Have you been outside since Christmas Day? The Vicar emerges - and it's ...

The celebration of Christmas continues. A reflection on how we can all make the Christmas Journey our own - and the miracle of God's purpose fulfilled in the weakness of a vulnerable, needy, new-born child.

And click here for a link to the Christmas Night Sermon preached by the Vicar.

"O Emmanuel" - welcoming the one who is "God-with-us"

"O Emmanuel!" We look forward to the coming of the one who is "God-with-us." A live-streamed Eucharist from St. Cuthbert's Church, Shotley Bridge at the end of Advent - and intended especially for those who are unable to be with us in church at Christmas.

Join us, if you can, in church. We're sorry to say that our 4pm Christmas Eve Carol Service is fully booked - and so is the 8pm Vigil Mass at St. John's. However, we expect to have plenty of capacity for the 10pm "Midnight Mass" of Christmas Night (Midnight Bethlehem time!) and the 9.30am Parish Eucharist - both in St. Cuthbert's. Face coverings, social distancing etc, but you don't need to book for these.

No services in either church on Sunday - but our regular pattern of worship resumes with midweek Eucharists next week.

We wish you every blessing of peace and joy!

Advent Compline - a short quiet service to end the day

Night Prayer for the final days of Advent

- as we seek peace in preparing to welcome the Christ-child.

The Fourth Sunday of Advent - Mary's anticipation of the birth of her Son

The Fourth Sunday of Advent - our Service of the Word for Sunday 19th December with the Revd. Martin Jackson.

We'll be celebrating the Eucharist at 9am in St. John's Church, Castleside and and 10.30am in St. Cuthbert's Church, Shotley Bridge. You're welcome online or in person. Carol Services too (for which we ask you to register). Full details elsewhere on our Facebook pages and this website.

The Third Sunday of Advent - Gaudete Sunday

The Third Sunday of Advent - Gaudete Sunday and its call to rejoice! This is our Service of the Word for Sunday 12th December with the Revd. Martin Jackson. 

We'll be celebrating the Eucharist at 10.30am in St. Cuthbert's Church, Shotley Bridge and at 4pm in St. John's Church, Castleside. You're welcome online or in person.

That sense of anticipation…

I hope there is a real sense of excitement as we approach Christmas. Admittedly the question amongst a fair proportion of the clergy is, how are we going to do it? And the answer is that we will celebrate Christ’s birth by any means possible. That will entail more than last year, at least. We’re planning Carol Services for a start - though we can’t manage the numbers in the past, so please do book your place! It’s not to put you off - it’s to ensure that you find a seat when you arrive. You can book either by using the sign-up sheets in church or by contacting our Wardens. Please give name, phone number and how many places; details on the next page.

I’m sorry we can’t simply say, ”Welcome all-comers! Just turn up.” But don’t let that put you off. It doesn’t really take that much effort to pick up the phone - or put your name on a list in church. And the fact is that Christ comes to us - he is the child born to redeem us all. That’s worth singing about - and it’s worth bringing ourselves also to the Eucharist to meet him who shares with us his body and his blood. This is to meet with God’s Son, born in our human flesh.

Remember that for most services you can just turn up on the day. If we’re not already doing that, then I hope Christmas might be a nudge. Jesus is not just for Christmas - he’s for the whole year round. Jesus is not just the Child of Bethlehem to be worshipped in the manger - he’s the Saviour who must be allowed to grow in our hearts, calling us to follow where he goes.

And be ready to meet him - not only in the stable in Bethlehem, but in any person whom he calls his brother or his sister. “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?” At Christmas we see one who lies on a bed of straw, one whose family found “no room at the inn” - a family soon forced to flee as refugee-migrants for their own safety. It’s sad that so many of the conditions they knew are still a reality.

What is God saying to us now?                                   

Martin Jackson

Get ready for Christmas!  When and how to book…

We’d love to “do” Christmas just as we have in the past. But in view of the pandemic, we can’t cram up to 350 people into St. Cuthbert’s Church for a Christingle Service on Christmas Eve! However, there shouldn’t be any problem with “Midnight Mass” which we’re holding at midnight, Bethlehem time - i.e. 10pm in Shotley Bridge (no booking required!). Check our Calendar page for all the services available.

We ask you to book a place for the following services; lists in church or via phone contacts - let us know your contact details & how many seats.

