Today is Advent Sunday and the beginning of the Church’s new year. With Advent Sunday we move into Year B of the Church’s three-year lectionary cycle, and this means moving from Matthew’s Gospel to Mark’s Gospel. With Advent Sunday we begin the serious preparation for the Holy Nativity. The liturgical mood for Advent is made clear by the colour of the vestments. Purple marks a serious season of penitence, as God’s people prepare the way for the coming of their Lord. The Gospel readings for Advent set the theme of keeping watch, keeping awake, keeping ready for the Lord’s coming.
 
On Advent Sunday the Gospel reading is selected from Mark chapter 13, the chapter sandwiched between the Book of Jesus’ ministry (chapters 1 to 12) and the Book of the Passion Narrative (chapters 14 to 16). This part of Mark’s Gospel is often known as the Apocalyptic Discourse where the clarion call is simple and direct, ‘keep awake’.
 
For those of you who wanted to do some thinking and preparation for today’s service during the preceding week, I invited you to focus on the image of Advent wreaths. There is one form of Advent wreath that you may have made to hang on the door of your house as a sign to those who see it that you are keeping Advent and that you are watching for the coming birth of Christ. In today’s picture Teddy Horsley is holding his Advent wreath ready to hang on his door.
 
There is another form of Advent wreath designed to sit on a table or sideboard with four candles around the edges (three purple and one pink) and with one white candle in the middle. On the first two Sundays of Advent we light one purple candle, the pink candle on the third Sunday, the third purple candle on the fourth Sunday, and the white candle on Christmas Day.
 
Next week the image to help us prepare for the Second Sunday of Advent, whether offline in the cathedral or online at home, is Christmas adverts. 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 [email protected].
 
If you’d like to learn more about Teddy Horsley and his writings, visit his website: https://teddyhorsley.org/, or his page on the website of St. Mary’s Centre: http://www.st-marys-centre.org.uk/resources/TeddyHorsley.html.
 
We warmly invite you to join us in worship online here: 

Yesterday was the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.  Worldwide there are 1.3 million women who have experienced domestic or sexual abuse.

Each year the world wide Mothers’ Union joins this United Nations international campaign with fellow members and many other organisations around the world. They do this as part of their membership of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.

The 16 Days of Activism begins on 25 November (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women) and ends on 10 December (International Human Rights Day).

The Mothers’ Union in Liverpool will be joining in with other Mother’s Union groups to raise awareness of gender-based violence and will be praying for men and women caught in a cycle of abuse.  This year the Mother’s Union are highlighting the ‘No More 1 in 3 campaign.’ This campaign raises awareness to the fact that 1 in 3 women across the world experience domestic or sexual abuse.

The events planned will be a lot different from last year’s event when Mother’s Union members from all over Liverpool Diocese gathered together in the Cathedral for a service and vigil and lectures to raise awareness.

This year, for the 16 days of Activism there is a prayer station in the Cathedral which is in the Well. There is the opportunity to come and light a candle, to prayer, and meditate. All are welcome to come and pray for the many men and women who are and have been affected by gender-based violence.  

Over the year members across the Diocese have been supporting their local Women’s Refuges and Domestic Abuse Services by providing them with toiletries and other essential items for emergency overnight accommodation for victims (many of whom leave home in a hurry without belongings for themselves or their children). Supermarket food vouchers are also given to help those affected and displaced to be fed. The Deaneries in the Diocese of Liverpool are also lobbying local Councils and Members of Parliament to support the 16 Days of Activism and address the rising number of domestic abuse cases.

We live in very challenging times and the COVID pandemic will have exacerbated violence in the home. Our treatment and response to every human being should be one of respect. Genesis 1:23 clearly reveals to us that God created everyone in God’s image. We all have a contribution to make to society, each other and the world. We all bring different gifts and different ways of being. God’s world is a very rich world if only we can respect and value the other person who will always be different to us - different in terms of race, culture background, faith, personality or gender. All we have to is accept them as they are and recognise that each of us has a place in God’s world.

So as we begin this 16 Days of Activism please do pray for the victims of gender-based violence and do take time out to come to the Cathedral and light a candle, a candle of hope.
​
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.

