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St Agnes Birch-in-Rusholme with St John with St Cyprian Longsight
Church of England Diocese of Manchester
St Agnes Birch-in-Rusholme with St John with St Cyprian Longsight
Church of England Diocese of Manchester
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February 2011: We're only a step away...
I am writing this letter only a few days before we celebrate our Patronal Festival. We are in an interesting
position in this parish as we have three patron saints – a result of the present parish being of course an
amalgamation of three previous parishes. St Cyprian, Kirkmanshulme, St John Longsight and St Agnes Birch
in Rusholme. Three interesting saints to form a trio of patrons for our parish. But St Agnes remains our
principle patron because it is to her that our parish church is dedicated.
Many of you will recall that the reason we have Agnes as our patron is not through any spiritual, theological
or even moral reason. It is simply because the Archdeacon and Bishop at the time of the church’s building
both had wives called Agnes. A sweet story but rather deflating! At least we can be grateful that their wives
had a good solid Christian name to choose from and not something less inspirational!
So what do patron saints and patronal festivals mean for us? I remember as a child that the patronal festival
was a great occasion. I grew up in a church with a traditional style and it was always the case that we
celebrated festivals exactly on the day that they fell. So the patronal festival which was All Saint’s was always
celebrated on November 1st no matter which day of the week it fell on. These were days (and I am only
talking about the 1980s!) when people came out on any night of the week. We had a festal evensong with
hymns, procession and candles on the evening of the feast and then the Sunday following was the great
festival ‘in the octave’ of the feast with choral Eucharist and then evensong and procession.
‘Octaves’ have disappeared from the liturgical calendar but they were literally eight days of celebration for
the major feasts. It meant that you could party in true style – an excuse to celebrate for a week and a day.
The church reforms of the last century dropped these octaves but we still have the idea that we can
celebrate a feast anytime during the week that follows – and that is why we celebrate St Agnes day on the
Sunday (in the same way we celebrate Epiphany, Candlemas and All Saints on the Sunday as well).
The processions bring back happy memories! The congregation following choir, cross and candles and if the
weather was good (and it always was in my memory!) we processed outside around the church and back in –
singing hymns. The overriding memory is one of joy. The church was filled with flowers, candles and the altar
dressed in the best golden frontal. I am grateful to this lingering sense of the importance of celebrating saints
and their lasting memory.
Our patronal festival is the same – we celebrate in style and we remember the life of a saint who still speaks
to us today. A patron is somebody who supports a particular venture. Often patrons put up money for arts,
buildings, events or plays. Even if they do not give money or gifts, they certainly fight the cause for whatever
or whoever they are representing.
So a patron saint does just that. Agnes – along with John and Cyprian – are in the heavenly court, praising
and worshipping God. In life they lived for God’s glory. Their martyrdoms reflected the strength of their faith.
And now in heaven they receive their crown of glory and pray before God’s throne. As our patron we may
consider that their prayers have a particular intention for us, our church and this parish.
Saints are just shining examples of ourselves. They are not superhuman or super-perfect. Far from it – many
saints would try the patience of the most gentle among us! But they were able in their life and death to reflect
some of the goodness and truth which God wills for his people. And in that sense they are like us. It’s only a
short step from Agnes the child martyr, to ourselves and our own desire to live lives worthy of God’s love.
Our patron saint and patronal festival reminds us that our prayers are just as near and dear to God as
Agnes’s, John’s, Cyprian’s or any of the household of heaven. We’re only a step away...
with my love and prayers,
Stephen
March 2011: A unique partnership...
Last year the Community & Action group looked at a document entitled ‘A Mosque-Church partnership’ which
outlines ways in which the two faith groups can support each other and work together where possible. The
group recommended that the PCC look at this agreement and it was the unanimous decision of the PCC to
endorse this agreement and propose that we sign it with our friends at the Makki Mosque.
Earlier this year we heard that the Makki Mosque were also very keen on signing up to this agreement and
so it is with huge excitement and pleasure that we can now come together in a spirit of respect, fellowship
and support as two of the faith groups in this neighbourhood.
I am delighted that the Agreement will be signed, in the presence of Bishop Mark, this month.
Representatives from the church and mosque will add their signatures to the agreement – which is printed
below. However, such an event should not be kept quiet! We are hoping to hold a more public celebration of
this partnership later this year to which we will invite civic and faith leaders. Please give thanks for this joint
witness by God’s people and pray that it will be the start of a fruitful connection within our community.
Peace and joy,
Stephen
Celebrating a local twinning between Makki Masjid & St Agnes’ Parish Church
Leaders
As part of this twinning process we as Leaders make the following pledge:
As a Faith leader of a sacred place of worship, I make a promise to work together with my fellow neighbour
who does not share the same religion or culture as mine. I will aim to bridge a common understanding
between our congregations and build a relationship of friendship and respect.
The Imam, Makki Masjid and The Parish Priest of St Agnes’ Longsight.
Congregations
As the people of these places of worship we pledge:
As leaders and members of these congregations, to honour and respect all people in our neighbourhood by
creating friendships and opportunities to share issues and concerns, experience and expertise.
To increase our understanding of diversity and faith: to be positive and active role models of open dialogue
and constructive work as a community in our neighbourhoods: based upon our understandings of the
oneness of God contained within our own faith traditions.
April 2011: Your Church Thanks You!
In the next few weeks we will be circulating and reading the Annual Report and Financial Statements for the
Parish of St Agnes’ Birch in Rusholme with St John with St Cyprian Longsight. All very official and for some
perhaps a little bit dry. Not exactly the attractive mission-shaped glossy reading that will appeal to many
outside the immediate church family. These statements and reports are of course a legal requirement and
contain information that tells the story of 2010 both financially and administratively here at St Agnes.’
But they contain within them some important facts and figures – some good, in fact extremely good, and
others rather worrying.
The greatest concern for our Parish Church is our financial situation. Last year EXPENDITURE EXCEEDED
INCOME BY £9,843. Sorry for the capital letters but it needs to be brought home that we have a serious year
ahead. We have already indicated to the Diocese that we may not be able to pay our Parish Share this year.
The plain fact is that as well as trying to decrease expenditure (not that easy) we desperately need to
increase our income. I know that this is very difficult for most of us. I want to say thank you for the money and
collections you so generously give each week. Our focus must be on how we can find other sources of
income – through fairs, events, the hall and other opportunities.
