Praying with the Psalms in Easter: 31 May 2022 (Psalm 97)

‘The Lord is King! Let earth rejoice’ (Psalm 97: 1) … a stained glass window in Saint Editha’s Church, Tamworth (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Patrick Comerford

Today is the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (31 May 2022). Before this day begins, I am taking some time this morning to continue my reflections in this season of Easter, including my morning reflections drawing on the Psalms.

In my blog, I am reflecting each morning in this Prayer Diary in these ways:

1, Short reflections on a psalm or psalms;

2, reading the psalm or psalms;

3, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary.

Psalm 97:

Psalm 97 was the appointed psalm in the Revised Common Lectionary readings on Sunday (29 May 2022). It is sometimes known by its Latin name Dominus regnavit exultet terra. In the slightly different numbering system in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate, this psalm is counted as Psalm 96.

Psalm 97 is the fifth in a series of psalms (Psalms 93-99) that are called royal psalms as they praise God as King. Biblical scholars note numerous thematic and structural similarities between Psalm 96 and Psalm 97, which are both psalms about the kingship of God.

Psalm 97 is a hymn celebrating God’s kingship, and it speaks of his’s supremacy as Lord of the earth, his sovereignty, his enactment of justice, and the widespread rejoicing that will ensue. ‘The Lord is king!’ (verse 1), in other words, he has won the battle for world kingship over the forces of chaos. May the whole earth rejoice!

Verses 2-5 are a theophany, a description of how God has appeared as he has visited earth: in a cloud and in a burning bush during the Exodus, etc. He rules with righteousness and justice. He is ‘the Lord of all the earth’ (verse 5).

The word ‘all’ occurs three times in verses 6-9, emphasising God’s omnipotence. Verse 7 says that those who worship images or idols will realise the error of their ways. Other gods recognise God’s supremacy. Then, in verse 8, the people of Israel rejoice in God’s justice.

Verses 10-12 tell us the kind of rule God exercises. Those who hate evil are faithful to him, and he rescues them from the ways of the wicked. Light shines on the righteous, who rejoice and who give thanks to God.

In Jewish tradition, Psalm 97 is the third of six psalms recited during the Kabbalat Shabbat or ‘Welcoming the Shabbat’ service. These six psalms represent the six days of the week, with Psalm 97 corresponding to the third day, Tuesday. Verse 11, ‘Light dawns for the righteous ...’ is recited by Ashkenazi Jews at the start of the Kol Nidre service on Yom Kippur.

The Masoretic text version of Psalm 97: 7 reads ‘worship him, all ye gods,’ but the Septuagint equivalent reads ‘προσκυνήσατε αὐτῷ πάντες οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ’, ‘worship him, all ye his angels.’

In his commentary on Psalm 97, the former Chief Rabbi, the late Lord (Jonathan) Sacks, writes: ‘History is not destined to be an endless story of the victory of right, the powerful over the powerless. At the heart of reality is a force that makes for justice, giving strength to the weak, and courage to the oppressed. “Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart”.’

‘Light dawns for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart’ (Psalm 97: 11) … dawn breaks over the mouth of the River Slaney at Ferrycarrig in Wexford (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Psalm 97 (NRSVA):

1 The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice;
let the many coastlands be glad!
2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 Fire goes before him,
and consumes his adversaries on every side.
4 His lightnings light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of all the earth.

6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness;
and all the peoples behold his glory.
7 All worshippers of images are put to shame,
those who make their boast in worthless idols;
all gods bow down before him.
8 Zion hears and is glad,
and the towns of Judah rejoice,
because of your judgements, O God.
9 For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.

10 The Lord loves those who hate evil;
he guards the lives of his faithful;
he rescues them from the hand of the wicked.
11 Light dawns for the righteous,
and joy for the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,
and give thanks to his holy name!

Today’s Prayer:

The theme in this week’s prayer diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel) is ‘Global Day of Parents.’

The USPG Prayer Diary this morning (31 May 2022, The Visit of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth) invites us to pray:

Lord, may we witness to you with those whom we hold close. Help us to follow your calling and walk alongside our fellow Christians.

Yesterday’s reflection

Continued tomorrow

The Visitation of the Virgin Mary to Saint Elizabeth … a panel from the triptych in the Lady Chapel in Lichfield Cathedral … 31 May is the Feast of the Visitation (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

Saint Bede’s Church in Newport Pagnell was built as a courtroom and prison

Saint Bede’s Catholic Church is a striking building on the High Street in Newport Pagnell (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2022)

Patrick Comerford

Saint Bede’s Catholic Church is a striking building on the High Street in Newport Pagnell, and two of us visited it last week while we were in the town. The church and the Old Town Hall Chambers facing it form a pair of interesting buildings that face each other on the former Market Square, close to the Coachmaker’s Arms and the junction with Bury Street.

Both the church and the former town hall were designed in the 1840s by a prominent local architect in Newport Pagnell, Richard Sheppard. The significance buildings and are of architectural, historical and townscape interest as a pair of mid-19th century civic building on a prominent town centre island site.

Saint Bede’s Church was originally built in 1847 as a police station and courtroom. The original plan included a police station and cells on ground floor, as well as with two police flats with separate entrances to the street, and a courtroom above.

A new police station was built in 1871, and the police moved there in 1872. The building had become a Temperance Hall by 1881. Ten years later, it was a Mission Hall run by the Plymouth Brethren in 1891. it was taken over by the Baptists in 1915.

It was later used as a paper bag factory and was unused for a while before being acquired as a Catholic Mass centre in 1953.

Before acquiring the church, Catholics in Newport Pagnell were occasionally served by travelling priests, but otherwise had to make the journey to Wolverton or Olney.

The old Mission Hall was bought for £4,000 in 1953, with a view to establishing a Mass centre in the first floor former courtroom. Furniture was donated from various sources, and the building was blessed and dedicated by Bishop Leo Parker in March 1953. At first, there was some local resistance to such a prominent public building being used for Catholic worship.

