30th March 2025 at 10.30am – Mothering Sunday – Eucharist

Posted on March 30, 2025March 31, 2025 by St Mary's

The Reading

Exodus 2.1-10

Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him for three months. When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river. His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him.

The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it. When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him. ‘This must be one of the Hebrews’ children,’ she said. Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, ‘Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?’ Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Yes.’ So the girl went and called the child’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages.’ So the woman took the child and nursed it. When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and she took him as her son. She named him Moses, ‘because’, she said, ‘I drew him out of the water.’

Luke 2.33-35

And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, ‘This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.’

Scripture quotations are from: New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

The Sermon
Prepared by The Revd Canon James Wilson.

Mothering Sunday is one of those strange Sundays that people don't know quite what it's all about. Mainly because we have all got it muddled up with Mother's Day, which is an American invention that is to come in in a few weeks’ time. A celebration of mum’s with cards and flowers and if lucky chocolates!

Yet originally Mothering Sunday was and is strangely much more than just being about mothers. The clue is in the name of this service, that word mothering. And mothering is something that we all do, even though of course, mothers are the source of much of it. We all nurture each other in some way.

In our first reading today the story of the birth of Moses. When the mother of Moses (who is not named, sadly not seen as important enough). As she gives away her child, which she is doing the safety of her child. Our reading did not include that earlier on in the story Pharoah had ordered that every male child that was born of a Hebrew was to be murdered. she was saving her son from that fate, despite the cost to herself. She never could imagine that one day her son would lead the people of Israel out, called by God to take them to the Promised Land. She simply wanted him to have a chance of life.

What she was doing was doing the best thing she could for her child, which in her view, was let the Nile take him and pray that fate would be kind. But it's the boy’s sister that stands by it is the sister that probably was watching and protecting him from crocodiles get him and take him away before he was snapped up. It's the sister that was there for him not his mother.

We as a community gathered here today, that protection and nurturing is something that we all do for each other. We watch out for each other we nurture, and we care. It is not just the mothers that's sitting here today that will receive flowers, it is all of us to remind us to do that. As everything that is good and kind that is given by us stems from God, who is both mother and father to everything.

We think of God as this stern chap with bright white hair sitting on a throne. But that's our invention to cope with the enormity of what God is. The all-powerful God, the all loving God. God the creator. God the giver of life. God that fashioned a universe so wonderful that in the whole of eternity we will never be able to understand it fully.

As we sit here celebrating this Eucharist and rightly thinking about our mothers, we also must remember about the relationships that we hold within the love given by God.

My mother turns 90 this year, which is frightening because that means I turn 60 this year.

Time flies. And I was tasked by the rest of the family to put together a photo book of her, photographing old photographs that chronicle her life. And for the first time, I feel I am understanding my mother.

She was just always there, always just giving, making tea or often not coming in from work and dad making egg and chips. She was there always looking after and it's always been there for me. It has surprised how little I knew her. As I started looking at the photographs, I realised she was a beautiful young woman and that mum and dad fell in love. They did all the foolish youthful adventures. Mum and dad went to war and went through so many experiences growing and maturing in their relationship. Ever changing but the constant was she was always mum to my siblings and me.

And isn't that incredible? Living with someone and only seeing them through your own relationship with them.

Often, we do that with God, yes, God is unchanging but our understanding and relationship with God is not. Sometimes we can even fall out with God. We get angry because we do not fit in the same way as other people. I don't know about Tom, but I grew up not wanting to be gay. I most hated the thought of it because the thing that I wanted more than anything else was to have a family.

But God had other plans. I would never have become a priest if I had just gone out and followed what my parents had done. Worked hard, married and had children. I don't know how straight people ever have the time to bring up children. But I wish I had been given that option. But God was looking for me I don't have the time to tell you, how much joy I have received because I was given the opportunity of loving a congregation even though it takes so much time, so much effort. Sometimes! Especially loving the people, you don't really like. I like you all. Mostly!!!

