St Oswald's
11th January – and we remember a most remarkable woman. For courage, vision and leadership are found in the most unlikely of places. Mary Slessor was born in Aberdeen in December 1848, into a wretchedly poor family. Her father was an alcoholic who lost his job as a shoemaker. Mary was the second of seven children, and […]
6th January brings Epiphany – remembering the Wise Men who visited Jesus in Bethlehem. Magi from the East – it isn’t a lot to go on. The Magi had originally been a religious caste among the Persians. Their devotion to astrology, divination and the interpretation of dreams led to an extension in the meaning of the […]
The story is told of a farmer who didn’t believe in Jesus. One snowy Christmas Eve, his wife was taking their children to a service at their local church. He refused to come saying: ‘Why would God lower Himself to come to Earth as a man? That’s ridiculous!’ So, they left him at home. During the evening […]
This month our curate, the Revd Dr Jenny Eade, is ordained a priest (15th June). She joins a good few other women in Chester Diocese who are also priests. It is reckoned that over a third of all clergy in the C of E are now women. This article looks back on how it all […]
Here is a trick question: How many colours does your television set use? Answer: Just three: red, green and blue. And in that order, just like a rainbow (where reds are at one side, blues at the opposite side, green in the middle). This is known as “RGB”. These are TV’s three primary colours which, when […]
‘While He was blessing them, Jesus left them and was taken up into heaven.’ (Luke 24:51). The Ascension is a hugely neglected festival, which deserves to have a bigger place in our church life. How do we understand it? The Ascension tells us that Jesus is in control: ‘Jesus has gone into heaven and is at God’s […]
It’s amazing what treasure can be unearthed with metal detectors! In this season of Easter, let’s rediscover the greatest unburied treasure of the Resurrection. The Apostle Peter reminds us that God ‘has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can […]
“When you die, that’s it. Nothing. Out like a light.” That’s what the man in the pub said, and his mates all nodded, though the one whose mother had died the week before wasn’t really quite so certain. Still, it seemed to make sense. After all, we know what ‘dead’ means: dead leaves, dead batteries, […]
This month both Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day fall on the same day! The link between the two can be summed up in terms of the nature of real love! Lent, beginning on Ash Wednesday, focuses on learning to love God more, as we give Him space in our lives. This is what Jesus found […]
Last year (2023) 30 million people in the UK made New Year resolutions, with health (28%), money (27%), family (24%) and self-improvement (21%) topping the charts for the most common resolutions. However, surveys suggest that most people lasted seven weeks before giving them up and 21% only lasted for a month before giving up. What […]