I was 14 when I was confirmed. Our preparation took place on winter evenings, sitting in a cold church and listening to the curate. The word ‘inter-active’ was not yet invented, and I can recall very little of what was said.

I do recall almost ‘putting my foot in it.’ The curate asked what were the two most important books for the Church. The answer he expected was the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. Fortunately I have never been one to put my hand up unnecessarily, but had I done so, my answer would have displeased him. I would have said the most important books in the church were the two which were handed to us as we came through the door each week – the prayer book and the hymn book.

Over time I have become convinced of the central importance of Holy Scripture, and I acknowledged this publicly and gladly when I was ordained and on every occasion since when I have been licensed for new ministry. However hymns have always been very dear to me, and I would be most reluctant to part with the hymn books I have collected over the years. I am not generally all that good with numbers, but my one and only party trick is that I can recall hymn numbers very readily.  As well as speeding up the process of choosing the hymns, it has proved useful in remembering my PIN numbers!

Hymns arouse strong emotions, and many of us have favourites, and perhaps pet hates as well. Often these are linked in our memories with a significant occasion or with a particular person. Their words are often memorable, and for many of us, they have helped to shape the way we think about God, of Jesus and his love, of how we seek to follow him as his disciples. A good tune helps as well!

As we return to public worship, one familiar feature which sadly will be missing is the singing of hymns. I find it hard to imagine our Sunday worship without them, but to begin with at least it is not considered safe for us to sing as we gather together. For many of us, this will be a real impoverishment, and we will long for their safe return.

Canon Myles

While you're here:
Why not prepare for next Sunday's worship? Our preparation sheet for adults and for children can be accessed by clicking on the Resources tab of this website: https://www.prayerforliverpool.org/prayer-resources.html.

The anticipation is almost tangible.  As we cautiously move towards our first public service together, the signs of ‘new life’, as I reflected upon some weeks ago now, are now becoming cautiously and tentatively stronger and stronger.  The doors of the cathedral, now open for private prayer, will be opened just that little bit wider in a few days’ time for our Eucharist together – and on Consecration Sunday too; what a special day.  Lessons learned, opportunities gained from being ‘together’ in an online world during the lockdown, will continue in some form – so services will still be available online; our morning and evening prayer will have an online presence too; some of the ways of praying, communicating, ‘being together’ in the digital world will continue in some form – especially for the continued benefits of those who can’t make it to the cathedral, and those too for whom the risk is greater – who are still isolating until August, or who may be still (quite rightly) unsure of the risks to be taken. Whether we do step out into this new life right now, or not, there can be hope in our hearts that a new life with Christ is emerging, a new journey with our Lord Jesus.

Behind the scenes is a huge amount of work – from only a few staff.  There’s a delicate balance as we bring back staff from furlough, as we balance costs against income; an income which was turned off like a tap as we went into lockdown and will take many months and years to be opened back up again.  Their tireless efforts, as they usually are, working so hard in the background to bring us a full cathedral life, are still there – people lovingly dedicated to the cathedral and our faith.  We feel the joy in their hearts as they return…. as we are reminded of the joys of people seeing Jesus come into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday; the subject of today’s New Testament lesson for morning prayer (Luke 19:28-40).  In our hearts we shout for joy, albeit cautiously; we give praise to God.  And we thank all working to welcome people back to the cathedral, we pray for God’s blessing upon them, we pray for God to sustain and support them – spiritually and materially too in these emerging hard economic times.  Indeed, still we should pray…..

But it was for another reason that this phrase came to mind for me for this reflection – instead, it was from a stark news story during the week, of the plight of those in South America – for whom the peak of the pandemic is still only emerging.  Although we feel in our own country, quite correctly, the pain and grief of losing loved ones, or the difficulties for those still in the care of our wonderful, world class NHS….in many parts of the world, the situation is much much worse.  The report told of family members stricken by COVID-19 at home, of ambulances called but which never arrived – because the healthcare system has collapsed under the strain; of loved ones dying before the very eyes of the family, with no help, no health care.  Of the mass graves viewed by loved ones at a distance, with no words of comfort; those cremated hour-upon-hour in simple cardboard coffins, because no funeral is possible. 

