We will be uploading a small piece for your thoughts every week. These may be in the form of video, prayer or a some brief thoughts. If you would like to contribute, you are welcome to send them to the Parish Office at [email protected]. Please note that we cannot guarantee everyone's submissions will be posted but we will do what we can to share your thoughts.
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Monday 10th July
Last week, Graham, Jeremy and I were all away at Lancaster University for the Two Cities Clergy Residential. 70 clergy, including two archdeacons and three bishops, all going away together to pray and learn, and spend time together! The theme this year was Faith and the Arts, and we had a range of fantastic speakers on everything from Indian Christian Artist Jyoti Sahi, to music in Black Majority Churches by Dr Pauline Muir, via interactive sessions writing poetry and all sorts of other ways that Christians have sought to express their faith in the arts. We were lucky with the weather, and so exploring the arts was beautifully matched by the glorious scenery that surrounds Lancaster, as well as a lovely chapel to worship in. But why do clergy go on residentials like this at all? Surely we are all too busy to take nearly a week out of our schedules to traipse up to Lancaster and sit around looking at pretty pictures? That, however, is precisely the point. In the midst of our busy-ness in the busy city, it can be so easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day pressures of ministry in whatever context. Slowly, over time, our eyes can drift down to our computer screens and the pavement, and we forget to look up, look around us, and see what God is doing. Not only that, but it can be easy for clergy who work on their own in churches to feel isolated: especially if they have just moved into an area. We are all so busy, it can be hard to make time to make friends. |
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That's why something like the residential can be so important. It gives us time and space to look up and look around, and see what God is doing. Fiona Alderton, one of our speakers, encouraged us to look at paintings we might already know with fresh eyes, as if we had never seen them before. As we come back to our parishes, we hope to do so refreshed and with fresh eyes, alert to what God is doing in the streets and buildings of our parishes, not just in our emails. And to bring some of the peace and joy and fellowship we experienced into our ministries, wherever we are.
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Bless the creators, O God of creation,
who by their gifts make the world a more joyful and beautiful realm. Through their labours they teach us to see more clearly the truth around us. In their inspiration they call forth wonder and awe in our own living. In their hope and vision they remind us that life is holy. Bless all who create in your image, O God of creation. Pour your Spirit upon them that their hearts may sing and their works be fulfilling. Amen. Rev. Helena Bickley-Percival, Assistant Curate |
Wednesday 28th June 2023
Amidst the sweltering heat of last Sunday I read about Christians participating in climate change protests where they and many other participants face arrest and imprisonment under the government’s new anti protest laws. I say sweltering heat because the summers in London over the past few years have become very similar to the summers I grew up with in Australia. Meanwhile the government is busily granting new fossil fuel extraction licenses for the North Sea while participating in international conferences discussing climate change.
I am very worried by Climate Change but cannot point my finger at the government as I regularly fly to Australia to see family, a very, very large log in my own eye. Grappling with climate change shows just what conflicted creatures we are pointing up just how much we fail as people and as Christians. It is God’s creation that he was satisfied with that Climate Change is interrupting. When He gave us responsibility in Genesis for our patch it wasn’t for gratification, to do with it as we wish. Instead, it was to follow His creative and responsible example by tending creation. I think this was another way to express the humanity He gave us, a gift from our creator for us to be who we are.
Dealing with Climate Change might be a way to recover this expression of our humanity but it requires us to be very self aware, to give up things, to repent and hence to change and sometimes I dread change. In short, to go before Christ. It can be easy to get discouraged; dealing with Climate Change and ever hotter summers seem insurmountable but as Christians we know that God hasn’t given up on his creation. One encouraging sign is that all sorts of people are seeking to change society’s response, a form of repentance, from outside the church showing that God’s spirit moves in the world. I am thinking of such people as Greta Thunberg or George Monbiot. I don’t know what sort of faith they have if any but they respond to God’s creation as do Christians internationally on Climate Change such as Bill McKibben and the physicist Dr Katherine Hayhoe.
So, perhaps we can use this summer, this heat to spur us to reflect on what we can do as individuals or as a church and as members of our wider Westminster community to understand where we might contribute to Climate Change and how to change. And there are practical things we can do, as a church take part in Operation Noah, a Christian initiative helping Churches to lower their carbon footprint. And let us ask God for discernment so that rather than being discouraged by this very difficult problem instead we learn how to model Christ when it comes to Climate Change. In doing so let us thank God that all sorts of people across the world, with varying faith and no faith, are seeking to model Christ on Climate Change whether they are aware of Christ or not.
Rev Jeremy Cavanagh, SSM curate
Amidst the sweltering heat of last Sunday I read about Christians participating in climate change protests where they and many other participants face arrest and imprisonment under the government’s new anti protest laws. I say sweltering heat because the summers in London over the past few years have become very similar to the summers I grew up with in Australia. Meanwhile the government is busily granting new fossil fuel extraction licenses for the North Sea while participating in international conferences discussing climate change.
I am very worried by Climate Change but cannot point my finger at the government as I regularly fly to Australia to see family, a very, very large log in my own eye. Grappling with climate change shows just what conflicted creatures we are pointing up just how much we fail as people and as Christians. It is God’s creation that he was satisfied with that Climate Change is interrupting. When He gave us responsibility in Genesis for our patch it wasn’t for gratification, to do with it as we wish. Instead, it was to follow His creative and responsible example by tending creation. I think this was another way to express the humanity He gave us, a gift from our creator for us to be who we are.
Dealing with Climate Change might be a way to recover this expression of our humanity but it requires us to be very self aware, to give up things, to repent and hence to change and sometimes I dread change. In short, to go before Christ. It can be easy to get discouraged; dealing with Climate Change and ever hotter summers seem insurmountable but as Christians we know that God hasn’t given up on his creation. One encouraging sign is that all sorts of people are seeking to change society’s response, a form of repentance, from outside the church showing that God’s spirit moves in the world. I am thinking of such people as Greta Thunberg or George Monbiot. I don’t know what sort of faith they have if any but they respond to God’s creation as do Christians internationally on Climate Change such as Bill McKibben and the physicist Dr Katherine Hayhoe.
So, perhaps we can use this summer, this heat to spur us to reflect on what we can do as individuals or as a church and as members of our wider Westminster community to understand where we might contribute to Climate Change and how to change. And there are practical things we can do, as a church take part in Operation Noah, a Christian initiative helping Churches to lower their carbon footprint. And let us ask God for discernment so that rather than being discouraged by this very difficult problem instead we learn how to model Christ when it comes to Climate Change. In doing so let us thank God that all sorts of people across the world, with varying faith and no faith, are seeking to model Christ on Climate Change whether they are aware of Christ or not.
Rev Jeremy Cavanagh, SSM curate
Wednesday 14th June 2023
Every year we celebrate the consecration of St Stephen’s on the 24th of June, with our St Stephen’s Week. This year is no different, as we celebrate 173 years of being part of the fabric of the community and give thanks for our church and celebrate our life together.
This year we kick off the celebrations this Sunday with a past vicar - Ralph Godsall, known to many of you, coming to preach at our 10 Eucharist, followed by our annual picnic at a secret location/garden in Vincent Square. The rest of the week unfolds with a variety of activities, concerts and events to suit all tastes and appetites – from active Zumbathon to fascinating history and beautiful music. Please do come along and join in the events we have this week - let us celebrate, rejoice and pray for our wonderful church and parish/ community of St Stephen’s.
