Pentecost: the feast of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy Trinity. It falls on the fiftieth day after Easter – hence its name. It also falls on the Jewish Festival of Weeks, which is a harvest festival celebrating the first fruits of the season. The story is familiar to us; bereft after…
This week’s Sunday service at St. Oswald’s church will begin at 10 a.m and will last around 40 minutes. All are welcome! Activity packs are available for children. The service will be a celebration of the Feast of the Holy Spirit – Pentecost. The Vicar’s Sunday afternoon sermon, ‘The Helper had arrived‘, will be uploaded…
Ascension day is one of the great festivals of the Christian year, and yet it is relatively forgotten and neglected. I suspect that this is because the event, as pictured in art, is strange and not very believable. In order to understand Christ’s Ascension into heaven, it’s necessary to lay those images aside – in…
This week’s Sunday service at St. Oswald’s church will begin at 10 a.m and will last around 40 minutes. All are welcome! Activity packs are available for children. The sermon and intercessions will reflect on Christ’s Ascension into heaven. The online service is led by the Bishop of Derby, Rt Rev Libby Lane and James Lusted…
The past year has been one hand washing, mask wearing and of staying at home. The first two of these requirements have been a bit of a nuisance, but not too demanding. For many of us though, the third, ‘stay at home’, has been a real challenge. We have missed friends and family, and have…
This week’s Sunday service at St. Oswald’s church will begin at 10 a.m and will last around 40 minutes. All are welcome! Activity packs are available for children. The sermon and intercessions will be about staying at home – at home in God’s love, and in the ‘palace’ God has made for us. The Sunday…
It is said that St Frances, when a young man, was injured in war and spent some time as an invalid confined to bed. Francis took to reading romantic stories where the characters all lived happily ever after. He alternated these stories with reading about the lives of the saints. After a while he noticed…
Our Fifth Sunday of Easter online service comes from the University of Wolverhampton and is led by Rev Prebendary Sarah Schofield. The service explores transformative conversations with students and staff, alongside music and prayer. The service can be viewed at 9am Sunday morning and anytime afterwards. The Vicar’s Sunday afternoon sermon, ‘Fruit of the Vine’,…
This fourth Sunday after Easter has become known as Good Shepherd Sunday as the readings are always about shepherds and sheep. At Christmas, we often hear of the Shepherds as being rather smelly and uncouth: a contrast to the Magi who were wealthy, sophisticated and probably delicately perfumed – rosewater maybe. By Good Shepherd Sunday…
This week’s Sunday service is led by Rev. Michael Print from St George’s Church, Chorley. It will celebrate the Feast of Saint George. The Vicar’s Sunday afternoon sermon, ‘The Good Shepherd’, will be uploaded to the blog at 2pm…