As we journey through this season of Easter towards Ascension Day and Pentecost, I want to encourage us to put prayer is at the heart of all we do as we plan, experiment and explore; and also to be attentive to how we fan thankfulness into flame – Thankfulness to God and thankfulness to neighbour
Tag: bishopsletter
Bishop Rachel’s Easter Day Sermon
No government roadmap or unexpected change can change the coming of God’s kingdom, even now here among us. And amid the pain and joy of the expected and the unexpected, we are invited to have expectant and hope-filled hearts.
Message from Bishop Rachel: Chrism service sermon
Over the past year there has been so much loss of different sorts, and amid the bereavement and the trauma I have been very struck by how many people have said that one of the things they have missed is being able to share food and drink with friends. It’s certainly one of the things I’m looking forward to.
Message from Bishop Robert: Maundy Thursday Chrism
Our Chrism Service, this coming Maundy Thursday, will again be different. Led from the Cathedral this year most of us will join from homes. Yet as always it will be poignant.
Message from Bishop Rachel
Today I’m putting yellow daffodils in the window, and tonight at 8pm it will be the flame of a candle, bearing witness to lament and hope, and grief and thanksgiving.
Message from Bishop Robert: Telling the story
“Sarah Everard’s murder has rightly brought anger that this should happen on our streets, a wave of sympathy and love for her and her family, and then with it, a cry of pain and anguish. Like Rachel, we are weeping in anguish for our children and cannot be comforted (Jeremiah 31).”
Message from Bishop Rachel
…often it is in an almost aimless prayerful wandering and wondering when things rise to the surface in my heart and mind which then allows me to see things with greater clarity….
Message from Bishop Rachel
Often the noticing of the small things is the most enlightening, and the steps which lead to the greatest discovery are the small ones.
Message from Bishop Robert
Over 8 million people in this country live in overcrowded, unaffordable and sub-standard accommodation, I cannot but recognise that this is both an affront to human dignity and a challenge to act …
Message from Bishop Robert
The report of the Archbishop’s Commission on Housing, Church and Community has now been published and it sets out in stark terms the scale of the challenge our nation is facing in housing, alongside clear recommendations as to how we should respond.
Message from Bishop Rachel
Tomorrow we begin our Lenten journey. As we lived our first lockdown during Lent last year, I referred on several occasions to those wonderful words from the Lent preface to the Eucharistic prayer about ‘learning to be God’s people once again’ …
Message from Bishop Robert
In this Diocese we are seeking to be engaged with the challenge of ensuring that there is a place for everyone to live well, that houses become homes, and that with good homes households are built into communities where the fullness of life is offered for all.
Message from Bishop Rachel
As we stand in the present and look back, it is hard to believe that this time last year we were just beginning to wonder what restrictions we should put in place regarding sharing The Peace. Little did we know what lay ahead, and we remain acutely aware of uncertainty about the future.
Message from Bishop Robert for 26 February 2021
Closing our church buildings and moving our worship online has without doubt caused many of us to reflect on the place and the significance of communion in our lives and our faith, either because we have been denied it, or because we have participated differently.
Message from Bishop Robert
For so many it is quite clear that this, lockdown 3, is the hardest. In part I suspect this is because we are approaching a year since the beginning of the pandemic and know the reality of living with the restrictions on our lives and our freedoms and just how tiring this is. I suspect also, this …
Bishop Rachel’s Epiphany Message
Just as with the Magi and all involved in the events around Jesus Christ’s birth, questions and uncertainty about the future pervade our lives.
Bishop Rachel’s community Christmas message
I wish you a hope-filled Christmas. The light shines in the darkness. God is with us.
A message from Bishop Rachel: Diocesan Synod Presidential Address, given on Saturday 28 November
Tomorrow is Advent Sunday – the start of the new Church year – and with Advent comes a time of watching and waiting. You might feel as if you’ve done a bit too much of that recently.
Living in Love and Faith: a message from Bishop Rachel and Bishop Robert
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10 love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour (Romans 12: 9-10) We wantedContinue reading
Message from Bishop Rachel, 3 November 2020
‘And the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it’. (John 1:5)
Message from Bishop Rachel
‘You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colours in the world. God is not a secret to be kept.’
Words of Jesus Christ – Matthew 5:14
Read Bishop Rachel’s full message here today!
Message from Bishop Rachel and Bishop Robert
We would love to welcome you to the Festival of Everyday Faith this Saturday 3 October on Zoom,
Message from Bishop Rachel for 15 September 2020
Bishop Rachel celebrates the start of the Ministry Experience Scheme in the Diocese of Gloucester and looks forward to a weekend of ordinations and the Festival of Everyday Faith.