The need to pray is still ever present – even more so as our faith in Jesus Christ asks of us to think of the other, to love our neighbour.  So still, we should pray….pray for them in the acuteness of their plight in which they see no light right now; pray for the tireless work of our healthcare professions to continue their research into cost-effective drugs that might help and vaccines which are so badly needed – but as Christians perhaps thinking of others first who don’t have the medicine and care systems we have and benefit from.  Still, we should pray – in joy and sorrow – in Jesus’ name.   
 
With my love and prayers for you all, as always….
 
Canon Mike
 
While you're here:
Why not prepare for next Sunday's worship? Our preparation sheet for adults and for children can be accessed by clicking on the Resources tab of this website: https://www.prayerforliverpool.org/prayer-resources.html.

This year the lectionary for Sunday services is taking us through Matthew’s Gospel. A distinctive and characteristic feature of Matthew’s Gospel is the way in which it contains five blocks of Jesus’ teaching. This Sunday’s Gospel reading brings us the third block of teaching. As a crowd gathers on the beach, Jesus gets into a boat, and sits down to teach. Here is Matthew’s ‘little book of parables’.
 
Jesus’ fascination with parables is much more than a cute way of getting people to listen to him. Jesus’ use of parables generates deep insight into how Jesus sees the world and how Jesus encourages us to think about the world. Jesus wants us to see the world through God’s eyes, Jesus wants us to think about the world theologically. Jesus calls us to be empirical theologians, people who look at the world carefully and critically, people who learn about God the creator from observing how God’s creation functions.
 
Matthew’s little book of parables opens with a well-known parable that he copied from Mark – the Parable of the Sower. If you really want to know what things are like when God reigns, go and observe the sower at work, and work it out for yourselves.
 
To prepare for this Sunday’s service, I invited those of you who want to do some thinking beforehand to focus on the image of the farmer, and perhaps even to imagine yourselves as the farmer, just as Teddy Horsley is doing in today’s picture. Seriously engaging with the soil opened Teddy Horsley’s ears to hear the Song of Creation, and opened his mouth to join in the praise of Psalm 148.
 
Next week the Cathedral is open for the first time after the lockdown and it happens to be Consecration Sunday, the day when we give thanks to God for the consecration of the Cathedral 96 years ago. This service will also be live streamed. The image to help us to prepare for this service, whether we are able to be there in person or to share in the service at home, is house of prayer. You can find out more about that theme here https://www.prayerforliverpool.org/prayer-resources.html. We would really appreciate you letting us know how you are using these materials. Please send us your ideas and photos of the things you may create; email them to nelson.pike@liverpoolcathedral.org.uk.
 
The photo above is taken from the book, The Song: Teddy Horsley Sings a Song of Creation. To learn more about Teddy Horsley, follow this link to his website: https://teddyhorsley.org/. Check out his page on the St. Mary’s Centre website for more Teddy Horsley stories: http://www.st-marys-centre.org.uk/resources.html.
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We warmly invite you to join us for worship here: 
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​Teddy Horsley sends his Sunday greetings to all.
 
Canon Leslie

I have two happy places.

One is Liverpool Cathedral (obviously) and the other is Everton Park.

During the lockdown I was able to look out at the cathedral every day but I missed Everton Park with its rolling telly tubby hills and amazing views. There was one Sunday in the middle of May when I was so sad that I couldn’t get to the park that a friend sent me a photo on her way home from volunteering at the foodbank. I am not ashamed to admit that it made me have a little cry.  

I am sure you have missed those special happy places, the places we all take for granted and in ordinary times would just pop over to see and experience whenever we feel the need. As lockdown starts to ease a little perhaps you have made it out to visit a few places you have missed? Well, I went to Everton Park this week (the photo is proof). I was able to just catch the last of the wild flowers and even though it was a hazy day I did get to see the sea! And I had another little cry…

I won’t be getting out as much as many others might be as I will continue to shield with Mark until August and then we will have to remain careful for a long time until he is a bit better. But, these trips to open spaces and safe places will be a great morale boost and spiritually uplifting. I know this has been a hard time for all of us and we will need to live in a new way for quite some time. That way we will be safe and we will be able to gently look after each other.