A resident priest was appointed to Newport Pagnell in 1957, and a house in Bury Avenue was acquired 2½ years later to serve as a presbytery.

Father Nevill McClement was appointed to Newport Pagnell in 1969, and soon afterwards became the first parish priest of Saint Bede’s. Various improvements were made to both the upstairs church and the downstairs accommodation.

The church was repaired and refurbished in 1986 under the direction of the architect George A Mathers. The upper floor, which now serves as the church, is a fine compartmented space carried on cast iron columns.

The conversion of the building to use as a church did not involve major structural change. But an unresolved problem is that the church is on the first floor, creating difficulties for elderly people and for moving coffins at funerals. The feasibility of installing a lift or a hoist was investigated but this was ruled out due to cost and the lack of available space. Instead, a weekday chapel that could also be used for funerals was created on the ground floor.

The Blessed Sacrament was reserved downstairs, and a new social room, kitchen and WCs installed. New stairs up to the church from the entrance hall were formed, with a glazed lobby above. A moveable dais was installed for the sanctuary, to allow for flexibility in the internal arrangements. A ceiling painting and carved wooden furnishings by Peter Koenig were provided.

The central oval ceiling painting by Peter Koenig shows Christ the Fisherman and features Newport Pagnell’s famous cast iron bridge at Tickford in the background. The carved timber pulpit in the upper church and the tabernacle plinth in the weekday chapel are also by Peter Koenig. There are some stained glass panels, screwed to the window frames, while leaving the sash windows in situ.

George Mathers’s report in 1986 states that investigation of the structure at the time of the refurbishment had produced evidence that the 1847 structure incorporated elements of an earlier building.

Mathers also found that the cast iron columns in the former courtroom, as well as serving a loadbearing function, also served as flues to blocked or removed fireplaces on the ground floor, carrying warm air to the former courtroom.

The exterior was faced with standard bricks of various sizes and an early form of cast concrete was used in the architectural dressings. Some of the first floor joists spanned the entire width of the building, some 38 ft.

Sheppard designed the original building in the Classical style. Built of red brick in Flemish bond with stone and yellow brick dressings and slate roof.

The main entrance front faces east onto the former Market Square is of three bays with central open pediment with brick modillion cornice supported on giant Ionic pilasters with deep plinth.

The first floor has sash window with nine panes. The round-headed arched doorcase has a 20th century door. The sides are of one tall storey with hipped roof and tall blank round headed arches filled-in with cement rendering.

The north and south sides are of two storeys with three windows. The ends have open pediments supported on full-height Ionic pilasters with a deep entablature at the centre bay. The central first floor window is six-pane sash, while the end windows are nine-pane sashes.

The ground floor has a central arched doorcase with a plank door and four 12-pane sashes with cambered heads. The south side has an added two storey brick addition with the stair and porch obscuring an end bay.

Inside, the first floor has the original ceiling of the courtroom, divided into nine compartments by deep moulded beams and supported on four Tuscan columns at the intersections.

The renovated church was dedicated in December 1987. Today, Saint Bede’s is part of the Diocese of Northampton and the Milton Keynes Pastoral Area. Saint Bede’s is also a member of Churches Together in Newport Pagnell, and a part of the Milton Keynes Cluster.

Masses are celebrated on the first floor of the church. For people unable to manage the stairs, a ground floor chapel offers a full closed circuit system to allow them to follow the service.

The old Mission Hall was converted into a Catholic church in 1953 (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2022)

The building facing Saint Bede’s Church was once the Town Hall Chambers, and has also served as a Baptist Church.

This building has seen many uses over the years. It was built in the early 19th century as a ‘British School’. It was enlarged in 1845, when the architect Richard Sheppard designed the western front and entrance, and again in 1899, when it became the Town Hall.

The building was known as Church House from 1937.

Despite the fact that it was still in the hands of the council, it continued to be the main meeting venue in the town. Upstairs the main room was capable of holding up to 200 people. It hosted public meetings, dances, productions by local theatre groups and school activities.

Eventually, the parochial church council sold the building to the Baptist Church. They later moved to Lovat Hall and the building was subsequently sold for redevelopment.

The former Town Hall Chambers has also served as a Baptist Church (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2022)

Praying with the Psalms in Easter: 30 May 2022 (Psalm 96)

‘O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth’ (Psalm 96: 1) … Arnaldo Pomodoro’s sculpture ‘Sphere Within Sphere’ at the Berkeley Library in Trinity College Dublin (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Patrick Comerford

Before this day begins, I am taking some time this morning to continue my reflections in this season of Easter, including my morning reflections drawing on the Psalms.

In my blog, I am reflecting each morning in this Prayer Diary in these ways:

1, Short reflections on a psalm or psalms;

2, reading the psalm or psalms;

3, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary.

Psalm 96:

Psalm 96 is sometimes known by its Latin name Laetentur caeli. In the slightly different numbering system in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate, this psalm is counted as Psalm 95. The Septuagint’s title for this psalm is ‘When the house was being built after the Captivity.’

Psalm 96 is the fourth in a series of psalms (Psalms 93-99) that are called royal psalms as they praise God as King. Biblical scholars note numerous thematic and structural similarities between Psalm 96 and Psalm 97, which are both psalms about the kingship of God.

According to the medieval rabbinical scholar David Kimhi (1160-1235), also known by his Hebrew acronym as Radak, this psalm was composed by David when he brought the Ark of the Covenant up to Jerusalem. On this day, it is said, David composed two songs – the Song of Thanksgiving (Hodu) and Psalm 96 (see I Chronicles 16: 8-36).

According to I Chronicles 16:7, David instructed Asaph and his brothers to sing these songs daily. Hodu was sung before the Ark every morning, and Psalm 96 was sung before the Ark every afternoon, until the time the Temple was built and the Ark was moved into it.

