Second Sunday of Lent28 February 2021Morning ServiceRevd Nicholas Mercer Yesterday the Church of England remembered one of its great priests by the name of George Herbert He was born in 1593 into an aristocratic family and had a glittering early career Cambridge then fellow of Trinity College And after becoming a Public Orator he then became a…
First Sunday of Lent21 February 2021Morning ServiceRevd Nicholas Mercer In 1988 I went to see the film “The Last Temptations of Christ” It was directed by the very talented Martin Scorsese – but like so many other films about Christ, it stirred strong emotions In this case, this was largely because the film contained scenes of a…
Ash Wednesday17 February 2021Sung EucharistRevd Nicholas Mercer As a result of this pandemic, we are all more than familiar with the word Quarantine People with underlying health conditions have been required to stay at home and quarantine Those like myself who have been caught by track and trace have had to quarantine at home for ten days…
St Valentine’s Day14 February 2021Morning ServiceRevd Nicholas Mercer It is highly likely that there will be many of you listening to the service today who will be marking Valentine’s Day You may have sent a card or given or received a gift Red roses, chocolates or even jewellery are amongst the popular presents for today Alternatively, you…
Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany07 February 2021Morning ServiceRevd Nicholas Mercer My attention was drawn to a headline in the last fortnight about the so called “Magdalen Laundries” in Ireland Magdalene laundries were institutions run across Ireland by the Roman Catholic Church for so called “fallen women” The definition of “fallen women” was astonishingly wide – ranging from…
Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany31 January 2021Morning ServiceRevd Nicholas Mercer As many of you will be aware, apart from three months last year, the Tower of Bolton Priory has been open for private prayer during this pandemic Described by Simon Jenkins as “a glorious ante-chamber to the House of God” we were determined to keep part of…
Today we meet to say good bye to our brother in Christ Richard Bull Husband, father, grandfather and loyal servant of the Church We have heard a very moving tribute from his children (Anna, Alex, Matt, Chris and Judith) about Richards’ eighty six years here on earth His wonderfully full and rich life And we…
Third Sunday after the Epiphany24 January 2021Morning ServiceRevd Nicholas Mercer Even before the extraordinary and shameful events that unfolded in the American Capitol there was an apocalyptic feel to the last days of the Trump Presidency On Wednesday 6th January I woke to the news that the US had executed a woman called Lisa Montgomery The first…
Second Sunday after the Epiphany17 January 2021Morning ServiceRevd Nicholas Mercer This morning, on the second Sunday of Epiphany, we remember the first of our Lord’s miracles Perhaps the best known of all Christ’s miracles as Jesus changes water into wine at the wedding feast at Cana of Galilee It is the miracle of countless jokes, Not least…
First Sunday after the Epiphany10 January 2021Morning ServiceRevd Nicholas Mercer Whilst I was a chaplain at Sherborne, I was responsible for the School Confirmation Service It was a very large undertaking with approximately fifty boys being confirmed each year and took an immense amount of organisation It was naturally a very joyful event, but at the end…