As we went into the first lock down in March my husband Mark was receiving chemotherapy treatment following Oesophageal cancer surgery. He was placed on the clinically vulnerable list and, as I was his designated carer, we both began to shield together. We had weekly shopping slots from supermarkets and were fortunate to be supported by neighbours, family and friends who helped us get additional supplies. As cathedral clergy we were all working online and all services went online as well I was able to contribute to worship and meetings in the same way as all my colleagues.
​
As the lockdown eased the rest of the clergy returned to worship in the cathedral - though we also continued to record services for those of us who couldn’t attend church in person. However, Mark remained vulnerable so, like so many others we decided to should continue to shield. I have been very fortunate that my colleagues have supported me in this decision and that I have been able to continue to work profitably from home and made a contribution to cathedral life in other ways not least through the governance work of Micah.

Even though I live next door I still have not set foot inside the cathedral since the beginning of March. Like so many of you I haven’t heard the choir sing live, or received the Eucharist; I haven’t prayed physically with anyone except Mark and I have not walked into the glorious space and looked up and out at the High Altar from the Well or sat in the beautiful silence in the Lady Chapel.

There is a palpable sense of loss in my public ministry as I enact my priestly calling in what is almost a monastic cell like way – privately and silently. And there has also been immense blessing and clarity in this time: I have had a pull on my heart to pray in a new way, to share thanks and encounter God in such a way as I am finding more joy in silence than I have ever done before. These are hard times but they are still filled with so much good.

A few weeks ago Mark received some very hard news: sadly the cancer that he had hoped had been cured with the operation he had late December 2019 has returned. The cancer has metastasised in his spine and there is no more curative treatment available. Last week he had some radiotherapy which will help with his pain and he is now on strong pain medication. There is some hope that if he is able to get stronger he will be able to receive chemotherapy but sadly the prognosis is not good. This also means that like so many of you we will now need to continue to be extremely careful over the winter and he will need to shield of the foreseeable future.   

Many of you will appreciate that being in the house in covid-time can be very hard. For Mark (indeed both of us) and not being able to spend time with children and grandchildren (other than occasional drive-by they make) is just not enough. But, it really has to be enough and we are grateful for that! And I pray my sermon last week (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKCVyiFlFSs) expressed something of the extra-ordinary gift of having enough and using this gift as wisely as possible to create abundance and hope.  

Anyway, this is a sad time for us, but it is the time we have and we are grateful for every moment. I know I don’t need to ask this because you will be – but, please do pray for Mark and the family as we digest this news and make the most of the earthly time ahead.

I have no idea when I will be able to return into public in person ministry or when I will step back inside the cathedral. Hope of a vaccine or a much reduced R-rate will make all the difference. But, for now this is what is happening and I know I am not alone. So many of you are sharing similar experiences and, even if you are more able to be out in public, for all of us life has changed so much in covid-time. I am now working 4 days a week – taking furlough for the remaining working week. I will keep you posted about how things are going and meantime you will still see me popping up in on-line services and events. I pray that you will find peace in these strange times and will be richly blessed even in the concern and shifting patterns of these covid-times. Please do keep safe and take care of yourselves and each other. Go gently dear friends. 

Much love and blessings - 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.

​Today is the last Sunday of the Church’s year, a Sunday on which our lectionary celebrates the Feast of Christ the King. The Gospel reading appointed for the Feast of Christ the King in the year when the readings come from Matthew’s Gospel is the closing section of Matthew 25. Matthew is the Gospel that presents Jesus’ teaching in five blocks. The first block (chapters 5, 6 and 7), the Sermon on the Mount, announces in the beatitudes the qualities of life that will reflect the Reign of Christ (for example, ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy’). Now the closing piece of teaching illustrates the actions that affirm the Reign of Christ. Christ’s disciples (you and I) are recognised for feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, and visiting the prisoners. The Reign of Christ is about social justice and about having an impact on the world in ways that really matter. The Reign of Christ is about transforming human lives. Today’s Gospel reading sums all that up perfectly. The teaching that Jesus started in the Sermon on the Mount and illustrated as he broke the five loaves among the five thousand and the seven loaves among the four thousand, he now sees carried out by the hands of those influenced by his teaching. To take to heart the Feast of Christ the King is to take to heart his teaching.
 
For those of you who wanted to do some thinking and preparation for today’s service during the preceding week, I invited you to focus on the image of food banks and on the wider theme of social justice. At Liverpool Cathedral, we support ‘Micah Liverpool’, a local charity that runs foodbanks, community markets and volunteer schemes: https://micahliverpool.com/. Today’s picture is taken from Aled and Siân’s book The Big Chapel. They find that the Big Chapel in the town centre is now used by the different denominations in the town to serve the needs of the local community. In the picture Aled and Siân are helping Captain Elfed Williams from the Salvation Army who is running the night shelter for the homeless.
 