However, the apparent newness of the song leads some commentators to identify Psalm 96 with the deliverance of Israel from Babylonian captivity, inaugurating a new stage in the nation’s history. The opening words, Verse 1: ‘O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth’ (verse 1), correspond to the words of the Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 42: 10.

In Jewish tradition, Psalm 96 is the second of six psalms recited during the Kabbalat Shabbat (‘Welcoming the Shabbat’) service. These six psalms represent the six days of the week, with Psalm 96 corresponding to the second day of the week, Monday.

In Hebrew, this psalm is known as Shiru Lashem (‘Sing to the Lord’), and repeats the word ‘sing’ three times.

According to the Midrash Tehillim, these three instances refer to the three daily prayer services ‘when Israel sings praises to God’:

1, Shacharit, the morning prayer, corresponding to ‘O sing to the Lord a new song’ (verse 1);

2, Mincha, the afternoon prayer, corresponding to ‘Sing to the Lord, all the earth’ (verse 1);

3, Maariv, the evening prayer, corresponding to ‘Sing to the Lord, bless his name’ (verse 2).

In his commentary on Psalm 96, the former Chief Rabbi, the late Lord (Jonathan) Sacks observes that ‘one of the most difficult ideas for modern minds to grasp is that the universe might sing for joy at the coming of judgement and justice.’

‘Yet,’ he continues, ‘we believe not only in one God, Creator of heaven and earth, but also in the inseparable connections between cosmos and ethos, the world-that-is and the world-that-ought-to-be.’

He goes on to say: ‘God not only created the universe but also saw that it was good. From the outset, the universe had an objective moral structure. As the natural world is governed by scientific law, so is the human world governed by moral law. Hence creation rejoices that He is coming to judge the earth, that the world is governed by the rule of right rather than the rule of force.’

‘Worship the Lord in holy splendour; tremble before him, all the earth’ (Psalm 96: 9) … above the Alps in Switzerland (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Psalm 96 (NRSVA):

1 O sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvellous works among all the peoples.
4 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be revered above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
6 Honour and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts.
9 Worship the Lord in holy splendour;
tremble before him, all the earth.

10 Say among the nations, ‘The Lord is king!
The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved.
He will judge the peoples with equity.’
11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
12 let the field exult, and everything in it.
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
13 before the Lord; for he is coming,
for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with his truth.

Today’s Prayer:

The theme in this week’s prayer diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel) is ‘Global Day of Parents.’

The USPG Prayer Diary this morning (30 May 2022) invites us to pray:

Let us pray for all who work in childcare. May they be supported and valued in all they do.

Yesterday’s reflection

Continued tomorrow

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

Searching for the former rectories and vicarages in Stony Stratford

Saint Giles Mews, Vicarage Road … the site of new rectory built by the Revd William Thompson Sankey in the early 1860s (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2022)

Patrick Comerford

With the imminent retirement of Father Ross Northing, the Parish of Saint Mary and Saint Giles, Stony Stratford, and All Saints’, Calverton, is about to begin the search for a new rector.

The Archdeacon of Buckingham, the Ven Guy Elsmore, imdicated in a note in the parish notices this morning (29 May 2022) that the vacancy may soon be advertised and the advertisement of the vacancy and the recruitment process may begin once the parish is in interregnum.

The present rectory in Stony Stratford is at 14 Willow Lane, off Mill Lane, and a curate’s house is available in Bunsty Court, although the parish has not had a curate for many years.

The rectory at 14 Willow Lane, off Mill Lane, in Stony Stratford (Photoraph: Patrick Comerford, 2022)

In the past, the Parish of Saint Giles in Stony Stratford has had a number of rectories in the past, and I have gone in search for them as two of us have walked around the town.

Saint Giles Residential Home, Elizabeth House and Acorns at Saint Giles Mews on Vicarage Road are on the site of the former vicarage in Stony Stratford. The vicarage was built ‘on the site of a small farm’ by the Revd William Thompson Sankey, who was Rector of Stony Stratford in 1859-1875.

When Sankey arrived in Stony Stratford, he decided the vicarage on the High Street was inadequate, and built a new rectory at Vicarage Road, formerly known as the Back Lane. While the new vicarage was being built, the Sankey family rented Calverton House, near the corner of Horsefair Green.

Calverton House near Horsefair Green served as the vicarage in the mid-19th century (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2022)

Calverton House may have been the only house in the town that was grand enough for Mrs Sankey and her five children, including four children from her previous marriage. But it had also served as a rectory for Sankey’s predecessors, the Revd CM Christie (1851-1857).

However, the local historian Dr Oliver Brown, in Stony Stratford: the town on the road (1987), says Calverton House was built by Christie, who ‘quickly formed a poor opinion of the existing vicarage’ at 36 High Street when he arrived in Stony Stratford in 1851. It seems to have also served as a vicarage for Christie’s successor, the Revd Joseph Boord Ansted (1857-1859).

Sankey has been described as ‘undoubtedly … one of the greatest benefactors of Stony Stratford, as he made so many improvements in the town.’ He initiated a slum clearance programme, pulling down some old hovels and building what became New Street, leading from the High Street to his new vicarage and to Vicarage Street.

Sankey also built a primary school on Vicarage Street. As his crowning glory, he built Saint Paul’s School, which opened in 1863 and which became known as Mr Fegan’s homes in the 20th century. He died on Whit Monday, 10 May 1875.

Sankey was succeeded as Vicar of Stony Stratford by the Revd George William Corker (1875-1880), and the house Sankey built in the early 1860s continued as the vicarage for over a century until it was demolished.

Calverton House, where the Sankey family lived briefly, now has an address on Ousebank Way. This mansion, now divided into flats and separate family units, is said by some sources to date from the Georgian period.

The former vicarage at 36 High Street, Stony Stratford … the architect Edward Swinfen Harris was born there in 1841 (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2022)

The previous Vicarage in Stony Stratford was at 36 High Street. This is an 18th century house that served as a vicarage. It is built with vitrified brick with red surrounds to the windows that are now painted over. However, it seems not to have been lived in by the clergy of the town for many decades.

