Continuing with the theme of journeying and pilgrimages, last month we had a very important visitor to the Diocese – the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell – who was here to talk about Pilgrim Places in the North. Along with many others I went to an afternoon meeting with him at St Andrew’s Church in Tarvin, and others went to see him at the Cathedral in the evening. The Archbishop was very engaging and spoke about our life journeys, from birth to death and beyond, and about how these were enhanced by and through our faith. He also spoke about how we, as Christians and as members of Churches, could welcome, encourage and inspire others on their journeys (about which Christina wrote last month) and this is something we will all be thinking and praying about. As I’ve often said before, we all come from different backgrounds and with different faith journeys but, as the old saying goes, we are all in it together, and we all have different things to offer one another along the way. And, who but God alone knows just what effect our actions and words and prayers will have, and will have had, on those around us. Two recent stories of different encounters have really struck home: the first followed our last discussion group on pilgrimage where I showed the group the flattened pewter ampulla in the shape of a scallop shell which was found by a metal detectorist some years ago in the fields below the Church and dated to the 14th/15th centuries. It is the emblem of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain (which I have started but not finished.....) but how it ended up in the field is of course a mystery – was it dropped deliberately or accidentally? On hearing this story one of the group, who had just finished the pilgrimage, spoke to me and offered to donate their scallop shell to the Church – and it can now be seen in the window of the Warburton Chapel, with an explanatory note underneath – such generosity and faith! The seconds concerns a homeless young man who was camping in the Churchyard, and who was obviously very tired and thirsty – he was about to set off and we had a brief conversation and I offered him a cup of coffee from the Pub, which he accepted very gratefully, saying to me: “Thanks Vicar, you’re a real diamond!” I’m not quite sure what he meant, but before I could say anything he was off and back on the road, and I later saw him walking along the main road with a very heavy looking pack – there but for the grace of God.......... May our journeys, wherever they take us and whoever they bring us into contact with, be always hope filled and hopeful, and may they always be made in faith and love with those around us and those we encounter along the way. May God bless each one of us in this coming month. The Revd Alec Brown.
The month before last I wrote about, amongst other things, my love of walking and the journeying, physical and spiritual, that we all undertake during the course of our lives. We began Holy Week of course with a short journey/procession on Palm Sunday, and later that week recalled the journey of Jesus to Golgotha and the cross. And following Jesus’ resurrection, which we celebrated in large numbers in Church on Easter Day, there are some wonderful accounts of journeys in the Bible, foremost amongst them that of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, where they encounter the risen Lord but don’t recognize him straight away. One journey that really struck me however during this period, and about which I preached on Palm Sunday, was the pilgrimage to Canterbury of the newly appointed and soon to be installed 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally. Writing about that 87 mile journey from St Paul’s Cathedral in London to Canterbury Dame Sarah mentioned making the journey “with others and in the footsteps of the past.” Clearly referring to one of her predecessors, Thomas Beckett, she also mentioned those people who, across the world and across time, walk and have walked the pilgrim paths of faith each and every day. The installation service in Canterbury Cathedral was very striking, moving and deeply inspirational, not least at the very beginning when Dame Sarah knocked on the outer door with her staff requesting entry. On being challenged by a small group of schoolchildren as to who she was and why she was requesting entry, she replied “I am Sarah, a servant of Jesus Christ and I come as one seeking the grace of God, to travel with you in his service together.” It’s unlikely, though not impossible, that Archbishop Sarah will ever find her way to Great Budworth or Antrobus, but the shared sense of purpose and journeying that she has conveyed in only a short time is, for me, quite wonderful and truly inspirational, and I look forward with great hope and expectation to her ministry among us. Dame Sarah’s Archiepiscopal colleague the Archbishop of York will, however, be visiting our Diocese in June, promoting Pilgrim Places in the North, a venture taking place over the next year or so and celebrating the 1400th anniversary of the baptism of the pagan King of Northumbria, Edwin, by the first Bishop of York, St Paulinus, in 627 AD. As a Parish, and Deanery, we are taking part in this initiative, so please watch this space, and others, for details of local journeys, events, pilgrimages and so on. There are some Pilgrim Places leaflets and prayer cards at the back of Church. You might also be interested in watching the Celebrity Pilgrimage programme which was broadcast in the week after Easter, with an interesting group of celebrities, of all faiths and none, making their way from south of Whitby Bay to the holy island of Lindisfarne, following in the footsteps of St Cuthbert, one of the most celebrated of the northern Saints. And as we all make our Easter journeys towards Ascensiontide and Pentecost let us continue to refresh, deepen and strengthen our faith in the one who lived, died and rose again for us, and who walks before us on all our journeys, each and every day. May God bless each one of us in this coming month. Amen. The Revd Alec Brown.