But the facts and figures that encourage us are many indeed. Weekly attendance is steady and we have
welcomed a number of new faces to the congregation over the past year. Our membership (the Electoral
Roll) is 109 – the largest in the Deanery. The Garden project is nearing the deadline for application and I
hope that by the next Annual Report we will have completed a £50,000 renovation of our community garden.
We have started to makes plans for the re-development of the Community Hall. Within the local community
we have a strong founding involvement with the forthcoming Royal Wedding party, Longsight Neighbourhood
Festival as well as our landmark and unique partnership with the Makki Mosque.
Spiritually the church family strengthens within the discussion groups, Bible cafe and a growing interest in our
Lent course designed to increase commitment and nurture within the parish family. A group of pastoral
visitors have been re-formed, junior church re-structured, people of all ages active within the congregation
and most wonderfully a sense of prayerful energy at the heart of all this which is a true strength and joy.
So I write to say thank you to every member of the St Agnes’ parish family who through time, energy, skill and
giving contributes to this vibrant Christian community at the heart of Longsight. I particularly thank the
Churchwardens and PCC members for their commitment and service but I do so knowing that they represent
a wider congregation, and so to you all I say, THANK YOU.
With my love and prayers to you all
Stephen
May 2011: The rhythm of the Church...
Easter already seems a long time ago even though I am writing this in only the second week of Eastertide.
The long time is probably due to the wonderful weather and sense of holiday that it has given to these past
few days – alongside the extra bank holidays and of course the Royal Wedding. The sense of holiday (in the
secular sense, rather than holy day) has also been underlined by the fact that after Holy Week and Easter
with all its solemnity and intensity the week after Easter can feel a little bit empty. Not the best feeling to follow
the Church’s greatest feast! It feels as if we have had a holiday away from the extra services and liturgies.
It is a shame that we experience this low point after Easter but it is I suppose inevitable. For centuries the
Sunday after Easter has been known as Low Sunday because of the lower attendance; it is as if people are
tired from the excesses of Holy Week. (Actually because of a baptism, the Sunday after Easter this year saw
over 100 people at the Parish Mass at St Agnes’!) But we need a break, we need a change – either in style
of service, type of worship or in the pace of liturgical life. This is the great strength of the Church’s Calendar
and I often hear church people say how much they love the Christian year as it provides a framework for the
whole of life. It punctuates the year and provides pace and rhythm to our life.
The Church’s liturgical year has grown and developed over the centuries but retains the ancient rhythm and
cycle of the seasons and saints. It serves many purposes in defining the days, enriching our journey of faith,
celebrating God’s mighty gifts and shaping our spiritual life. And it does all this almost subconsciously. To
follow the Church’s Calendar takes us on a natural journey and through this we learn to absorb the Church’s
teaching. If Christians did nothing more than simply observe the full liturgical year the Church would indeed
be a richer community.
I close below with a quote from a letter by Pope Pius XI written in 1925.
May the timeless presence of the risen Christ fill your hours and days with peace and joy. Alleluia! Christ is
risen!
Stephen
‘For people are instructed in the truths of faith, and brought to appreciate the inner joys of religion far more
effectually by the annual celebration of our sacred mysteries than by any official pronouncement of the
teaching of the Church. Such pronouncements usually reach only a few and the more learned among the
faithful; feasts reach them all; the former speak but once, the latter speak every year - in fact, forever. The
church's teaching affects the mind primarily; her feasts affect both mind and heart, and have a salutary effect
upon the whole of man's nature. Man is composed of body and soul, and he needs these external festivities
so that the sacred rites, in all their beauty and variety, may stimulate him to drink more deeply of the fountain
of God's teaching, that he may make it a part of himself, and use it with profit for his spiritual life.’
June 2011: Curate’s Corner...
In last month’s magazine, Fr Stephen discussed the ‘rhythm of the church’ and how the liturgical calendar
clocks the passing of the Christian year. For the past few weeks, I have found myself contemplating and
meditating on the concept of ‘time’. There are days when we have too much time and others when we do not
have enough. We cannot control the passing of time, but we can control our use of time. We can be both
content and impatient with time. Time flies, and yet can move so slowly. The passing of time can be both
liberating and daunting.
Concepts of time emerge in the very first verses of Genesis, ‘So evening came, and morning came, the first
day (Genesis 1:5).’ The marking of time continues throughout the Bible, ending with an anticipated time: ‘He
who gives this testimony speaks: “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20).’
From the Old Testament emerges a clear indication that God controls and appoints the times for all things to
occur. We are all familiar with the poem found in Ecclesiastes: ‘For everything there is a season, and a time
for every matter under heaven… (Ecclesiastes 3:1 – 8).’
Humanity can examine passed time and understand history and has an ability to anticipate the near future,
but cannot comprehend how God has fashioned, is fashioning and will fashion time. Humanity can, however,
define time with great precision: years, days, hours, minutes, seconds. Within the New Testament there are
at least 16 different Greek words translated as ‘time’ each with it’s own subtle meaning. We can also mark
time. God created the universe in six days and on the seventh day he rested. Jesus spent 40 days in the
desert fasting and being tempted. Jesus was baptised at the age of 30; crucified at the age of 33 and after
three days he rose from the dead. There are moments in time that are vague: ‘that was a long time ago’ and
moments in time that are significant and must be counted.
I realised several months ago that the time was rapidly drawing near when as a festival or season in our
Christian year approached and passed, it would be the last time we would mark its celebration with me as
your curate. Indeed, Bishop Mark met with me in mid-May to discuss what the ‘final year of a curacy’ means
both spiritually and practically. In one sense, it seemed premature to be discussing thoughts and feelings
about what the next 12 months and beyond might hold. Yet, it equally did not seem possible that I had
already been with you at St Agnes’ for two years! Where has time gone?
I mentioned this time last year to Fr Stephen that I was incredibly grateful that a curacy lasts three years.
The words of Ecclesiastes 3.1 sang in my heart. It seemed to me then, as now, that the present is still time
for me to learn, and for us as a congregation to learn together. The two-years time that we have shared has
been for me a God given gift. I could not have anticipated how richly rewarding this curacy would be or just
how essential a curacy is in forming you into the priest that God has called you to be. I have no doubt that
God is fashioning our time together and I will relish every second of this passing year.