Next week is Advent Sunday. The image to help us prepare for participation in the Advent Sunday service, online at home, is Advent wreaths. 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 [email protected].
 
You can learn more about Aled and Siân’s book The Big Chapel and their many other adventures by following this link to the St. Mary’s Centre website: http://www.st-marys-centre.org.uk/resources/christianspecialplaces.html.
 
We warmly invite you to join us in worship online here:

You can find the Order of Service on the Resources page of our prayer blog, Prayer for Liverpool: www.prayerforliverpool.org/prayer-resources.html. 

Aled and Siân send their Sunday greetings to all.
 
Canon Leslie

Most of us have places which hold special memories. One of mine is in our Cathedral, in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit. Fifteen years ago this week, I came to the Cathedral for the only job interview I have ever experienced.  I arrived a few minutes early, and went to the Chapel of the Holy Spirit to be still and quiet and to offer up the next fifty minutes or so to God. Later that day a phone call from Dean Rupert led to the beginning of a new chapter of my ministry, and many of you will be aware of the last fifteen years, as I have been part of the Cathedral Company, first as a Residentiary Canon, and for the last twelve years as Precentor.

In the New Year this chapter draws to a close as I retire from stipendiary ministry, but it also marks the beginning of something new.  When Dean Sue very kindly invited me to consider making the Cathedral my spiritual home in retirement and to continue to live in the Cathedral Close, I was honestly delighted, for I knew I would be living among friends, which can be such an important support, not least for a single person. There will be a different pace of life, I hope, and more quality time to do less, but perhaps to do it better. Alongside that, and in whatever ways may prove helpful, I hope to be able to offer ministry as a priest within the Cathedral company - having taken a solemn vow of perpetual abstinence from things which will be no longer my concern! 

When I set out to the Cathedral for the interview fifteen years ago, I recall sharing with my mother that I felt at peace about whether or not I should be appointed. As I look back on all that has been, and forward to whatever God may next have in store, I can’t do better than offer to God the words of the Swedish economist and diplomat, Dag Hammarskjöld: 

‘For the past, thanks: for the future, yes.’

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.

I have always loved this time of year - I guess, though, I love something of all the different seasons.  But Autumn perhaps brings out some of the best colours that nature has to offer.  Although the picture above of the park nearest to where I live (Newsham Park) was taken recently and perhaps beyond the peak of the beautiful changes that one might see in nature at this time, it is still wonderful – to see the gorgeous colours of the leaves on the trees, to feel that slight nip in the air, to feel and hear the rustle of the fallen leaves under your feet.  Nature is such a wonder of God’s creation, such a precious gift that at times (locally, nationally and internationally) we perhaps don’t fully appreciate – sometimes not until it may be too late and we may have lost something for good.  The changes are always there; as the cycle of seasons go around, so do the changes – but never quite back to the same place.  The leaves indeed may change colour and fall; the trees will ‘sleep’ through the cold of winter, and the spring will bring a renewal of fresh leaves, fresh life, fresh colour.  What comes back in the cycle, though, is never quite the same as what was in the previous year….things have come back around, but to a different point, a unique point; the same and yet changed.  But what is produced is still a tree, still something of great wonder and beauty, still a fabulous and necessary part of God’s creation – changed and yet the same.

When I was a student in Durham, my college was in a wonderful location slightly north east of the main city centre, along a long stretch of the River Wear – the College of St Hild and St Bede…shortened to ‘Hild Bede’ in student parlance! It was an amalgamation of two older colleges, originally Church of England teacher training institutes, founded in 1839 (St Bede) for men and later in 1858 (St Hild) for women.  The amalgamation happened in 1975, and the college’s motto – in Latin Eadem Mutata Resurgo, translated “I rise again changed but the same”, was chosen to reflect the changes from the combination of colleges – but with the same aim and reputation as an educational institute of excellence.  A few years later it became a full college of Durham University – changed and yet the same.  I have many happy memories of my time there in the early eighties – not least of this particular time of year, autumn.  Just like the beautiful trees in Newsham Park, the college was filled with them, which naturally and seamlessly blended eastward into Pelaw Woods along the river….so at this time of year, the blaze of colours was spectacular!