Unless exempt please wear a face covering for each of these services:

St. John’s Church, Castleside

Sunday 19 December     6pm Carol Service (Jean Carter 01207 235569)

Thursday 24 December 8pm Christmas Vigil Mass (book as above)

 

St. Cuthbert’s Church, Shotley Bridge

Thursday 24 December 4pm Christmas Eve Carols & Blessing of Crib

(book via Linda Short 01207 503750)

Second Sunday of Advent - Service of the Word

The Second Sunday of Advent. Our Service of the Word for Sunday 5th December with the Revd. Martin Jackson.

We'll be celebrating the Eucharist at 9am in St. John's Church, Castleside and and 10.30am in St. Cuthbert's Church, Shotley Bridge. You're welcome online or in person.

Advent Sunday - Service of the Word

Advent Sunday! An online service with the Revd. Martin Jackson.

We'll be celebrating the Eucharist at 9am in St. John's Church, Castleside and and 10.30am in St. Cuthbert's Church, Shotley Bridge. You're welcome online or in person.

Eucharist for Armistice Day & Remembrance - and the Feast of St. Martin ...

Eucharist for Armistice Day - 11 November. We also celebrate the Feast of St. Martin of Tours, a Roman soldier who found his calling in serving a poor man in his need - and so met Christ. We include prayers for all who have lost their lives in time of war and an Act of Remembrance. 

There'll be Eucharists on Remembrance Sunday at 9.30am in St. Cuthbert's Church, Shotley Bridge and at 4pm in St. John's Church, Castleside. 

Sunday's Acts of Remembrance at 10.50am in St. Cuthbert's Church, 3pm at Memorial Cottages, Shotley Bridge and 3pm at the Memorial in Castleside Churchyard. 

Service of the Word - the Third Sunday before Advent

Service of the Word for Sunday 7th November - the Third Sunday before Advent. Parish Eucharists at 9am in St. John's Church, Castleside & 10.30am in St. Cuthbert's Church, Shotley Bridge. 

The Revd. Martin Jackson reflects on today's readings and asks how we respond to our particular callings.

Evening Prayer - All Souls' Day

Evening Prayer for the Commemoration of All Souls - praying for the faithful departed, remembering all our loved ones who have died.

Celebrating the Saints

The Revd. Martin Jackson presides at the Eucharist from St. Cuthbert's Church, Shotley Bridge. 

Originally live-streamed for the Feast of St. Simon & St. Jude, but we invite you to share in this offering for All Saints-tide, which we celebrate this weekend.

Looking back - and forwards…

(From the November issue of our Parish Magazine)

November can be a difficult month. The weather gets steadily worse. The days get shorter and darker. The leaves fall off the trees. The leaves need sweeping up - which is even worse! A sense of desolation can seem to set in. All that on top of the uncertainties of pandemic, failing supply chains and fears for the economy.

Some of the things we do in church at this time bring home still more the sense of our frailty and fragility. The Commemoration of All Souls is so important because it reminds us that our departed loved ones are in the hands of God - but it’s nevertheless a reminder of loss which we feel so deeply. Remembrance Sunday goes further into that sense of loss, even while we look with thanksgiving to those who have sacrificed so much. We can’t escape our mortality. And it’s important to acknowledge this. Don’t just say, “Cheer up, it’ll soon be Christmas.” That’s true! - but first we have to recognise our true vulnerabilities, failings and needs. Only a readiness to face the diagnosis can bring us the healing which is human wholeness.

This is the time of year when we can be reminded that the reality of hope is something more than simple optimism. The UN Summit on Climate Change, COP26, isn’t based on a belief that somehow we can muddle through and everything will work out in the end. It’s the recognition that we are all part of the problem - so our responsibility is to work together to do something about it

For us as Christians that’s why our worship so often begins with the Confession of our sins. Not to wallow in a sense of unworthiness - but to recognise what holds us back, and then to accept the forgiveness which will allow us to move on. As Christians we have a real hope. In the Gospel readings for the last two Sundays after Trinity, Jesus asks people who come to him, ”What do you want me to do for you?” James & John respond with unrealistic ambition. The blind beggar, Bartimaeus simply admits his need. He is the one who receives healing and a new hope. Told to go on his way, he realises that the direction he needs is to follow Jesus. So what do we want? Where are we going?              

