There is something I often think about as we start to approach Christmas and talking about this over the years. The incarnation is quite a hard concept to really understand! When you really drill down into what it means and the implications of it … More Does it matter if we don’t completely understand the incarnation?
What’s in a name? Some of us have names that were chosen for their meaning, or because they were in the family. Sometimes there is an association, and other times the parents simply liked the name. Some people like their names and some hate them, and choose their own nickname instead. My father was named Albert George, but at one workplace they already had a Bert and a George, so they randomly called him Tony … More What’s in a name?
Good King Wenceslas is a traditional carol that gets sung most years during the Christmas season. Have you ever thought about the words whilst singing them? It’s a narrative song, with elements of dialogue … More Good King Wenceslas:
I spent two weeks of October in Lahore, Pakistan, which has a longstanding link with Manchester Diocese. What most people have asked me before and since, my mother being one of the loudest voices, is why do you want to go to Pakistan? It is a question I asked myself many times after registering interest in the visit … More My Time in Lahore
I meet up each month for lunch with a group of friends. Usually Wednesday lunchtimes are fairly quiet – this week the pub was full, mostly with people celebrating Christmas, although from the church perspective we’re still in Advent. Every year we have these dilemmas – when to put up the Christmas tree, to have the Christmas flowers and to bring out the crib … More Gaudete Sunday
What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus? It’s an interesting question and one that we do ask a lot because that’s what we all are. We are disciples of Jesus, we are the ones who have received his message that has been passed down for over 2,000 years and are charged with keeping on passing it onto the next generation and the next … More Being a disciple of Jesus
Today our Advent treats are Carol and Tom with “Away in a Manger”, Peter reading “The Donkey’s Story”, and Rev Helen reads “Twinkle, Twinkle” for us (but not that one!) … More Digital Advent Calendar 2024: day 11
There is plenty of research to support many teachers’ experience that singing reinforces memory. That’s why so many CDs exist with tunes for learning times tables, historic dates and the like. Dementia carers also understand well that long after other memories have eroded, songs remain for those living with the condition … More The Lord’s Prayer – various
The other day, I had a nostalgic moment when I received an Advent calendar through the post. It was one of the old-fashioned ones, where behind each flap is just a little picture—no gifts, no trinkets. I’ve heard of people receiving Advent calendars with teabags, or ones filled with toiletries or toys. There’s even one with little bottles of gin for the odd days and tonic for the even days. But the most universal Advent calendar gift is, of course, chocolate. Most people love chocolate and there are good reasons for this … More Leave them wanting more
November is a time for remembering, and this year there is a heightened poignancy to our memories of friends and family we have lost. In September we had a memorial service for those in our parish that had died during the pandemic, and who we had not been able to mourn properly at their funerals … More In Memoriam (Words and Music S Overington 2018)
St Margaret's Church Prestwich 