Tuesday 18 April 2023 St Cuthbert (634-687) photo credit British Museum, Creative Commons Licence Introduction Cuthbert grew up in what is now North Northumberland/the Scottish Borders, entering the monastic life at Old Melrose under the tuition of St Boisil. Cuthbert moved on from Melrose to Lindisfarne upon the death of Aidan. Monk, a most reluctant […]
URC Daily Devotion Monday 17th April 2023 Dorothy Day
inspiration in your inbox Monday 17 April 2023 Dorothy Day, Servant of God Photo Mottke Weisman, Loaves and Fishes Introduction Dorothy Day (November 8, 1897 – November 29, 1980) was an American journalist, social activist, and anarchist who, after a bohemian youth, became a Catholic without abandoning her social and anarchist activism. Raised […]
Sunday Worship 16 April 2023
Sunday Worship from the United Reformed Churchfor Sunday 16 April Today’s service is led by the Revd Jayne Taylor Call To Worship Alleluia! Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! One: Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing, choirs of angels! Exult, all creation around God’s throne! Jesus, our King, is risen! Sound the trumpet of salvation! Many: Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing, choirs of angels! One: Rejoice, O […]
URC Daily Devotion Saturday 15th April 2023 St Bridget
Introduction Irish folklore abounds with stories of St Brigid of Kildare, born around 455 CE, the daughter of a powerful chieftain Dubhtach and a Christian slave girl. The young Brigid was wearingly generous…with the property of her father! She gave away his cattle, his supply of freshly churned butter – and on one occasion […]
URC Daily Devotion Friday 14th April St Guinefort
A modern depiction of St Guinefort by L Bower used with permission Introduction Our saint today is so on the edge that he falls off the perimeter of orthodoxy and acceptability for many. He is St Guinefort, the holy greyhound. In the thirteenth century a Dominican monk named Etienne de Bourbon documented, in disapproving terms, […]
URC Daily Devotion Thursday 13th April St Magnus
Thursday 13 April 2023 Magnús Erlendsson, martyr 1080 – 1117 Image from an article by the the BBC here Introduction Magnus’s grandfather was Thorfinn Sigurdsson, also known as Thorfinn the Mighty and Earl Thorfinn. He had twin sons, Erlend and Paul, who after Thorfinn’s death went on to serve as joint Earls of Orkney. In […]
Intercessions and Notes for next Sunday
Worship Notes and Weekly Intercessions Dear Friends, Next Sunday’s Worship Notes are written by the Rev’d Jayne Taylor. Jayne works with St John 20:19-31 (the story of Thomas’ encounter with the Risen Lord). We suggest the same Call to Worship and Affirmation of Faith as for Easter Sunday to remind folk that Easter is not […]
URC Daily Devotion Tuesday 11 April 2023 St Catherine of Siena
painting by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo – Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Bilddatenbank. Introduction Catherine of Siena was born to middle class parents – her father had his own cloth dying business and her mother was the daughter of a local poet. Lapa, Catherine’s mother, already had 22 children when Catherine and her twin were born; sadly her […]
Saints on the Edge
I hope you’ve found our long read through and reflections on Matthew’s Gospel interesting and useful; the last week’s readings were generally longer but allowed us to have a focus on Holy Week and Easter as we read. I’m always grateful to our team of writers and know that you appreciate them too. Now, in […]
Easter Sunday Worship 9 April 2023
Sunday Worship from the United Reformed Churchfor Easter Sunday 9 April Today’s service is led by the Revd Paul Whittle Call to Worship Alleluia! Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! One: Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing, choirs of angels! Exult, all creation around God’s throne! Jesus, our King, is risen! Sound the trumpet of salvation! Many: Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing, choirs of […]