At 3pm on Sunday 18th April 2021, we will be having a service in the Church.
If you would like to attend, you will need to contact us to book a space, (as physical distancing is vital).
Best wishes from all at St Melangell’s
Sunday reflection
Reflection for the second Sunday of Easter
Thomas…was not with the disciples when Jesus came….. He said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” From John 20:19-end, NIV.
“Somebody once said about him that he had a questioning faith, as if this was a bad thing, but you’ll never grow spiritually without questions and curiosity.”
The former Bishop of Norwich, Graham James, of Prince Philip.
The man now known as Doubting Thomas got his name because he wasn’t present when the resurrected Jesus came to those frightened disciples hidden away for fear of what might now happen to them. Although they told him Jesus had appeared, Thomas refused to believe until he’d seen for himself, perhaps thinking that they might have seen a ghost or exaggerated what had happened. He told them he must see for himself the marks of the nails and touch the wound caused by the spear. When Jesus returned a week later, Thomas was present and was invited to see and touch the reality standing before him. His needs were answered by Jesus and, after openly wrestling with his doubts, Thomas became the first person to call Jesus not only Lord but God. Later, Thomas took the Gospel to South India, clearly convinced of the truth of the bodily resurrection of Jesus – he was a man of an enquiring mind, wanting to see and touch reality for himself. Although called the doubter, Thomas was a man who became sure of the good news about Jesus and wanted others to know of it. As Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Through the questioning of Doubting Thomas, the honest man who wanted to find out for himself, Jesus’ word of hope comes down the years to encourage us as we struggle with the issues we face today.
Another man who had a questioning mind was Prince Philip, also the Earl of Merioneth, and the former Bishop of Norwich was convinced of the importance of this to develop a robust and lively faith. As well as the support and service he gave to the Queen and his many charities, the Prince was also known for blunt speaking and the gaffes he sometimes made on his visits. However, he had had a very difficult childhood with his family having to flee Greece in 1922, his father later leaving home and dying at an early age, his mother being in a psychiatric hospital for five years and the death of his sister Cecile’s entire family in a plane crash in 1937. Of the latter, he said, “I thought I would never get over it. It was such a terrible blow.” Prince Philip knew much of loss and death at an early age but Gordonstoun School and service in the Royal Navy gave him a structure on which he built without self pity. It’s clear from the tributes to him that he was a man of vision and action to whom the United Kingdom owes much in the service he gave to so many. Perhaps, in the wake of the mental health crisis now facing so many, his fortitude and example will inspire others to find fresh courage in the face of their own adversity.
Not many people organise their own funeral to the point of customising a Land Rover to carry their coffin and, because of the pandemic, Prince Philip’s funeral will have to be simpler than even he had hoped for. In common with so many others, there will only be thirty members of the Royal Family present due to the current pandemic restrictions. Perhaps that will also bring balm to the souls of those who couldn’t mark the death of their loved one in the way they would have wished or see them before they died like Prince Philip’s family during the last year and while he was in hospital.
In speaking to schoolboys in Woking in 1947, Prince Philip said, “Let me remind you that the only prize worth winning is a clear conscience at the end of your days that you have lived a useful Christian life.” At the end of his life of service and duty, it’s clear that Prince Philip did this and overcame initial doubts about his role to serve his Queen, country and the Commonwealth with honesty and commitment. Dying during Eastertide, the story of Doubting Thomas is very much part of the Easter hope and transformation the Earl of Merioneth embodied – may the example of both men, so many years apart but sharing some similar characteristics, inspire us to continue the service and dedication they embraced and to do so with enquiring minds. So may God grant to the living, grace; to the departed, rest; to the Church, the Queen, the Commonwealth and humankind, peace and concord. Amen.
With my prayers,
Christine
Prayers for the Duke of Edinburgh
God of our lives,
we give thanks for the life of Prince Philip,
for his love of our country,
and for his devotion to duty.
We entrust him now to your love and mercy,
through our Redeemer Jesus Christ. Amen.
