Well this is different! This reflection may seem a contrast to those I’ve written before – but in a sense it isn’t really. It was so lovely on Sunday, at our first public service in so many months, to welcome such loving and familiar faces back into the cathedral – even through the masks and visors! Some very kindly mentioned how they have enjoyed our reflections – noting how much of ourselves we have each shared personally. It has been and will continue to be, our pleasure – as we share our thoughts and reflections on God’s love around us. Our pattern of reflections is now changing slightly – the frequency is slightly less, as the cathedral is now more open; but our digital presence is now enhanced with the provision of live streaming of morning and evening prayer. And, as clergy, we are acutely aware of the need to still be here, online, for many people who may still be shielding at home, may still find it riskier to step out because of other conditions or treatments; or continue to feel anxious and worried about the whole situation. Well, we are still here for you, through both our websites; www.prayerforliverpool.org and www.liverpoolcathedral.org.uk. But today’s reflection is still personal – something close to my heart in terms of encouraging others to be more aware of. The subject of Dementia – something which can be, for both patients and carers, hugely challenging, hugely isolating – perhaps like Robin Hood’s tree in the photo above. It’s something which may touch our lives or those of loved ones, just as much as cancer – my main profession. Therefore, a greater Dementia Awareness is something we might all benefit from. So, this is the first in a series of short articles I planned to write, before the lockdown, as your Canon Scientist; a series bringing to our attention various aspects of healthcare – some you may be familiar with, some perhaps not. Dementia (in its various forms) is a condition all too familiar to many – we may ourselves be touched by it. Learning about it, being aware and helping those who are affected, is something we all should do….as Christians, or people of other faiths or even as good society members, it is something we are called to do in loving our neighbour. One way is to become a Dementia Friend, to learn more about it, how it affects us as individuals and communities. Raising awareness and understanding in ourselves is key to helping those with it. A Dementia Friend is someone who has learnt more about it and looks to take action (however big or small) to help and be on the lookout for ways to improve the way we serve, those who may have dementia. Simply wearing a Dementia Friends badge can be that action, raise that awareness. Within the cathedral we would like all of us - staff, volunteers, clergy, musicians, congregation members….in fact the whole Cathedral community, to become more aware and become a Dementia Friend, if you aren’t already. Dementia Friends itself is an official initiative of the Alzheimer’s Society – one of the foremost bodies helping individuals with Dementia and funding research into the disease….research which keeps on pushing forward the boundaries of our knowledge about the problem. There are of course many other excellent bodies also set-up to do this work – we need as much research as possible. The normal route to becoming a Dementia Friend is through reading information and watching videos on their website; and then attending a short face-to-face session with a Dementia Champion. When I was a hospital chaplain in Chester, I attended such a session and the person running it was utterly inspiring…someone who knew first hand of the issues. But, one surprisingly good effect of the present situation is that now you can become a Dementia Friend by attending sessions completely online. I’ve listed below some of the many online resources available to help become more aware of dementia and how it can affect us all, and to become a friend. I’m looking to become a Dementia Friends Champion, based at the cathedral, as part of our Diocesan Rule of Life (https://www.ruleoflife.org.uk/), as part of my role as your Canon Scientist. That I might pray more about this disease and those who suffer from it; read and learn more about it. So that through my faith I might be able to tell others about it, and thereby serve others – especially those who suffer from it and give of myself in so doing. As part of this, I’d like, through all of our prayers and efforts, to register Liverpool Cathedral as a Dementia Friendly Organisation – so improving the welcome and naturally the encounter for all coming to the cathedral. It is part of our service, part of our Christian love. Thanks very much for allowing me to share this with you and I do hope you’ll be able to find time to engage with this material online, perhaps learning something new for yourself, or refreshing your knowledge. Maybe you are already a Dementia Friend, as I am sure a number of you are; in which case thank you, and keep up the great work! If you are a member of staff or volunteer, do please let your line manager know when you become a Friend, or if you are one already. Please also feel free to tell me how you get on; perhaps as a Dementia Friend you have experiences you wish to share from your own story, or have experiences with friends and family…..please share them with me. What are your experiences especially through this lockdown period and the pandemic? Your thoughts and comments will always be welcome. With my love and prayers, as always; stay safe… Canon Mike 😊 Main Dementia Friends Website: https://www.dementiafriends.org.uk/WEBArticle?page=become-dementia-friend Online resources – video (5 min) and Online sessions (45 min) https://www.dementiafriends.org.uk/WEBArticle?page=join-options Dementia Friends Information Sessions – all online https://www.dementiafriends.org.uk/WEBSession#.Xro2C2hKi01 Become a Dementia Friend Online https://www.dementiafriends.org.uk/register-digital-friend While you're here: Why not prepare for next Sunday's worship? Our preparation sheet for adults and for children can be accessed by clicking on the Resources tab of this website: https://www.prayerforliverpool.org/prayer-resources.html.