Change is so very much around us all the time – but so much so in our way of life through this pandemic.  Our whole world has changed, because of something which actually is born out of the natural changes which underlie our very existence and God’s created order.  And we must adapt and change with it – as we have seen throughout this year, in our response to the pandemic – from the small to the great, from the little things in helping others, to the acquired skills to connect and reach out online, to the looking to help and applaud, to the skills of those finding clinical solutions in record breaking timeframes.  It is all change…..through sadness and joy; through adversity but also pain – pain for those who are lost in the meantime, and the struggle of those with the effects on the economy.  The changes are incredible and hugely anxious for some – for whom we must try to stay the same through the change, by being constant with our prayers and finding ways to help.    

Even as we have cycled back into another set of restrictions, changed again, yet we can remain hopeful and positive in the love of God…..something that never changes.  It’s the same love which was manifest in the greatest act of outpouring, by sending his Son to be with us, be part of us, to minister to us, to teach and to heal us, to give his life for us, that he might rise and we might do the same in due time, to his heavenly kingdom…..where I suspect the colours are more beautiful than we could ever possibly imagine!  Through everything, God’s love is yet the same; then, now, forever….the solid rock on which we can build back our homes, our hopes, our lives.  Holding fast to the Cross of Christ, we will come through this period in our lives the same and yet changed; changed and yet the same – that we may continue to be and grow and develop as disciples of Christ.  May the changes which are happening help us to be even stronger Christians…..working to be the same as our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; in his name.    
 
With my love and prayers for you all, as always; take care….and go gently
 
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.

​Today’s Gospel reading (Matthew 25: 14-30) follows on directly from last Sunday’s reading (Matthew 25: 1-13). As part of Matthew’s fifth and last block of Jesus’ teaching, chapter 25 focuses the note of urgency, calling God’s people to be ready to welcome God’s reign. Last week the narrative was about the five wise and the five foolish bridesmaids. The wise had oil for their lamps, but the foolish did not. This week the narrative is about the faithful and wicked servants. The faithful servants put the talents entrusted to them to good effect, but the wicked servant did not. While the wise bridesmaids needed simply to be prepared, the faithful servants were required to be active and to make full use of all that their master had entrusted to them. The reign of God doesn’t just happen, but we have to prepare the context for it to happen.
 
For those of you who wanted to do some thinking and preparation for today’s service during the preceding week, I invited you to focus on the image of talents. Each of us has talents (and you could say that these talents are God-given) and have needed in the course of our developing lives to decide what to do about the talents that we have been given. Like the faithful servants we may have nurtured and developed those talents in God’s service, or like the wicked servant we may have been uncertain, insecure, or just plain lazy and allowed those talents to go to waste. Today’s Gospel reading is a wake-up call, a wake-up call as the Church’s year is coming to a close, to check on just how well we are doing with what God has given to us. Today’s picture is taken from Teddy Horsley meets Jesus’ Disciples and shows Teddy Horsley and Betsy Bear developing their talents as active disciples and as engaged learners. Here within the Diocese of Liverpool Teddy Horsley and Betsy Bear have clearly signed up to the Rule of Life to support their faith journey.
 
Next week the image to help us prepare for participation in the Sunday service online at home is foodbank. At Liverpool Cathedral, we support ‘Micah Liverpool’, a local charity that runs foodbanks, community markets and volunteer schemes: https://micahliverpool.com/. You can find out more about the 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 [email protected].
 
If  you’d like to learn more about Teddy Horsley and his writings, visit his website: https://teddyhorsley.org/, or his page on the website of St. Mary’s Centre: http://www.st-marys-centre.org.uk/resources/TeddyHorsley.html.
 
We warmly invite you to join us in worship online here: 

​It has been a long week so long that I thought I had done my blog last week and was free from it. Sorry for the lateness of this blog (it is now 5pm on Thursday). 

One thing I am noticing about this lock-down is the feeling that time is dragging and I guess the darker evenings don’t help this.  The mornings have been quite different to the darkness of the evening, and they have given me hope as I have seen some amazing sun rises.

I am at present encouraging people to look at the positives rather than the negatives in life and the Examen used in Ignatian spirituality helps me do this.

The daily Examen is a technique of prayerful reflection on the events of the day in order to see God’s presence and God’s direction for us. The Examen is an ancient practice in the Church that can help us see the hand of God at work in our lives and can help us look more positively at life.

Here is a version of the five-step Daily Examen that St. Ignatius practiced:

Become aware of God’s presence.
Review the day with gratitude.
Pay attention to your emotions.
Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.
Look toward tomorrow.
 