Martin Jackson

Service of the Word - Last Sunday after Trinity

Service of the Word for Sunday 24th October. Parish Eucharists at 9am in St. John's Church, Castleside & 10.30am in St. Cuthbert's Church, Shotley Bridge.

The Revd. Martin Jackson reflects on today's Gospel where again Jesus asks the question, "What is it you want me to do for you?"

Service of the Word - 20th Sunday after Trinity

Service of the Word for Sunday 17th October. Parish Eucharists at 9am in St. John's Church, Castleside & 10.30am in St. Cuthbert's Church, Shotley Bridge.

Full services and a more formal liturgy in the Eucharists, but here the Revd. Martin Jackson reflects on today's Gospel and asks, "what are we looking for?"

Harvest Thanksgiving - 10 October 2021

Harvest Thanksgiving! Time to look and be thankful. Recognising what God has given us with wonder. We celebrate Harvest also at our Eucharists: 10.30am in St. Cuthbert's Church, Shotley Bridge and 4pm in St. John's Church, Castleside. 

And here's our online offering of praise, prayer, reading and reflection.

Service of the Word - 18th Sunday after Trinity

Service of the Word for Sunday 3rd October. Parish Eucharists at 9am in St. John's Church, Castleside & 10.30am in St. Cuthbert's Church, Shotley Bridge. 

A more formal homily in the Eucharists, but here the Revd. Martin Jackson reflects on the importance of the word, "but..."

“Key Limiting Factors” and “Prioritisation”

Over the summer the Church of England managed to create quite a stir which was noticed even in some of the mainstream media when it published a report which included a reference to clergy as being amongst the “key limiting factors” in the Church’s growth and mission. Not surprisingly many took immediate offence. The report was seeking to map out a way that churches might grow in numbers at a time when the majority are shrinking. It suggested that new, often lay-led, communities needed to be set up - as many as 10,000 or 20,000 depending on which follow-up reports were to be believed. And in this context the report made out that the existing parish system with expensively-trained clergy was less than ideally suited to the challenge of growth. Hence the reference to clergy as “key limiting factors.” Conversely it appeared that rather more could be expected of initiatives where lay voluntary leadership could generate growth unhampered by lengthy professional training, free of buildings judged to be unfit for purpose and too costly to maintain, and within a structure in which neither parish responsibilities to a surrounding population nor the sacraments seemed to figure highly.

What’s my response? Certainly I think the tone of the report was ill-judged and the reference to the clergy was crass - if only because it was published in the midst of a pandemic when most clergy have been doing all they can to play their part in maintaining Christian life, witness, prayer and worship. And I do wonder where the great upsurge in lay leadership of these new communities will be identified? - and what the plan is for relinquishing so much of the parish plant with which we do struggle?

But I also think there’s much that we have to take seriously. There is truth in the point about clergy being “key limiting factors” if everything is made to depend on the clergy. A priest can never “do it all” on his or her own. We’ve always known that - hence the reason for churchwardens, PCCs, vergers, volunteers in every part of church life… But it’s now all the more critical that we recognise this. The more that is expected of clergy, the less they will have to give of their own gifts and led by God’s grace. Clergy can only flourish in partnership with others. And what is the point of their ministry unless it engages with the full range of all that others may offer?

As we seek to emerge from 18 months of the privations of pandemic, where do we think we are going? Few of us have come through unscathed - but I’m glad to have been strengthened in many aspects of my faith. The love, forgiveness and mercy of God are things I hold to all the more strongly. Sharing that faith by witness, worship and the sacraments is all the more essential - and to express it through service of others. But I can’t do it on my own. Our Messy Church Team asks in this issue of our Magazine how it can restart its work - it needs people to play their part. We want our worship to be vibrant and attractive - but for that we need people to join us; just turning up is a good start! We want to offer a welcome as people seek Baptism and Marriage - but at a time when so many find it hard even to fix a date, I find myself asking how long we can be around to offer these sacraments.

I’m not getting any younger. In a recent letter to me our Bishop used the word “retirement,” a reference which I decided not to engage with in my response. But a number of my colleagues have retired during the pandemic without much, if any, of a farewell - and each time it’s caused me to think of what they have left behind; or what their parishioners will have the will to continue.

