up her last little bit of hope. For 12 years she had been trying every remedy under the sun. It wasn’t just a question of being drained and anaemic from the continual loss of blood. It was also the shame of being unclean … More Our deepest longing
Rachel Treweek is the Bishop of Gloucester. In 2019 she had a Sabbatical – a time away from her normal duties for reflection and study. The result was a book “Encounters” … More Encounters: Jesus, connection and story: Past, present and future, by Rachel Treweek
How many of you watch ‘The Apprentice’? Maybe some of you are seasoned veterans of the program, as I am, and familiar with the one phrase from it spoken by Lord Sugar “You’re fired!” … More Christ the King
‘And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?’ A very disturbing question to end the Gospel reading on today and one I am sure will continue to be debated until the Son of Man, Jesus, does return to earth again … More October 20 Trinity 18
This article was intended for publication in the August 2018 issue of our parish magazine. However, due to a misunderstanding it missed the deadline. So here it is – exclusively – online … More Northern Lights (Ola Gjeilo, 1978-present)
This sermon was given by Rev Deborah on Wednesday 4 July 2018. Do have a listen to it here … More Authority
Over the last year we have travelled alongside Matthew’s gospel, and as we have seen, Matthew’s gospel is hard hitting and pulls no punches … More Separating the Sheep from the Goats
St Margaret's Church Prestwich 