That is what mothering is, freely giving of love even when life works out differently from what we want. I know my sister and my mother don't get on sometimes. It is only recently, after nearly 90 years, they have finally found a truce.

The way that they can work together in their love. They have worked out their relationship and work out how to care for one another. Who cares for who and how. 90 years is a long time working out, and some people never actually manage to do that, for they don't have a relationship with their mother because it wasn't nice or right. It's difficult and it's never perfect, it's never like how the cards say that we gave each year to recognise our mothers’ love.

But we have hope, and we have joy, in this place. We have bright flowers that symbolise that we are reflecting is the goodness of God and the goodness of mothering.

We will have simnel cake! For this Sunday is a day to rejoice even though we are in Lent,

This was the moment we pause, rest and refresh before we started on our journey towards the Passion of our lord. Passion Sunday, Palm Sunday and Good Friday.

Today is a time of refreshment, of joy. A day when we eat special cakes.

In some churches, I would be wearing pink at this time. It doesn't suit me, so I'm glad we don't have it. But that pink expresses the joy and beauty of this life. And we must not lose that Joy. I mean, we enjoy the fact that we matter one another as we matter to God.
So when you take your flowers out, do not just think about your mother, but think about each other. Think about how we can react to each other’s needs and care for each other better. Think about the laughter we can share and the hope that is in this day.
This day where we are fed by God so that we can grow into the likeness and follow our Lord into the promised land.

Amen.

The Prayers

As children of a loving God who always listens to our cries, let us pray to our Father in heaven.

Loving God, you have given us the right to be called children of God. Help us to show your love in our homes that they may be places of love, security and truth.
God of love,
hear our prayer.

Loving God, Jesus, your Son, was born into the family of Mary and Joseph; bless all parents and all who care for children; strengthen those families living under stress and may your love be known where no human love is found.
God of love,
hear our prayer.

Loving God, we give thanks for all those celebrating significant milestones in life, praying especially for Mela.
O Lord God, from whom we come,
in whom we are enfolded,
to whom we shall return,
bless us in our pilgrimage through life:
with the power of the Father protecting,
with the love of Jesus indwelling,
and the light of the Spirit guiding,
in life and love eternal.
God of love,
hear our prayer.

Loving God, we thank you for the family of the Church. We pray that all may find in her their true home; that the lonely, the marginalized, the rejected may be welcomed and loved in the name of Jesus.
God of love,
hear our prayer.

Loving God, as we see the brokenness of our world we pray for healing among the nations; for food where there is hunger; for freedom where there is oppression; for joy where there is pain; that your love may bring peace to all your children.
God of love,
hear our prayer.

Merciful Father,
accept these prayers
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.

23rd March 2025 at 10.30am – 3rd Sunday of Lent – Eucharist

Posted on March 23, 2025 by St Mary's

The Reading

1 Corinthians 10.1-13

I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness.

Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not become idolaters as some of them did; as it is written, ‘The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.’ We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.

Luke 13.1-9

At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, ‘Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.’

Then he told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, “See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?” He replied, “Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig round it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.” ’

The Sermon
Prepared by Joe, Reader at St Mary's.

May I speak in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

There’s a short novel by Thornton Wilder called ‘The Bridge at San Luis Rey’. It’s something you can read in a day, but it will stick with you. A bridge collapses and five people die. A monk, Brother Juniper, investigates the people who died. Why those people? Why were they on the bridge when it collapsed? Were they bad? Unlucky? Is there any deeper meaning?

In our Gospel, we hear that group of Galileans have been slaughtered by Pilate while offering sacrifices, and that their blood was mingled with the sacrifices. This wasn’t just an act of violence—it was sacrilege. And naturally, the people wanted answers. Not just about Pilate—but about God. What did it mean? Why did it happen? Had these people brought it on themselves?

Brother Juniper would have been in his element.