Graham
Every year we celebrate the consecration of St Stephen’s on the 24th of June, with our St Stephen’s Week. This year is no different, as we celebrate 173 years of being part of the fabric of the community and give thanks for our church and celebrate our life together.
This year we kick off the celebrations this Sunday with a past vicar - Ralph Godsall, known to many of you, coming to preach at our 10 Eucharist, followed by our annual picnic at a secret location/garden in Vincent Square. The rest of the week unfolds with a variety of activities, concerts and events to suit all tastes and appetites – from active Zumbathon to fascinating history and beautiful music. Please do come along and join in the events we have this week - let us celebrate, rejoice and pray for our wonderful church and parish/ community of St Stephen’s.
Graham
St Stephen’s Week 2023 – A Celebration of Community
Sunday 18th June
Monday 19th June
Tuesday 20th June
Sunday 18th June
- 10am Parish Eucharist at which Revd Ralph Godsall, former Vicar at St Stephen’s (1993-2001) will be preaching.
- 12pm Annual Parish Picnic Bring your own picnic and rug and meet at the church at 12pm to walk over to a secret garden. All very welcome.
Monday 19th June
- 11am - Remembering Our A B-C: How One Woman Built Our Church – talk and open discussion with Dr Christina Barker
- 3pm - Tea@3: St Stephen's Rochester Row. Join us for tea, cakes and conversation
Tuesday 20th June
- 12:45pm - Civil Service Choir Open Rehearsal. An opportunity to pause and listen to the beautiful voices of this vocal ensemble
- 6:45pm - Easy as A B-C: Remembering Women in Westminster Abbey – a lecture by Dr Christina Barker
Wednesday 21st June
Thursday 22nd June
Friday 23rd June
Sunday 25th June
- 1:15pm - Lunchtime Mini concert by our schools.
- 7:00pm - Zumbathon – join us for a fun 90 minute session in aid of St Stephen’s Week! No experience required, entry fee £6, which goes to support St Stephen’s!
Thursday 22nd June
- 6:30pm - Eucharist for the Festival of St Albans
Friday 23rd June
- 6:45pm - Recital: tbc
Sunday 25th June
- 6pm - Dedication Festival Choral Evensong
Wednesday 7th June 2023
Hello, I’m Deacon Lee Barford. My wife Kirsten Nelson and I moved into the parish from the San Francisco Bay area in April 2022. We’ve been part of the St Stephen’s community since shortly afterward. Late last winter, Bishop Sarah gave her permission for me to serve as a deacon here.
I was ordained deacon in 2005 at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in San José, California. There I served as the Cathedral Deacon from my ordination until moving to London. In addition to taking the deacon’s part at weekly services, I normally took the precentor’s role in diocesan liturgies like ordinations and visits of bishops of dioceses twinned with ours. From 2012, I took over service planning, preaching, and much of the pastoral care for the cathedral’s Spanish language services and congregation. That allowed the church to continue to serve the one third of the city’s population who are Spanish speakers despite us not having a Spanish speaking priest for over seven years.
My diaconal ministry outside the church walls was centered on housing. When my home county established a blue-ribbon commission of mostly elected officials to rewrite the policy for housing the homeless, I served as the commission member representing a coalition of churches, synagogues, and mosques. For 12 years, I was MD of a Episcoal Church-related charity that housed 150 low income seniors in its buildings.
My day job is as Fellow for Software (that is, the senior software nerd) at Keysight Technologies. Things I’ve done in the past include being a Professor of Computer Science and teaching people to fly, including the specialty of search and rescue flying. I have a PhD in Computer Science from Cornell University and an MTh in philosophical theology from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David in Lampeter.
Kirsten and I have a daughter, Helen, who lives in Denver, Colorado and who works as a university administrator.
I look forward to serving Christ and his people with you here at St Stephen’s.
Hello, I’m Deacon Lee Barford. My wife Kirsten Nelson and I moved into the parish from the San Francisco Bay area in April 2022. We’ve been part of the St Stephen’s community since shortly afterward. Late last winter, Bishop Sarah gave her permission for me to serve as a deacon here.
I was ordained deacon in 2005 at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in San José, California. There I served as the Cathedral Deacon from my ordination until moving to London. In addition to taking the deacon’s part at weekly services, I normally took the precentor’s role in diocesan liturgies like ordinations and visits of bishops of dioceses twinned with ours. From 2012, I took over service planning, preaching, and much of the pastoral care for the cathedral’s Spanish language services and congregation. That allowed the church to continue to serve the one third of the city’s population who are Spanish speakers despite us not having a Spanish speaking priest for over seven years.
My diaconal ministry outside the church walls was centered on housing. When my home county established a blue-ribbon commission of mostly elected officials to rewrite the policy for housing the homeless, I served as the commission member representing a coalition of churches, synagogues, and mosques. For 12 years, I was MD of a Episcoal Church-related charity that housed 150 low income seniors in its buildings.
My day job is as Fellow for Software (that is, the senior software nerd) at Keysight Technologies. Things I’ve done in the past include being a Professor of Computer Science and teaching people to fly, including the specialty of search and rescue flying. I have a PhD in Computer Science from Cornell University and an MTh in philosophical theology from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David in Lampeter.
Kirsten and I have a daughter, Helen, who lives in Denver, Colorado and who works as a university administrator.
I look forward to serving Christ and his people with you here at St Stephen’s.
Friday 2nd June 2023
Shielded by the Holy Trinity
Another way the design of our church nurtures our faith
The ends of our congregational pews have carvings in the shape of a three-leafed design called a trefoil. The same trefoil carvings, but with words added, can also be found on the pews and benches near the main altar.
The Shield of the Trinity is a traditional symbol that helps us think and pray about God’s Holy Trinity.
At the top of the carved shield is a P, for the Latin “Pater,” meaning Father. Next to Pater are the words, “non est” or “is not,” and then there is an F, for the Latin “Filio,” or Son. The Son (represented by the “F”) “is not” the SS, short for the Latin Spiritus Sanctus, or Holy Spirit.
Beginning anywhere in the triangle, one reads a list of negatives: “The Father is not the Son, is not the Holy Spirit, and so on.” And yet, the F, P, and SS are connected to the center word, “Deus,” or God. This helps us see that while the individual persons of the Trinity are not the same, they are all God. God is three in one and one in three.
While we may always wonder about the intricacies of the Holy Trinity, the shield reminds us of what is most important: That God so loves us that God has come into our world as parent; as sibling, Christ, and as Spirit, the very Breath of God.
John Beddingfield, Rector at Holy Trinity New York
Shielded by the Holy Trinity
Another way the design of our church nurtures our faith
The ends of our congregational pews have carvings in the shape of a three-leafed design called a trefoil. The same trefoil carvings, but with words added, can also be found on the pews and benches near the main altar.
The Shield of the Trinity is a traditional symbol that helps us think and pray about God’s Holy Trinity.
At the top of the carved shield is a P, for the Latin “Pater,” meaning Father. Next to Pater are the words, “non est” or “is not,” and then there is an F, for the Latin “Filio,” or Son. The Son (represented by the “F”) “is not” the SS, short for the Latin Spiritus Sanctus, or Holy Spirit.
Beginning anywhere in the triangle, one reads a list of negatives: “The Father is not the Son, is not the Holy Spirit, and so on.” And yet, the F, P, and SS are connected to the center word, “Deus,” or God. This helps us see that while the individual persons of the Trinity are not the same, they are all God. God is three in one and one in three.