0 Comments
This Sunday is a day of special rejoicing and celebration for Liverpool Cathedral. Each year this particular Sunday is set aside to recollect the consecration of the Cathedral in 1924, commissioning it for service while still under construction. On that day, Dean Dwelly’s Rejoices resounded in this holy place for the first time: Alleluia! The Lord is in his holy temple. This Sunday is a day of special rejoicing and celebration for Liverpool Cathedral for a second reason as well. The government’s Great Lock-Down of the nation back in March, as a prudent precaution against the uncontrolled reproduction of Covid 19, also entailed a Great Lock-Out from sacred places of private prayer and public worship. This Great Lock-Out has caused the Church to reflect on the proper place of churches and cathedrals within God’s plan for the salvation, healing, and wellbeing of creation. More than 6,000 responses to my survey that set out to discover how people responded to the Great Lock-Out shows that, although there is never just one mind on such matters within the Church of England, many clergy and lay people have been longing for the day when the keys are given back, when the doors are unlocked, and when we can reclaim for God’s glory the sacred space and common ground that speaks so clearly of God’s presence among God’s people: Alleluia! The Lord is in his holy temple. The Gospel reading selected for Consecration Sunday this year, during the lectionary year that is following Matthew’s Gospel, is Matthew’s account of Jesus entering the temple in Jerusalem (Matthew 21: 12-16). Here in Matthew’s Gospel Jesus claims the temple as space for conversation with God: My house shall be called a House of Prayer. Mark’s Gospel goes further to extend the sacred space as open common ground: My house shall be called a House of Prayer for all people. The Great Unlocking and the recalling to mind of the consecration of Liverpool Cathedral in 1924 reaffirms the personal significance and the public significance of this majestic sacred space and common ground for all people – a place of profound and life-transforming encounters: Alleluia! The Lord is in his holy temple. Next week the image to help us prepare for participation in the Sunday service, whether offline here in the Cathedral or online at home, is hidden treasure, when the Gospel reading returns to Matthew’s little book of parables. You can find out more about that theme here: https://www.prayerforliverpool.org/prayer-resources.html. We would really appreciate you letting us know how you are using these materials. Please send us your ideas and photos of the things you may create; email them to [email protected]. We are streaming our Consecration Sunday worship this morning live from our Facebook page, which you can find here: https://www.facebook.com/LiverpoolCathedral/. Please note that beginning next Sunday, we will be returning to our regular pattern of producing pre-recorded worship resources. Stay connected to our website and Facebook page for the latest information. With warm Consecration Sunday wishes, Canon Leslie I signed up for a whittling on-line zoom course. I have no idea why but it seemed like the sort of activity that would be absorbing and might take me out of the lockdown rut. All the equipment for the course arrived in the post – a pack that included: a set of very sharp knives, 4 blocks of ash, 4 sticks (wood unknown), sandpaper and a box of plasters (see photo). As an extremely clumsy person whittling counts a dangerous activity so I knew I would need the plasters. Indeed the first task was to unroll the knife roll and take the safety cover off one of the knives – and in seconds I had managed to cut my hand 3 times. Not seriously. But, nevertheless it was clear that I would need to take great care and concentrate – properly concentrate. As a competitive person I do not like not being able to do things – and I need to tell you that the first two tasks were beyond me. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t hold the knife properly; I couldn’t get the wood to respond. I failed. I hated it. I wanted to stop. And this was 1/2hr into a 5 hour course. I was all for wrapping the knives back up, bandaging my bloody hand and making an excuse so I could leave. But, then just as I was failing…I made a little whittle mark in the wood that gave me pleasure. A tiny slither of wood – the size of a nibbled finger nail – cut cleanly from the plank of ash as if it were butter…and I was hooked. From then on I was totally focused, absorbed and taken in under spell of whittling this unformed bit of wood. Before I knew it I was whittling a wooden knife with a very sharp knife and I couldn’t stop. Everything focused in on that creation as if it were the most important wooden knife in the whole world. Then time sped past and then it was 4pm and the course leader was saying goodbye