Jesus’ response is both sobering and surprising. He asks them: “Do you think these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered in this way?” And then He answers it bluntly: “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did.”

And just in case the message wasn’t clear, He brings up another incident—a tower collapsing in Siloam, killing eighteen people. Like the bridge at San Luis Rey - just sheer tragedy. But again, Jesus asks: “Do you think they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem?” And again, “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”

Now, this might seem like a harsh message of doom. But it isn’t. It’s not about condemnation—it’s about calling people not to speculate on the sins of others, but to examine their own hearts.

Jesus is not offering the consoling thought (for some) that bad things happen to bad people. In fact, He’s rejecting that. Instead, He’s saying: Don’t look for someone else to blame.

Jesus is saying that we should use these moments—these reminders of life’s fragility—as a call to turn back to God. Because life is short, and the time available to us to accept God’s grace is equally limited.

In the parable, a fig tree hasn’t borne any fruit for three years. The owner is fed up and tells his gardener to chop it down. But the gardener—merciful, patient, and probably very good at his job—intercedes. “Let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.”

On one hand, there’s the urgency: this fig tree has had enough time. It’s been planted, cared for, and expected to grow. On the other hand, there’s compassion: “Let’s give it one more year.”

This is the nature of grace. It is patient, but it is not passive. It calls for response, but the time available for us to respond is limited by us being alive.

The gardener doesn’t just hope for the best. He gets his hands dirty and gives the tree every opportunity to live into its purpose.

We are the fig tree. We’ve been given life. As the tree needed soil, rain, sunlight and manure, we’re given spiritual nourishment - the Word of God and our Church and community. And now, in this Lenten season, we are again being asked—what fruit are we bearing?

Fruit, in Scripture, is not just about good deeds. It’s about transformation. The fruit of repentance, the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are signs not of what we’ve achieved, but of how deeply we are allowing God’s grace to change us.

Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, touches on something similar. He reminds them of their ancestors—those who came out of Egypt with Moses. They had everything: spiritual food, spiritual drink, miraculous deliverance. But they still fell. Why? Because they presumed upon God’s grace, and didn’t allow that grace to shape their hearts. They desired evil. They grumbled. They turned to idols. And Paul says, “These things happened as examples for us.”

It’s easy to fall into the same trap—thinking that being near holy things means we are holy. That being in church, being moral, being “better than most,” is enough. But God is after something more: not just performance, but transformation, giving inward renewal.

There’s a line in the 1 Corinthians passage that strikes to the core: “If you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall.” It’s a call to humility. A reminder that none of us are beyond the need for repentance. And yet—it ends with hope: “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength… he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.”

Both our Gospel and our first reading are reminders that God’s grace is active, not abstract. God’s grace nourishes us, and whilst there is pressure, that pressure of God’s love is to wake us up to the urgency of acting and transforming NOW.

So what can we take away today?

First: life is fragile, and, as the saying goes…Stuff happens. We can see that in the headlines and our own life experiences. But Jesus tells us not to use that fragility as a reason to speculate or point fingers—but as an invitation to reflect. Where in our lives do we need to repent? Where do we need to turn back to God?

Secondly, God is patient. Like the gardener, God does not give up on us. He intercedes, He works the soil, He feeds us with grace. But that patience is not an excuse for complacency. It’s a window of mercy. And we don’t know how long that window will remain open.

Finally, we are called to bear fruit. Not out of fear—but because it is what we were made for. A fig tree without figs is not living into its purpose. And a Christian without love, mercy, or joy is not either. We were not just saved from something—we were saved for something.

So let’s not waste the soil we’re planted in. Let’s respond to the God’s mercy with hearts open to transformation. Let this year’s Lent season be the time in which we get our act together and smell the roses, to say, and respond to the opportunities given to us by the Lord’s grace to bear the fruit we’re supposed to.

Amen.