So, my prayers this week are for those people who are feeling isolated and can’t get out to their happy places, for those who are struggling with their mental health and who physically are finding these times difficult. I know how fortunate I am and I know how hard it continues to be so many.

Loving God
I thank you for your grace and mercy
For the joy of being able to share in such beauty in creation
For those places that bring back happy memories and full us with joy.
I pray for those who are struggling in body mind or spirit
For people who feel isolated and alone,
For the sick and the dying,
And for all who are longing for human touch and loving care.
Pour our spirit on the bereaved and all who are sad and full of sorrow.
May your protection and love surround us all.
In the name of your Son Jesus Christ.
Amen. 

Canon Ellen

While you're here:
Why not prepare for next Sunday's worship? Our preparation sheet for adults and for children can be accessed by clicking on the Resources tab of this website: https://www.prayerforliverpool.org/prayer-resources.html.

Just over a year ago, Stella and I drove out of Hull for the very last time as residents, and struck out west to traverse the entire length of the M62 to journey’s end in Liverpool. It was the culmination of months of discerning, thinking, praying, discussing, agonising, interviews, phone calls, packing, sorting, throwing away, and cleaning. Not to mention the many emotional goodbyes. We were driving away from a very familiar place to, literally, another place. My emotions were a jumble as we drove along: a degree of wistfulness as I recalled so many happy memories of the previous two decades in the Hull area, regrets at the ‘banana-skins’ where I’d slipped up or let others down, excitement at what the new life in Liverpool would hold, and some apprehension as to how it would all pan out.
 
Looking back, I can honestly say that it has been a wonderful and exhilarating year, Covid-19 notwithstanding. The welcome from everyone at the ‘Red Rose’ end of the M62 has been so warm and embracing, for which you have my sincere thanks. This once ‘other place’ has become the place that truthfully I am pleased to call home.
 
The process of transitioning from a familiar place to another place is something that we all go through in one way or another on multiple occasions in our lives. Moving house is an obvious trigger, but it can happen in many other ways too. When someone close to us dies, life is never the same again, and suddenly we wake up and find ourselves in unfamiliar territory. Many of the daily and weekly patterns of life that involved that person have disappeared and often there is a yawning chasm. Memories of the once-familiar are both comforting and distressing; comforting because they remind us of good times and happy moments in the past, but distressing because we know that we can never re-live them in the present and future.
 
A recent return to Crosby Beach, after months without visiting it during lockdown, stirred all this stuff in my mind. Perhaps that is what the artist Antony Gormley intended with his ‘Another Place’ art installation? Although I doubt that he could have foreseen someone (it wasn’t me honest) bedecking one of his ‘Iron Men’ with a face mask! Perhaps he would have approved, however, as evidence that people are interacting with the art-work to pass some comment about the current situation. The irony, I thought, is that the Iron Men are well and truly socially distanced! What struck me though, is that our slow and laborious journey out from lockdown into a post-Covid world is a bit like travelling to ‘another place’. Some of the same emotions that I felt on driving along the M62 a year ago will be played out in each of our lives. There will be joy at recalling happy memories of the past pre-Covid days, perhaps mingled with regrets. There will be excitement as we re-connect with family, friends and special places, mingled with apprehension that the spectre of contagion will cast a shadow over our joie de vivre for a long time to come.
 
Mountains of literature have been written about transitioning, its different stages and the impacts that they have on each one of us. I am no scholar, I should add, but one of the most famous theories is that there are five stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Whilst we are all different, the suggestion is that we all experience these in some form. So it is well to be alert to that as we all transition into the ‘new normal’ over the next few months and years and as we seek ways to handle that and grow through it. If it results in someone putting a disposable mask on an Iron Man, then perhaps that’s quite a therapeutic thing to do! Judging by the numbers of footprints in the sand, it has drawn the attention of many people.
 
Looking back on this time last year, I was so grateful that I was not alone in that place of transition. Stella was sat beside me in the car. To have companionship through any process of transition is indeed a great gift. Yet I realise that there are many of you who feel very isolated just at the very time when you are journeying to another place. My prayer is that you find in us at Liverpool Cathedral fellow travellers in whose company you can feel accepted and comfortable. One of our vision statements is for Liverpool Cathedral to offer a safe and generous place, in joy and sorrow. The process of journeying from a familiar place to another place inevitably throws up all kinds of joys and sorrows. So please seek us out, on-line or by phone at present, or in a visit for private prayer to the Lady Chapel. That way, we can travel alongside each other. Don’t be like the Iron Men, standing in isolation, each apparently contemplating their own past, present and future. Rather, let’s be pilgrims together to another place – whatever that other place may be.
 