and the zoom ended. I was left with my first whittling creation – which you can see is the most magnificent wooden knife you have ever seen! What I have realised is that in order to get a rest from work and just keeping home life together I need to do something that is totally absorbing and distracting. I also need something creative – and I seem to need an outcome…in this case a beautiful small wooden knife. I also realised that this had been a prayerful experience: in the quiet creativity of the activity I had drawn close to God and allowed the small still voice of calm to whisper in my ear…and I heard ‘I love you; you are fearfully and wonderfully made’. Loving God, I thank you for your grace and mercy. I thank you that I am fearfully and wonderfully made - And that you love me. I pray that in being loved I am able to love, And that I will be creative, generous and joyful in my loving. Amen Canon Ellen While you're here: Why not prepare for next Sunday's worship? Our preparation sheet for adults and for children can be accessed by clicking on the Resources tab of this website: https://www.prayerforliverpool.org/prayer-resources.html. Well, what do you know. It turns out that I am 1/32 Lancastrian! This unexpected fact emerged from a bit of family history research that Stella and I were engaged in last week. One of my 3x great grandfathers, Thomas Davenport, was born in St. Helen’s in the 1820’s. And there was me thinking that I was pretty much the product of agricultural labourers from Sussex and miners from County Durham. In fact, my back-history includes cobblers from Suffolk, plasterers from Gloucester, painters and decorators from Kent, potters from Yorkshire as well as labourers from St. Helen’s. I realise that 1/32 is not much ‘blood’ from these parts, but I guess you could also argue quality and not quantity. Quite what possessed Thomas to forsake his home town and undertake such a significant journey across the Pennines to the North East I do not know. Looking for work, I suppose, in the then rapidly expanding coal-mining industy in County Durham. At some point he met and married a local lass from Gateshead. The rest, as they say, is history. I find the whole family history thing quite intriguing, as I blogged some weeks ago. Learning about my ancestors gives me a bit of a window into the wider social trends operating in the country at the same time. Maybe, though, there is a deeper and more personal reason; namely a quest for a sense of ‘rootedness’. Because I have moved around England quite a bit in my life, I don’t have the that sense of rootedness as do those who have lived their whole, or most of their lives, in one place. I first noticed this in Biggleswade in Bedfordshire, where I served my curacy. Whilst there were numerous incomers to that market town, there were also many people whose families had been in the area for several generations. They and the land seemed to be deeply fused together – it was almost a spiritual attachment as well as being an emotional one. I certainly found that to be the case in Hull, and have done so in spades in Liverpool where the passion for all things Liverpudlian is very evident and very moving. I am, to be honest, even a bit envious of those who have such a sense of where they originate and belong. Nevertheless, I can still enjoy being inspired by those of you who do have that deeply enmeshed sense of your roots. Enough of my navel-gazing though! In these unprecedented times in which we find ourselves, such passion for rootedness should be a massive asset. I’ve just been reading a report about the challenges that this city and region face as the full economic and social impacts of Covid-19 begin to surface. It is sobering reading. But the author is convinced that the city is not back on the brink again. The huge advances in the area over the last three decades or so will not all be undone in the twinking of an eye by some global pandemic whose origins are well beyond our control. Nevertheless, it will require a massive amount of effort to make up the lost ground; from local people, from those who care about and visit Liverpool and its environs, and with help from Westminster too. Sagely, it sees this taking a couple of years or more of intentional planning to head off at the pass serious and lasting damage. Naturally, there will be, as the report acknowledges, a tangible fear of going back to the kinds of patterns of living that were the norm before Covid and a reticence to re-enter that which was everyday and taken for granted. At a recent on-line meeting, one person made it clear that it would be some while before she would be comfortable with the thought of being physically in a conference room with a dozen or so other people. I guess that we can all identify with that sentiment. Something seismic has shifted in all our perceptions. The report also calls forth the