16th March 2025 at 10.30am – 2nd Sunday of Lent – Eucharist

Posted on March 16, 2025 by St Mary's

The Readings

Philippians 3.17-4.1

Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation so that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.

Luke 13.31-end

At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, ‘Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.’ He said to them, ‘Go and tell that fox for me, “Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed away from Jerusalem.” Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” ’

The Prayers

With confidence and trust let us pray to the Father.

For the one holy catholic and apostolic Church
that in faithful witness it may preach the gospel
to good times and in bad.
We pray for our Bishop, Pete,
and our partner churches of St Marks and St Johns.
let us pray to the Father.
Lord of compassion,
in your mercy hear us.

For those preparing for baptism and confirmation
and for their teachers and sponsors,
let us pray to the Father.
Lord of compassion,
in your mercy hear us.

For peace in the world,
that a spirit of respect and reconciliation may grow
among nations and peoples,
let us pray to the Father.
Lord of compassion,
in your mercy hear us.

For the poor, the persecuted, the sick, and all who suffer,
for refugees, prisoners, and all in danger;
that they may be relieved and protected,
let us pray to the Father.
Lord of compassion,
in your mercy hear us.

For those whom we have injured or offended,
and for grace to amend our lives and to further the reign of God,
let us pray to the Father.
Lord of compassion,
in your mercy hear us.

In communion with all those who have walked in the way of holiness
let us pray to the Father.
Lord of compassion,
in your mercy hear us.

God our Father,
in your love and goodness
you have taught us to come close to you in penitence
with prayer, fasting and generosity;
accept our Lenten discipline,
and when we fall by our weakness,
raise us up by your unfailing mercy;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Merciful Father,
accept these prayers
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.

9th March 2025 at 10.30am – 1st Sunday of Lent – Eucharist

Posted on March 9, 2025 by St Mary's

The Readings

Romans 10.8b-13

But what does it say?
‘The word is near you,
on your lips and in your heart’
(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The scripture says, ‘No one who believes in him will be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

Luke 4.1-13

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “One does not live by bread alone.” ’

Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, ‘To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written,
“Worship the Lord your God,
and serve only him.” ’

Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written,
“He will command his angels concerning you,
to protect you”,
and
“On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.” ’
Jesus answered him, ‘It is said, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” ’ When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

The Sermon
Prepared by The Revd Canon Dr Alan Billings.

Today, the first Sunday in Lent, we recall how Jesus went into the Judean wilderness for forty days and nights.

At one time, I used to take parties to the Holy Land to follow in Christ’s footsteps and go to the places we read about in the gospels: Bethlehem, Nazareth, Jericho, the lakeside, Jerusalem. On one of the days, we would go in our coach into the Judean wilderness. We’d get out and imagine what it would have been like for Jesus to spend days and nights there.

We compared it with remote places in this country - like the moors of Derbyshire or Yorkshire. Where our moors can be green, the Judean wilderness is brown. Where our moors have vegetation, the wilderness is stony. The moors have rain. The wilderness is parched.

As the hymn puts it: Sunbeams scorching all the day, chilly dewdrops nightly shed, prowling beasts about thy way, stones thy pillow, earth thy bed.

This is where Jesus was for forty days and nights.

But as we stood there, we realised that this was not the only wilderness Jesus experienced. He goes into not one, but two. The one I have just described – the physical environment that surrounds him. We could call that the external wilderness.

But he also enters another, an internal wilderness. In this remote and inhospitable place where there is no one to talk to, no one to interact with, Jesus is alone with his thoughts and feelings. He goes inward. This is a different sort of wilderness, an inner wilderness.

It’s vital for him to do this because this is how he sorts out in his heart and his head how he is to live out his vocation as God’s promised messiah.

Each of the temptations is about a possible way of being messiah to his people. The devil is the devil within, the inner voice tempting him to take a particular path, a path that would bring popularity and worldly success, but a distraction from what he should really be doing.

So, give people bread. Give them marvels. Give them political leadership. Make Israel Great Again. Do any of these things and you will be a success.