Stony Stratford’s celebrated architect, Edward Swinfen Harris (1841-1924), whose works, mainly in the Arts and Crafts style, can be seen throughout the town, was born at this vicarage on 30 July 1841. But his father was not a vicar; instead, he was the clerk to the town bench of magistrates, the Board of Guardians and other bodies.

Dr Oliver Brown speculates that an earlier vicarage for Saint Giles Parish may have been on the west side of High Street, and was likely to have been in the area close to the church. But Brown found no record of such a vicarage, and wonders whether the house was lost in the fire of 1736 which destroyed much of Church Street.

The Old Manse, an 18th century house off High Street … was this ever a vicarage? (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2022)

The east side of Stony Stratford stood in the Parish of Wolverton, and was served by the Church of Saint Mary Magdalen, which was destroyed by fire in 1742.

There was no need for a clergy house when the decision was taken not to rebuild Saint Mary Magdalen Church. But I wonder whether the Old Manse, an 18th century house off High Street, could have served as a vicarage in the past.

No 106B High Street, now known as the ‘Ratcatcher’s Cottage,’ has also been known in the past as the ‘Old Vicarage’ … the tower of Saint Mary Magdalen is in the background (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2022)

No 106B High Street, an 18th century house with earlier origins, is now known as the ‘Ratcatcher’s Cottage.’ But it has also been known in the past as the ‘Old Vicarage,’ and stands behind the tower of Saint Mary Magdalen.

This house is of Tudor origins, and was rebuilt after the fire of 1742 in random rubble and has a probably later brick front at the south-west with brick modillion eaves cornice. This is a two-storey house with one window each on the south-west, and a steep pitched tiled roof has hipped dormers. Inside, the house has an inglenook fireplace. The gabled projection at the north-east side is said to have a former ‘Priest’s Great Chamber’ on the first floor.

However, it is difficult to know with certainty how long, if ever, this house served as a vicarage. The stewards of Wolverton Manor lived there until Dr John Radcliffe took possession in 1712. John Battison, the steward at that time, continued working for the new owner, although there is no suggestion that any of Radcliffe’s estate managers lived there.

The Ratcatcher’s Cottage received its present name from a resident who is said to have been a successful rat catcher in Stony Stratford in the early 20th century.

The other rectory or vicarage in Stony Stratford is the former vicarage of Wolverton Saint Mary on London Road, Stony Stratford. Swinfen Harris returned to his home town in 1868 to make additions to this house, but it no longer serves as a vicarage and has been converted into a private house.

The former vicarage of Wolverton Saint Mary on London Road … Swinfen Harris returned to Stony Stratford in 1868 to make additions to (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2022)

Praying with the Psalms in Easter: 29 May 2022 (Psalm 95)

‘The heights of the mountains are his also’ (Psalm 95: 4) … snow in springtime on the White Mountains or Lefka Ori above Rethymnon in Crete (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Patrick Comerford

Today is the Seventh Sunday of Easter or the Sunday after Ascension Day. Although Thursday was Ascension Day, the season of Easter continues until the Day of Pentecost, next Sunday.

Later this morning, I hope to attend the Parish Eucharist in the Church of Saint Mary and Saint Giles in Stony Stratford. Before this day begins, I am taking some time this morning to continue my reflections in this season of Easter, including my morning reflections drawing on the Psalms.

In my blog, I am reflecting each morning in this Prayer Diary in these ways:

1, Short reflections on a psalm or psalms;

2, reading the psalm or psalms;

3, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary.

Psalm 95:

Psalm 95 is familiar to many as a Canticle known by its Latin name Venite. In the slightly different numbering system in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate, this psalm is counted as Psalm 94.

Psalm 95 is the third in a series of psalms (Psalms 93-99) that are called royal psalms as they praise God as King. This is a psalm about the connections between religious faith and a failure of humanity.

As the canticle Venite, Psalm 95 is used regularly at Morning Prayer (see the Book of Common Prayer, Church of Ireland, pp 87-88, 103-104, 118-119, 702-703). The name Venite is derived from the Latin version of the opening words, Venite, exultemus Domino, an invitation to worship the Lord.

Psalm 95 identifies no author, although Hebrews 4: 7 attributes it to David, and it is quoted in a number of places in the Letter to the Hebrews.

This psalm recalls an incident in the Exodus story (see Exodus 17: 1-7), when the people complained of their lack of water, and refers to the episode of the spies (see Numbers 13-14), when the people, demoralised by their report, rebelled.

God is praised as ‘the rock of our salvation’ (verse 1), who cared for our ancestors in faith during their 40 years wandering in the wilderness (verse 10), and put God to the test.

This God we are called to worship is the supreme god, worthy of worship him, who is in maker of heaven and earth. Recalling the time their ancestors in faith spent in the wilderness, the people are reminded that he moulded the dry land, and not just the dry places in the wilderness, and that all water is created by him, from the water of the springs to the waters of the sea.

Generations may pass, but God remains faithful to us, and we are called to be faithful to him.

‘The sea is his, for he made it’ (Psalm 95: 5) … sunset on the sea at Rethymnon in Crete (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Psalm 95 (NRSVA):

1 O come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and the dry land, which his hands have formed.

6 O come, let us worship and bow down,
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
7 For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.

O that today you would listen to his voice!
8 Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
9 when your ancestors tested me,
and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
10 For forty years I loathed that generation
and said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray,
and they do not regard my ways.’
11 Therefore in my anger I swore,
‘They shall not enter my rest.’

Today’s Prayer:

The theme in this week’s prayer diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel) is ‘Global Day of Parents.’ It is introduced this morning:

In 2012, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 1 June as the Global Day of Parents, to be observed annually in honour of parents throughout the world.

The Global Day of Parents aims to raise awareness about the responsibility of families. This day aims to recognise and appreciate the effort of parents. It acknowledges that they are important in nurturing and protecting their children. This day encourages communities to offer supportive environments where children can grow up in happy, loving, and understanding atmospheres.

Parents have a tough task helping children through their growth and development, from early childhood through to adolescence. Parents work hard to make their children happy by organising trips, cooking meals together and working together on important projects. Parents should be open, honest, supportive and serve as a good example to their children.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the difficulties of parenthood have been exacerbated by lack of childcare, juggling home-schooling and homeworking, and trying to explain what is happening to shocked and traumatised children.

USPG works to support parents across our partner churches, through programmes focusing on households and family health in Malawi and Ghana.

The USPG Prayer Diary this morning (29 May 2022) invites us to pray:

Heavenly Father,
may we treat each other as Jesus showed us to.
Let us truly act as a global family,
sharing love and wisdom with each other.

Yesterday’s reflection

Continued tomorrow

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

‘When they are all out, the side that’s out comes in and the side that’s been in goes out’

Cricket in the early summer sunshine at the Ancell Trust Sports Grounds this weekend (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2022)

Patrick Comerford

One of the joys of summer weekend afternoons in England is spending time watching cricket in the sunshine.

I spent some time this afternoon (28 May 2022) at the Ancell Grounds on Ostlers Lane in Stony Stratford, at the end of Vicarage Road and close to ruined tower of Saint Mary Magdalene.

Over the years, many tennis, bowls, football, cricket and croquet players from around the Milton Keynes area have enjoyed the unique facilities on offer at the Ancell Trust Sports Ground.

Frederick Thomas Shillingford Ancell was a lifelong Baptist and a builder with a social conscience who lived at 33 High Street, Stony Stratford. When he died in 1919, he had no near relatives, and in his will he left over £18,000 to the benefit of the townspeople.

Under the terms of Ancell’s will, the residents of Stony Stratford were offered grants for healthcare, travelling expenses, education, apprenticeships, training and recreation facilities. Ancell also gave £105 for building a bathing place on the banks of River Ouse behind the Barley Mow – now 185 High Street.

A trust was set up and one of the first requests was for the provision of a Sports Ground by the Football and Cricket Clubs who faced being without grounds.

The trust set up a sub-committee in May 1920, and it was agreed to buy land from a Mr Calladine and the Radcliffe Trust. A price was agreed in 1921, a groundsman was employed, fences and walls were built, the footpath was diverted the layout of various sports grounds was planned for cricket, football, croquet, tennis and bowls.

A paddock beside the new sports ground was bought In February 1922, providing extra land for four tennis courts, and by 1930, old railway coaches had bought to use as changing rooms for the tennis and cricket clubs.

Indulging in the pleasure of watching cricket at the Ancell Grounds in the sunshine this afternoon, I was reminded of this humorous explanation of cricket that has been reproduced on tea towels and mugs:

The Rules of Cricket

You have two sides, one out in the field and one in.

Each player that’s in the side that’s in the field goes out, and when he’s out he comes in and the next player goes in until he’s out.

When they are all out, the side that’s out comes in and the side that’s been in goes out and tries to get those coming in, out.

Sometimes there are players who are still in and not out.

When a player goes out to go in, the players who are out try to get him out, and when he is out he goes in and the next player in goes out and goes in.

There are two people called umpires who stay out all the time and they decide when the players who are in are out.

Depending on the weather and the light, the umpires can also send everybody in, no matter if they’re in or out.

When both sides have been in and all the players have been out, and both sides have been out twice after all the players have been in – including those who are not out – that is the end of the game!

‘You have two sides, one out in the field and one in’ … watching cricket this weekend in Stony Stratford (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2022)

Praying with the Psalms in Easter: 28 May 2022 (Psalm 94)

‘O Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult?’ (Psalm 94: 3) … the gates of Auschwitz … some Jewish communities recite Psalm 94 on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Patrick Comerford

Although Thursday was Ascension Day, the season of Easter continues until the Day of Pentecost. Before this day begins, I am taking some time this morning to continue my reflections in this season of Easter, including my morning reflections drawing on the Psalms.

In my blog, I am reflecting each morning in this Prayer Diary in these ways:

1, Short reflections on a psalm or psalms;

2, reading the psalm or psalms;

3, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary.

Psalm 94:

Psalm 94 is known in Latin as Deus ultionum. In the slightly different numbering system in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate, this psalm is counted as Psalm 93.

Psalm 94 is the second in a series of psalms (Psalms 93-99) that are called royal psalms as they praise God as King. This is a psalm about the connections between religious faith and a failure of humanity.

In Jewish daily prayer, Psalm 94 is used on Wednesdays, and there is a tradition that the Levites sang this psalm in the Temple on Wednesdays. Some Jewish communities recite Psalm 94 on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day (27 Nisan).

Commentators divide this psalm into two sections.

1, verses 1-11: the Psalmist calls on God to manifest himself as judge of the earth; 2, verses 12-23: the Psalm is occupied with thoughts of consolation for times of trouble.

When people begin to worship themselves, they dream of becoming a god, but end up lower than the beasts.

The Psalmist (Psalm 94: 5-6) speaks of the mentality of those who wage war without thinking of the consequences for women, children and the outsider:

They crush your people, O Lord,
and afflict your heritage.
They murder the widow and the stranger;
the orphans they put to death.
And yet they say, ‘The Lord will not see,
neither shall the God of Jacob regard it’.

War is an every-day reality for children, women and non-combatant men throughout the world today – in particular, today, the people of Ukraine, Afghanistan and the Middle East, including the people of Gaza, Palestine, Israel, Syria, Yemen and Iraq.

Who speaks out today for the victims of racism, war and genocide?

Who speaks out today for children who are the innocent victims of the failed politics of adults?