remarkable resilience of Liverpool people, of the kind that they have shown repeatedly over the years, and urges us to be “creative, innovative, adaptive and collaborative”. I sense that this is not just possible here, but also probable precisely because of the sense of rootedness that so many local people feel deeply in their bones. Liverpool strikes me as being not just a place on a map but a people who are so connected with the city that it motivates them to contend even harder for it when crises threaten to take away from them all that they cherish most dearly. It will need all of us to dig deep and lead by example, not least those of us who are part of our faith communities. After all, the notion of making sacrifices and extra effort for the sake of the greater good should not come as a surprise to us. Nor of working collaboratively – although I realise that the church through the ages hasn’t always showered itself in glory on this one! Perhaps the rallying cry might be, in a paraphrase of the words of a certain General during the First World War, “Your City needs You!” So let’s be alert to the ways in which we can step up to the plate and put our shoulder to the wheel – if that is not mixing metaphors. And, as for family history, are we not creating history as we do so? History that we should be proud to pass on to the generations of family and friends that will come after us. Canon Neal While you're here: Why not prepare for next Sunday's worship? Our preparation sheet for adults and for children can be accessed by clicking on the Resources tab of this website: https://www.prayerforliverpool.org/prayer-resources.html. Another week has gone by and we are almost there. Where I wonder is ‘there.’ ‘There’ for me is moving back into the magnificent public sacred space of the main Cathedral. ‘There’ is opening the Cathedral to visitors, pilgrims and worshippers. Over the past few weeks, the Lady Chapel has been open for private prayer. Many have said how wonderful it is to be able to sit and reflect in the quiet of the Lady Chapel. Many have said how important the building has been to them in giving them space to think back over the past few months. Sundays for me have been a real joy as I have welcomed people into the Lady Chapel, into a space that is sacred, into a space that is public, into a space which is common ground. I have encountered many different people, people searching for peace, people searching for understanding, and people searching for the one who they may not name as God. As we continue to offer people the public sacred space of the Lady Chapel and as we move into the public sacred space of the main Cathedral, we invite people to come, to dwell, to pray, to reflect on what has happened over the past few months. We invite people to feel that they belong. What the Cathedral does well is to point people to someone greater than themselves, to someone whom I name God. We invite people to come to Liverpool Cathedral to encounter: - Inspiring Christian Worship - A breath-taking experience - A place committed to justice and mercy - A safe and generous place in joy and in sorrow - A dynamic staff and dynamic volunteers. Above all we want people to encounter the God who knows and loves them. In order to do all this safely, we need as a Cathedral to be committed to the well-being of all people who come and for whatever reason. We (the staff and volunteers) are working hard to keep people safe and this means things will be a bit different for the foreseeable future. We ask that if you are coming to the Cathedral, for whatever reason, you book through Eventbrite. We ask that you keep looking at our website and Facebook page to keep up-to-date with all that is taking place in the Cathedral. As we build back there will be different opening times for visitors, mid-week services of Morning and Evening Prayer will take place in the Lady Chapel and be at a different time to the main opening times. The Cathedral website: www.liverpoolcathedral.org.uk will hold information about visitor opening and times of worship. From Monday we will live stream Morning and Evening Prayer on our Facebook page, we will Blog on Tuesdays, Thursday and Sundays on the main Cathedral website page. We will continue to offer you the opportunity to prepare for Sunday Worship through Exploring the Sunday Gospel at Home linked through the Sunday Blog and we will continue to pre-record the Sunday Service from the 26 July for all those who are shielding and worshipping at home. And above all, we will continue to be ‘there’, wherever ‘there’ is for you. Booking Links Consecration Sunday Service on 19 July at 10:30 https://livcathedralconsecration.eventbrite.co.uk Visiting from 19 July at 12 noon https://livcathedralvisit.eventbrite.co.uk Eucharist Service from 20 July at 12:05 https://livcathedraleucharist.eventbrite.co.uk Sunday Eucharist Service from 26 July