These temptations to want worldly success, and the attraction of them, have to be understood by Jesus and put firmly to one side. His ministry is to show in word and action what God is like and what God wants, whether popular or not.

Yet this inner wilderness is something we also may experience. There are times when we too find ourselves alone with our thoughts. We don’t have to go into a deserted place. We can be surrounded by people, yet still find ourselves frighteningly alone.

Things happen in life and drive us inwards, to dark places. They can be triggered at any time. The journey from teenage to adult can sometimes seem very lonely. Why does no one understand me? In our working lives we can lose a job or have a career disrupted. Relationships can go sour. Illness or old age can get us down. Why is this happening to me? Why me?

In all these and other circumstances we may find ourselves in a lonely place and have to wrestle with dark thoughts.

And we often describe those experiences in words that echo today’s gospel. We say we have our demons.

Our demons. The devil within. The inner wilderness.

There is one other temptation at work in the wilderness. It’s the most pernicious temptation of all, lying behind all the others. And it’s a temptation we may face as well. It’s the temptation to doubt God and doubt yourself. For Jesus that’s the doubt that he may have got everything wrong, that he is not the Son of God. That’s the doubt the devil sows in his first words, ‘If you are the son of God….’ If. If. Can you be sure?

At the end of today’s gospel, Luke says that the devil departed from Jesus ‘until an opportune time’.

And the opportune time for self doubt and for doubting God comes on Good Friday. As Jesus hangs bleeding on the cross, there is a moment where the temptation to doubt comes back. ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’

In our own lesser ways, there can be times when we too can feel the force of that temptation to doubt – to doubt ourselves and to doubt God.

Lent gives us opportunity to build our resources of faith so that, like Jesus, we can see off the devil within, whenever he might strike.

2nd March 2025 at 10.30am – Sunday next before Lent – Eucharist

Posted on March 2, 2025 by St Mary's

The Readings

Exodus 34.29-end

Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them. Afterwards all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face; but whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would take the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of his face was shining; and Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

Luke 9.28-36

Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’—not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’ When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

The Prayers
Prepared by David.

In the power of the Spirit and in union with Christ, let us pray to the Father.

Lord of glory, we pray for the nations of the world,
scarred by hatred, strife and war.
We give thanks for those who speak truth to power
And may we all work for peace, justice and mercy.
Lord, in your mercy.
Hear our prayer.

Lord of glory, we pray for your Church,
We give thanks for where it listens to your Spirit and fulfils its calling,
And we atone for its failings, praying for humility, discernment and renewal.
Guide all who serve you in this place and our partner churches of St Marks and St Johns.
Lord, in your mercy.
Hear our prayer.

Lord of glory, we pray for those in need and distress,
suffering as your Son has suffered.
We give thanks for those who heal and care for others.
Help us to support those around us.
In moment of silence we hold before you any who are in need of prayer.
Lord, in your mercy.
Hear our prayer.

Lord of glory, we pray for the departed,
Those who walked alongside us in life and now dwell in your keeping.
In a moment of silence we remember them in our hearts.
According to your promise bring us and the whole of creation
to our eternal home.
Lord, in your mercy.
Hear our prayer.

Lord of glory,
In peace we make our prayer to you.
In trust we confirm our faith in you.
In the coming week help us to set our faces steadfastly to where you would have us go.
Lord, in your mercy.
Hear our prayer.

St Marys Walkley

The Church on the Road: inclusive, eucharistic, a safe place to be with God

Month: March 2025

30th March 2025 at 10.30am – Mothering Sunday – Eucharist

23rd March 2025 at 10.30am – 3rd Sunday of Lent – Eucharist

16th March 2025 at 10.30am – 2nd Sunday of Lent – Eucharist

9th March 2025 at 10.30am – 1st Sunday of Lent – Eucharist

2nd March 2025 at 10.30am – Sunday next before Lent – Eucharist