Thoughts on Faith

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…