at 10:30 https://livcathedralsunday.eventbrite.co.uk Worship Services Monday to Saturday 9:00 Morning Prayer Lady Chapel 12:05 Eucharist Nave Altar in Main Cathedral (booking required) 15:00 Said Evening Prayer Lady Chapel Sunday 10:30 Eucharist Nave Altar in Main Cathedral (booking required) 15:00 Said Evening Prayer Lady Chapel Web Links https://www.liverpoolcathedral.org.uk/home/visiting-us/a-great-place-to-visit.aspx https://www.liverpoolcathedral.org.uk/ Social Media Twitter: @LivCathedral Facebook: @LiverpoolCathedral Insta: @livcathedral While you're here: Why not prepare for next Sunday's worship? Our preparation sheet for adults and for children can be accessed by clicking on the Resources tab of this website: https://www.prayerforliverpool.org/prayer-resources.html. I wonder if I am the only person still in possession of these commemorative boxes of matches produced amongst other memorabilia to mark the Centenary of the Diocese in 1980. As you can see on one side are the pictures of all the Bishops stretching back one hundred years. If you look carefully you can see: Charles Ryle, Francis Chavasse, Albert Davis, Clifford Martin, Stuart Blanch, and the then present Bishop, David Sheppard. On the reverse are 5 selected Churches: St Elphin, Warrington; St Paul, Southport; St Francis Kitt Green; Liverpool Parish Church, and of course the Cathedral. If the Deans of Liverpool had been deemed worthy of note they would have been: Frederick Dwelly, Frederick Dillistone, and Edward Patey. (The Cathedral was not consecrated until 1924) For me all the names before David Sheppard and Edward Patey are historical figures known about only through reading biographies and yet each in their own time had great influence over both Diocese and Cathedral. Of course a great deal of water has flowed since 1980 bringing with it 2 more Bishops and incredibly 5 more Deans. I have had the privilege of knowing all 7 of them to a greater or lesser degree and you will need to wait until I publish my memoirs to find out what I really think! However Bishops and Deans bare heavy responsibilities especially in times of uncertainty, and since 1880 there have been plenty of those. There will have been and always will be, different views and opinions about past and present. However it seems to me that both Diocese and Cathedral have been incredibly well served by those who have held high office in the past and do so today. They deserve our prayers as they exercise their ministry today standing, as they do, on the shoulders of giants. Canon Bob While you're here: Why not prepare for next Sunday's worship? Our preparation sheet for adults and for children can be accessed by clicking on the Resources tab of this website: https://www.prayerforliverpool.org/prayer-resources.html. I was 14 when I was confirmed. Our preparation took place on winter evenings, sitting in a cold church and listening to the curate. The word ‘inter-active’ was not yet invented, and I can recall very little of what was said. I do recall almost ‘putting my foot in it.’ The curate asked what were the two most important books for the Church. The answer he expected was the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. Fortunately I have never been one to put my hand up unnecessarily, but had I done so, my answer would have displeased him. I would have said the most important books in the church were the two which were handed to us as we came through the door each week – the prayer book and the hymn book. Over time I have become convinced of the central importance of Holy Scripture, and I acknowledged this publicly and gladly when I was ordained and on every occasion since when I have been licensed for new ministry. However hymns have always been very dear to me, and I would be most reluctant to part with the hymn books I have collected over the years. I am not generally all that good with numbers, but my one and only party trick is that I can recall hymn numbers very readily. As well as speeding up the process of choosing the hymns, it has proved useful in remembering my PIN numbers! Hymns arouse strong emotions, and many of us have favourites, and perhaps pet hates as well. Often these are linked in our memories with a significant occasion or with a particular person. Their words are often memorable, and for many of us, they have helped to shape the way we think about God, of Jesus and his love, of how we seek to follow him as his disciples. A good tune helps as well! As we return to public worship, one familiar feature which sadly will be missing is the singing of hymns. I find it hard to imagine our Sunday worship without them, but to begin with at least it is not considered safe for us to sing as we gather together. For many of us, this will be a real impoverishment, and we will long for their safe return. Canon Myles While you're here: Why not prepare for next Sunday's