Merciful God, be close to all who mourn,
especially The Queen and all members of the Royal Family.
May they know the comfort of your love,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Eternal God, we give thanks for the life of Prince Philip,
founder of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
We remember his vision and imagination,
his interest in young people and his support for them.
Inspire us with the same commitment
to serve friend, neighbour, and stranger alike,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Dawn at St Melangell’s
Dawn at St Melangell’s – the gates and the door are open for worship today as the restrictions begin to ease. May the light of Christ shine this Easter for Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Easter Sunday reflection
Reflection for Easter Sunday
“Simon Peter saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple….went inside. He saw and believed.” From John 20:1-18, NIV.
“I’ve gone from building houses to building hope in people’s lives.” Dan Cant, a carpenter who lost an arm in a car crash and was fitted with a replacement. He is now in training and known as the Bionic Priest-to-be.
Like so many, I’ve been saddened to see the amount of rubbish being left behind by those celebrating being able to meet up again outdoors, although in a restricted way. Piles of it have been left scattered across parks, beaches and streets as some of the public celebrated release from lockdown but not in the best way. The rubbish could have been taken home or put into the bins available and that did happen sometimes. However, an awful lot was left scattered around for others to deal with, causing further cost to the public purse as well as risk to refuse collectors from broken glass, some drug use and the hazard of contagion from it. The rubbish needed proper disposal – but it was just left for someone else to deal with it.
That was the case for Jesus, too, who was put to death at Golgotha, just across the Kidron valley from Gehenna, the place where rubbish, waste and even dead bodies were left outside the walls of Jerusalem. It was a place of smells, maggots, death and decay and visible from Golgotha. Jesus, being crucified outside the city wall near that awful place, was mocked by some of those who witnessed this although his death would show all who drew near that there was another of dealing with the refuse, mess and nastiness of life: sacrificial love.
For that reason, the following photo shows a panel shown found dumped in a skip full of rubbish in Nottinghamshire. It was fished out by the skip operator and was sent, via his son, to St Melangell’s. On Good Friday, it was used in part of the Zoom service and, during Holy Eucharist in church today, was put into a place where it will be a reminder that Jesus took upon himself the rubbish and detritus of humanity to show that there can be a new and different way of life. He died to save life and is alive and at work in our world today – his love can’t just be chucked out and thrown away in a rubbish skip even if his effigy can.
St Melangell’s was open on a restricted basis for the first time today for a said Easter communion and on the altar today was not the usual crucifix but an empty, plain cross as a sign that the suffering and death of Jesus is over. Today, the resurrection prevails and new life begins to emerge both then and now after the pandemic. For this beloved son brings us the hope and trust that death is not the end and that a different way of life is now possible as our lives during the pandemic remind us of what we’ve missed, taken for granted or now realise is important. As lockdown eases, we’ll discover afresh what that means as a new way of living becomes possible and that may involve us asking for God’s help in getting rid of the spiritual rubbish and mess we so often accumulate. What was left in the grave of Jesus was treated carefully and led to belief in the resurrection. That same belief will enable us now to deal carefully with what we no longer need and to dispose of it properly. That’s so for Jesus too, set free from the tomb and the confines of the churches where we sometimes prefer to keep him, now enabling worship through Zoom and the media.
This will not necessarily be a happy Easter as the effects of the pandemic rumble on but it can be a blessed one as, with God’s help, hope begins to be rebuilt while our new way of life develops and we begin to emerge from what confined us. For Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
With my prayers,
Christine.
Services for Holy Week
The Shrine Church of St Melangell – Services for Holy Week
Please note that, if you wish to use the church for private prayer, be present at any of the Zoom services or attend the Church service on Easter Day, it is essential to book beforehand by contacting
or ringing
It is regretted that, as yet, not all the usual services can be held this Holy Week.
Maundy Thursday, 10am – Zoom service of reflection.
11am: Chrism Mass at St Asaph cathedral by Zoom
Good Friday, 2.15pm: At the Cross, a Zoom service.