Just recently our Diocese has produced a document offering guidance for parishes where the priest has moved away. The document is called “Prioritisation,” and it takes the parish through a process of discernment before another appointment is made - if it is to be made. That being the case, I think it’s a good idea for any parish to start working with it as soon as possible. The point is not so much what the parish wants from its priest as what the people of the parish have the vision to enable - together with their willingness to use their gifts, time and energy. And a basic aspect of parish life is simply to join in prayer and worship. We need to recognise this after all the anxieties of the pandemic which have kept us away from church. We need to recognise that Baptism is something we can offer only from a community of prayer - so if you want it for yourself or your child you should be ready to engage with that community. We need to be here for one another - or what’s the point?          

Martin Jackson

Service of the Word - 17th Sunday after Trinity

Service of the Word for Sunday 26th September. 

The Revd. Martin Jackson reflects on the challenges of how we live and relate to others, using the readings of the day.

Service of the Word - 14th Sunday after Trinity

Service of the Word for Sunday 5th September. The Revd. Martin Jackson leads this service using the readings of the day, and considers how deeds need to match up to our words: "Love your neighbour as yourself."

What’s normal?...

 Let me start by quoting an article carried by church media supplier, Parish Pump…

Be careful with Covid, urges Bishop of London…  The Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally, has encouraged churches and individuals to continue to take precautions to protect the vulnerable from Covid-19.

“Many will welcome the possibilities now before us. However, this is a difficult point in the course of the pandemic. Despite vaccination rates, cases are up, hospital admissions are up and long covid remains an ongoing concern. Therefore, our approach needs to be cautious and careful.   

“Taking personal responsibility means taking precautions to protect those more vulnerable than we consider ourselves to be. Local church leaders know their communities and their own circumstances, and we will support them making local decisions to keep themselves and their community safe.”

Anything I print is going to be out of date by the time it’s read. So I think the Bishop’s advice “to be cautious and careful” is most important. There are no longer legal restrictions governing most areas of daily life. As many people remind me, we have to live with the Coronavirus. But at the same time we need to recognise people’s vulnerabilities, those who are still at risk, potential for sudden increases in the infection rate. So while we are trying to extend what we can do in our churches and halls, we’re still concerned for those who we hope will join us. Social distancing is still in place for regular services, and we’re working cautiously with numbers for Baptisms and Funerals. For weddings at St. John’s we’ve allowed greater numbers - but ask people to balance the risk against the desire to celebrate (sanitising + face coverings help with that balance). Some singing has now started on Sundays in St. Cuthbert’s and at weddings in St. John’s. It might all seem peculiar. But we work with the Psalmist’s question: “How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?” (Psalm 137.4) We seek to proclaim our faith in the strangeness of this world.    

Martin Jackson

This item is from the September issue of our Parish Magazine - click here to read the whole issue

Service of the Word - 13th Sunday after Trinity

Service of the Word for Sunday 29th August. The Revd. Martin Jackson leads this service using the readings of the day, and ponders the encouragement to be not merely a "hearer" but a "doer." What are the implications for the way we live?

"Bread of Life" - Service of the Word for Sunday 22nd August

Online Service of the Word for Sunday 22nd August. Jesus speaks of himself as "the bread of life." But bread is more than something just to be talked about. What is its value for us? Who produces it? What does it say about the needs of other people?

Online worship for Sunday 15th August - the Feast of the Blessed Virgin ...

Online worship for Sunday 15th August as we celebrate the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We give thanks for her calling to be the Mother of God's Son. God's work is given its fullest expression in the human response. As God calls her to life with him in heaven, so we see something of his will for us.

Transfiguring Glory - our online Eucharist

Transfiguring Glory: Our online service for Sunday 8 August celebrates the Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord - a Eucharist streamed live from St. Cuthbert's Church as the Revd. Martin Jackson presides and preaches.

Service of the Word for the 9th Sunday after Trinity

Service of the Word for Sunday 1 August - the 9th Sunday after Trinity. The Revd. Martin Jackson leads this short time of readings, reflection and prayer. 

Exploring the theme of Christ, "the Bread of Life" - but also recognising that human failing which is the spirit of complaint.

St. Mary Magdalene - Apostle to the Apostles

Celebrating St. Mary Magdalene. Live-streamed with our midweek congregation present, this is also our online offering for the weekend of Sunday 25 July.

We're in church on Sunday as well: 9am in St. John's Church, Castleside; 10.30am in St. Cuthbert's Church - and Sunday's Eucharists celebrate the faith of St. James the Apostle.