Canon Neal

While you're here:
Why not prepare for next Sunday's worship? Our preparation sheet for adults and for children can be accessed by clicking on the Resources tab of this website: https://www.prayerforliverpool.org/prayer-resources.html.
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Tuesday was Global Forgiveness day. It is a day set aside to think about making amends with people and to set things right. Forgiveness is not an easy concept or an easy thing to do. Forgiveness cannot be imposed or demanded, neither does it have a time scale. People who have been through awful experiences will grieve in their own time and in their own way.
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I have often admired those people that can say they forgive a person when they have murdered or harmed a family member. For me the act of forgiving takes time. I know from my own life experiences that when I have been hurt by someone it takes me a lot of time and in some cases it can take me years to forgive. You cannot just turn forgiveness on and off.

Jesus talks to us on a number of occasions about forgiveness. In the Gospel of Matthew Peter comes to Jesus and asks how many times he should forgive his neighbour and Jesus replies seventy time seven. Every day we pray the Lord’s Prayer and in that prayer we prayer ‘Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.’

Forgiveness is not one way. As C. S. Lewis once said ‘forgiveness needs to be accepted as well as offered, if it is to be complete.’ We need then to think about how we forgive others who hurt us and also how we accept forgiveness from others.

It is so easy to say sorry, but to be really sorry and to be really forgiven is a journey that is entered into by two three or four parties and can take a life-time. Every day, every week we have the opportunity to seek forgiveness for the things we have done wrong. We have the opportunity in the liturgy of the church to lay before God what we have done wrong and to seek forgiveness.

As Martin Luther King once said: ‘forgiveness is not an occasional act it is a permeant attitude.’

Dean Sue

While you're here:
Why not prepare for next Sunday's worship? Our preparation sheet for adults and for children can be accessed by clicking on the Resources tab of this website: https://www.prayerforliverpool.org/prayer-resources.html.

Oh but at times surely one can grumble! Since the easing of the restrictions on our living conditions I have to admit that with the best will in the world there are a number of matters about which I get a little cross.

1. Other people. Yes I know I can’t grumble about all other people but there seem to be times as I try to walk at a social distance from the rest of the population that I have become invisible. Groups of people bear down on me and I am forced to take evasive action often into the road to avoid contact.
2. Cyclists. The only consolation about taking refuge in the road is the certain knowledge that I will not be knocked over by a cyclist. This is because it seems to me that all cyclists have taken to the pavements and delight in dinging a bell when they are inches behind me.
3. Joggers. At least most cyclists pass by quickly whereas joggers insist on sweating, coughing and spitting as they draw slowly draw alongside and then painfully move on.
4. Motorists. Did I miss a directive from Government that drivers are no longer required to indicate their intention when approaching a junction? This results in the pavement shuffle as I hop on and off a curb before summoning up the courage to set sail across the road.

However there is another side to all this which I think more than compensates for the frustrations.

1. Family and friends. These last months have meant so much more time in the beginning with Pauline and latterly being reunited with our extended family and grandchildren. Through phone and zoom old friends have been contacted and new plans made.
2. Appreciation of Carers. As a society we have at last recognised the essential and tremendous work undertaken not just by those working for the NHS but also those undervalued and underpaid in Care Homes.
3. Generosity and care for others. Alongside Carers those volunteering in Foodbanks have been an inspiration as have those whose generosity has kept them stocked.
4. Church and Worship. A return to Church at St Margaret’s last week as will happen in the Cathedral on Consecration Sunday reaffirms our desire to gather and worship together. Small signs of hope and encouragement.

 
Canon Bob  

While you're here:
Why not prepare for next Sunday's worship? Our preparation sheet for adults and for children can be accessed by clicking on the Resources tab of this website: https://www.prayerforliverpool.org/prayer-resources.html.

