Posts by Lynne Pickersgill

Last Sunday I was chatting to Rosemarie about this weekend, and how busy the church might be, with Heritage Days and Patronal Festival being held over the same weekend.

In our conversation, my thoughts came to this morning, as I didn’t know where to focus my thoughts as I juggled the readings and heritage and Mary.

Rosemarie’s final comment was – whatever you do – don’t forget Mary.

So, being given that instruction, I have called today’s words – Don’t forget Mary. A good instruction for us all, as we gather to commemorate and celebrate our Patron Saint.

In order to even consider forgetting anyone, we must begin by knowing them. Mary is no different; we must first know her and understand a little more about why she is revered and why she has an important role in the Church and the world. 

Since that conversation, last week, the word of Mary’s Song of Praise – The Magnificat – have shaped my thinking,  and I want to focus on those words as we explore the importance of Mary.

How often do you look at the statue here to my right, perhaps when you’re lighting a candle?  It’s often easy to walk by her, and not to take in her beauty.

And art has allowed us to assume just that – she was beautiful. Also humble, modest, demure and young – but inside that soft shell I think there was a powerful, extraordinary woman who was willing to say yes to God!

The opening words of The Magnificat, recalls her joy at God choosing her to be the mother of Jesus. 

She sings, “My soul magnifies the Lord.”  To magnify something is to make things look bigger.. and perhaps this isn’t such a bad place to start — when Mary sings the Magnificat, she wants to make God look bigger, to draw attention to his greatness.

We cannot make God bigger; we cannot make God more than God is. So why does Mary choose this word? Maybe it is that, when we truly praise someone, ‘we make them bigger in the sense of giving them more room: we step back, we put our preoccupations and goals and plans aside.

Her yes to God, wasn’t just a passive acceptance of God’s will but an active participation in his plan.

For Mary says too that ‘he that is mighty hath magnified me’. As she gives room to God, God makes her greater. We cannot see God and Mary as opposed to each other ….the more God, the less Mary. When Mary gives room to God, God gives room to her: her humanity blossoms into its fullest glory. 

So one reason not to forget Mary – she said yes to God. By God making her great, she made him greater.

Good morning! It’s good to be here!

Over these past few weeks we have all had to adjust to using different methods of being together. But being together is what we are achieving week by week.

Although we may sound and look different, we can still join as a community.

Although the building is closed, Church is still very much open for business.
It did occur to me that us being in an imposed lockdown certainly has an impact on our 5 senses.

Touch – We are not able to touch our loved ones. Hugging is a no-no, whilst those hands need to be washed more often.

Sight – We cannot just go and see our friends, or family. We have been given boundaries and rules. Perhaps we have become too confined to our own four walls.

Hearing – How often does the phone ring? When we read words on a text or email, but cannot hear the voice of the one who sent it.

Taste – we have no appetite to eat alone. A shared meal becomes something some us have had to avoid.

Smell – I have particularly missed the smell of being in the church. The heady mix of incense and fresh flowers usually hang in the air at this season.

“Thank goodness that’s over with!” a colleague of mine said that as one year we packed away the Christmas decorations in our office.

Christmas has gone in the blink of an eye, the retailers know it, the programme schedulers know it. The lights and decorations may have been packed up for another year (or will be ) but still, the crib scene remains.

The season does not end so abruptly here. We still have an opportunity to gaze at the crib scene. Today marks not an ending, but a beginning of another journey.

Today we begin the Epiphany season – shifting from rejoicing at God’s coming among us to reflecting on what it means – to us and to the life of the world.

We know well the story from the gospel of the Wise Men or Magi who first visited the Christ Child to “pay homage”, but what did it mean then and what does it mean for us now?