Service of the Word - the 7th Sunday after Trinity

Service of the Word for Sunday 18 July - the 7th Sunday after Trinity. The Revd. Martin Jackson leads this short time of readings, reflection and prayer. The readings speak of sheep and shepherds. What does it mean to be a pastor of the flock - for anyone to share care for God's people?

Service of the Word - 11th July 2021

Service of the Word for Sunday 11 July - the 6th Sunday after Trinity. The Revd. Martin Jackson leads this short time of readings, reflection and prayer. What does it mean to be a prophet? What does it mean to speak out today?

In addition to this service, the Eucharist is celebrated in each of our churches - at 10.30am in St. Cuthbert's Church, Shotley Bridge; and at 4pm in St. John's Church, Castleside.

Where next? - for the Church and for the nation?

 

I’ve intentionally delayed bringing out the new issue of our Parish Magazine. It’s a double issue for July and August, so I wanted first to be able to record and celebrate Phil Carter’s Ordination to the priesthood - and then perhaps to be able to say something about how the Government’s plans for “opening up” after the pandemic restrictions might affect us in our churches and parishes.

We can certainly celebrate Phil’s Ordination! Inevitably it had to be lower-key than we might wish with far fewer people in attendance. But in a way this made it all the more intense. While in “normal” times there would be many hundreds of people in a packed Cathedral, this time only eight guests could be invited for each person to be ordained. And in place of a huge scrum of priests around each ordinand, the laying on of hands involved only the Bishop of Durham and the Training Incumbent - me! The grace of Orders conveyed by the Bishop - my responsibility for Phil’s formation and our collegiality as priests… Then the excitement of First Eucharists at which Phil presided.

But then - what next? People have looked forward to the end of the restrictions with which we have lived so long, but at the same time we know they are restrictions designed to keep us as safe as possible. Can we simply shed our face masks, resume our social activities and children’s work and Lunch Clubs, and sing heartily the hymns we have missed? I can’t give you an answer. Even if the Government declares all things possible, we will need to make a considered response, individuals will have their own reservations - and for some the freedoms of the many may lead them to restrict still more what they themselves do and where they go.

The Church of England’s “Worship Task Force” will be meeting on 14^th July to consider how to respond to Government pronouncements expected on 12^th July. The “National Guidance” will then require our response. We will seek to ensure our churches are as safe as possible. At the same time we need to be renewed in our worship and our witness, in our faith and in our prayer. Travel with me on this longer journey!                    

Martin Jackson

Service of the Word - the 5th Sunday after Trinity

Service of the Word for Sunday 4 July - the 5th Sunday after Trinity. The Revd. Martin Jackson leads this short time of readings, reflection and prayer. What are the things we celebrate? How do we keep going when things are tough?

And in our churches the Revd. Phil Carter, ordained priest yesterday, presides at the Eucharist for the first time.

The Vicar on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne…

Reflecting on our sense of calling - to prayer, service, ordination, life in the world, but always in need of renewal.

A bit of an experiment - the 4G used for the original live-stream isn't consistent, though it holds up for the most part (and not long ago there wasn't even a phone signal).

Celebrating a Feast - our offering also for Sunday 27 June

Eucharist celebrated in St. Cuthbert's Church for the Feast of the Birth of St. John the Baptist - and we offer this for all who wish to use it as an online aid to prayer this weekend of Sunday 27 June.

You can join us in person as well for the Sunday Eucharist: 9am in St. John's Church, Castleside and 10.30am in St. Cuthbert's  Church, Shotley Bridge.

Night Prayer - Compline for use any day

The Office of Compline led by the Revd. Martin Jackson - with a look at the life of a saint for today, and a reflection on the importance of place and seeking in our lives. 

Designed to be used any day - so you can come back to this service, if you like.

Service of the Word - Sunday 20 June

A short service of readings, reflection and prayer for the 3rd Sunday after Trinity, 20 June 2021 - seeking presence and peace in the midst of the storm (and sharing greetings for Father's Day)

Compline - in its traditional form, along with a reflection on a couple ...

The Office of Compline (Night Prayer) in its traditional form - with reflections on two bishops commemorated today by the Church of England, and the well-loved prayer written by one of them and still in use today. You can join in this time of prayer any evening.

Service of the Word - Sunday 13 June 2021

A short service of readings, reflection and prayer for the 2nd Sunday of Trinity, 13th June 2021 - and it can be shared also in the days ahead. What is Jesus saying about "the Kingdom of God?" How do we respond? What difference can it make in our world today? 

The Eucharist is also celebrated in our churches today: 10.30am in St. Cuthbert's Church, Shotley Bridge; and 4pm in St. John's Church, Castleside.

Night Prayer - from the Vicarage Garden

Night Prayer - the Office of Compline. With a reflection on the life of St. Columba, the saint we celebrate today - though you can join in this time of prayer any evening.

Corpus Christi - Eucharist at St. Cuthbert's

Eucharist celebrating the Feast of Corpus Christi, live-streamed from St. Cuthbert's Church. The Revd. Martin Jackson presides with our midweek congregation. 

And this is our offering of online worship for the weekend of Sunday 6 June.

Night Prayer - the Eve of Corpus Christi

Night Prayer - the Eve of Corpus Christi, but you can use this service of Compline on any evening. 

The Revd. Martin Jackson leads this final Office of the day with some meditations for the Feast we celebrate tomorrow.

Entering into the Mystery - a service for Trinity Sunday

Trinity Sunday: The Revd. Martin Jackson leads a Service of the Word in which we seek to be deepened in our knowledge of the mystery and majesty of God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Night Prayer - the Office of Compline

Night Prayer on the Feast of St. Augustine of Canterbury - with a reference to the recording of his ministry by St. Bede and also the authors of "1066 and all that."

Pentecost - Service of the Word for Whit Sunday

Service of the Word for the Feast of Pentecost with the Revd. Martin Jackson. Celebrating the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the Disciples - and reflecting on the Pilgrimage of which we have been part and its theme of "Christ our Light."

Night Prayer - the Office of Compline

Night Prayer as we move from the time of our Lord's Ascension to the Coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. And some thoughts on pilgrimage and the friendships made through travel.

What next ? Homily for the 7th Sunday of Easter

(Acts 1.15-17, 21-26; 1 John 5.9-13; Luke 24.44-53)

40 days after he rises from the dead - 40 days after Easter - Jesus leads the disciples out of Jerusalem as far as Bethany,

and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God.

That’s how today’s Gospel reading ends. When St. Luke picks up the story again at the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles he tells it in a slightly different way. Jesus is “lifted up” and “a cloud took him out of their sight.” And two men in white robes ask the disciples, “why do you stand looking up towards heaven?”

The Gospel of Luke ends with the joy of the disciples - it’s Luke’s way of tying things up neatly, ending on a positive note. But it can’t simply be left there. He picks up the story in the Acts of the Apostles and there’s more to it than that. There’s a note of confusion and uncertainty. What are the disciples going to do next? And what are they going to do without Jesus? What do you do when you know there’s a job to do, but the person who’s been giving you direction is no longer with you?

How do we feel this Sunday? - the day before stage 3 of the Government’s Roadmap. From tomorrow we can have people in our homes. People can once more hug their loved ones - but perhaps with some degree of caution… You can go out to eat in a restaurant. You can have people to stay. How strange is that? I have two people coming to stay while they take part in a pilgrimage led by the bishops later this week, and went to make a booking at Sale Pepe - I can tell you that tables are booking fast!

But there’s the other side of what we might feel. These last 15 months when we’ve not been able to be close to other people. People who still can't visit a parent or a partner in hospital or in a care home. Lives led without each other. People who have lost loved ones and haven’t had the goodbyes they would have wanted. Uncertainties still about new variants of the Coronavirus and the threat that may bring to future freedoms and hopes.

So how do the disciples really feel when Jesus at his Ascension is taken from them? Confusion and loss must be a part of it. What can they do next when Jesus tells them to wait? - but it’s not really clear what they should wait for… How do we go on in the midst of our waiting and separation?

I found these words of Henri Nouwen helpful:

Do not hesitate to love and to love deeply. You might be afraid of the pain that deep love can cause. When those you love deeply reject you, leave you, or die, your heart will be broken. But that should not hold you back from loving deeply. The pain that comes from deep love makes your love even more fruitful. It is like a plough that breaks the ground to allow the seed to take root and grow into a strong plant. Every time you experience the pain of rejection, absence, or death, you are faced with a choice. You can become bitter and decide not to love again, or you can stand straight in your pain and let the soil on which you stand become richer and more able to give life to new seeds.