Dear friends, Easter stands at the very heart of our faith—not simply as a cherished tradition, but as the moment that changes everything. The resurrection of Jesus is not just a remarkable event from the past; it is a living reality that continues to shape our lives today in ways both profound and personal. On Good Friday, it seemed that hope itself had been extinguished. Fear, grief, and confusion filled the hearts of the disciples. Yet, on Easter morning, everything was transformed. The empty tomb declared that death does not have the final word. Love is stronger than hatred. Life is stronger than death. The resurrection is astonishing not only because it happened, but because of what it means. It tells us that God is not distant from human suffering but enters into it fully—and then overcomes it. It assures us that no situation is beyond redemption, no life beyond renewal. In our everyday lives, we may not always feel victorious. We carry so many worries, losses, and uncertainties. Yet Easter speaks directly into these realities. It reminds us that even in the darkest moments, God is at work bringing new life. Sometimes that new life appears quietly—in forgiveness offered, hope rekindled, courage found, or love shared when it would be easier to turn away. The resurrection also calls us to be people of hope in the world. As a church community, we are invited to live out the Easter message—not only in what we believe, but in how we act. Every act of kindness, every stand for justice, every moment of compassion becomes a sign of resurrection life breaking into the present. This Easter, may we not only celebrate what God has done, but also open our hearts to what God is still doing among us. The risen Christ meets us where we are and leads us forward with hope. May the joy and power of the resurrection fill your hearts and homes this season. With love, prayers and every blessing, Christina
As an enthusiastic and lifelong walker (I can still remember my first ascent of Zimbabwe’s highest mountain, Mt Inyangani in the Inyanga Mountains in the east of the country, at the tender age of about 8 or 9 – not to mention many walks with school friends through the bush around our village, where we would dare each other to lie between the railway tracks as the train to Salisbury/Harare passed over – do not, repeat, do not attempt this!) the hymn I would choose for walkers, professional or otherwise, would certainly be “One more step along the world I go”. As Christina mentioned last month, Lent is a journey which we all take in whatever way is best/most appropriate for us, accompanied by prayer, reflection and fasting, and encouraged by the services and devotions of the Church. To help us on our Lenten journeys this year, we will be holding weekly services of Compline, with prayer and reflection, followed by a discussion group where we can think and talk about the pillars/signposts of our faith as Christians. Like some of yourselves I can look back on decades of Christian journeying and all sorts of adventures and happenings along the way – but I still come to each Lent with fresh eyes and an open heart, trying to put myself wholly at God’s disposal, and hoping to draw new strength and encouragement for the journey ahead. One of my other favourite hymns on the theme of journeying is “Lead, kindly light” by John Henry Newman, one of whose lines is especially relevant for walkers, in Lent or at any time: “Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see the distant scene; one step enough for me”. Through Christ’s death and resurrection we are able of course to “....see the distant scene....” but we are still on our way there in this life, one step at a time and, as walkers everywhere, we need guidance and assistance along the way, from God and from one another in our daily lives, filled as they are with all sorts of issues and challenges. And so my wish, and prayer, for us all is a fruitful, positive and holy Lenten journey in which we are kept “...ever constant by our Saviour’s side, that with Him we may appear at th’eternal Eastertide” (Forty days and forty nights). May God bless us all in this holy season of Lent. The Revd Alec Brown.