As I end this day I am reflecting on where I have seen God today and I am aware that I have seen God in people, in conversations and in this morning’s magnificent sunrise.
 
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.

I know people keep saying it, but it has been a really strange year – a strange and deeply unnerving year for most of us.  Having said that, in a crisis you find out who your friends are.  This year we’re seriously beefed up the numbers of meetings we’ve had with LVEN (Liverpool Visitor Economy Network) – one of the boards on which I sit representing the cathedral and bonds between the partners have been strengthened in these months of adversity. The visitor economy as many will know, is an important sector for Liverpool City region – one of the most important in terms of bringing tourists (and of course much needed revenue) into the city. 
 
The Liverpool City Region Tourism Awards in a normal year is the high point in the visitor economy calendar and a great night out.  It took place tonight (Tuesday 10th November).  This year was always going to be different.  No big glitzy ceremony at the cathedral in 2020 for several hundred people - no big schmooze afterwards.  This year, the event happened several months after it was originally due to happen (originally scheduled for May but postponed for obvious reasons) and was taking place on Zoom.  
 
Let’s face it Zoom and Teams have been life-savers for us all, but (generally speaking) they don’t replicate what it actually feels to be there in person.  I’m sure many people were greeting tonight as it “wouldn’t be the same” or words to that effect.  I mean no disrespect by that – people in this city region are massively sociable and love a party and this wasn’t going to be the great get together than a normal awards night would be. 
 
That’s what I thought – if I’m honest.  The funny thing about it is that (despite not winning our category) I thought it was a really great event.  Well done to Knowsley Safari Park by the way who won our category (Large Visitor Attraction) as they have worked extremely hard over the last few years to create a great attraction.   Well done too to the Growth Platform for pulling all this together in truly challenging times.
 
Tonight was a great event for me as it totally summed up the Liverpool spirit.  It had some moments of humour, it was big-hearted, it was friendly, it was collaborative  and it was indomitable.  We know it has been a tough year, but everyone who spoke tonight said they were up for building back and coming back stronger.  When you hear that from all the winners, it makes you very proud to be part of this sector, in this part of the world. 
 
What was also great to see is that all the winners were all gracious and all acknowledged their fellow nominees as having worked hard too in what has been a testing time for the whole sector.    
 
Tonight was different.  It isn’t the way we want to do the awards every year, but it showed what is truly great about the tourism sector in the city region.  It makes me enormously proud of the sector and the region we work in.  It also made me think that, with people like this, we were ultimately, as a sector going to be ok. 
 
Roll on 2021 and a year when we can build back and breathe some life back into our visitor economy.  With great people working in it like I saw tonight, we’re going to get through this.   
 
Paul
Director of Enterprise, Liverpool Cathedral

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.
​

​Today, the second Sunday in November, and the Sunday closest to Armistice Day (11 November), is held as Remembrance Sunday in the United Kingdom as a day ‘to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts’. Within the liturgical and lectionary cycle of the Church of England Remembrance Sunday comes within the period of All Saints’ tide.
 
Last Sunday, when we kept All Saints’ Day the Gospel reading came from the first of Matthew’s five blocks of Jesus’ teaching, the Sermon on the Mount. We heard proclaimed the beatitudes that hold out God’s promises of how things may go well when God’s reign is welcomed. Today’s Gospel reading comes from the last of Matthew’s five blocks of Jesus’ teaching. We hear proclaimed one of the narratives about people who were not ready to welcome God’s reign, the bridesmaids who ran out of oil for their lamps. We hear the warning about how things may not go well when God’s reign is rejected.
 
For those of you who wanted to do some thinking and preparation for today’s service during the preceding week, I invited you to focus on the image of candles. Candles are an important image during the season of All Saints’ tide. Candles remind us of the lamps we light at baptism to welcome God’s reign into our lives. Candles remind us of the lights we kindle to pray alongside the saints who have illuminated our Christian path, and to commend to God’s loving mercy our loved ones whom we see no longer. Candles remind us of the lives lost in war and conflict. Candles call us on Remembrance Sunday to stay on message to welcome the reign of God into our world. Today’s picture is taken from the illustrated communion book for Common Worship, The Lord is Here!
 
To find out more about The Lord is Here!, follow this link to the relevant page of the St. Mary’s Centre website: http://www.st-marys-centre.org.uk/resources/childrenandcommunion.html.
 
Next week the image to help us prepare for participation in the Sunday service, whether offline in the cathedral or online at home is talents. 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 [email protected].
 
We warmly invite you to join us in worship today here: