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On that long ago first morning of Pentecost, Jerusalem was crowded with thousands of visitors, for it was one of the most popular feast-days in the Jewish calendar – the Feast of Firstfruits, looking forward to the wheat harvest. In one small room of that great city, a small group of people who had followed...

Pentecost took place on the well-established Jewish festival of Firstfruits, which was observed at the beginning of the wheat harvest. It was seven weeks after Easter, or 50 days including Easter. A feast day to celebrate the country’s wheat harvest does not sound exactly world-changing, but that year, it became one of the most important...

We used to call it Whitsun – ‘White Sunday’ because long ago children marched to church in white on that day. No processions nowadays, and we’ve even changed its name. It’s now ‘Pentecost’, which is more accurate but needs explaining. Pentecost marks a vital event in Christian history. It is celebrated 50 days after Easter....

… the first Christian in Brittany? If you would love to be in Brittany for your holiday this summer, then spare a thought for Gudwal, because this obscure 6th century Celtic abbot got there before you did.  Indeed, Gudwal seems to have liked Brittany so much that he decided to stay on. When you visit...

A victim of injustice Have you ever been the victim of someone else’s malice and ambition? Then William of York (d 1154) is the saint for you. William Fitzherbert was born into a noble family, with royal connections. He was also smart – appointed treasurer of York at a young age, and also as a...

Missionary to the UK In 563 AD St Columba sailed from Ireland to Iona – a tiny island off Mull, in the Western Highlands. He brought Christianity with him. Columba (c. 521 -97) was born in Donegal of the royal Ui Neill clan, and he trained as a monk. He founded the monasteries of Derry...

Ice cream van chimes The new marriage laws Fathers come in five different types The power of earphones Pet sitters wanted! What 6000 steps a day can do for you Are you a Velcro person or a Teflon person? Is your house welcoming to swifts?  Some tricks to save energy How to discourage mosquitoes **...

Here is a saint for you, if you have ever been touched by the words of a song. Ephrem the Syriac was born 306AD in Nisibis, Turkey. Baptised in 324, he joined the cathedral school in Nisibis, where it was soon obvious that he had an outstanding gift for writing both music and lyrics. Ephrem...

When the doors to the street are closed and … when people rise up at the sound… Ecclesiastes 12:4 We are not afraid to tackle big issues here! Imagine you are at home and are just about to sit down and read your church magazine. You are then interrupted by the shrill chimes of an...

The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee From the Vicar What kind of Queen? ‘Little Silver’ Christian Basics No 6: What Does the Holy Spirit Do? (Pt 1) Reflected Faith Series: The Meaning of Colours Pt 2 Father’s Day The U in JesUs ** Editor: Canon Paul Hardingham praises an outstanding monarch. The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee This month...

This month brings Father’s Day. The Office for National Statistics tells us that of the UK’s 68 million people in 2021, 49% are men (33 million). It also tells us that there were 35 million married couples with children in 2021 and nine million cohabiting couples with children. That all adds up to many millions of...

 The Trinity is easier to say than to explain. Christians believe in one God, made up of three equal Persons. It is fundamental to the Nicene Creed, which sets out the definitive doctrine of the Trinity for more than two billion Christians worldwide, including all Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, Lutherans, Presbyterians and Reformed Christians....