While we may always wonder about the intricacies of the Holy Trinity, the shield reminds us of what is most important: That God so loves us that God has come into our world as parent; as sibling, Christ, and as Spirit, the very Breath of God.
John Beddingfield, Rector at Holy Trinity New York
Wednesday 24th May 2023
Well it’s certainly been a busy few days here in New York City. Arriving on Friday evening and a after a chance to catch up with John (& Erwin) my feet haven’t touched the floor since! Early the following day, John and myself, together with clergy and people from the Diocese and beyond, gathered at the Cathedral Church of St John the Divine for the epic (an hour longer than the coronation!) and at times deeply moving consecration of Matthew Heyd as new Coadjutor Bishop of NYC - ‘Coadjutor‘ as the old bishop Andrew Dietsche is not due to retire until next spring - so there is a kind of hand over period. The service itself was inspired by the diversity of this wonderful city; You can see the service itself online: https://www.youtube.com/live/nHFRC8D_SZY?feature=share And I will place a copy of the order of the service at the back of church for those interested. We all stayed in the cathedral for a well earned party.
Well it’s certainly been a busy few days here in New York City. Arriving on Friday evening and a after a chance to catch up with John (& Erwin) my feet haven’t touched the floor since! Early the following day, John and myself, together with clergy and people from the Diocese and beyond, gathered at the Cathedral Church of St John the Divine for the epic (an hour longer than the coronation!) and at times deeply moving consecration of Matthew Heyd as new Coadjutor Bishop of NYC - ‘Coadjutor‘ as the old bishop Andrew Dietsche is not due to retire until next spring - so there is a kind of hand over period. The service itself was inspired by the diversity of this wonderful city; You can see the service itself online: https://www.youtube.com/live/nHFRC8D_SZY?feature=share And I will place a copy of the order of the service at the back of church for those interested. We all stayed in the cathedral for a well earned party.
I walked back to CHT through Central Park in the rain to gather myself and thoughts before helping at the community meal, who had volunteers from the UN. I also handed over some dollars from St Stephen’s to contribute to two meals for them - they are going to have something of a UK theme - the thought was fish n chips!
The next day - Sunday there was not let up! I preached three times, at the 8am, 11am and 6pm services…”poor them” I hear you say! It was lovely to see some familiar and new faces, and I was able to communicate our greetings to the congregants and friends of Holy Trinity. After the 8am service CHT has a teaching class and John showed us a film in anticipation for the following day, about the plight of Christian’s in Iraq. It was very moving and created much discussion. We we fortunate to have an incredible choir visiting from Memphis Tennessee from the Rhodes College, we how were amazing and really added to our Eucharistic celebration.
The next day - Sunday there was not let up! I preached three times, at the 8am, 11am and 6pm services…”poor them” I hear you say! It was lovely to see some familiar and new faces, and I was able to communicate our greetings to the congregants and friends of Holy Trinity. After the 8am service CHT has a teaching class and John showed us a film in anticipation for the following day, about the plight of Christian’s in Iraq. It was very moving and created much discussion. We we fortunate to have an incredible choir visiting from Memphis Tennessee from the Rhodes College, we how were amazing and really added to our Eucharistic celebration.
After a quick lunch we had a lecture from George Bryant about the stain glass windows in CHT followed by a tour in the Church. What was interesting is this English artist who designed many in the USA, was great friends of Burn-Jones.
The day was rounded off nicely as I cycled to have supper in lower Manhattan with the other clergy visiting from London.
We have a wonderful evening on Monday of food and discussion in the Draesel Hall where the Vicar of Baghdad- Canon Faiz Basheer Jerjes and his Chief Administer of St George’s gave a fascinating talk followed by discussion about the situation for Christians in Iraq. Then today (Tuesday) we had a wonderful meeting with the two bishops of NYC.
Rev Graham Buckle
A Prayer for the Anglican Communion
Gracious God, we give you thanks for the gift of the world-wide Anglican Communion of churches: for the experience of belonging to all the ages, for the gift of thoughtful prayer that you have taught us, and for the task of reverent study to which you call us. We thank you for the love of worship you have stirred up in our hearts, and for the love of justice you have implanted in our wills. Remind us that you are with us in times of trouble as in times of joy; nurture in us thankful hearts when we stand together, and send your holy wisdom into our disagreements. In dispute, may be we gentle and loving; in unity, may we be humble; in poverty, nourish us with hope; in wealth, help us become responsible and generous. Inflame us with prophetic vision so that our fellowship may bear the likeness of the incoming kingdom proclaimed for all by Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The day was rounded off nicely as I cycled to have supper in lower Manhattan with the other clergy visiting from London.
We have a wonderful evening on Monday of food and discussion in the Draesel Hall where the Vicar of Baghdad- Canon Faiz Basheer Jerjes and his Chief Administer of St George’s gave a fascinating talk followed by discussion about the situation for Christians in Iraq. Then today (Tuesday) we had a wonderful meeting with the two bishops of NYC.
Rev Graham Buckle
A Prayer for the Anglican Communion
Gracious God, we give you thanks for the gift of the world-wide Anglican Communion of churches: for the experience of belonging to all the ages, for the gift of thoughtful prayer that you have taught us, and for the task of reverent study to which you call us. We thank you for the love of worship you have stirred up in our hearts, and for the love of justice you have implanted in our wills. Remind us that you are with us in times of trouble as in times of joy; nurture in us thankful hearts when we stand together, and send your holy wisdom into our disagreements. In dispute, may be we gentle and loving; in unity, may we be humble; in poverty, nourish us with hope; in wealth, help us become responsible and generous. Inflame us with prophetic vision so that our fellowship may bear the likeness of the incoming kingdom proclaimed for all by Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Wednesday 17th May 2023
Friday 5th May 2023
Self-control
God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-control.
2 Timothy 1.7
Jesus offers us a wonderful example of self-control. Despite his own human fears – shown most clearly in the Garden of Gethsemane – he offered himself so that we might have eternal life.
In all circumstances of life we are all called to self-control. As we remember the important tasks set before our King, and the challenges he will face, we pray that the fruit of self-control, which informs all our actions and decisions, will give him patience and strength to act always in love and obedience to God and in service to others.
Prayer
Eternal God,
give us insight
to discern your will for us,
to give up what harms us,
and to seek the perfection we are promised
in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Thursday 4th May 2023
Gentleness
Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.’
Matthew 11.28,29
There must be very few people who can appreciate the heavy burden that being Sovereign brings. And of course the burden can only be carried by one individual at a time. Before his accession The King had been readying himself for the burden of kingship for many years.
As The King prepares for his coronation, we pray that he and The Queen Consort may know the presence of God and be supported by God’s Spirit. In our reading today Jesus refers to himself as ‘gentle and humble in heart’. In him, The King, The Queen Consort – and indeed all of us who bear heavy burdens – will find rest for our souls.
Prayer
Tender God,
gentle protector in time of trouble,
pierce the gloom of despair and give us,
with all your people,
the song of freedom and the shout of praise;
in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Gentleness
Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.’
Matthew 11.28,29
There must be very few people who can appreciate the heavy burden that being Sovereign brings. And of course the burden can only be carried by one individual at a time. Before his accession The King had been readying himself for the burden of kingship for many years.
As The King prepares for his coronation, we pray that he and The Queen Consort may know the presence of God and be supported by God’s Spirit. In our reading today Jesus refers to himself as ‘gentle and humble in heart’. In him, The King, The Queen Consort – and indeed all of us who bear heavy burdens – will find rest for our souls.