Lara
July 2011: Curate’s Corner
‘Where are you from?’ This is a question that I struggle to answer – despite the number of times I have been
asked. I usually begin by replying ‘St Agnes’, Longsight’ – although this never really satisfies and people
usually look perplexed and then ask, ‘No, where do you call ‘home’?’ I find this question equally difficult. Of
course, I know that what people are really asking is ‘what is your accent’? Yet, even this question does not
have one simple answer: the southern drawl of my youth faded during university and changed completely
when I lived in Russia. Having lived in the UK for nearly 14 years it both amuses and frustrates me that
people here hear a North American accent (admittedly many are confused by whether I am from Canada –
where I have never lived – or the USA) and that when I return to the States people there tease me for how
British I sound.
Where are you from? Where is home? What is your accent? Are important questions in how we define our
self-identity, as well as how others identify us. I met a person recently whose mother still lives in the house in
which she was born. How she identifies herself and how others would describe where she is from and where
she calls home would probably be quite similar. Yet, as someone who has lived in more than 14 different
cities or states (and have called more than 25 spaces ‘home’, as I have lived in several different flats for
instance in London), over three continents in the past 40 years, how I would define myself and how others
define me are quite different. Others often think of me as an American. I think of myself as a nomad.
I struggle at times with my nomadic nature, given each time I move I try to establish roots – despite the fact I
know that I will in fact move on again. As a result, where I am at a given moment, is where I call ‘home’. I
have no ability to imagine a place where The Hearth burns; yet I erect a hearth in every place I dwell. Time
has a habit of changing things. Every time that I have moved, I have made an effort to keep the hearth fire
burning. Yet, inevitably the day dawns when returning shows that the landscape and its inhabitants have
been stripped of the comfortable familiar of ‘home’ and the hearth fire extinguished, leaving only a pile of
stones and fond memories.
During meditation and private prayer I often focus on ‘Spiritual Exercises’. Spiritual Exercises are tasks or
themes that encourage you to open your senses to understand better how God is at work in your life. There
are some exercises that you may only do once. Others may require that you work on them time and time
again. There is one to which I often find myself returning that focuses your thoughts and prayers on where
you have come from; who you are; and to open your senses to where God is calling you next. As a nomad, I
am often reminded that while I may yearn to establish roots, God has given me wings; that every place in
which I have been called to dwell – the people and experiences I have had there – are very much a part of
who I am and that as a result, these are the gifts I bear when I arrive at my next ‘home’.
Spiritual exercises will also often invite you to ponder certain passages of scripture. I find it encouraging
when I have been focussing on a particular exercise that the scripture readings for the day quite often feed
into my own reflection, without my planning for them to do so. It is as if God taps me on the shoulder to say
‘have you thought about this’? There are two narratives that tend to follow me when working on the above
exercise. First, from the OT: how the Israelites came to be slaves in Egypt then delivered from slavery by
God through Moses, only to wander in the desert before entering the promised land. Second, from the
Gospel: how Jesus was born in Bethlehem; fled to Egypt; lived in Nazareth and spent his three-year ministry
on a journey to Jerusalem, where he would be crucified, dead, buried, and resurrected, only to then ascend
to his Father in Heaven.
Remembering these and other nomads found within scripture give me comfort and are often punctuated by
passages such as Psalm 17: 8, ‘guard me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings’ or
Isaiah 42:6, ‘I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you’.
Particularly, as a Christian, my true home is in Christ and as Matthew 28:20 reminds us, ‘Remember, I am
with you always…’.
As a result, no matter where I roam, I am truly assured I am always at home.
Lara
August/September 2011: Curate’s Corner
As many of you are aware, before training to become a priest, I worked for a charity that studied how arts
and creativity improve physical and mental health. It may not seem obvious to most people that arts and
creativity would have any impact whatsoever on our health and well-being; however, hundreds of scientific
research studies have shown that this is, in fact, the case.
When it was announced that I would be leaving, someone contacted me to ask if I knew about the work
looking at the relationship between the arts and religion. I had not, but was given two books. One looks at
how the arts can be used in mission and outreach; the other concentrates on how six different visual artists
have shown in their work God’s presence in the world around us. The ‘arts’ in the broadest sense of word
including music, dance, any form of self-expression (the database at the charity where I worked listed over 30
different art forms!) often have an ability to communicate a message when words simply fail us.
In the past two months, I appear to have been bitten by some sort of a ‘creativity bug’. I purchased a second
hand sewing machine. I have attended two different gallery exhibitions. I have been practicing my cello
nearly everyday for at least an hour. I attended the ‘Crafty Crew’ morning held here at St Agnes’ on 14 July.
I have written a few short stories and have pulled books of poetry off my shelf. Classic FM comforts me as I
work in my office. I have been experimenting with website design. The other evening, I sat to relax and
suddenly had an amazing thought about how to explain through arts and creativity what I mentioned in last
month’s magazine: how to answer the question, ‘Where is home?’ Has this recent flurry of arts and creativity
made me feel better? Yes.
How does this affect the St Agnes’ congregation? How does this affect you? If you are an artsy – crafty
person you may be interested in learning more. If so, please ask and plan to join us if you can for the next
session of Crafty Crew! If you think you are unable to do arts or crafts, or that you are uninterested in arts or
crafts then I want you to be interested in learning more.
The truth is, you may think that you are uncreative, but at St Agnes’ on any given Sunday we are surrounded
by the Arts and participate in many ways. We sing hymns. We read poetry in our Psalm. We listen to
literature in our scripture readings. We are surrounded by unique and special architecture, icons and
symbols of our faith that improve our spirit, and make our hearts glad.
It has always interested me that from the Bible, the first thing we learn about God in the first two chapters of
Genesis is that God is creative. He creates the universe and all that dwells in it. As humans, we are made in
the image of God (Genesis 1.26). It does not surprise me, therefore, that arts and creativity have such an
impact on our health and well-being; that as humans we use many art forms in our worship of God; that art
can be used to show God’s presence all around us; or that many experience God’s presence through the
beauty and wonder of nature, God’s own creative art.
My parents gave me a book of church signs in America. One reads, ‘God didn’t create anything without a
purpose, but mosquitoes and slugs come very close’. For many, being creative can be daunting, as we are
afraid that the final product will be less than perfect. Yet, it is the very experience of being creative and not
the product that brings us closer to the creation stories of Genesis and potentially a new understanding of
God.
The next meeting of Crafty Crew is Thursday, 11 August 10 – 12am.
October 2011: Prayer, Care and Healing
The third Diocesan Weekend of Prayer was very successful. Well at least it was in this parish! I am not sure
what happened across the diocese but once again at St Agnes’ we had a varied programme of services and
events and they were well attended.
This year we had a workshop on the Rosary which drew a very good group together, many of whom are
wanting to continue with this devotion. The Evening Prayer introduction and leaflets have also been
successful and many copies of the prayer leaflet have gone from church. (Pick up a copy in church or go to
the prayer page of our parish website to download). I really hope that people will join in prayer at 5pm each
weekday evening – either in church, online or at home, to pray for the parish and to worship God through the
Church’s divine office.
Other events during the weekend included, Compline by candlelight, our guest preacher at the Parish
Eucharist, Canon Ron Cassidy and then another of our alternative worship events, openmind, on the Sunday
evening. This time we went online and asked google questions we would like to ask God. Some very
interesting and sometimes provocative answers came up and we are going to explore these next time.
On the Wednesday after the prayer weekend I invited those interested in pastoral care, visiting and healing
to gather together to think about how we visit and care for those in pastoral need. Again we had a very
encouraging meeting and I see this as the start of parish visiting and pastoral care team. The Living &
Praying group (started in 2006) has been moving more and more towards being this kind of focus for a
visiting and pastoral care team. It is only right that the meeting followed on from the prayer weekend as it is
crucial that prayer and care go together. I will be talking more about this in the next few months in church and
in meetings but I would like to encourage you to read again the leaflets on prayer that I mentioned above and
consider your own part in this very important ministry of prayer and care.
The final element of this focus on pastoral care is healing. Our present custom is to celebrate the healing
ministry three or four times a year on Sunday evenings, but I would like us to consider whether we might draw
this healing ministry closer into the praying life of our congregation by holding healing services more
regularly on weekdays as part of our prayer and care team. (Wednesday healing services were the custom in
this parish in the 50s and 60s it seems.) When this group meets again I hope you might join us and share
your thoughts on this.
I would be interested to hear your thoughts on prayer, care and healing. The PCC in September identified
pastoral care as a key focus of our parish ministry and I look forward to seeing how we grow as a
congregation in these areas.
With my love and prayers
Stephen
November 2011: A light unto my path
The recent celebration of the 400th anniversary of the King James Version of the Bible here at St Agnes was
a wonderful celebration. During the service a carpet of 150 candles lay before the altar – each candle
carrying a verse of scripture chosen by members of the congregation. The selection of verses are very
moving. Alongside the popular choices are one or two more unusual verses. Together they speak of the
breadth of faith, hope and love which the Bible inspires in us as Christians. The list of verses is available in
church or on the website as a souvenir of this day alongside a selection of photos.
Our preacher was Bishop Rupert Hoare, an assistant bishop in this diocese. As I mentioned as I welcomed
him, Bishop Rupert interviewed me for theological college in 1993 but (wisely!) left before I started later in
that year. He left to become Bishop of Dudley in Worcester diocese and then later Dean of Liverpool
Cathedral. For us at St Agnes’ his important connection was that his uncle was the Revd Freddy Temple,
Rector of St Agnes between 1951 and 1953.
Freddy himself later became both a Dean and a Bishop, and of course Freddy’s grandfather was William
Temple, Bishop of Manchester, Archbishop of York and then of Canterbury. It is interesting too that on his
mother’s side Freddy’s great grandfather was Archbishop of Dublin and his grandfather Metropolitan of India.
That’s quite a family tree!
All these connections really bring home the importance of relationship within the church community. In
secular life it might seem presumptuous and pretentious to class such people as your friends or relatives but
within the church it is an affirming reality. We can indeed call all these people our Brothers. And if they are
our brothers, then we are in every sense their sisters and brothers too.
All Saints’ and All Souls’ tide reminds us of our connectedness, our relationship with the whole church – living
and departed. These are not strangers, but pilgrims, friends, indeed they are family. Whether we remember
the famous or the familiar, the great or the small, the Church reminds us at this holy time that they are all part
of one family in Christ and that status in the heavenly kingdom is given to everyone.
We might not be enjoying mitres and bishop status here on earth, but there is the promise of a crown for us
all in heaven.
As you remember your loved ones - for whom with faith, hope and love we pray are now enjoying their
heavenly reward - may God give you courage and joy on your continuing journey in Christ.
with my love and prayers,
Stephen
December 2011/January 2012
Strange things in strange places...
I am enjoying watching the second series of ‘Rev’ which is currently showing on BBC Two. It is refreshingly
honest, real and in parts hilarious. I particularly like the subtle details in the background which perhaps only
makes sense to those heavily involved in church life. In the vestry, and so far unmentioned and not referred
to, is a large plastic light up Christmas candle with two angelic choirboys on either side. It is not very stylish,
looks hideously out of place and yet I suspect is typical of what you might find in any church vestry across the
country. If not the same gaudy oversized ornament, there will be something stored away which is only
brought out once a year and yet is loved dearly and a part of that church’s seasonal tradition. Every vestry
(including that at St Agnes’!) will house a similar strange object which makes sense mainly to those who are
in the know or who have experienced its use, understood its meaning or warmed to its presence.
It is not only vestries which house such curiosities. The Rectory and vicarage studies of clergy across the
country are as busy with left over jumble, empty cake tins, and a host of parish ‘stuff’ which may one day
come in useful. When I was a curate I loved just sitting in my vicar’s study and looking at the assortment of
things which lay around the room! It is amusing (and rather comforting) that I now find that my own study
often mirrors this chaotic and eclectic collection of parish life. And it is wonderful that it does.
The Church (and it would seem most beautifully the Church of England) stands out from most modern
institutions and companies in that it never comfortably fits into the planned, strategic and competitive world of
organisation. The neatness and order that endless planning and strategy courses try to bring to the
administration and offices of other organisations always seem to sit less comfortably with the feel of Church
life. It is as if the Church cannot be contained within neatness and order. It can only conform to a certain
point and then it needs to break free and simply be itself. It is very messy at times – in fact it is wonderfully
so! The fact that there are strange things in strange places is its greatest charm and charism. It is part of
what makes the Christian faith so challenging to some people as it turns expectations and conformity upside
down in order to free men and women from compliance with the world.
For me Christmas celebrates the greatest of these messy, unexpected delights, the strangest thing in the
strangest place: God in a baby in a womb in a virgin in her teens in a stable in a backwater... It would never
be part of any human strategic plan! Yet it was God’s greatest plan for humanity. And the strangest thing of
all? It has changed my life.
With my love and prayers for a blessed Christmas
Stephen
I am writing this letter only a few days before we celebrate our Patronal Festival. We are in an interesting
position in this parish as we have three patron saints – a result of the present parish being of course an
amalgamation of three previous parishes. St Cyprian, Kirkmanshulme, St John Longsight and St Agnes Birch
in Rusholme. Three interesting saints to form a trio of patrons for our parish. But St Agnes remains our
principle patron because it is to her that our parish church is dedicated.
Many of you will recall that the reason we have Agnes as our patron is not through any spiritual, theological
or even moral reason. It is simply because the Archdeacon and Bishop at the time of the church’s building
both had wives called Agnes. A sweet story but rather deflating! At least we can be grateful that their wives
had a good solid Christian name to choose from and not something less inspirational!
So what do patron saints and patronal festivals mean for us? I remember as a child that the patronal festival
was a great occasion. I grew up in a church with a traditional style and it was always the case that we
celebrated festivals exactly on the day that they fell. So the patronal festival which was All Saint’s was always
celebrated on November 1st no matter which day of the week it fell on. These were days (and I am only
talking about the 1980s!) when people came out on any night of the week. We had a festal evensong with
hymns, procession and candles on the evening of the feast and then the Sunday following was the great
festival ‘in the octave’ of the feast with choral Eucharist and then evensong and procession.
‘Octaves’ have disappeared from the liturgical calendar but they were literally eight days of celebration for
the major feasts. It meant that you could party in true style – an excuse to celebrate for a week and a day.
The church reforms of the last century dropped these octaves but we still have the idea that we can
celebrate a feast anytime during the week that follows – and that is why we celebrate St Agnes day on the
Sunday (in the same way we celebrate Epiphany, Candlemas and All Saints on the Sunday as well).
The processions bring back happy memories! The congregation following choir, cross and candles and if the
weather was good (and it always was in my memory!) we processed outside around the church and back in –
singing hymns. The overriding memory is one of joy. The church was filled with flowers, candles and the altar
dressed in the best golden frontal. I am grateful to this lingering sense of the importance of celebrating saints
and their lasting memory.
Our patronal festival is the same – we celebrate in style and we remember the life of a saint who still speaks
to us today. A patron is somebody who supports a particular venture. Often patrons put up money for arts,
buildings, events or plays. Even if they do not give money or gifts, they certainly fight the cause for whatever
or whoever they are representing.
So a patron saint does just that. Agnes – along with John and Cyprian – are in the heavenly court, praising
and worshipping God. In life they lived for God’s glory. Their martyrdoms reflected the strength of their faith.
And now in heaven they receive their crown of glory and pray before God’s throne. As our patron we may
consider that their prayers have a particular intention for us, our church and this parish.
Saints are just shining examples of ourselves. They are not superhuman or super-perfect. Far from it – many
saints would try the patience of the most gentle among us! But they were able in their life and death to reflect
some of the goodness and truth which God wills for his people. And in that sense they are like us. It’s only a
short step from Agnes the child martyr, to ourselves and our own desire to live lives worthy of God’s love.
Our patron saint and patronal festival reminds us that our prayers are just as near and dear to God as
Agnes’s, John’s, Cyprian’s or any of the household of heaven. We’re only a step away...
with my love and prayers,
Stephen
March 2011: A unique partnership...
Last year the Community & Action group looked at a document entitled ‘A Mosque-Church partnership’ which
outlines ways in which the two faith groups can support each other and work together where possible. The
group recommended that the PCC look at this agreement and it was the unanimous decision of the PCC to
endorse this agreement and propose that we sign it with our friends at the Makki Mosque.
Earlier this year we heard that the Makki Mosque were also very keen on signing up to this agreement and
so it is with huge excitement and pleasure that we can now come together in a spirit of respect, fellowship
and support as two of the faith groups in this neighbourhood.
I am delighted that the Agreement will be signed, in the presence of Bishop Mark, this month.
Representatives from the church and mosque will add their signatures to the agreement – which is printed
below. However, such an event should not be kept quiet! We are hoping to hold a more public celebration of
this partnership later this year to which we will invite civic and faith leaders. Please give thanks for this joint
witness by God’s people and pray that it will be the start of a fruitful connection within our community.
Peace and joy,
Stephen
Celebrating a local twinning between Makki Masjid & St Agnes’ Parish Church
Leaders
As part of this twinning process we as Leaders make the following pledge:
As a Faith leader of a sacred place of worship, I make a promise to work together with my fellow neighbour
who does not share the same religion or culture as mine. I will aim to bridge a common understanding
between our congregations and build a relationship of friendship and respect.
The Imam, Makki Masjid and The Parish Priest of St Agnes’ Longsight.
Congregations
As the people of these places of worship we pledge:
As leaders and members of these congregations, to honour and respect all people in our neighbourhood by
creating friendships and opportunities to share issues and concerns, experience and expertise.
To increase our understanding of diversity and faith: to be positive and active role models of open dialogue
and constructive work as a community in our neighbourhoods: based upon our understandings of the
oneness of God contained within our own faith traditions.
April 2011: Your Church Thanks You!
In the next few weeks we will be circulating and reading the Annual Report and Financial Statements for the
Parish of St Agnes’ Birch in Rusholme with St John with St Cyprian Longsight. All very official and for some
perhaps a little bit dry. Not exactly the attractive mission-shaped glossy reading that will appeal to many
outside the immediate church family. These statements and reports are of course a legal requirement and
contain information that tells the story of 2010 both financially and administratively here at St Agnes.’
But they contain within them some important facts and figures – some good, in fact extremely good, and
others rather worrying.
The greatest concern for our Parish Church is our financial situation. Last year EXPENDITURE EXCEEDED
INCOME BY £9,843. Sorry for the capital letters but it needs to be brought home that we have a serious year
ahead. We have already indicated to the Diocese that we may not be able to pay our Parish Share this year.
The plain fact is that as well as trying to decrease expenditure (not that easy) we desperately need to
increase our income. I know that this is very difficult for most of us. I want to say thank you for the money and
collections you so generously give each week. Our focus must be on how we can find other sources of
income – through fairs, events, the hall and other opportunities.
But the facts and figures that encourage us are many indeed. Weekly attendance is steady and we have
welcomed a number of new faces to the congregation over the past year. Our membership (the Electoral
Roll) is 109 – the largest in the Deanery. The Garden project is nearing the deadline for application and I
hope that by the next Annual Report we will have completed a £50,000 renovation of our community garden.
We have started to makes plans for the re-development of the Community Hall. Within the local community
we have a strong founding involvement with the forthcoming Royal Wedding party, Longsight Neighbourhood
Festival as well as our landmark and unique partnership with the Makki Mosque.
Spiritually the church family strengthens within the discussion groups, Bible cafe and a growing interest in our
Lent course designed to increase commitment and nurture within the parish family. A group of pastoral
visitors have been re-formed, junior church re-structured, people of all ages active within the congregation
and most wonderfully a sense of prayerful energy at the heart of all this which is a true strength and joy.
So I write to say thank you to every member of the St Agnes’ parish family who through time, energy, skill and
giving contributes to this vibrant Christian community at the heart of Longsight. I particularly thank the
Churchwardens and PCC members for their commitment and service but I do so knowing that they represent
a wider congregation, and so to you all I say, THANK YOU.
With my love and prayers to you all
Stephen
May 2011: The rhythm of the Church...
Easter already seems a long time ago even though I am writing this in only the second week of Eastertide.
The long time is probably due to the wonderful weather and sense of holiday that it has given to these past
few days – alongside the extra bank holidays and of course the Royal Wedding. The sense of holiday (in the
secular sense, rather than holy day) has also been underlined by the fact that after Holy Week and Easter
with all its solemnity and intensity the week after Easter can feel a little bit empty. Not the best feeling to follow
the Church’s greatest feast! It feels as if we have had a holiday away from the extra services and liturgies.
It is a shame that we experience this low point after Easter but it is I suppose inevitable. For centuries the
Sunday after Easter has been known as Low Sunday because of the lower attendance; it is as if people are
tired from the excesses of Holy Week. (Actually because of a baptism, the Sunday after Easter this year saw
over 100 people at the Parish Mass at St Agnes’!) But we need a break, we need a change – either in style
of service, type of worship or in the pace of liturgical life. This is the great strength of the Church’s Calendar
and I often hear church people say how much they love the Christian year as it provides a framework for the
whole of life. It punctuates the year and provides pace and rhythm to our life.
The Church’s liturgical year has grown and developed over the centuries but retains the ancient rhythm and
cycle of the seasons and saints. It serves many purposes in defining the days, enriching our journey of faith,
celebrating God’s mighty gifts and shaping our spiritual life. And it does all this almost subconsciously. To
follow the Church’s Calendar takes us on a natural journey and through this we learn to absorb the Church’s
teaching. If Christians did nothing more than simply observe the full liturgical year the Church would indeed
be a richer community.
I close below with a quote from a letter by Pope Pius XI written in 1925.
May the timeless presence of the risen Christ fill your hours and days with peace and joy. Alleluia! Christ is
risen!
Stephen
‘For people are instructed in the truths of faith, and brought to appreciate the inner joys of religion far more
effectually by the annual celebration of our sacred mysteries than by any official pronouncement of the
teaching of the Church. Such pronouncements usually reach only a few and the more learned among the
faithful; feasts reach them all; the former speak but once, the latter speak every year - in fact, forever. The
church's teaching affects the mind primarily; her feasts affect both mind and heart, and have a salutary effect
upon the whole of man's nature. Man is composed of body and soul, and he needs these external festivities
so that the sacred rites, in all their beauty and variety, may stimulate him to drink more deeply of the fountain
of God's teaching, that he may make it a part of himself, and use it with profit for his spiritual life.’
June 2011: Curate’s Corner...
In last month’s magazine, Fr Stephen discussed the ‘rhythm of the church’ and how the liturgical calendar
clocks the passing of the Christian year. For the past few weeks, I have found myself contemplating and
meditating on the concept of ‘time’. There are days when we have too much time and others when we do not
have enough. We cannot control the passing of time, but we can control our use of time. We can be both
content and impatient with time. Time flies, and yet can move so slowly. The passing of time can be both
liberating and daunting.
Concepts of time emerge in the very first verses of Genesis, ‘So evening came, and morning came, the first
day (Genesis 1:5).’ The marking of time continues throughout the Bible, ending with an anticipated time: ‘He
who gives this testimony speaks: “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20).’
From the Old Testament emerges a clear indication that God controls and appoints the times for all things to
occur. We are all familiar with the poem found in Ecclesiastes: ‘For everything there is a season, and a time
for every matter under heaven… (Ecclesiastes 3:1 – 8).’
Humanity can examine passed time and understand history and has an ability to anticipate the near future,
but cannot comprehend how God has fashioned, is fashioning and will fashion time. Humanity can, however,
define time with great precision: years, days, hours, minutes, seconds. Within the New Testament there are
at least 16 different Greek words translated as ‘time’ each with it’s own subtle meaning. We can also mark
time. God created the universe in six days and on the seventh day he rested. Jesus spent 40 days in the
desert fasting and being tempted. Jesus was baptised at the age of 30; crucified at the age of 33 and after
three days he rose from the dead. There are moments in time that are vague: ‘that was a long time ago’ and
moments in time that are significant and must be counted.
I realised several months ago that the time was rapidly drawing near when as a festival or season in our
Christian year approached and passed, it would be the last time we would mark its celebration with me as
your curate. Indeed, Bishop Mark met with me in mid-May to discuss what the ‘final year of a curacy’ means
both spiritually and practically. In one sense, it seemed premature to be discussing thoughts and feelings
about what the next 12 months and beyond might hold. Yet, it equally did not seem possible that I had
already been with you at St Agnes’ for two years! Where has time gone?
I mentioned this time last year to Fr Stephen that I was incredibly grateful that a curacy lasts three years.
The words of Ecclesiastes 3.1 sang in my heart. It seemed to me then, as now, that the present is still time
for me to learn, and for us as a congregation to learn together. The two-years time that we have shared has
been for me a God given gift. I could not have anticipated how richly rewarding this curacy would be or just
how essential a curacy is in forming you into the priest that God has called you to be. I have no doubt that
God is fashioning our time together and I will relish every second of this passing year.