I wonder if before we can return to something which will pass for normality, we need first to take stock of where we have been? To recognise the losses we have suffered - those obvious ones of loved ones who might have died or prolonged separation from members of our family or friends. But also those not so obvious losses through the new ways we’ve simply had to live - perhaps locking the door for the night at four o’clock in the afternoon; not being able to nip in to have a chat with a neighbour; planning how we really need to stock the fridge for the next fortnight instead of just being able to buy things as and when we need them; all the places we haven’t been able to go whether it’s the shops, the cinema, bingo, a football match, an art gallery or concert - or on a bus; holidays - and wondering when we can risk booking one; spiritual deprivation - “Church” might have gone online, but it’s not the same. Though that last one begs the question, so what does our faith hold in store for us in the future? - what does being a Christian mean for us now and how will we work it out?

It's the same faith - but I suspect we’ll need to move on. And as we rebuild our relationships, I think we’ll find we have to do so in new ways.

That’s what the first disciples begin to discover after the Resurrection. Someone made the point the other day that when we speak of the Glorious Ascension of Jesus and his exaltation into the heavens to sit at the right hand of God, that language is so much coloured by the ways that Christians have come to celebrate the Ascension as a liturgical feast rather than as an actual event on a hill-top overlooking Jerusalem - and much of it from the use of texts like Psalm 47: “God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of the ram’s horn… God reigns over the nations, he sits upon his holy throne…” But how was it really for those disciples Jesus left behind, wondering what was happening - and now leaderless? Jesus was the one who had made all the difference to their lives, Jesus had called them to be his followers. They’d left their jobs and he’d given them a purpose - so what should they do next?

The answer in the short term is that they have an election. Or at least they decide that if Jesus had called Twelve of them to be his followers and now Judas Iscariot had gone, then they’d better find a replacement. The criterion for the new apostle is to have been a companion of Jesus from the earliest days of his ministry right through to the time of his Ascension. And it seems there were two of Jesus’ followers who fitted the requirements: Joseph Barsabbas and Matthias. With nothing to choose between them, they decide to leave it to God. So they pray – and then they cast lots... perhaps they draw straws. I thought of that last week when we followed the Annual Parochial Church Meeting at St. Cuthbert’s by drawing the numbers for the last five months of the 100 Club. Are the disciples doing the right thing? They choose Matthias, and in the event we don’t hear of either of the candidates ever again.

So... what’s the point of all this? I don’t think it’s about ideal ways of discerning God’s will, and we never again find any further indications that it was felt necessary to maintain a leadership of twelve apostles. But what we do have is an account of the first Christians struggling to find a way forward – to sense the direction in which they were being called.

We need to feel our way forward now. How do we live out our Christian faith? That is the basic question. We can have any number of conferences, committees and councils. We can drown in oceans of paper. And all of these seem to be necessary. But we can only make our response if first we recognise our basic calling to be God’s people – and to work out what that means.

I could say that we need to be a holy people. But actually I think it’s enough to say that we need to be simply people - to recognise what we have been through, to recognise the uncertainties ahead, but all the time, as Henri Nouwen says, not to give up on love. And hopefully we can know that we are loved.

The disciples don’t really know what to do when Jesus leaves them. Ten days later the Holy Spirit will come upon them at Pentecost - but they had no idea what that would mean, and when it happens it’s an unexpected action of God. Just remember that we can’t determine what God will do for us, but we can trust in his love. That’s what the great spiritual director, Jean Pierre de Caussade is saying in these words:

To avoid the anxieties which may be caused by either regret for the past or fear of the future, here in a few words is the rule to follow: the past must be left to God’s measureless mercy, the future to his loving providence; and the present must be given wholly to his love through fidelity to his grace.

Eucharist for Ascension Day

The Revd. Martin Jackson presides at the Eucharist for the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord.

Lovely to have a congregation in church - and to be able to share this with our online community of prayer.

Night Prayer for the Eve of Ascension Day

Night Prayer for the Eve of Ascension Day - the Office of Compline on Wednesday 12 May, but you can pray this service any time up to the Feast of Pentecost.

Signs of new life at the Grove Ponds

Easter celebrates Jesus’ rising from the dead and our hope of new life. And here we take a look at signs of new life this springtime.