‘Who rises up for me against the wicked?
Who stands up for me against evildoers?’ (verse 16)

‘They kill the widow and the stranger, they murder the orphan’ (Psalm 94: 6) … ‘Mother and Child’ by Anna Raynoch-Brzozowska, a sculpture in Auschwitz (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Psalm 94 (NRSVA):

1 O Lord, you God of vengeance,
you God of vengeance, shine forth!
2 Rise up, O judge of the earth;
give to the proud what they deserve!
3 O Lord, how long shall the wicked,
how long shall the wicked exult?

4 They pour out their arrogant words;
all the evildoers boast.
5 They crush your people, O Lord,
and afflict your heritage.
6 They kill the widow and the stranger,
they murder the orphan,
7 and they say, ‘The Lord does not see;
the God of Jacob does not perceive.’

8 Understand, O dullest of the people;
fools, when will you be wise?
9 He who planted the ear, does he not hear?
He who formed the eye, does he not see?
10 He who disciplines the nations,
he who teaches knowledge to humankind,
does he not chastise?
11 The Lord knows our thoughts,
that they are but an empty breath.

12 Happy are those whom you discipline, O Lord,
and whom you teach out of your law,
13 giving them respite from days of trouble,
until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not forsake his people;
he will not abandon his heritage;
15 for justice will return to the righteous,
and all the upright in heart will follow it.

16 Who rises up for me against the wicked?
Who stands up for me against evildoers?
17 If the Lord had not been my help,
my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
18 When I thought, ‘My foot is slipping’,
your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.
19 When the cares of my heart are many,
your consolations cheer my soul.
20 Can wicked rulers be allied with you,
those who contrive mischief by statute?
21 They band together against the life of the righteous,
and condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the Lord has become my stronghold,
and my God the rock of my refuge.
23 He will repay them for their iniquity
and wipe them out for their wickedness;
the Lord our God will wipe them out.

Today’s Prayer:

The theme in this week’s prayer diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel) is ‘Mission in Australia.’ It was introduced on Sunday by Peter Burke, Manager at Mission and Anglican Community Engagement AnglicareSA.

The USPG Prayer Diary this morning (28 May 2022) invites us to pray:

Let us remember that we are part of a global community of mission. May we learn from and listen to each other in all we do.

Yesterday’s reflection

Continued tomorrow

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

‘Come healing of the body,Come healing of the mind’

Patrick Comerford

I have been waiting for some time now to hear back about my referral from the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford to the National Centre for Stereotactic Radiosurgery in Sheffield, following my stroke over two months ago (18 March 2022) and my discharge from hospital in Oxford (1 April 2022). I hear from Oxford this week that my case was being discussed by the multidisciplinary team in Sheffield this morning (27 May 2022).

Anyone who has waited like this knows the anxiety it may cause, and I have been back in touch this week with the hospitals in both Oxford and Sheffield, with a number of phone calls.

A recent report from the World Health Organisation (WHO) shows that for every 100 people admitted to hospital in the UK with an ischaemic stroke in 2019, on average 12.0 died within 30 days – ranking the UK worst out of nine comparable countries; the average was 9.5. The same report shows that for every 100 people admitted to hospital with an haemorrhagic stroke in 2019 in the UK, on average 41.7 died within 30 days – ranking the UK worst out of nine comparable countries; the average was seven.

In my reflections and prayers this Friday evening, I am reflecting on one of the central Jewish prayers for those who are ill or recovering from illness or accidents, the Mi Sheberach.

The name of this prayer comes from its first two Hebrew words. With a holistic view of humanity, it prays for physical cure as well as spiritual healing, asking for blessing, compassion, restoration, and strength, within the community of others facing illness as well as all for Jews and for all human beings.

Traditionally, the Mi Sheberach is said in synagogues when the Torah is read. If the patients themselves are not present, close relatives or friends may be called up to the Torah for an honour, and whoever is leading the service offers this prayer, filling in the name of the one who is ill and her or his parents.

Increasingly, the Mi Sheberach has moved into other settings. Chaplains, doctors, nurses and social workers are now joining patients and those close to them in saying the Mi Sheberach at different times, such as before and after surgery, during treatments, on admission or discharge, on the anniversary of diagnosis, and more.

The words of this traditional prayer are reflected in Leonard Cohen’s song, ‘Come Healing,’ which I heard him sing ten years ago at his concert in the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham, Dublin (11 September 2012).

After my stroke, I am more than conscious of some of the lines in this song:

O, longing of the arteries
To purify the blood

And let the heavens hear it
The penitential hymn
Come healing of the spirit
Come healing of the limb

Mi Sheberach (English translation):

May the One who blessed our ancestors —
Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
Matriarchs Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah —
bless and heal the one who is ill, …
son/daughter of …

May the Holy Blessed One
overflow with compassion upon him/her,
to restore him/her,
to heal him/her,
to strengthen him/her,
to enliven him/her.

The One will send him/her, speedily,
a complete healing —
healing of the soul and healing of the body —
along with all the ill,
among the people of Israel and all humankind,
soon,
speedily,
without delay,
and let us all say: Amen!

Come Healing (Leonard Cohen)

O, gather up the brokenness
Bring it to me now
The fragrance of those promises
You never dared to vow

The splinters that you carried
The cross you left behind
Come healing of the body
Come healing of the mind

And let the heavens hear it
The penitential hymn
Come healing of the spirit
Come healing of the limb

Behold the gates of mercy
In arbitrary space
And none of us deserving
Of cruelty or the grace

O, solitude of longing
Where love has been confined
Come healing of the body
Come healing of the mind

O, see the darkness yielding
That tore the light apart
Come healing of the reason
Come healing of the heart

O, troubledness concealing
An undivided love
The heart beneath is teaching
To the broken heart above

And let the heavens falter
Let the earth proclaim
Come healing of the altar
Come healing of the name

O, longing of the branches
To lift the little bud
O, longing of the arteries
To purify the blood

And let the heavens hear it
The penitential hymn
Come healing of the spirit
Come healing of the limb

O let the heavens hear it
The penitential hymn
Come healing of the spirit
Come healing of the limb

Shabbat Shalom

Praying with the Psalms in Easter: 27 May 2022 (Psalm 93)

‘Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting’ (Psalm 93: 4) … the Throne in the Throne Robe in Dublin Castle (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Patrick Comerford

Yesterday was Ascension Day, but the season of Easter continues until the Day of Pentecost. Before this day begins, I am taking some time this morning to continue my reflections in this season of Easter, including my morning reflections drawing on the Psalms.