worship? Our preparation sheet for adults and for children can be accessed by clicking on the Resources tab of this website: https://www.prayerforliverpool.org/prayer-resources.html. The anticipation is almost tangible. As we cautiously move towards our first public service together, the signs of ‘new life’, as I reflected upon some weeks ago now, are now becoming cautiously and tentatively stronger and stronger. The doors of the cathedral, now open for private prayer, will be opened just that little bit wider in a few days’ time for our Eucharist together – and on Consecration Sunday too; what a special day. Lessons learned, opportunities gained from being ‘together’ in an online world during the lockdown, will continue in some form – so services will still be available online; our morning and evening prayer will have an online presence too; some of the ways of praying, communicating, ‘being together’ in the digital world will continue in some form – especially for the continued benefits of those who can’t make it to the cathedral, and those too for whom the risk is greater – who are still isolating until August, or who may be still (quite rightly) unsure of the risks to be taken. Whether we do step out into this new life right now, or not, there can be hope in our hearts that a new life with Christ is emerging, a new journey with our Lord Jesus. Behind the scenes is a huge amount of work – from only a few staff. There’s a delicate balance as we bring back staff from furlough, as we balance costs against income; an income which was turned off like a tap as we went into lockdown and will take many months and years to be opened back up again. Their tireless efforts, as they usually are, working so hard in the background to bring us a full cathedral life, are still there – people lovingly dedicated to the cathedral and our faith. We feel the joy in their hearts as they return…. as we are reminded of the joys of people seeing Jesus come into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday; the subject of today’s New Testament lesson for morning prayer (Luke 19:28-40). In our hearts we shout for joy, albeit cautiously; we give praise to God. And we thank all working to welcome people back to the cathedral, we pray for God’s blessing upon them, we pray for God to sustain and support them – spiritually and materially too in these emerging hard economic times. Indeed, still we should pray….. But it was for another reason that this phrase came to mind for me for this reflection – instead, it was from a stark news story during the week, of the plight of those in South America – for whom the peak of the pandemic is still only emerging. Although we feel in our own country, quite correctly, the pain and grief of losing loved ones, or the difficulties for those still in the care of our wonderful, world class NHS….in many parts of the world, the situation is much much worse. The report told of family members stricken by COVID-19 at home, of ambulances called but which never arrived – because the healthcare system has collapsed under the strain; of loved ones dying before the very eyes of the family, with no help, no health care. Of the mass graves viewed by loved ones at a distance, with no words of comfort; those cremated hour-upon-hour in simple cardboard coffins, because no funeral is possible. The need to pray is still ever present – even more so as our faith in Jesus Christ asks of us to think of the other, to love our neighbour. So still, we should pray….pray for them in the acuteness of their plight in which they see no light right now; pray for the tireless work of our healthcare professions to continue their research into cost-effective drugs that might help and vaccines which are so badly needed – but as Christians perhaps thinking of others first who don’t have the medicine and care systems we have and benefit from. Still, we should pray – in joy and sorrow – in Jesus’ name. With my love and prayers for you all, as always…. Canon Mike While you're here: Why not prepare for next Sunday's worship? Our preparation sheet for adults and for children can be accessed by clicking on the Resources tab of this website: https://www.prayerforliverpool.org/prayer-resources.html. This year the lectionary for Sunday services is taking us through Matthew’s Gospel. A distinctive and characteristic feature of Matthew’s Gospel is the way in which it contains five blocks of Jesus’ teaching. This Sunday’s Gospel reading brings us the third block of teaching. As a crowd gathers on the beach, Jesus gets into a boat, and sits down to teach. Here is Matthew’s ‘little book of parables’. Jesus’ fascination with parables is much more than a cute way of getting people to listen to him. Jesus’ use of parables generates deep insight into how Jesus sees the world and how Jesus encourages us to think about the world. Jesus wants us to see the world through