Lara
July 2011: Curate’s Corner
‘Where are you from?’ This is a question that I struggle to answer – despite the number of times I have been
asked. I usually begin by replying ‘St Agnes’, Longsight’ – although this never really satisfies and people
usually look perplexed and then ask, ‘No, where do you call ‘home’?’ I find this question equally difficult. Of
course, I know that what people are really asking is ‘what is your accent’? Yet, even this question does not
have one simple answer: the southern drawl of my youth faded during university and changed completely
when I lived in Russia. Having lived in the UK for nearly 14 years it both amuses and frustrates me that
people here hear a North American accent (admittedly many are confused by whether I am from Canada –
where I have never lived – or the USA) and that when I return to the States people there tease me for how
British I sound.
Where are you from? Where is home? What is your accent? Are important questions in how we define our
self-identity, as well as how others identify us. I met a person recently whose mother still lives in the house in
which she was born. How she identifies herself and how others would describe where she is from and where
she calls home would probably be quite similar. Yet, as someone who has lived in more than 14 different
cities or states (and have called more than 25 spaces ‘home’, as I have lived in several different flats for
instance in London), over three continents in the past 40 years, how I would define myself and how others
define me are quite different. Others often think of me as an American. I think of myself as a nomad.
I struggle at times with my nomadic nature, given each time I move I try to establish roots – despite the fact I
know that I will in fact move on again. As a result, where I am at a given moment, is where I call ‘home’. I
have no ability to imagine a place where The Hearth burns; yet I erect a hearth in every place I dwell. Time
has a habit of changing things. Every time that I have moved, I have made an effort to keep the hearth fire
burning. Yet, inevitably the day dawns when returning shows that the landscape and its inhabitants have
been stripped of the comfortable familiar of ‘home’ and the hearth fire extinguished, leaving only a pile of
stones and fond memories.
During meditation and private prayer I often focus on ‘Spiritual Exercises’. Spiritual Exercises are tasks or
themes that encourage you to open your senses to understand better how God is at work in your life. There
are some exercises that you may only do once. Others may require that you work on them time and time
again. There is one to which I often find myself returning that focuses your thoughts and prayers on where
you have come from; who you are; and to open your senses to where God is calling you next. As a nomad, I
am often reminded that while I may yearn to establish roots, God has given me wings; that every place in
which I have been called to dwell – the people and experiences I have had there – are very much a part of
who I am and that as a result, these are the gifts I bear when I arrive at my next ‘home’.
Spiritual exercises will also often invite you to ponder certain passages of scripture. I find it encouraging
when I have been focussing on a particular exercise that the scripture readings for the day quite often feed
into my own reflection, without my planning for them to do so. It is as if God taps me on the shoulder to say
‘have you thought about this’? There are two narratives that tend to follow me when working on the above
exercise. First, from the OT: how the Israelites came to be slaves in Egypt then delivered from slavery by
God through Moses, only to wander in the desert before entering the promised land. Second, from the
Gospel: how Jesus was born in Bethlehem; fled to Egypt; lived in Nazareth and spent his three-year ministry
on a journey to Jerusalem, where he would be crucified, dead, buried, and resurrected, only to then ascend
to his Father in Heaven.
Remembering these and other nomads found within scripture give me comfort and are often punctuated by
passages such as Psalm 17: 8, ‘guard me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings’ or
Isaiah 42:6, ‘I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you’.
Particularly, as a Christian, my true home is in Christ and as Matthew 28:20 reminds us, ‘Remember, I am
with you always…’.
As a result, no matter where I roam, I am truly assured I am always at home.
Lara
August/September 2011: Curate’s Corner
As many of you are aware, before training to become a priest, I worked for a charity that studied how arts
and creativity improve physical and mental health. It may not seem obvious to most people that arts and
creativity would have any impact whatsoever on our health and well-being; however, hundreds of scientific
research studies have shown that this is, in fact, the case.
When it was announced that I would be leaving, someone contacted me to ask if I knew about the work
looking at the relationship between the arts and religion. I had not, but was given two books. One looks at
how the arts can be used in mission and outreach; the other concentrates on how six different visual artists
have shown in their work God’s presence in the world around us. The ‘arts’ in the broadest sense of word
including music, dance, any form of self-expression (the database at the charity where I worked listed over 30
different art forms!) often have an ability to communicate a message when words simply fail us.
In the past two months, I appear to have been bitten by some sort of a ‘creativity bug’. I purchased a second
hand sewing machine. I have attended two different gallery exhibitions. I have been practicing my cello
nearly everyday for at least an hour. I attended the ‘Crafty Crew’ morning held here at St Agnes’ on 14 July.
I have written a few short stories and have pulled books of poetry off my shelf. Classic FM comforts me as I
work in my office. I have been experimenting with website design. The other evening, I sat to relax and
suddenly had an amazing thought about how to explain through arts and creativity what I mentioned in last
month’s magazine: how to answer the question, ‘Where is home?’ Has this recent flurry of arts and creativity
made me feel better? Yes.
How does this affect the St Agnes’ congregation? How does this affect you? If you are an artsy – crafty
person you may be interested in learning more. If so, please ask and plan to join us if you can for the next
session of Crafty Crew! If you think you are unable to do arts or crafts, or that you are uninterested in arts or
crafts then I want you to be interested in learning more.
The truth is, you may think that you are uncreative, but at St Agnes’ on any given Sunday we are surrounded
by the Arts and participate in many ways. We sing hymns. We read poetry in our Psalm. We listen to
literature in our scripture readings. We are surrounded by unique and special architecture, icons and
symbols of our faith that improve our spirit, and make our hearts glad.
It has always interested me that from the Bible, the first thing we learn about God in the first two chapters of
Genesis is that God is creative. He creates the universe and all that dwells in it. As humans, we are made in
the image of God (Genesis 1.26). It does not surprise me, therefore, that arts and creativity have such an
impact on our health and well-being; that as humans we use many art forms in our worship of God; that art
can be used to show God’s presence all around us; or that many experience God’s presence through the
beauty and wonder of nature, God’s own creative art.
My parents gave me a book of church signs in America. One reads, ‘God didn’t create anything without a
purpose, but mosquitoes and slugs come very close’. For many, being creative can be daunting, as we are
afraid that the final product will be less than perfect. Yet, it is the very experience of being creative and not
the product that brings us closer to the creation stories of Genesis and potentially a new understanding of
God.
The next meeting of Crafty Crew is Thursday, 11 August 10 – 12am.
October 2011: Prayer, Care and Healing
The third Diocesan Weekend of Prayer was very successful. Well at least it was in this parish! I am not sure
what happened across the diocese but once again at St Agnes’ we had a varied programme of services and
events and they were well attended.