When I was a parish priest, I recall a cheeky young server who once made a remark about me which if it was a bit unkind, it certainly wasn’t untrue. After church one morning, a member of the congregation said in his hearing that it could be difficult to contact me. My young friend said to her, ‘Just go and wait outside the food department at Marks and Spencer’s and he’s sure to come along soon!’

If I listed my leisure activities, shopping would be fairly high on the agenda, and I find it hard to believe that four months has gone by since I last darkened the doors of that excellent emporium. I have found out that they deliver on line, a life-enhancing discovery, but still not quite the same.

This weekend, I have put this right and made my first trip into the city centre. I went as early as possible to avoid any crowds. I was apprehensive, but now that the official advice is moving towards us taking personal responsibility, this seemed a proportionate step to take. I didn’t linger, and as I am not yet ready to make use of my bus pass, I didn’t want to be like Delaney’s donkey on the homeward trip up the blessed hill to the Cathedral, which seems to get steeper with every passing year!

Later this month it will be possible for us to worship together once more in the great space of our Cathedral. Some of us will feel able to be there in person while others will feel that this joyful moment must still lie in the future. Each of us should make that decision responsibly for ourselves. It may help to know that from Monday 20th July, the daily celebration of Holy Communion from Monday to Saturday will resume at 12.05pm and it will be held in the main space, so social distance will be easy to maintain. This may be a stepping stone for some who might be apprehensive about Sunday just for now. Those who still need to remain at home will be glad to know that the recorded services will continue to be available in the coming weeks.

Arrangements for booking your attendance are on the Cathedral website, and whenever you come to join us, you know we will be really glad to welcome you!

Canon Myles

While you're here:
Why not prepare for next Sunday's worship? Our preparation sheet for adults and for children can be accessed by clicking on the Resources tab of this website: https://www.prayerforliverpool.org/prayer-resources.html.

My dearest mother had always been ill – from my earliest memories of her to her final day.  And even that wasn’t the full story – for her health difficulties were there from  aged seven, until she died, just shy of eighty-five.  As a young boy, I remember accompanying her to some of her many clinic appointments; long trips on the bus and then walking into the centre of Manchester from where we lived on the outskirts.  The sweet treats I would get from the doctors and nurses there, whilst my mum saw the many healthcare professionals.  Mum saw so many throughout her life, that there was a standing joke – if she needed treatment in a different hospital, her notes were probably taken in the back of a van, there were so many volumes of them!  I guess in today’s digital currency, she would have a whole cloud to herself!
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I guess that was the main trigger for me; to respond to a vocation within healthcare – a desire to find a cure for mum.  Even though I didn’t end up in that area of medicine, when the calling came to a scientific life of helping cancer patients, it still resonated with a longing to help and care for people.  For my entire professional life, that calling has been either within or associated with the NHS…for nearly 50 per cent of its actual existence.  For even when I was studying and training for the church in theological college, I was still active within my scientific societies and part of a national committee on radiotherapy and oncology – the one I chair now for the British Institute of Radiology; the oldest institute of its kind in the world.

So, the NHS has been and still is a major part of my life – now primarily in teaching, training and developing those working in radiotherapy, mainly in our NHS.  And it is round about this time that our graduates would be in the Philharmonic Hall, receiving their well-earned degrees and most then going off to start work in the NHS.  However, because of the effects of the pandemic and the huge draw on NHS resources over the last few months – an effort we should all be immensely grateful for – some have actually already started work; employed under special conditions to get on the treatment front line early.  So, our congratulations go to them already in numerous ways – as we have all saluted the unstinting hard work which has happened and actually, within cancer services, is about to increase dramatically….as the backlog in referrals and treatments is addressed.

But the work they do isn’t just a clinical job – it is more than that.  In many news stories we have seen front-line workers being clinical AND spiritual support; holding the hands of dying patients, just when it was needed most – becoming surrogate ‘family’ because true family members sadly could not be there.  The love and care which they bring to their patients, whoever they are, is paramount; it is spiritual; it is loving in all its various forms.  And for the most part it stems from themselves, who they are – distinctive, compassionate, individual….in much the same way that we know from our faith that Jesus was. His ministry was always there with love first, with compassion, with tears, with care. 

