Author Archives: charlotteatsynod

Matthew 27: 45-54 45 From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 46 And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ 47 When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, ‘ThisContinue reading “Good Friday 2020”

Matthew 26: 36-46 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’ He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated. Then he said to them, ‘I am deeply grieved,Continue reading “Maundy Thursday 2020”

Matthew 26: 6-16 Now while Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table. But when the disciples saw it, they were angry and said, ‘Why thisContinue reading “Wednesday of Holy Week 2020”

Matthew 22: 34-40 When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. ‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ He said to him, ‘“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and withContinue reading “Tuesday of Holy Week 2020”

Matthew 21: 2-14 Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  He said to them, ‘It is written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer”; but you areContinue reading “Monday of Holy Week 2020”

Our worship idea for March is hardly new… Prayer Trees! Lots of people use prayer trees in their churches or in worship, and our prayer trees were one of the most popular items on our stall at the Christian Resources Exhibition.Wanting to have a physical expression of our prayers is nothing new.  Lighting candles is probablyContinue reading “Prayer Trees”

Our February ‘worship idea’ is the story of Paul the Polar Prayer Bear, who began as a way to help us pray, but has become so much more… You will need: A cuddly toy A great name Your imagination… Introduction It all began when Naomi, one of our clergy heard about Bob the Intercessorsaurus, whoContinue reading “Paul the Polar Prayer Bear”

This is the story of one of our very first members at St Clare’s. A story of how she found us, and left us; a story of angels and of God’s healing love. It shouldn’t be like this but sometimes it’s very difficult going to church. Especially if there are tough things happening in yourContinue reading “A Story of Coming and Going, led by angels.”

During 2020, we will be trying each month to share an idea for worship that has worked well at St Clare’s. We have often adapted other good ideas we have stumbled on, and you will no doubt do the same with our thoughts. This first idea is ‘A service of sending on’ for when someoneContinue reading “A box of blessings – Saying goodbye well in church”

Listening to the Passion Narrative on Palm Sunday, I winced at the description of Jesus’ humiliation, torture and death. It is a painful story for anyone, Christian or not to enter into, but perhaps as a trauma survivor it is particularly triggering. I still find it difficult to watch atrocities on the news, or readContinue reading “The Trauma of the Cross”