Prayer
Tender God,
gentle protector in time of trouble,
pierce the gloom of despair and give us,
with all your people,
the song of freedom and the shout of praise;
in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Wednesday 3rd May 2023
Faithfulness
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3.22,23
Our efforts to walk before God in faithfulness and uprightness of living are rooted in our response to God who, in spite of our waywardness, is faithful towards us. ‘Great is thy faithfulness,’ the old hymn puts it, drawing on words from Lamentations.
In the Coronation Service, the King’s Oath declares that he will ‘cause Law and Justice, in Mercy, to be executed in all [his] judgements’. This theme runs like a silver thread through the ceremony.
As we pray with King Charles that God will guide him in these great responsibilities, we also think of our own desire to remain faithful to God’s will for us.
Prayer
Lord of all power and might,
the author and giver of all good things:
graft in our hearts the love of your name,
increase in us true religion,
nourish us with all goodness,
and of your great mercy keep us in the same;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Faithfulness
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3.22,23
Our efforts to walk before God in faithfulness and uprightness of living are rooted in our response to God who, in spite of our waywardness, is faithful towards us. ‘Great is thy faithfulness,’ the old hymn puts it, drawing on words from Lamentations.
In the Coronation Service, the King’s Oath declares that he will ‘cause Law and Justice, in Mercy, to be executed in all [his] judgements’. This theme runs like a silver thread through the ceremony.
As we pray with King Charles that God will guide him in these great responsibilities, we also think of our own desire to remain faithful to God’s will for us.
Prayer
Lord of all power and might,
the author and giver of all good things:
graft in our hearts the love of your name,
increase in us true religion,
nourish us with all goodness,
and of your great mercy keep us in the same;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Tuesday 2nd May 2023
Generosity
God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.
2 Corinthians 9.7,8
Generosity is a joyful activity. Often generosity is a response of gratitude, when we offer ourselves and our resources to something we care about or believe in. An act of giving in whatever form expresses love and brings hope. As beings made in the image of God, generosity is in our nature as well. We are called to be imitators of Christ whose life was itself a gift of self-giving love.
All of us have something to give. And there is beauty in the simple action of giving which speaks volumes beyond the act itself, because it comes from the heart.
Prayer
God of grace,
mould us in your image
and give us a spirit of generosity
that seeks nothing but to give,
nothing but to serve,
and offers our hearts,
our whole selves to you,
the giver of all things. Amen.
Generosity
God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.
2 Corinthians 9.7,8
Generosity is a joyful activity. Often generosity is a response of gratitude, when we offer ourselves and our resources to something we care about or believe in. An act of giving in whatever form expresses love and brings hope. As beings made in the image of God, generosity is in our nature as well. We are called to be imitators of Christ whose life was itself a gift of self-giving love.
All of us have something to give. And there is beauty in the simple action of giving which speaks volumes beyond the act itself, because it comes from the heart.
Prayer
God of grace,
mould us in your image
and give us a spirit of generosity
that seeks nothing but to give,
nothing but to serve,
and offers our hearts,
our whole selves to you,
the giver of all things. Amen.
Friday 28th April 2023
Joy
Jesus said, ‘If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.’
John 15.10,11
The life of our King will be marked, like all our lives, with a balance of pleasure and hardship, of delight and challenge. Experiencing joy in all things can be difficult for anyone. But joy goes much deeper than happiness or cheerfulness. It is a rootedness in joyful love of God and those around us. It has the power to uplift the soul even amid life’s pain and challenges.
As King Charles prepares for his coronation, we pray with him that he may continually seek, find, and radiate joy in all things.
Prayer
Eternal God, author of all joyfulness
and the music of our dance,
may the joy that is yours echo in our hearts.
May it shine through us, glowing with faith,
uplifting our souls heavenward,
as we abide in your hope and love. Amen.
Joy
Jesus said, ‘If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.’
John 15.10,11
The life of our King will be marked, like all our lives, with a balance of pleasure and hardship, of delight and challenge. Experiencing joy in all things can be difficult for anyone. But joy goes much deeper than happiness or cheerfulness. It is a rootedness in joyful love of God and those around us. It has the power to uplift the soul even amid life’s pain and challenges.
As King Charles prepares for his coronation, we pray with him that he may continually seek, find, and radiate joy in all things.
Prayer
Eternal God, author of all joyfulness
and the music of our dance,
may the joy that is yours echo in our hearts.
May it shine through us, glowing with faith,
uplifting our souls heavenward,
as we abide in your hope and love. Amen.
Thursday 27th April 2023
Love
Jesus said, ‘I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.’
John 13.34
In her 1975 Christmas broadcast, the late Queen reflected on the value and importance of our relationships and love of one another. She said, ‘[Christ] commanded us to love our neighbours as we love ourselves, but what exactly is meant by “loving ourselves”? I believe it means trying to make the most of the abilities we have been given, it means caring for our talents.’
The Bible can be read as a narrative of God’s love, and of how we can imitate that love in the way we live. St Paul’s Letter to the Galatians speaks of nine qualities given to those who are guided by the Holy Spirit: the so-called ‘Fruit of the Spirit’. Love is the first of these, and all the others (which we will be exploring in the coming days) are expressions or outcomes of love.
We pray that King Charles will, throughout his reign, continue to know God’s love and to abide in that love as he fulfills his responsibilities.
Prayer
O Lord God,
love above all loves,
dwelling wherever love abides,
help us to find within us
the joy to meet
your unattainable love,
and ground ourselves
in that eternally,
that we might love one another
as you have loved us.
Amen.
Love
Jesus said, ‘I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.’
John 13.34
In her 1975 Christmas broadcast, the late Queen reflected on the value and importance of our relationships and love of one another. She said, ‘[Christ] commanded us to love our neighbours as we love ourselves, but what exactly is meant by “loving ourselves”? I believe it means trying to make the most of the abilities we have been given, it means caring for our talents.’
The Bible can be read as a narrative of God’s love, and of how we can imitate that love in the way we live. St Paul’s Letter to the Galatians speaks of nine qualities given to those who are guided by the Holy Spirit: the so-called ‘Fruit of the Spirit’. Love is the first of these, and all the others (which we will be exploring in the coming days) are expressions or outcomes of love.
We pray that King Charles will, throughout his reign, continue to know God’s love and to abide in that love as he fulfills his responsibilities.
Prayer
O Lord God,
love above all loves,
dwelling wherever love abides,
help us to find within us
the joy to meet
your unattainable love,
and ground ourselves
in that eternally,
that we might love one another
as you have loved us.
Amen.
Wednesday 26th April 2023
The National Anthem
Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ And all the people went up following him, playing on pipes
and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth quaked at their noise.
1 Kings 1.39,40
We hear the National Anthem so often in different situations: at sporting fixtures, at civic, military, and community occasions, and on television and radio. Some people may remember a time when it was played in theatres and cinemas. When we take a moment to listen to the words and consider what they mean, we may be surprised to recall that it is, at its heart, a prayer for the Sovereign.
As we sing, we pray to God that he might protect and care for our King, that God will grant him good things, happiness, and long life as he serves us.
God save our gracious King!
Long live our noble King!
God save the King!
Send him victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us,
God save the King.
The National Anthem
Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ And all the people went up following him, playing on pipes
and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth quaked at their noise.
1 Kings 1.39,40
We hear the National Anthem so often in different situations: at sporting fixtures, at civic, military, and community occasions, and on television and radio. Some people may remember a time when it was played in theatres and cinemas. When we take a moment to listen to the words and consider what they mean, we may be surprised to recall that it is, at its heart, a prayer for the Sovereign.
As we sing, we pray to God that he might protect and care for our King, that God will grant him good things, happiness, and long life as he serves us.
God save our gracious King!
Long live our noble King!
God save the King!
Send him victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us,
God save the King.
Tuesday 25th April 2023
The Queen Consort is crowned
Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.
1 Thessalonians 5.11
Following long historical precedent, Camilla, Queen Consort, will be crowned alongside her husband.
Prayers will be offered for her as she occupies a special and important role in the Royal Family, both as spouse of the Sovereign and in the work she does with charities and other bodies of which she is patron.
Prayer
God of love,
we raise to you our Queen Consort.
Grant to her and to our King
wisdom and devotion
in ordering their common life,
that each may be to the other
a strength in need, a counsellor in perplexity,
a comfort in sorrow and a companion in joy,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Queen Consort is crowned
Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.
1 Thessalonians 5.11
Following long historical precedent, Camilla, Queen Consort, will be crowned alongside her husband.
Prayers will be offered for her as she occupies a special and important role in the Royal Family, both as spouse of the Sovereign and in the work she does with charities and other bodies of which she is patron.
Prayer
God of love,
we raise to you our Queen Consort.
Grant to her and to our King
wisdom and devotion
in ordering their common life,
that each may be to the other
a strength in need, a counsellor in perplexity,
a comfort in sorrow and a companion in joy,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Monday 24th April 2023
The King is crowned
Then the priest brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, and gave him the covenant; they proclaimed him king, and
anointed him; they clapped their hands and shouted, ‘Long live the king!’
2 Kings 11.12
The adoption of a crown by Christian rulers can be dated from the time of the Emperor Constantine in the fourth century. It was common at the time for a helmet – a symbol of military power and domination – to be placed on the head of the chosen ruler at their installation. The crown was a symbol of royalty rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures. It proclaimed the sovereignty of God and the monarch as regent on earth, administering the law of God.
As King Charles prepares for his coronation, we pray that he and all our leaders may have grace to animate and not dominate, that all may flourish.
Prayer
Crown us, O God, but with humility,
and robe us with compassion,
that, as you call us into the kingdom of your Son,
we may strive to overcome evil
by the power of good
and so walk gently on the earth
with you, our God, for ever. Amen.
The King is crowned
Then the priest brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, and gave him the covenant; they proclaimed him king, and
anointed him; they clapped their hands and shouted, ‘Long live the king!’
2 Kings 11.12
The adoption of a crown by Christian rulers can be dated from the time of the Emperor Constantine in the fourth century. It was common at the time for a helmet – a symbol of military power and domination – to be placed on the head of the chosen ruler at their installation. The crown was a symbol of royalty rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures. It proclaimed the sovereignty of God and the monarch as regent on earth, administering the law of God.
As King Charles prepares for his coronation, we pray that he and all our leaders may have grace to animate and not dominate, that all may flourish.
Prayer
Crown us, O God, but with humility,
and robe us with compassion,
that, as you call us into the kingdom of your Son,
we may strive to overcome evil
by the power of good
and so walk gently on the earth
with you, our God, for ever. Amen.
Friday 21st April 2023
Jesus breathed on the disciples and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’
John 20.22
The 1625 coronation of King Charles I used a translation of the Latin hymn to the Holy Spirit, Veni, Creator Spiritus (Come, Holy Spirit) by John Cosin. This beautiful text has been sung at every coronation since then.
And after it was included in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, it came to be included in services of confirmation and ordination as we recall the royal priesthood in which we all participate. It prays that we may live always within the breath of Jesus Christ, receiving life from him, so that he may inspire in us authentic life, the life that death can never take away.
Prayer
Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,
And lighten with celestial fire.
Thou the anointing Spirit art,
Who dost thy seven-fold gifts impart.
Anoint and cheer our soiled face
With the abundance of thy grace:
Keep far our foes, give peace at home;
Where thou art guide, no ill can come.
Jesus breathed on the disciples and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’
John 20.22
The 1625 coronation of King Charles I used a translation of the Latin hymn to the Holy Spirit, Veni, Creator Spiritus (Come, Holy Spirit) by John Cosin. This beautiful text has been sung at every coronation since then.
And after it was included in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, it came to be included in services of confirmation and ordination as we recall the royal priesthood in which we all participate. It prays that we may live always within the breath of Jesus Christ, receiving life from him, so that he may inspire in us authentic life, the life that death can never take away.
Prayer
Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,
And lighten with celestial fire.
Thou the anointing Spirit art,
Who dost thy seven-fold gifts impart.
Anoint and cheer our soiled face
With the abundance of thy grace:
Keep far our foes, give peace at home;
Where thou art guide, no ill can come.
Thursday 20th April 2023
I was glad when they said unto me,‘We will go into the house of the Lord.’
Psalm 122.1
Westminster Abbey was founded by King Edward the Confessor and consecrated just before his death in 1066. Edward was revered as a saintly king, and ever since our monarchs have knelt in prayer at his tomb in the Abbey before their coronation.
Today we think of the ideal of the king, and those who govern in his name: that in their personal and public lives they may show the values of God’s kingdom, where those in need are cared for and the oppressed lifted up, and there is peace and justice between people and nations. We pray for strength to live as citizens of the kingdom where God reigns.
Prayer
Sovereign God,
who set your servant Edward
upon the throne of an earthly kingdom
and inspired him with zeal
for the kingdom of heaven:
grant that we may so confess the faith of Christ
by word and deed,
that we may, with all your saints,
inherit your eternal glory;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
I was glad when they said unto me,‘We will go into the house of the Lord.’
Psalm 122.1
Westminster Abbey was founded by King Edward the Confessor and consecrated just before his death in 1066. Edward was revered as a saintly king, and ever since our monarchs have knelt in prayer at his tomb in the Abbey before their coronation.
Today we think of the ideal of the king, and those who govern in his name: that in their personal and public lives they may show the values of God’s kingdom, where those in need are cared for and the oppressed lifted up, and there is peace and justice between people and nations. We pray for strength to live as citizens of the kingdom where God reigns.
Prayer
Sovereign God,
who set your servant Edward
upon the throne of an earthly kingdom
and inspired him with zeal
for the kingdom of heaven:
grant that we may so confess the faith of Christ
by word and deed,
that we may, with all your saints,
inherit your eternal glory;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Wednesday 19th April 2023
The Coronation of King Charles III will take place on Saturday 6 May 2023 at Westminster Abbey, and we shall be live screening it at St Stephen’s Church. This service is steeped in centuries of tradition and rich in Christian symbols and values. To mark this important moment in our nation's life, the Church of England has compiled this series of Daily Prayer Los and short readings which we shall be using for our Daily Devotions up to Coronation Day (6 May). The booklet can be purchased at Church House Bookshop or digitally via the Church of England's website. It provides a daily theme, reading, reflection and prayer for use by individuals, churches or groups who wish to use these days to:
* pray for The King, our nation and the world
* explore the symbolism of the Coronation service
* reflect on Jesus, the Servant King.
Please use these prayers for The King, the Royal Family and our Church and Nation.
Graham
You are a chosen race, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.
1 Peter 2.9
Although its spread reaches well beyond the Commonwealth, the Anglican Communion is, like that organization, a free association of independent bodies.
The Anglican Communion comprises over forty different churches around the world, representing tens of millions of Christians. Sharing one faith in Jesus Christ, the autonomous churches of the Communion are also committed to interdependence. They strive to work together as part of the worldwide Church of Christ, ‘God’s own people’, across the cultural differences and theological disagreements which mark their life together.
We pray that our King, Supreme Governor of the Church of England, may encourage us in this quest for unity.
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
you have called us in the Body
of your Son Jesus Christ
to continue his work
of reconciliation
and reveal you to the world:
forgive us the sins
which tear us apart;
give us the courage
to overcome our fears
and to seek that unity
which is your gift and your will;
through Jesus Christ
your Son our Lord.
Amen.
The Coronation of King Charles III will take place on Saturday 6 May 2023 at Westminster Abbey, and we shall be live screening it at St Stephen’s Church. This service is steeped in centuries of tradition and rich in Christian symbols and values. To mark this important moment in our nation's life, the Church of England has compiled this series of Daily Prayer Los and short readings which we shall be using for our Daily Devotions up to Coronation Day (6 May). The booklet can be purchased at Church House Bookshop or digitally via the Church of England's website. It provides a daily theme, reading, reflection and prayer for use by individuals, churches or groups who wish to use these days to:
* pray for The King, our nation and the world
* explore the symbolism of the Coronation service
* reflect on Jesus, the Servant King.
Please use these prayers for The King, the Royal Family and our Church and Nation.
Graham
You are a chosen race, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.
1 Peter 2.9
Although its spread reaches well beyond the Commonwealth, the Anglican Communion is, like that organization, a free association of independent bodies.
The Anglican Communion comprises over forty different churches around the world, representing tens of millions of Christians. Sharing one faith in Jesus Christ, the autonomous churches of the Communion are also committed to interdependence. They strive to work together as part of the worldwide Church of Christ, ‘God’s own people’, across the cultural differences and theological disagreements which mark their life together.
We pray that our King, Supreme Governor of the Church of England, may encourage us in this quest for unity.
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
you have called us in the Body
of your Son Jesus Christ
to continue his work
of reconciliation
and reveal you to the world:
forgive us the sins
which tear us apart;
give us the courage
to overcome our fears
and to seek that unity
which is your gift and your will;
through Jesus Christ
your Son our Lord.
Amen.
Wednesday February 22nd 2023
This Wednesday is the start of Lent - Ash Wednesday. A season of solemnity and self-reflection where we confess our failings and resolve to live a more godly life. It lasts for just over six weeks leading up to Easter. Traditionally it was a time of fasting from certain foods such as eggs, meat, fish and fats. Nowadays people might give up such things as chocolate or give up an activity such as using social media or drinking alcohol. It is called Lent in English because it is the time of the year when days are lengthening in the northern hemisphere.
The past few years we have produced a wonderful reflective booklet to use each day with our friends from the Church of the Holy Trinity NYC. This year we are going to try something different. Each week during Lent and beyond into Easter we shall show a painting online and in church chosen by our friend Marc Woodhead on the themes:
1. The temptation of Jesus
2. Jesus takes leave of his Mother
3. Over turning of money changers
4. Way of the cross
5. Crucifixion
6. Placing in tomb
7. Resurrection
8. Road to Emmaus
You are invited to say something, to contribute your thoughts, prayers and observations each week on each painting. You can find the paintings at the top of this webpage, or printed out in church. Let us journey with our paintings together.
Revd Graham Buckle
Entering into the spirit of Lent
As we move into Lent we would like to invite you into a conversation, a conversation between two communities, in London and in New York, friends either side of the pond. We have set up an online forum, we will post out a different Lenten themed painting for your consideration each week, leading up until Easter. We invite you to spend a little time each week considering a wondrous painting; looking, meditating, reflecting, sharing your responses; your observations, thoughts, feelings, ideas, and questions. We have selected each of the paintings from collections in London and in New York.
How can we enter into a painting? What are the different “ways in”, the different entry points into a work of Art? We could start with; the human action and interaction, body language, facial expression, clothes, fabric, setting, sky, landscape, texture, colours, lines, contours, into a more general response to composition (the arrangement of all of these combined elements). Can you tune in to the atmosphere, mood, even energy of each painting? What do we individually sense about each painting? What do the paintings evoke in us, memories of time, connections in time and space. I find that when we enter into a conversation with each other, the paintings magically come to life!
Marc Woodhead
This Wednesday is the start of Lent - Ash Wednesday. A season of solemnity and self-reflection where we confess our failings and resolve to live a more godly life. It lasts for just over six weeks leading up to Easter. Traditionally it was a time of fasting from certain foods such as eggs, meat, fish and fats. Nowadays people might give up such things as chocolate or give up an activity such as using social media or drinking alcohol. It is called Lent in English because it is the time of the year when days are lengthening in the northern hemisphere.
The past few years we have produced a wonderful reflective booklet to use each day with our friends from the Church of the Holy Trinity NYC. This year we are going to try something different. Each week during Lent and beyond into Easter we shall show a painting online and in church chosen by our friend Marc Woodhead on the themes:
1. The temptation of Jesus
2. Jesus takes leave of his Mother
3. Over turning of money changers
4. Way of the cross
5. Crucifixion
6. Placing in tomb
7. Resurrection
8. Road to Emmaus
You are invited to say something, to contribute your thoughts, prayers and observations each week on each painting. You can find the paintings at the top of this webpage, or printed out in church. Let us journey with our paintings together.
Revd Graham Buckle
Entering into the spirit of Lent
As we move into Lent we would like to invite you into a conversation, a conversation between two communities, in London and in New York, friends either side of the pond. We have set up an online forum, we will post out a different Lenten themed painting for your consideration each week, leading up until Easter. We invite you to spend a little time each week considering a wondrous painting; looking, meditating, reflecting, sharing your responses; your observations, thoughts, feelings, ideas, and questions. We have selected each of the paintings from collections in London and in New York.
How can we enter into a painting? What are the different “ways in”, the different entry points into a work of Art? We could start with; the human action and interaction, body language, facial expression, clothes, fabric, setting, sky, landscape, texture, colours, lines, contours, into a more general response to composition (the arrangement of all of these combined elements). Can you tune in to the atmosphere, mood, even energy of each painting? What do we individually sense about each painting? What do the paintings evoke in us, memories of time, connections in time and space. I find that when we enter into a conversation with each other, the paintings magically come to life!
Marc Woodhead
Wednesday February 15th 2023
Next week, we will mark the beginning of Lent with Ash Wednesday – a Holy Day traditionally marked with fasting, and with receiving the sign of the cross on the forehead in Ash. But where does the ash for Ash Wednesday come from? And why do we use ash at all?
Every year we collect together all of the blessed palm crosses that we used last year for Palm Sunday – those that we carry in procession as we remember Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem in the week leading up to his death and resurrection. Those palm crosses are then burned, and mixed with a little water (and sometimes oil) in order to form an ash paste that is then used to make the sign of the cross on Ash Wednesday.
A clue as to why we use ashes can be found in the words that are said as the cross is applied: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Lent is a penitential season – a season in which we remember all the things that we have done that separate us from God, and from each other, and say sorry for them. We remember that we do not live in the fulness of God’s kingdom and everlasting life just yet, but that bad things do still happen, and that one day we too will die and return to the dust. You might spot the parallels with the words that are used in a funeral service: “earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”
Ashes don’t just have the meaning of mortality and death, however. Although we might think of it as a waste product now, in the past ashes were actually a very useful thing. They could be used as fertiliser, or to make lye which is used in soap and a variety of other things. Not only that, but in the instructions for how to make a sacrifice in the Old Testament, the Israelites were told to take the ashes left from a sacrifice, and to use them to purify the drinking water of the community. From a symbol of death and mortality came something that gave people life, just as we believe that Jesus died so that we may have life, and life everlasting.