Church open for prayer and reflection according to social distancing.
Easter Day 10am: said Holy Eucharist according to current guidelines.
3pm Easter Praise – Zoom.
May a blessed Easter be yours as a new way of life begins!
Christine, Guardian.
Holy Week Services from St Asaph Cathedral
A wide range of online worship resources will be available through the Diocesan website and can be accessed here: https://dioceseofstasaph.org.uk/lent-holy-week-and-easter/
Led by members from across the Teulu Asaph, services include:
• The Palm Sunday Liturgy and Blessing of Palms
• Devotions for the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Holy Week led by the Archdeaconries
• The Stations of the Cross
• A Good Friday Service from Hope Street
• Prayer and Meditation for Holy Saturday
• Ceremony of the Easter Light on Saturday evening, live at 19.30.
• An Easter Day Eucharist
Supplementing these diocesan services will be live Cathedral services for the Commemoration of the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday evening at 7pm, and the Good Friday Liturgy at 14.00
Palm Sunday reflection
Reflection for Palm Sunday
“Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut from the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, ‘Hosanna!’….. Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple. He looked around at everything.” From Mark 11:1-11, NIV.
“Now to the gate of my Jerusalem, the seething holy city of my heart, the saviour comes. But will I welcome him?” From Palm Sunday: a sonnet by Malcolm Guite.
It’s a year ago since the national lockdown meant that places of worship had to close and many churches began worship online. Due to the very slow broadband here at the time, St Melangell’s was unable to do this so, last Palm Sunday, I posted a reflection having seen the shadow of what seemed to be palm-like branches reflected onto the kitchen wall. It was just the sun shining through the plants on the windows sill but it gladdened my heart briefly at a time of uncertainty and astonishment – who would have thought that places of worship would be closed throughout Holy Week and Easter?
A year on, it therefore seems appropriate that it was just before Palm Sunday when the Welsh Government announced last Friday the easing of some restrictions including the freedom to travel within Wales and use self-catering accommodation. Just as Jesus rode through the open gate of the city of Jerusalem, so the gates and doors of some previously closed places can now begin to open – albeit on a restricted basis. Other UK countries have not been able to make the same decision and it’s not yet possible to travel to Wales from England but it’s clear that a cautious emergence is underway here – though not in many other countries abroad where coronavirus still rages.
In St. Melangell’s church today, as can be seen in the photo, the sanctuary rail which is normally closed has also been opened as a reminder that Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and then the temple happened then and still happens now. The procession of palms and all the things that make up the customary liturgy of Palm Sunday can’t happen in all churches yet – but are happening in modified ways elsewhere. Today, instead of using the traditional imported palm crosses, many will bring what they have fashioned from foliage nearby, just as those crowds did at the time of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Like those crowds, we too will shout Hosanna – although for many this will initially be in a solitary way at home before being echoed online. Technology means that people can still gather virtually, that worship can happen and prayers can still be prayed as well as concerns and hopes shared. Where there’s a will……
Today’s Gospel reading indicates that, after the triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the welcome of the crowd, Jesus entered the temple and just looked around at everything at that stage. In the coming days, we may not be able to be part of a crowd yet but there will be opportunities in all that lies ahead to prepare his way in the smaller steps and acts that may – or may not – be possible. This Palm Sunday, as the triumphal entry of Jesus is observed in the cities, communities and places of worship of our day, is he still made as welcome? And, as Jesus seeks entry to the temple of our hearts and looks around at everything there, what does his gaze reveal?
With my prayers,
Christine
A prayer for Palm Sunday
God of Love, as the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus draws close, and he prepares to face capture, trial and death, your Gospel calls our attention to the donkey: the humble, patient, loveable creature carrying Our Saviour into Jerusalem. Give us the same patience, obedience and humility to hear your calming voice amidst the concerns we face this week, that we may trust you as our Guide, and know you as our Saviour. Amen. Canon Carol Wardman
Sunday reflection
Reflection for the fifth Sunday of Lent, Passion Sunday
“Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father save me from this hour?’ No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!”
Jesus, in John 12:20-33, NIV.
Jesus, in John 12:20-33, NIV.
“Is there another life?….. There must be. We cannot be created for this sort of suffering.”
The poet Keats, dying of tuberculosis at the age of only 25, in a letter from 1820.
Today is the start of Passiontide, marking the remembrance of the suffering that Jesus endured in the days before his crucifixion. In the Gospel, Jesus has arrived in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover for the last time and some Greeks ask to see him. Although Jesus has so often responded to those who seek him, he doesn’t actually meet the Greeks but instead begins to talk about what lies ahead. Jesus is troubled and he begins to speak of death, telling them, “Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” (12:24) That is Jesus’ reply to those who want to see him – to those Greeks then and to us today, echoed in his later words, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” (20:29) Yet, to speak of dying being fruitful seems a strange response – or is it?
There are so many stories of loss and renewal in the Bible, such as Abram leaving his family and country to become Abraham the father of many nations, Hannah giving up her young son Samuel to be raised in the temple or the disciples forsaking their homes and work to follow Jesus. So it is for us, too, at those pivotal times when we also leave home or family, place or lifestyle as lives evolve and are offered in service to others. That has been evident particularly during the pandemic when so many people have put themselves at risk, in some cases laying down their own lives that others may live. But every life will experience the loss of a loved one, of dreams, relationships and opportunities or the need to let go of regret, bitterness, anger or whatever prevents us from fulfilling our potential. In losing his life as he is lifted up on the cross, Jesus is faithful to what God asks of him despite the cost – and a new way of life results on Easter Day at the Resurrection. The single grain of wheat that dies has become incorporated into the Bread of Life still feeding so many today and the cycle of death and life is commemorated in Holy Eucharist: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come in glory. That is the Christian hope – but first, there is great suffering and a terrible death.
During the pandemic, we have seen much of death. As Passiontide begins, the suffering caused by Coronvirus continues and the restrictions begin to ease, dare we find the courage to want to see where God’s love may also be at work and where resurrection, hope and new life too could be emerging too?
With my prayers,
Christine
Sunday reflection
Reflection for Mothering Sunday
“Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene.” – John 19:25, NIV.
“Met chief faces calls to quit as police clash with vigil women.” – Sunday Telegraph.
“Land of Hope and Glory, Mother of the Free.” – A C Benson, written for Elgar’s Coronation Ode and sung at the last night of the Proms.
Today is Mothering Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Lent, which is also known as Laetare (Rejoice) Sunday or Refreshment Sunday – a day of celebration and respite from fasting despite the penitential season. A time for remembering Mother Church and their place of baptism after childbirth, workers traditionally had the day off for this and to visit their mothers, often picking a wildflower posy from the hedgerows on the way. The day varies according to the date of Easter, whereas the secular Mother’s Day is usually kept on the second Sunday of May. However, the cosy image of families united on this day is in sharp contrast with reality this Mothering Sunday when so many parents and children are separated, or bereaved, by the Coronavirus pandemic.
However, it’s not just the pandemic that’s causing isolation and disruption currently. The last week marked Commonwealth Day and International Women’s Day but, amidst the celebrations of achievement, the unhappy divisions of alleged racism and mental health concerns within the Royal Family were also evident as well as the terrible irony of Sarah Everard’s kidnap and murder by a serving police officer meant to protect the public. With the Met’s Commissioner, Dame Cressida Dick, being the first woman to hold that role, awful scenes were shown from Clapham Common as police tasked with enforcing the Government’s pandemic restrictions clashed with women protesting about violence on the streets at a rally that was not allowed under the guidelines. Much negativity was created and, as the broadcaster Ayesha Hazarika commented, “This is a really grim day and also a very harrowing week for women.”
This is harrowing, not just for women but for all who long to see the issues of our day and the restrictions of the livelihoods and lives handled in a way that is mindful of the people affected by the sensitivities and divisions that have been created. Those tensions are part of ongoing human experience – two thousand years ago, a group of women also kept vigil in a place which was the focus of so much suffering as an innocent man died in agony on a cross. They and the disciples later found that grief and sorrow was turned into joy and hope as they all pieced together the story of what happened at the resurrection and new life began. In our day, we will eventually be able to piece our lives back together, tell our stories and make a difference when the time is right but, for now, patience and a bit of mothering may be needed. Melangell, the celibate Abbess who would today carry the title of Reverend Mother, showed that in her care for the humans and animals around her. May her example also inspire us to similar actions this Mothering Sunday as the challenge of rebuilding or changing the reputation and values of this Land of Hope and Glory, Mother of the Free, continues after such devastation.
With my prayers,
Christine, Guardian.
Sunday reflection
Reflection for the Third Sunday of Lent
“Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!”
Jesus, in John 2:13-22, NRSV.
“I suppose the bin gets to go out more than you can!” My brother’s recent comment.
Today’s Gospel makes difficult reading, as Jesus makes a whip to drive out the live sacrificial animals in the Temple and overturns the tables of the money changers. This is not in keeping with the usual behaviour of the Prince of Peace and it won’t have done him any favours with the traders or the temple authorities, but Jesus clearly feels very strongly about what is happening and what needs to be done about it – regardless of what others may think.
John’s gospel puts this at the start of his ministry whereas the others include it near the end. For John, this happens just after the turning of water into wine at the wedding at Cana where Jesus, “…revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.” (2:11). After the joy of that first miracle, how confusing it must have been for the disciples – all Jews, like Jesus – to see what he was now doing in this holy place.
Animals sold for sacrifice had to be perfect and could not be brought in from a distance, just as the money of those who arrived from so many different places had to be changed into currency acceptable in the temple – all this was legitimate according to the practice of those times. However, as it was almost Passover, the population would swell hugely as people went up to Jerusalem for the festival and the overcrowding in the temple would be great. The noise of the sellers, money changers and animals, as well as the mess and smell, is clearly too much for Jesus and he takes action accordingly against what others have come to accept. Perhaps there are things we have become so used to that we don’t realise they are no longer appropriate or action needs to be taken?
Jesus also talks of the temple being destroyed and then raised again in three days, which John interprets as the temple of his body at his resurrection when Jesus’ words are recalled by his followers. However, this cleansing of the temple hints at the conflict to come with the authorities – for now, confusion and speculation results.
There is more than a hint of conflict with the authorities in the current disagreements now being experienced here over vaccination, plans for emerging from lockdown, the pay rise of 1% for NHS workers, climate change, Myanmar, Hong Kong……. The list is endless and the disagreements many – but there was a point of conflict for Melangell and Prince Brochwel, too.
In being ordered by Brochwel to hand over the hare that had fled to her for shelter, Melangell’s refusal could have provoked the prince into the use of force. Instead, something about her leads to him handing over that part of the valley for her use and the building of the community of which she becomes abbess. Generosity springs from the encounter – perhaps their example could inspire a similar response today.
In the time of Jesus and his disciples, the temple had, for good reason originally, become what it was not intended to be – a cluttered marketplace spilling into a place of worship. Hearts and homes, churches and offices can also become places where a lot of clutter accumulates as we go through life and perhaps we, too, have overcrowding where space was intended for prayer, peace and hope. During the pandemic, many people have been de-cluttering their rooms and the charity shops have benefitted – when they were open. My brother is also correct when he suggests that the rubbish bin goes out more often than me!
This Lent, perhaps a clear out and cleansing of hearts and minds is also overdue: as the hymn suggests, “O come to my heart, Lord Jesus, there is room in my heart for thee.” Is there room for him and for the important things of life that are sometimes overlooked? If not, how can space be created each day as we, too, begin to prepare to go up to Jerusalem for the approaching festival as Passiontide, Holy Week and Passover draw nearer?
With my prayers,
Christine, Guardian.