This year we had a workshop on the Rosary which drew a very good group together, many of whom are
wanting to continue with this devotion. The Evening Prayer introduction and leaflets have also been
successful and many copies of the prayer leaflet have gone from church. (Pick up a copy in church or go to
the prayer page of our parish website to download). I really hope that people will join in prayer at 5pm each
weekday evening – either in church, online or at home, to pray for the parish and to worship God through the
Church’s divine office.
Other events during the weekend included, Compline by candlelight, our guest preacher at the Parish
Eucharist, Canon Ron Cassidy and then another of our alternative worship events, openmind, on the Sunday
evening. This time we went online and asked google questions we would like to ask God. Some very
interesting and sometimes provocative answers came up and we are going to explore these next time.
On the Wednesday after the prayer weekend I invited those interested in pastoral care, visiting and healing
to gather together to think about how we visit and care for those in pastoral need. Again we had a very
encouraging meeting and I see this as the start of parish visiting and pastoral care team. The Living &
Praying group (started in 2006) has been moving more and more towards being this kind of focus for a
visiting and pastoral care team. It is only right that the meeting followed on from the prayer weekend as it is
crucial that prayer and care go together. I will be talking more about this in the next few months in church and
in meetings but I would like to encourage you to read again the leaflets on prayer that I mentioned above and
consider your own part in this very important ministry of prayer and care.
The final element of this focus on pastoral care is healing. Our present custom is to celebrate the healing
ministry three or four times a year on Sunday evenings, but I would like us to consider whether we might draw
this healing ministry closer into the praying life of our congregation by holding healing services more
regularly on weekdays as part of our prayer and care team. (Wednesday healing services were the custom in
this parish in the 50s and 60s it seems.) When this group meets again I hope you might join us and share
your thoughts on this.
I would be interested to hear your thoughts on prayer, care and healing. The PCC in September identified
pastoral care as a key focus of our parish ministry and I look forward to seeing how we grow as a
congregation in these areas.
With my love and prayers
Stephen
November 2011: A light unto my path
The recent celebration of the 400th anniversary of the King James Version of the Bible here at St Agnes was
a wonderful celebration. During the service a carpet of 150 candles lay before the altar – each candle
carrying a verse of scripture chosen by members of the congregation. The selection of verses are very
moving. Alongside the popular choices are one or two more unusual verses. Together they speak of the
breadth of faith, hope and love which the Bible inspires in us as Christians. The list of verses is available in
church or on the website as a souvenir of this day alongside a selection of photos.
Our preacher was Bishop Rupert Hoare, an assistant bishop in this diocese. As I mentioned as I welcomed
him, Bishop Rupert interviewed me for theological college in 1993 but (wisely!) left before I started later in
that year. He left to become Bishop of Dudley in Worcester diocese and then later Dean of Liverpool
Cathedral. For us at St Agnes’ his important connection was that his uncle was the Revd Freddy Temple,
Rector of St Agnes between 1951 and 1953.
Freddy himself later became both a Dean and a Bishop, and of course Freddy’s grandfather was William
Temple, Bishop of Manchester, Archbishop of York and then of Canterbury. It is interesting too that on his
mother’s side Freddy’s great grandfather was Archbishop of Dublin and his grandfather Metropolitan of India.
That’s quite a family tree!
All these connections really bring home the importance of relationship within the church community. In
secular life it might seem presumptuous and pretentious to class such people as your friends or relatives but
within the church it is an affirming reality. We can indeed call all these people our Brothers. And if they are
our brothers, then we are in every sense their sisters and brothers too.
All Saints’ and All Souls’ tide reminds us of our connectedness, our relationship with the whole church – living
and departed. These are not strangers, but pilgrims, friends, indeed they are family. Whether we remember
the famous or the familiar, the great or the small, the Church reminds us at this holy time that they are all part
of one family in Christ and that status in the heavenly kingdom is given to everyone.
We might not be enjoying mitres and bishop status here on earth, but there is the promise of a crown for us
all in heaven.
As you remember your loved ones - for whom with faith, hope and love we pray are now enjoying their
heavenly reward - may God give you courage and joy on your continuing journey in Christ.
with my love and prayers,
Stephen
December 2011/January 2012
Strange things in strange places...
I am enjoying watching the second series of ‘Rev’ which is currently showing on BBC Two. It is refreshingly
honest, real and in parts hilarious. I particularly like the subtle details in the background which perhaps only
makes sense to those heavily involved in church life. In the vestry, and so far unmentioned and not referred
to, is a large plastic light up Christmas candle with two angelic choirboys on either side. It is not very stylish,
looks hideously out of place and yet I suspect is typical of what you might find in any church vestry across the
country. If not the same gaudy oversized ornament, there will be something stored away which is only
brought out once a year and yet is loved dearly and a part of that church’s seasonal tradition. Every vestry
(including that at St Agnes’!) will house a similar strange object which makes sense mainly to those who are
in the know or who have experienced its use, understood its meaning or warmed to its presence.
It is not only vestries which house such curiosities. The Rectory and vicarage studies of clergy across the
country are as busy with left over jumble, empty cake tins, and a host of parish ‘stuff’ which may one day
come in useful. When I was a curate I loved just sitting in my vicar’s study and looking at the assortment of
things which lay around the room! It is amusing (and rather comforting) that I now find that my own study
often mirrors this chaotic and eclectic collection of parish life. And it is wonderful that it does.
The Church (and it would seem most beautifully the Church of England) stands out from most modern
institutions and companies in that it never comfortably fits into the planned, strategic and competitive world of
organisation. The neatness and order that endless planning and strategy courses try to bring to the
administration and offices of other organisations always seem to sit less comfortably with the feel of Church
life. It is as if the Church cannot be contained within neatness and order. It can only conform to a certain
point and then it needs to break free and simply be itself. It is very messy at times – in fact it is wonderfully
so! The fact that there are strange things in strange places is its greatest charm and charism. It is part of
what makes the Christian faith so challenging to some people as it turns expectations and conformity upside
down in order to free men and women from compliance with the world.
For me Christmas celebrates the greatest of these messy, unexpected delights, the strangest thing in the
strangest place: God in a baby in a womb in a virgin in her teens in a stable in a backwater... It would never
be part of any human strategic plan! Yet it was God’s greatest plan for humanity. And the strangest thing of
all? It has changed my life.
With my love and prayers for a blessed Christmas
Stephen
| From the Rectory 2011 |