So, next week, come and receive the sign of the cross to mark Ash Wednesday. It is a symbol that we are sorry, but also a sign of what is to come: Jesus’s death that we may live. And you may also notice something different on our website from next week. We are partnering with our friends in New York in a community art project, so each week a picture will be put up that you will be able to comment on! Tell us how it makes you feel, what it might remind you of, how it speaks to your faith, or just whether you like it or not: everything is welcome. And at the end of Lent we will gather all the pictures and comments together on Good Friday, to explore the Passion in art together.
Revd Helena Bickley-Percival
Curate at St Stephen's
Next week, we will mark the beginning of Lent with Ash Wednesday – a Holy Day traditionally marked with fasting, and with receiving the sign of the cross on the forehead in Ash. But where does the ash for Ash Wednesday come from? And why do we use ash at all?
Every year we collect together all of the blessed palm crosses that we used last year for Palm Sunday – those that we carry in procession as we remember Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem in the week leading up to his death and resurrection. Those palm crosses are then burned, and mixed with a little water (and sometimes oil) in order to form an ash paste that is then used to make the sign of the cross on Ash Wednesday.
A clue as to why we use ashes can be found in the words that are said as the cross is applied: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Lent is a penitential season – a season in which we remember all the things that we have done that separate us from God, and from each other, and say sorry for them. We remember that we do not live in the fulness of God’s kingdom and everlasting life just yet, but that bad things do still happen, and that one day we too will die and return to the dust. You might spot the parallels with the words that are used in a funeral service: “earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”
Ashes don’t just have the meaning of mortality and death, however. Although we might think of it as a waste product now, in the past ashes were actually a very useful thing. They could be used as fertiliser, or to make lye which is used in soap and a variety of other things. Not only that, but in the instructions for how to make a sacrifice in the Old Testament, the Israelites were told to take the ashes left from a sacrifice, and to use them to purify the drinking water of the community. From a symbol of death and mortality came something that gave people life, just as we believe that Jesus died so that we may have life, and life everlasting.
So, next week, come and receive the sign of the cross to mark Ash Wednesday. It is a symbol that we are sorry, but also a sign of what is to come: Jesus’s death that we may live. And you may also notice something different on our website from next week. We are partnering with our friends in New York in a community art project, so each week a picture will be put up that you will be able to comment on! Tell us how it makes you feel, what it might remind you of, how it speaks to your faith, or just whether you like it or not: everything is welcome. And at the end of Lent we will gather all the pictures and comments together on Good Friday, to explore the Passion in art together.
Revd Helena Bickley-Percival
Curate at St Stephen's
Wednesday February 8th 2023
Traveling toward Lent.
Now that we have passed Candlemas I am again making the familiar journey between St Stephen’s and St Saviour’s for the next few months. This time till Pentecost 2023. This journey, though only ten minutes in walking time, is always a bit of a wrench because for the next four months I leave one set of day to day relationships for another set of relationships. Fortunately there are two things that stop it being disjointed; I’m not that far away and I have continuity in worship through the wonderful people in both parishes, a unique gift of this curacy.
In my own personal bible reading I have been reading through Acts and find myself struck by how mobile the apostles Peter and Paul were, along with their companions, seemingly to be constantly journeying, visiting churches around the Mediterranean. My ten-minute walk between St Stephen’s and St Saviour’s is nothing compared to what they did and in crossing the Vauxhall Bridge Road it’s not as though I’m going to be shipwrecked like Paul was in Acts.
The other Sunday Helena preached at Evensong how Candlemas is a beginning and an ending; an ending because we say goodbye to Christmas and Epiphany and a beginning because we soon journey toward Lent and Easter. But the thing that gives us space to consider this is that it is now Ordinary time, a journey space that enables contemplation. The thing about undertaking any journey is that it both invites and allows contemplation usually tied to where we have been and where we are going so we perhaps can look upon Ordinary time as a journey within our own faith.
Candelmas sets the scene for a journey of contemplation because after the presentation of Jesus in the Temple Luke records Mary and Joseph returning home with Jesus and Jesus growing as a child. So they had a family life in which they had time to contemplate what had happened while getting to know Jesus as child and watch him grow. So we can use the journey of Ordinary Time for our own knowing of Jesus and where that might lead as we come into Lent and Easter.
And I’ll be back after Pentecost.
Revd Jeremy Cavanagh
Traveling toward Lent.
Now that we have passed Candlemas I am again making the familiar journey between St Stephen’s and St Saviour’s for the next few months. This time till Pentecost 2023. This journey, though only ten minutes in walking time, is always a bit of a wrench because for the next four months I leave one set of day to day relationships for another set of relationships. Fortunately there are two things that stop it being disjointed; I’m not that far away and I have continuity in worship through the wonderful people in both parishes, a unique gift of this curacy.
In my own personal bible reading I have been reading through Acts and find myself struck by how mobile the apostles Peter and Paul were, along with their companions, seemingly to be constantly journeying, visiting churches around the Mediterranean. My ten-minute walk between St Stephen’s and St Saviour’s is nothing compared to what they did and in crossing the Vauxhall Bridge Road it’s not as though I’m going to be shipwrecked like Paul was in Acts.
The other Sunday Helena preached at Evensong how Candlemas is a beginning and an ending; an ending because we say goodbye to Christmas and Epiphany and a beginning because we soon journey toward Lent and Easter. But the thing that gives us space to consider this is that it is now Ordinary time, a journey space that enables contemplation. The thing about undertaking any journey is that it both invites and allows contemplation usually tied to where we have been and where we are going so we perhaps can look upon Ordinary time as a journey within our own faith.
Candelmas sets the scene for a journey of contemplation because after the presentation of Jesus in the Temple Luke records Mary and Joseph returning home with Jesus and Jesus growing as a child. So they had a family life in which they had time to contemplate what had happened while getting to know Jesus as child and watch him grow. So we can use the journey of Ordinary Time for our own knowing of Jesus and where that might lead as we come into Lent and Easter.
And I’ll be back after Pentecost.
Revd Jeremy Cavanagh
Thursday February 2nd 2023
Stop. Pause. Consider this.
A sermon I heard on Christmas Day over in East London spoke of many things, including a mention of the word ‘Selah’ that you may have seen in its peppering of the Psalms. It is a Hebrew word that is likely to ‘stop’ or ‘pause’ , ‘consider this’.
I’d like to take this word out of context a moment and ask that you might join with me a moment in pausing and considering some of the Sri Lankan Tamil refugees and asylum seekers who meet together here in this wonderful church once a week to create, learn English, receive counselling, have a warm meal and heal.
I teach art to this group and I remember one morning feeling rather virtuous for rising early to paint and work on my own artwork before coming to work. Normally beginning the lesson with a bit of chat and a question, I asked what time people had got up that morning (to come here). Most of the group had risen close to 5am to ensure they’d be here, with participants travelling from as far as Liverpool to arrive for the 11 o’clock start. The final attendee trumped all though and I learnt that he hadn’t slept but had been working all night and come straight on simply to be here for the day.
Paintings are often made that reflect upon the natural world and beauty of creation. During the next month a selection of artworks will be on show at St Stephens.
The people who form this project and work being done under this roof once a week is exceptional and highly valued by all involved.
Selah.
And thank you.