God’s eyes, Jesus wants us to think about the world theologically. Jesus calls us to be empirical theologians, people who look at the world carefully and critically, people who learn about God the creator from observing how God’s creation functions. Matthew’s little book of parables opens with a well-known parable that he copied from Mark – the Parable of the Sower. If you really want to know what things are like when God reigns, go and observe the sower at work, and work it out for yourselves. To prepare for this Sunday’s service, I invited those of you who want to do some thinking beforehand to focus on the image of the farmer, and perhaps even to imagine yourselves as the farmer, just as Teddy Horsley is doing in today’s picture. Seriously engaging with the soil opened Teddy Horsley’s ears to hear the Song of Creation, and opened his mouth to join in the praise of Psalm 148. Next week the Cathedral is open for the first time after the lockdown and it happens to be Consecration Sunday, the day when we give thanks to God for the consecration of the Cathedral 96 years ago. This service will also be live streamed. The image to help us to prepare for this service, whether we are able to be there in person or to share in the service at home, is house of prayer. You can find out more about that theme here https://www.prayerforliverpool.org/prayer-resources.html. We would really appreciate you letting us know how you are using these materials. Please send us your ideas and photos of the things you may create; email them to [email protected]. The photo above is taken from the book, The Song: Teddy Horsley Sings a Song of Creation. To learn more about Teddy Horsley, follow this link to his website: https://teddyhorsley.org/. Check out his page on the St. Mary’s Centre website for more Teddy Horsley stories: http://www.st-marys-centre.org.uk/resources.html. We warmly invite you to join us for worship here: Teddy Horsley sends his Sunday greetings to all. Canon Leslie I have two happy places. One is Liverpool Cathedral (obviously) and the other is Everton Park. During the lockdown I was able to look out at the cathedral every day but I missed Everton Park with its rolling telly tubby hills and amazing views. There was one Sunday in the middle of May when I was so sad that I couldn’t get to the park that a friend sent me a photo on her way home from volunteering at the foodbank. I am not ashamed to admit that it made me have a little cry. I am sure you have missed those special happy places, the places we all take for granted and in ordinary times would just pop over to see and experience whenever we feel the need. As lockdown starts to ease a little perhaps you have made it out to visit a few places you have missed? Well, I went to Everton Park this week (the photo is proof). I was able to just catch the last of the wild flowers and even though it was a hazy day I did get to see the sea! And I had another little cry… I won’t be getting out as much as many others might be as I will continue to shield with Mark until August and then we will have to remain careful for a long time until he is a bit better. But, these trips to open spaces and safe places will be a great morale boost and spiritually uplifting. I know this has been a hard time for all of us and we will need to live in a new way for quite some time. That way we will be safe and we will be able to gently look after each other. So, my prayers this week are for those people who are feeling isolated and can’t get out to their happy places, for those who are struggling with their mental health and who physically are finding these times difficult. I know how fortunate I am and I know how hard it continues to be so many. Loving God I thank you for your grace and mercy For the joy of being able to share in such beauty in creation For those places that bring back happy memories and full us with joy. I pray for those who are struggling in body mind or spirit For people who feel isolated and alone, For the sick and the dying, And for all who are longing for human touch and loving care. Pour our spirit on the bereaved and all who are sad and full of sorrow. May your protection and love surround us all. In the name of your Son Jesus Christ. Amen. Canon Ellen While you're here: Why not prepare for next Sunday's worship? Our preparation sheet for adults and for children can be accessed by clicking on the Resources tab of this website: https://www.prayerforliverpool.org/prayer-resources.html. |
supporting you during these uncertain times AuthorLiverpool Cathedral is a place of encounter. Built by the people, for the people, to the Glory of God Archives
September 2022
|
Prayer for Liverpool
brought to you from Liverpool Cathedral St James Mount Liverpool L1 7AZ |
Liverpool Cathedral is a place of encounter.
Built by the people, for the people, to the Glory of God www.liverpoolcathedral.org.uk |