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stjohnstmarkchurchburyFriday, September 20, 2019

Three quarters of the way through 2019 already! So, we thought we’d share with you our top 5 posts so far this year. They are each very different but they are a good representation of the range that we publish. You might have missed them the first time – or you might enjoy reading them again!

Rehearsing Scripture – Lent Bible Studies

This year we chose ‘Rehearsing Scripture: Discovering God’s Word in Community’ by Anna Carter Florence as our Lent Bible study book. It encouraged us to think about the action words in the passages that we were looking at. What verbs do we share with Moses or Abraham or Mary… or even Jesus? Nouns can sometimes distance us from the Scripture – but verbs speak to what we do in the here and now. What does that say to us and the people with whom we live?

We shared our comments with Anna, who wrote back saying: “What strikes me most, in reading them, is what happens when a group slows down and gives itself permission to enjoy (or just “experience,” if “enjoy” is too presumptuous) a slow reading: suddenly, there’s time for all kinds of minor comments about random things, most of which turn out to be not so random or minor at all. Just reading through your group’s observations, I’m seeing things I hadn’t seen before… But I’ve learned how wonderful that is: to be constantly surprised. And I’ve learned to expect it. Much better to let ego go (as if the hours we spend with a text mean that no one else can disrupt or dislodge what we’ve decided) and let someone else usher in the Spirit, yet again!“

The Forgotten Valley

A firm favourite from our Walking Group. This is a post that’s been regularly visited since it was written back in April 2018. It describes a walk through the Cheesden Valley near Bury, Lancashire and what remains of its industrial past. Old mills, bleach works and schools. The site of former tramways. Stories of water disputes and music festivals.

Emancipate Yourself…

A frequent contributor of sermons to our site, Reverend Keith Trivasse, outdid himself in August last year by quoting from a well-known Bob Marley song. We subsequently get a lot of hits from Jamaica and Ghana… So, if you are someone who came to us by accident then we hope that you’re not too disappointed! Keith also writes a blog on theology and politics that you may want to take a look at.

Easter Us

A powerful poem written in 1994 by preacher, theologian and wordsmith Walter Brueggemann. It’s better described as a modern day Psalm with all the same characteristics. Here’s just a small taste:

So we come in our bewilderment and wonderment,

deeply trusting, almost afraid to trust much,

passionately insisting, too timid to insist much,

fervently hoping, exhausted for hoping too much.

Church lunches in Bury

Our sister church, Christ Church Walmersley, hosts an incredibly popular free lunch once a month on a Thursday. Consequently, we thought it was a good idea to let people know about other lunches being hosted by other churches in the area. You can’t quite dine out on them all week – but you can give it a good go!

So, thank you for reading our top posts! If you want regular updates of new posts then you can sign-up to get an e-mail each time one is added. The link is at the top of the page. Or you can become a follower of our site on WordPress. Or just remember to visit us every now and then! God bless