In my blog, I am reflecting each morning in this Prayer Diary in these ways:

1, Short reflections on a psalm or psalms;

2, reading the psalm or psalms;

3, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary.

Psalm 93:

Psalm 93 is known in Latin as Dominus regnavit. In the slightly different numbering system in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate, this psalm is counted as Psalm 92.

Psalm 93 is the first of a series of psalms (Psalms 93-99) that are called royal psalms as they praise God as King.

In the Masoretic text and in English versions it has no title or author, but the Septuagint and Vulgate entitle it ‘On the day before the Sabbath, when the earth was founded: A Psalm of thanksgiving to (or for) David.’

The two main themes in Psalm 93 are God’s kingship and a connection with Friday, the sixth day of the week (counting from Sunday).

The Zohar notes that in Hebrew, this psalm contains 45 words, which is the gematria or numerical value of the word adam (אדם, ‘man’). Adam was created on the sixth day of Creation and went on to proclaim God as King.

Psalm 93 was also designated as the Song of the Day for Friday, to be sung by the Levites in the Temple in Jerusalem. This tradition continues today in the psalm’s inclusion in the regular Friday morning prayer service in Judaism.

According to Rabbi Yaakov Emden, the connection with the sixth day is reinforced by the psalm’s description of God ‘in his full grandeur and power as he was when he completed the six days of Creation.’ The reference to donning grandeur further alludes to the way Jews dress up in their nicest garments on Friday to greet the approaching Shabbat.

Psalm 93 also hints to the future Messianic Age, when the entire world will acknowledge God as King.

Psalm 93 is the Song of the Day for Friday, recited at the morning prayer service. Some Jewish communities also recite this psalm as the ma’amad (special daily prayer) for Friday. Speaking, as it does, of the completion of creation (‘the world is firmly established’ or ‘he has established the world,’ verse 1), this psalm is appropriate for the sixth day.

Additionally, Psalm 93 is the eighth and final psalm said during the Kabbalat Shabbat service on Friday night, acting as a summation of the preceding seven psalms. It is also recited in its entirety during Pesukei dezimra on Shabbat, Yom Tov, and Hoshana Rabbah.

‘The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring’ (Psalm 93: 3) … tourists on duck walks in Saint Mark’s Square during floods in Venice (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Psalm 93 (NRSVA):

1 The Lord is king, he is robed in majesty;
the Lord is robed, he is girded with strength.
He has established the world; it shall never be moved;
2 your throne is established from of old;
you are from everlasting.

3 The floods have lifted up, O Lord,
the floods have lifted up their voice;
the floods lift up their roaring.
4 More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters,
more majestic than the waves of the sea,
majestic on high is the Lord!

5 Your decrees are very sure;
holiness befits your house,
O Lord, for evermore.

Today’s Prayer:

The theme in this week’s prayer diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel) is ‘Mission in Australia.’ It was introduced on Sunday by Peter Burke, Manager at Mission and Anglican Community Engagement AnglicareSA.

The USPG Prayer Diary this morning (27 May 2022) invites us to pray:

May we give ourselves the time to truly discern God’s mission for us, allowing ourselves to be moved by the Holy Spirit and to follow God’s calling.

Yesterday’s reflection

Continued tomorrow

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

Saint Mary Magdalene, Willen, the only surviving church designed by Robert Hooke

The Church of Saint Mary Magdalene, Willen, is the only surviving church designed by Robert Hooke (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2022)

Patrick Comerford

I was writing on Tuesday about the recent visit two of us made to the Peace Pagoda at Willen Lake. But in Willen we also visited the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene, the only surviving church among the buildings designed by the scientist, inventor, and architect Robert Hooke.

This church is regarded as a classic of early English Baroque architecture. It is one of the finest churches in Milton Keynes and it is in a beautiful setting close to Willen Lake, beside the Hospice in Willen. It has been identified by the journalist, author and former chair of the National Trust, Sir Simon Jenkins, as one of the ‘1,000 Best Churches in England.’ It was designated a Grade I listed building in 1966.

The parish registers fir Willen date back to the year 1065. The present church stands in the place of an older one that resembled the church in Great Woolston, but without a turret, the two bells belonging to it hanging in arches, as at Little Linford.

The present Church of Saint Mary Magdalene was built in 1680 by Robert Hooke (1635-1703), who was Secretary and Creator of Experiments at the Royal Society and City Surveyor for reconstruction after the Great Fire of London as well as co-designer of the Monument to The Great Fire of London.

The church was commissioned and paid for by the Revd Dr Richard Busby (1606-1695), the long-serving headmaster of Westminster School (1638-1695), who was also the local Lord of the Manor in the village of Willen.

Busby is said to have funded the cost of the church by asking for a silver spoon from each of his pupils. Among the more illustrious of his pupils were Christopher Wren, Robert South, John Dryden, John Locke, Matthew Prior, Henry Purcell, Thomas Millington, Francis Atterbury and Robert Hooke, who designed the church and supervised its construction.

As well as his work as an architect, Robert Hooke was the curator of experiments of the Royal Society, a member of its council, and the Gresham Professor of Geometry. He was Surveyor to the City of London and chief assistant to Christopher Wren. In that role, Hooke helped Wren rebuild London after the Great Fire in 1666, and his collaboration with Wren included Saint Paul’s Cathedral, where the dome uses a method of construction conceived by Hooke.