As part of the graduation ceremony for the healthcare professions, they all declare an oath; similar to the original Hippocratic oath, but with newer touches specific for the universal, inclusive society that we are, that we should be….that our faith calls us to be. It’s called the Declaration of Geneva, and I leave it with you – to reflect upon….but also to compare with our own faith, and perhaps ourselves to learn from the world around us – for the world around us is God’s world; all of it. Consider the words, and feel the deep, spiritual sense underlying it, especially in the language used….recognising it is for those of all faiths, and none; for all professionals.
 
At the time of being admitted as a member of the medical profession:

• I solemnly pledge to consecrate my life to the service of humanity;
• I will give to my teachers the respect and gratitude that is their due;
• I will practice my profession with conscience and dignity;
• The health of my patient will be my first consideration;
• I will respect the secrets that are confided in me, even after the patient has died;
• I will maintain by all the means in my power, the honour and the noble traditions of the medical profession;
• My colleagues will be my sisters and brothers;
• I will not permit considerations of age, disease or disability, creed, ethnic origin, gender, nationality, political affiliation, race, sexual orientation, social standing or any other factor to intervene between my duty and my patient;
• I will maintain the utmost respect for human life;
• I will not use my medical knowledge to violate human rights and civil liberties, even under threat;
• I make these promises solemnly, freely and upon my honour.

 
With my love and prayers for you all, as always….
 
Canon Mike
 
While you're here:
Why not prepare for next Sunday's worship? Our preparation sheet for adults and for children can be accessed by clicking on the Resources tab of this website: https://www.prayerforliverpool.org/prayer-resources.html.

​​Theology really does matter. As its name suggests, theology is about God (the Greek word Theos means God). But theology is not just about God, it is about the science of what it means to be human. In Christian theology human beings are created in the image of God. We can learn about God by taking humanity seriously. We can learn what it means to be human by taking God seriously. As our world discusses what the new normal could be like, as it tries to recover from the pandemic, it is worth ensuring that theologians are there around the table. As theologians we have something to say that is important.
 
The real point is that all of us who take God seriously are theologians. All of us who meet together (online as much as offline), where the Word of God is explored in the Liturgy of the Word, and where the Bread of Life is shared in the Liturgy of the Sacrament, are called to be theologians. As theologians all of us have something to say that is important.
 
So what can we learn by taking humanity seriously? We can see how the image of God bestowed in creation has been dulled and damaged by human disobedience. We can see how the saving grace of Christ holds out the offer for that image to be restored, as our souls feast on the Word of God and on the Bread of Life. All of us who take God seriously have something to say as theologians about what the new normal could be like.
 
In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew, Jesus once again reveals his deep insight into the malaise of the human race. Look at children playing in the market place, he says, learn from the games they play. Some of those games are naïve and innocent, but others can be brutal and damaging. Children can be fickle. Adults can be fickle too. Jesus experienced this for himself when the crowds who shouted ‘Hosanna’ on Palm Sunday changed their tune to ‘Crucify’ on Good Friday. It is worth taking this into account when discussing what the new normal could be like. As theologians we have something to say that is important.
 
To prepare for this Sunday’s service, I invited those of you who want to do some thinking beforehand to focus on the image of children’s games, just as Aled and Siân are doing in today’s picture. Aled and Siân have chosen the simple by profound game of ‘I spy’ and that game leads them to discover one of the great mysteries of the Christian faith. This picture is from the book, Exploring Why: Bread, which you can read in its entirety here: http://www.st-marys-centre.org.uk/resources/Exploring%20Why%20Series/Bread/Bread%20Short%202016%20WEB.pdf.
 
Next week the reading from Matthew’s Gospel moves on to Matthew’s collection of parables, and some of those parables are grounded in the experience of agriculture. The image to help us to explore and to reflect on these parables is farmer. You can find out more about that theme here: https://www.prayerforliverpool.org/prayer-resources.html. We would really appreciate you letting us know how you are using these materials. Please send us your ideas and photos of the things you may create; email them to nelson.pike@liverpoolcathedral.org.uk. 

We warmly invite you to join us in worship here: 

Aled and Siân wish everyone a relaxing and game-filled Sunday.
 
Canon Leslie