David, Chad, Adrian, Non, Duthac, Kessog, Patrick and Cuthbert. What do all these have in common?
You may be able to come up with several answers, but the two I’m looking for are that they all have their feast days in March and they all have a Celtic connection.
For a short time, when I was living in Claines, we had a vicar who was married to a lovely Irish lady and during March she led us in a Celtic Service – a beautiful evening, made perfect by her serving home-made shortbread afterwards! Even without the shortbread, the evening made an impact on us as our attention was focused on those Celtic saints of whom, generally speaking, we know very little.
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As I write this, I am in my second day of isolation after a positive Covid test. It is a frustrating experience, given that I am not ill and staying still does not agree with me. One can only clean the oven so many times.
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And God held in his hand
A small globe. Look, he said.
The son looked. Far off,
As through water, he saw
A scorched land of fierce
Colour. The light burned
There; crusted buildings
Cast their shadows; a bright
Serpent, a river
Uncoiled itself, radiant
With slime.
On a bare
Hill a bare tree saddened
The sky. Many people
Held out their thin arms
To it, as though waiting
For a vanished April
To return to its crossed
Boughs. The son watched
Them. Let me go there, he said.
The Coming by RS Thomas 1913-2000
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Once again our Flower Ladies have done us proud and provided some wonderful flower decorations around the church for the lead up to Christmas
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Yet again we were enthralled by the wonderful Paul Harding with his history knowledge, this time we learnt all about Christmas in Victorian times.
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To ask “What is at the heart of Christmas?” may seem a very obvious question – but is it really? Answer honestly; if Christmas was cancelled – and I mean really cancelled, not just scaled down like last year – what would you miss the most? Would it be the family gatherings? The excessive quantities of food and drink consumed?
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Yet another fantastically interesting and humorous talk from Paul Harding.
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November is traditionally a time for remembering: All Saints and All Souls, along with Remembrance Sunday, are key parts of the opening half of the month in the church calendar. The last of these in particular is one which has a resonance for many people who still have memories of the Second World War or more recent conflicts, or who have themselves been in the forces.
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The Flower Arrangers have done the church proud this year with their wonderful arrangements.
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Bishop Martin, Bishop of Dudley, Pilgrimage of Prayer and Hope
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