But there is another much deeper and richer meaning to what it means to be “holy”. It is to have something of God about you.

Whilst our other period  of preparation at Advent is one of joyous anticipation, Lent is more poignant and sober, but also a time of beauty

Lent is a season to be more attentive to the presence of God, and our neediness.

Lent is rapidly approaching. Lent has traditionally been used as a time for reflection and self-examination. It is a time we can consider...

However, change is bittersweet. It’s endings as well as beginnings, and our Candlemas text reminds us of a moment of change and transfer.

We do so always in trust - that like Jesus,  that they will be received, blessed, adored and recognised for who they are.

Dear All Saints and St Marys If you only heard one word from the mouth of Jesus, what might that be?  ‘Love’.  ‘God’.  No, I suggest that...

Happy Gaudete! What a great word to say and reflect on. It is a word that has been set to many a tune-a gift of an earworm for your weekend!

However, it is a reminder to me that peace is hard won, however uncomfortable that may be.

As we begin Advent, we are asked to begin again. To start afresh with God. To come with all hopes, dreams, worries & fears & lay them out.

The Beatitudes recognises and values the poor, grieving, downtrodden, the lowest in society

God would help us ‘hear, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest - ’So how where do we start so our Bible studies don’t give us indigestion?

it can be anything that we put in the place of God that can become our stumbling block, not just money.

It exhorts its hearers to be faithful to Christ, despite difficulties and persecution, because Christ is so much more past leaders

Dear All Saints and St Marys I have always had a soft spot for the Feast of St Michael and All Angels. I have found the ministry of...

Dear Friends in Christ,   Reflecting on a British summer that seems to have consisted of more rain than sunshine, it’s easy to grumble...

Fear not, rejoice and be glad !   Joel 2:21 Services this Sunday 15th September St. Marys 10.00am  - Sung Holy Communion All Saints...

Dear All Saints and St Marys The season of September is in full swing as schools return and the summer holidays fade from view. Autumn...

But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. James 1:22 NRSV   Dear All Saints and St Mary's   This Sunday’s...

So Christians are asked again through these words what is it that we believe & know about Jesus? What difference does that make to us all?

In sharing in Jesus together, we heal wounds, build unity & find strength to lift our hearts and voices to sing a song of hope and peace

Despite knowing all that God has done for us, we can forget that he is with us and try to succeed in our own strength. It is all too easy to

The words we have from the passage in Ephesians this week speaks of Christ who binds people and brings them together. I have a strong image

The account of the fate of John the Baptist is a chance to  reconsider the nature of power and how it is enacted

Jesus came that 'they might have life to the full'.

‘Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?’ Mark 4.40   Dear All Saints and St Mary’s   Jesus’ rebuff of the disciples in this ...

Conflict, discord, disagreement between individuals, groups and nations is something that we are all very aware of.

From the very start of the church, Christians have recognized God the Father, the transcendent creator, above and beyond the created order..

The Holy Spirit is the inspiration in our lives. Often described in multiple ways, breath, fire, wind, power....

Not the little kingdoms that we build around ourselves, but the bigger, bolder vision of a world created, at rest, in love, and at peace.

Jesus sees how his disciples have stuck with him through thick and thin. So at this moment, before he goes to the cross....

There are 7 different ways in which Jesus describes himself by using the words "I AM".  

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ It hardly seems possible that the reflective time of Lent has reached its climactic destination in...

This Sunday, we turn away towards the events of Holy Week. It is a time to reflect on Jesus’ arrest, trial, crucifixion, and death.

Mirroring the time that Jesus spent in the wilderness, the lead up to Holy Week is a time for reflection and self preparation

This year Ash Weds and Valentine’s Day coincide. To begin with this seems like an unhappy collision - and yet, LOVE is at the heart of both.

John’s gospel is not a tale of some wonder working hero stepping in to fix everyone’s problems with a wave of his hand.

Dear Friends Matthew 2:11 They went into the house, and when they saw the child with his mother Mary, they knelt down and worshipped him....

It is at this point in the season that we turn our gaze away from Christmas and towards the New Year.

Each year particular lines in carols stand out, according to whatever is going on in our personal lives, or in the world at large. 

We are asked to be a people who rejoice. To be people of Joy. This Sunday, Advent III,  is also traditionally known as “Gaudete” Sunday.

A king who we will in just a few short weeks come to recognise as the baby in the manger. A King who at Easter is vulnerable, bruised and..

Whose voice or voices have stood out this week? Where are those people situated? What are they saying, and how might they be God’s messenger

“Do not rejoice when your enemies fall, and do not let your heart be glad when they stumble”,

These are the words that we heard last week at the baptism at All Saints and will again a couple of times this weekend at St Marys.

All Saints Day reminds us that we don't follow Jesus on our own. Through baptism we become members who belong to each other in Christ

His stressing love being the bedrock that is God and that transforms all who accept Jesus is powerful and transformative.

Dear All Saints and St Mary’s As Diane reminded us last week, joy is a theme that runs through Paul’s letter to the Christians in...

Dear All Saints and St Mary’s Diane and I have just returned from our holiday visiting friends in Germany and are now coming up to a bank...

This is why the Matthew text has always been challenging. Jesus, who we see as our model of love and the antithesis of any prejudice....