Produced as a short video for use in schools while we can't at present lead assemblies. We miss other aspects of our children's work too - including Messy Church.

Not just for children - this video can be viewed by any age group - just over seven minutes in length.

In the reference to Easter, note an accidental omission – I say “Easter doesn’t last just one day – it lasts seven. ” I meant seven weeks, not seven days, so It’s still Easter-tide for the next week and a half.

Service of the Word - Sunday 9 May 2021

A Service of the Word for the 6th Sunday of Easter, 9th May 2021. Using readings and reflections which will also play a part in our offering of the Sunday Eucharist at 10.30am in St. Cuthbert's Church, Shotley Bridge and at 4pm in St. John's Church, Castleside.

Night Prayer - Easter continues

Night Prayer, the Office of Compline, on Wednesday 5th May - but this service can be used on any evening in Easter-tide. With an added reflection on the risen Christ who lifts us from all that holds us "frozen."

Service of the Word: the 5th Sunday of Easter

Service of the Word for the 5th Sunday of Easter, 2nd May 2021 with the Revd. Martin Jackson. 

The Eucharist is celebrated at 9am in St. John's Church, Castleside and at 10.30am in St. Cuthbert's Church, Shotley Bridge. 

We offer this service for our wider community of prayer.

Night Prayer: the Office of Compline for Easter-tide

Night Prayer: the Office of Compline for Easter-tide, live-streamed on Wednesday 21 April, but you can join in any evening in the Easter season. 

From the beauty and tranquility of our churchyard, we go on to consider the mystery of Easter, a different Christian tradition and the particular faith of one man.

Third Sunday of Easter: Service of the Word from St. Cuthbert's, Shotley...

A short service of readings, reflection and prayer for the Third Sunday of Prayer. 

Join us here online - and we're also in church at 9am in St. John's Church, Castleside and at 10.30am in St. Cuthbert's Church, Shotley Bridge for our Parish Eucharists.

Night Prayer - with birdsong

Night Prayer for Easter-tide from the Vicarage garden. 

The birds have their own special contribution to make as all Creation sings God's praise.

Second Sunday of Easter: Service of the Word

Second Sunday of Easter Service of the Word - with our online community of prayer and those still shielding very much in mind, and with remembrance of the late Duke of Edinburgh. 

We're also back in church for the Eucharist in both of our churches. Details on our Facebook pages and website.

Death of HRH the Duke of Edinburgh

Our parishes share the sadness of the nation at the death of HRH the Duke of Edinburgh. As you would expect, we will be holding him in our prayers together with Her Majesty the Queen and members of the Royal Family. We are being asked not to use physical books of condolence but this link will take you to the Church of England's online Book of Condolence.

Photo Credit PA

Night Prayer for Easter-tide

Night Prayer - the Office of Compline - for Easter-tide. This evening with a journal entry by Thomas Merton as he reflected on how he had used this Wednesday in Easter Week in 1950.

Easter Day - a Service of the Word

Easter Service of the Word - with our online community of prayer and those still shielding very much in mind. And we're delighted to be back in church for the Eucharist in both of our churches. Details on our Facebook pages and website. 

A blessed Easter to you all!

Good Friday reflection and prayer

Good Friday - a short time for stillness, prayer and a recognition of God's love revealed on the Cross.

Maundy Thursday - reading and reflection

Maundy Thursday, the beginning of the Triduum - the Great Three Days which take us into the Easter Mystery. Gospel reading, reflection and prayer with the Revd. Martin Jackson.

Night Prayer for Holy Week

Night Prayer - the Office of Compline - for Wednesday in Holy Week. With a reflection on the healing God brings by his self-giving love in Christ.

Spy Wednesday - Lament, Gospel and a poem

Wednesday in Holy Week, known also as "Spy Wednesday." Today's Gospel reading tells us why - and John Donne's wonderful poem reminds us that despair should never overcome us.

Tuesday in Holy Week - today's Gospel and reflection

Tuesday in Holy Week: betrayal by Judas, protestations of loyalty by Peter. What is our response to the call of Christ?

The prayer I read is by Joe Seramane ("You asked for my hands").

Monday in Holy Week - time for reflection

Monday in Holy Week - a poem and the Gospel for the day, with a short reflection to follow

And here are our Holy Week Services (with booking information as may be required):