Did you recognize what Jonathan played just now? Sometime between 1795-98 Ludwig van Beethoven write a whimsical piano piece called “The rage over a lost penny”. Or, in eurospeaek: Die Wut über den verlorenen Groschen, ausgetobt in einer Caprice. It’s a bit of a showpiece, and perhaps uncharacteristically of its composer, it is not really angry, resentful or despairing in … Read More
Rough notes for the sermon: The Xian dichotomy: And what is a Christian? A Christian is someone who is a follower of Jesus Christ, who believes that there is always hope for the world, hope for communities and hope for us all, in this world and the next. And with this salvation, and this hope come Christian values, many of … Read More
Lk 14: 1,7-14 May I speak in the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen. An American monk once said something we may not really want to hear, but we can immediately connect with, the uncomfortable truth about Jesus’ teaching in our gospel today. Thomas Merton said, “People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only … Read More
We Need One Another! My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I’m sure most of you will have now heard that I will be Retiring at Harvest, on Sunday 13th October 2019 at the 10am Service; followed by lunch in the hall. Retiring, but definitely not leaving! After a holiday, I plan to join everyone back in the pews; and … Read More
On Sunday 21 July Bishop Rob Wickham came to bless our newly restored organ. Below is a video of the blessing which intersperses the hymn When in our music God is glorified – lyrics written by Fred Pratt Green to the tune ENGELBURG:
I’m thinking of all those poor people in the village of Whaley Bridge I know it quite well…. They have had to move out – not able to return to their homes – everything they have is there, including pets. If the dam breaks, everything will be washed away or submerged in an instant. It’s happened before – the nearby … Read More
Dear Friends, Well what a Patronal weekend we had! A stunning and well-attended Organ Spectacular at which John Rippin, Keith Beniston and Jonathan Marten played wonderfully, including a topically themed improvisation on ‘Blue Moon’ by Keith. After delightful fizz on the lawn, we adjourned to the Hall, where Judy Smith had prepared a bumptious dinner of cold salmon and wicked … Read More
Well what a Patronal weekend we had! A stunning and well-attended Organ Spectacular at which John Rippin, Keith Beniston and Jonathan Marten played wonderfully, including a topically themed improvisation on ‘Blue Moon’ by Keith. After delightful fizz on the lawn, we adjourned to the Hall, where Judy Smith had prepared a bumptious dinner of cold salmon and wicked deserts, which, … Read More
Sorry there is no audio for this sermon Luke 11:1-13 “Lord, teach us to pray” Words from the Holy Gospel according to Luke. Amen. Prayer is not only at the heart of the Christian life; it is also at the heart of a lot of Christian frustration, misunderstanding, and even pain. How do we pray? How does God answer prayer? … Read More
I wonder if Mary Magdalene ever looked into the night sky and wondered about that white blob we now call the moon? She, whom some scholars have taken to be some kind of lunatic – someone from whom seven kinds of demon were cast out. The word lunatic comes from the idea that someone who was mad, was somehow affected … Read More
Allegedly in the 1980s you could go to the bus station in Istanbul and catch a red double-decker bus to Beijing. That’s over 4000 miles, and it took several weeks. Quite an adventure though – through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and the steppes of Central Asia. Or perhaps it simply isn’t true, no matter how much we might want it to … Read More
Luke 9.51-62 May I speak in the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen. We are familiar with the concept of being a follower. Men and women follow football teams; or politicians. Bands, film stars, soap operas and even shops have their followers. Most people have heroes whom they follow. Christians over the centuries have become ‘followers’ of … Read More
Dear friends, It really began in the spring of 2017 when my nephew brought his fiancé to meet the family at my sister’s home in Berkshire. They told us that they planned to marry in May 2019 in Bali and they would be delighted (made up) if any of the family could be there. This got Malcolm and I thinking. … Read More
Organ events at St Mary Magdalene Church We will be celebrating the completion of our organ rebuild over our Patronal weekend (20 & 21 July) in style! Saturday 20 July We will be kicking off the weekend at 6:00pm on Saturday 20th with a very special ‘Organ Spectacular’. This is a free concert and not to be missed. Featuring varied … Read More
On Saturday 15 June we held a Tea Dance with a cream tea in the hall. Thirty of us gathered to sip a glass or two of Prosecco, drink tea (and Coffee) and eat a wide selection of home made sandwiches, scones with cream and jam and delicious, mouth watering cakes! We were entertained by the sounds of Frank Sinatra … Read More
Well, we’ve arrived – we have reached the destination of Trinity Sunday! As summer approaches – so we’re told! – we arrive at the theological and liturgical summit of Trinity Sunday, from which we look back at the receding Easter season, which has culminated with Ascensiontide and Pentecost, but we also see ahead. The grass may not be greener on … Read More
Welcome to the New Jerusalem! We are not in the Middle East, 14 miles north-west of the Dead Sea and 33 miles east of the Mediterranean, 2500 feet above sea level on the five hills that define the mile and a half wide city. But rather we are in the heavenly city – the holy city Jerusalem coming down out … Read More
Dear Friends, There isn’t much room for me in this month’s packed magazine! I don’t mind – as the American Composer John Cage once said, ‘I have nothing to say and I am saying it’! To be serious, we congratulate and welcome Annaliese Fenwick on her election as new Churchwarden and, for the second time and thank Alison Reeve for … Read More
Dear Friends, There isn’t much room for me in this month’s packed magazine! I don’t mind – as the American Composer John Cage once said, ‘I have nothing to say and I am saying it’! To be serious, we congratulate and welcome Annaliese Fenwick on her election as new Churchwarden and, for the second time and thank Alison Reeve for … Read More
How do we find our way around today? How does this compare with the past (and not too distant past either!)? The Rev’d Dr Gordon Giles looks at the way we find our way today. This sermon was preached during a Family Service and is available in audio only. Please excuse the quality at the beginning of the audio The … Read More