Prayer:
‘Father God, thank you for the Sri Lankan Tamils and for all involved with this project. We pray for strength, comfort and healing. Amen.’
Mary Steward
Stop. Pause. Consider this.
A sermon I heard on Christmas Day over in East London spoke of many things, including a mention of the word ‘Selah’ that you may have seen in its peppering of the Psalms. It is a Hebrew word that is likely to ‘stop’ or ‘pause’ , ‘consider this’.
I’d like to take this word out of context a moment and ask that you might join with me a moment in pausing and considering some of the Sri Lankan Tamil refugees and asylum seekers who meet together here in this wonderful church once a week to create, learn English, receive counselling, have a warm meal and heal.
I teach art to this group and I remember one morning feeling rather virtuous for rising early to paint and work on my own artwork before coming to work. Normally beginning the lesson with a bit of chat and a question, I asked what time people had got up that morning (to come here). Most of the group had risen close to 5am to ensure they’d be here, with participants travelling from as far as Liverpool to arrive for the 11 o’clock start. The final attendee trumped all though and I learnt that he hadn’t slept but had been working all night and come straight on simply to be here for the day.
Paintings are often made that reflect upon the natural world and beauty of creation. During the next month a selection of artworks will be on show at St Stephens.
The people who form this project and work being done under this roof once a week is exceptional and highly valued by all involved.
Selah.
And thank you.
Prayer:
‘Father God, thank you for the Sri Lankan Tamils and for all involved with this project. We pray for strength, comfort and healing. Amen.’
Mary Steward
Wednesday January 25th 2023
Last week Lucy Barker invited me to see her school, The Grey Coat Hospital’s production of “Emilia”. I knew very little about the person the play was based. Luckily Lucy’s mother, Christina, wrote a short piece about her in the program to aid my curiosity. She noted:
Aemilia Lanyer nee Bassano (1569-1645) was perhaps the closest historical woman poet to providing the role model Virginia Woolf sought when she asked to find "Shakespeare's sister." Her magnum opus Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum was printed in 1611 with her name clearly listed on the title page, a first for women's writing. Her version of biblical history has been dubbed proto-feminist, with a good defense of Eve, the Queen of Sheba and Pilate's wife among others. Lanyer was perhaps better known in society circles and as a London poet than Shakespeare would have been. It is ironic, then, that the more established Lanyer was forgotten for centuries (as too many women writers, artists, scientists, etc have been neglected) by critics and historians, only for her to be "rediscovered" by an academic in the 1970s as a possible candidate for the historical inspiration for Shakespeare's Dark Lady. Scholars now think it is highly unlikely that Lanyer could have been the model for the Dark Lady in Shakespeare's sonnets --- the mistress whose eyes are nothing like the sun. But Lanyer did live in the same time and place as Shakespeare and she did seek recognition as a professional writer; a link between the two that has inspired much "bio-fiction" about her, among them Sandra Newman’s novel The Heavens and play you are about to see.
As an academic, I have studied her poetry and marvel at her willingness to ignite religious debate, and applaud her clear address to women both of the past and in her own time. She was an extraordinary woman of her time, and she still has lessons to share with us all.”
Thank you Christina.
Last week Lucy Barker invited me to see her school, The Grey Coat Hospital’s production of “Emilia”. I knew very little about the person the play was based. Luckily Lucy’s mother, Christina, wrote a short piece about her in the program to aid my curiosity. She noted:
Aemilia Lanyer nee Bassano (1569-1645) was perhaps the closest historical woman poet to providing the role model Virginia Woolf sought when she asked to find "Shakespeare's sister." Her magnum opus Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum was printed in 1611 with her name clearly listed on the title page, a first for women's writing. Her version of biblical history has been dubbed proto-feminist, with a good defense of Eve, the Queen of Sheba and Pilate's wife among others. Lanyer was perhaps better known in society circles and as a London poet than Shakespeare would have been. It is ironic, then, that the more established Lanyer was forgotten for centuries (as too many women writers, artists, scientists, etc have been neglected) by critics and historians, only for her to be "rediscovered" by an academic in the 1970s as a possible candidate for the historical inspiration for Shakespeare's Dark Lady. Scholars now think it is highly unlikely that Lanyer could have been the model for the Dark Lady in Shakespeare's sonnets --- the mistress whose eyes are nothing like the sun. But Lanyer did live in the same time and place as Shakespeare and she did seek recognition as a professional writer; a link between the two that has inspired much "bio-fiction" about her, among them Sandra Newman’s novel The Heavens and play you are about to see.
As an academic, I have studied her poetry and marvel at her willingness to ignite religious debate, and applaud her clear address to women both of the past and in her own time. She was an extraordinary woman of her time, and she still has lessons to share with us all.”
Thank you Christina.
How was the playwright Morgan Lloyd Malcolm going to do this justice to such an extraordinary woman? Well it was truly a wonderful production, full of wit, pathos, and with hard hitting issues of race and gender inequality - was performed with a passion that one could almost feel reverberate the walls of the hall. Emilia herself, was brilliantly played by three different actors, representing the three ages of her life. The male and female roles were played by a diverse cast of female-identifying actors, the reversal of the casting of Shakespeare's day.
The director of the play stated that the issues raised in this play are still relevant and alive today and “has resonated deeply with our cast of young people” who “have enjoyed grappling with its themes through an often humorous, irreverent lens”.
I was so pleased not only to have seen it but also to be challenged by it too. Thank you Lucy and your friends for doing so. For we all need to step out of our comfortable protection at times and be challenged by the assumptions society places upon us…it’s what Jesus did, and should continue to do. So let us not shy away as a community from the prophets in our midst, but embrace what they have to say and give us:
Creator God, help us to embrace the challenges in life. May we listen to those who utter your Words in unexpected ways; That they might stir in the fruits of your kingdom here in earth as in heaven: This we ask for your great Love’s sake, even Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Extract by kind permission from article by Dr. Christina Barker; Images of the production program and of Aemilia Lanyer - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emilia_Lanier
Revd Graham Buckle
The director of the play stated that the issues raised in this play are still relevant and alive today and “has resonated deeply with our cast of young people” who “have enjoyed grappling with its themes through an often humorous, irreverent lens”.
I was so pleased not only to have seen it but also to be challenged by it too. Thank you Lucy and your friends for doing so. For we all need to step out of our comfortable protection at times and be challenged by the assumptions society places upon us…it’s what Jesus did, and should continue to do. So let us not shy away as a community from the prophets in our midst, but embrace what they have to say and give us:
Creator God, help us to embrace the challenges in life. May we listen to those who utter your Words in unexpected ways; That they might stir in the fruits of your kingdom here in earth as in heaven: This we ask for your great Love’s sake, even Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Extract by kind permission from article by Dr. Christina Barker; Images of the production program and of Aemilia Lanyer - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emilia_Lanier
Revd Graham Buckle
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Thursday January 19th 2023
What a delight to meet up with my old Benedictine friend Br Patrice today. He had some encouraging words for me and it was good to catch up with him. He is a monk at the community of Solesmes in France and I have visited him in the beautiful Abbey and enjoyed its renowned Gregorian Chanting of the psalms and office https://www.solesmes.com He was meeting an Abbot from another French Community in the railway station. He offered a little prayer for us outside Victoria Railway Station, which I offer to you for this weeks Weekly Devotion. Please remember his community as they remember us at St Stephen’s in their prayers. Revd Graham Buckle |
Graham and Br Patrice finally find his brother Dom Jean Pateau from Fontgombault
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