Featured articles from the Parish Magazine
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Candlemas – Elizabeth Hartley writes
Jesus’ parents, Mary and Joseph, were good Jews brought up from infancy to observe the customs and requirements of their religious beliefs, so the pattern of their life as we have followed it since the birth of their first-born son involved the carrying out of certain legal requirements.
Jesus was circumcised and given his name eight days after his birth, as required by the law laid out in Chapter 12 of Leviticus (which is the document in the Old Testament that contains “the Law”, as distinct…Added: 2nd February 2011 Submitted by: .
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NEW YEAR – NEW BEGINNINGS?
As the New Year arrives I often find myself looking back - pondering what has happened over the last 12 months - and looking forward, wondering what is ahead.
The past year has, for Jo and me, become a year of change! Jo has had some big decisions to make. She was both surprised and encouraged by the Bishop’s offer of the combined job of Young Adults Missioner for our Archdeaconry and the post of Priest-in-Charge at St.Martin’s, Droylsden. This coming year will be the first…Added: 22nd December 2010 Submitted by: Roger Farnworth.
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Waiting for the coming of goodness
Advent is a time of waiting. We wait for birth, for love, for life itself to reveal its meaning and purpose. We wait for the seed to spring into growth and then wait for the harvest. nothing worth while in life is sudden. A Christian must wait with hope and love for the Christ who is prepared to wait for him.
If we are rooted only in the present we confine the mystery and meaning of life to a day, a year or a one lifetime. They are…
Added: 5th December 2010 Submitted by: Rev Roger Reece.
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All Hallows, All Saints and Halloween…
One of my earliest childhood memories is of apple bobbing at a Halloween Social
event held at Holy Trinity in their school. In my childhood it felt like fun and so far as I
am aware no one known to me was fearful of knocks on the door and cries of Trick
or Treat. Times change.Over the years Halloween has, in places, has become much more sinister and at
times has been associated with out right evil. Many churches offer young people
…Added: 2nd November 2010 Submitted by: Revd Mary Wadsworth.
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Times and Seasons
For a number of years, Roger and I have taken a holiday in the early autumn in the Forest of Dean and this year has been no exception. We like going at this time of the year because the forest gives such a strong indication that the season is changing. There’s a nip in the air, though there are often still good spells of sunshine. The leaves are starting to change colour and the hedgerows are full of berries and conkers are lying on the ground. You simply can’t…
Added: 27th September 2010 Submitted by: Revd Jo Farnworth.
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Reaping what we sow….. Pat writes
“Whatsoever a man sows so shall he reap”, is how the King James Bible translates Paul as he writes his letter to the Galatians around 49AD.
And, goodness me, isn’t that little gem from verse 7 of Chapter 6 of Paul’s letter so very true today! Society is indeed reaping what has been sown.
It has been accepted for far too long that it’s ok to pay TV celebrities and footballers exorbitant sums of money for doing little more than entertain us –…Added: 2nd September 2010 Submitted by: Revd Pat Lodge.
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The Power of Parables… by Roger Farnworth
Mark 4:26-34: Jesus said, ‘The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.’
He also said, ‘With what can we compare the kingdom of…Added: 14th July 2010 Submitted by: Roger Farnworth.
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Thanks be to God…. Elizabeth Hartley writes
It took me a long time to find a theme for our June magazine, and I have borrowed a lot from Ronald Blyth’s book “Talking to the Neighbours”. (He writes a weekly piece on the back page of the Church Times, and it is always worth reading. He lives in
Added: 14th July 2010 Submitted by: Elizabeth Hartley.
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All Change?
“Change!” the politicians declare, as they solicit our votes with promises of what they will do. Many people’s response these days seems to be “Promises, promises ...”, as disillusionment grows. Politicians put at least as much energy into rubbishing their rivals, and aren’t they only interested in getting elected? So, should we believe them? Can politicians really bring about change?
Added: 29th April 2010 Submitted by: Revd Rob Fox.
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“Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow” - Jo writes
For many years to come, I guess that the winter of 2009/2010 will be remembered for the snow. Satellite pictures beamed from space showed the United Kingdom completely covered with a white blanket. Cars were abandoned and those who had to go out did so on foot. Severe weather warnings became a regular feature of the news. We saw communities brought closer together as people’s lives were disrupted. Snowmen sprung up in gardens and the joys of sledging were rediscovered by many. After the novelty wore off, though, the…
Added: 10th March 2010 Submitted by: Revd Jo Farnworth.