In the reconstruction of London after the Great Fire, Hooke proposed redesigning the streets on a grid pattern with wide boulevards and arteries, a pattern later used in the renovation of Paris, Liverpool, and many cities in the US. However, his proposal was thwarted by arguments over property.

Hooke also worked on the design of London’s Monument to the fire, the Royal Greenwich Observatory, Montagu House in Bloomsbury, and the Bethlem Royal Hospital (‘Bedlam’). Hooke was also involved in the design of the Pepys Library, where the diaries of Samuel Pepys offer the most frequently cited eyewitness account of the Great Fire of London.

Other buildings designed by Hooke include the Royal College of Physicians (1679), Ragley Hall, Warwickshire, and Ramsbury Manor, Wiltshire.

The church was modified In the 19th century by removing the cupola from the tower and adding an apse at the end of the nave (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2022)

Hooke’s church in Willen was built in 1678-1680. The project cost Busby almost £5,000, not including the materials taken from the former church on the site. George Lipscomb observes that ‘with good management the church might have been built for a third part of the money.’

The church is similar in style to several of the 52 churches rebuilt by Wren after the Great Fire of London.

The church was modified In the 19th century by removing the cupola from the tower and adding an apse at the end of the nave. This was a reversal of Hooke’s original architectural intention, which was to combine a simple nave with a decorative tower.

This is a plain structure in the Italian style, built of brick with stone dressings, and it consists of a nave with apse, a chancel, and a west tower.

The chancel floor is paved with black and white marble. The side walls of the nave are pierced by six plain windows; the pulpit and desk are of oak; the font, of marble, is ornamented with heads of cherubim, and has a carved oak cover. The oak pews are neat. The ceiling is coved, and enriched with angels’ heads and other ornaments.

The church is entered through the tower by some stone steps. The tower contains three bells, each inscribed: ‘Richard Chandler made me 1683’. On each angle of the tower is an ornament in the shape of a pineapple. There is a vestry on one side of the tower, and on the other side is a room erected for a library, chiefly for theology, founded by Busby for the use of the vicar.

The Church of Saint Mary Magdalene, Willen, is part of the Diocese of Oxford. Sunday services are held each Sunday in the church, led regularly by the Revd Dr Sam Muthuveloe. Stephen Fletcher and Margaret Moakes are the Licensed Lay Ministers. Saint Mary Magdalene Church is open for private prayer or quiet reflection on Mondays from 10am until evening.

Willen is part of the Stantonbury Ecumenical Partnership, involving six churches from four denominations in north-east Milton Keynes. The six churches in the partnership are Saint Lawrence, Bradwell; Saint James’s, New Bradwell; Saint Andrew’s, Great Linford; Saint Mary Magdalene, Willen; Cross and Stable, Downs Barn; and Christ Church, Stantonbury.

The Church of Saint Mary Magdalene was commissioned by Richard Busby, Headmaster of Westminster School and Lord of the Manor in Willen (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2022)

Praying with the Psalms in Easter: 26 May 2022 (Psalm 92)

The Stadttempel synagogue in Vienna … Franz Schubert produced a setting in Hebrew of Psalm 92 for the synagogue (Photograph courtesy Jews of New York)

Patrick Comerford

Today is Ascension Day, and later today (26 May 2022) I hope attend the Ascension Day Eucharist in the Church of Saint Mary and Saint Giles, Stony Stratford (7.30 pm).

But, before this day begins, I am taking some time this morning to continue my reflections in this season of Easter, including my morning reflections drawing on the Psalms.

In my blog, I am reflecting each morning in this Prayer Diary in these ways:

1, Short reflections on a psalm or psalms;

2, reading the psalm or psalms;

3, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary.

Psalm 92:

In the Authorised Prayer Book, one of two prayerbooks I regularly use for prayers and reflections on Friday evenings, the former Chief Rabbi, Lord (Jonathan) Sacks, describes Psalm 92 as ‘a song for the Sabbath Day.’

Lord Sacks recalls that by the 12th century, the custom existed to say Psalm 92 as a song of welcome to the Shabbat. He says this psalm was understood by the Sages as ‘a song for the time to come, for the day which will be Shabbat and rest in life everlasting.’

The Tzfat mystics, including Rabbi Isaac Luria, developed the custom of saying special psalms and songs of welcome to Shabbat, including six extra psalms (95-99 and 29), before singing Psalm 92.

Lord Sacks says Shabbat is ‘not merely a day of rest, it is a rehearsal within time, for the age beyond time when humanity, guided by the call of God, moves beyond strife, evil and oppression, to create a world of harmony, respecting the integrity of creation as God’s work, and the human person as God’s image.’

He continues: ‘At that time people looking back at history will see that though evil flourished “like grass”, it was short-lived, while the righteous grow slowly but stand tall “like the cedar of Lebanon.” Because our time perspective is short, we seem to inhabit a world n which evil prevails. Were we able to see history as a whole, we would know that good wins the final victory; in the long run justice prevails.’

A popular story connected with Psalm 92 involves Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel, known widely as the Maharal, a great sage who lived in Prague during the reign of the Emperor Rudolph II in the 16th century.

Rabbi Loew is said to have been endowed with supernatural gifts that he combined with the four elements: fire and water were represented by his assistants, air was represented by the rabbi himself, and earth was found in the Golem. He brought these together bring to life the Golem, a sculpture moulded from the mud of the riverbed in Prague.

The Golem grew stronger and stronger. Instead of heroic deeds, he became more-and-more uncontrollable and destructive. Rabbi Loew was promised that anti-Semitic violence would end in Prague once he destroyed the Golem.

One day, the Golem was found uprooting trees and destroying the rabbi’s home while the rabbi was in the synagogue singing Psalm 92. The rabbi rushed out to remove the tablet from the Golem’s mouth. Fearing the Golem could fall into the wrong hands, Rabbi Loew smeared clay on the Golem’s forehead, turning emet into met, so that the Hebrew word for truth became the Hebrew word for death and life was taken out of the giant’s body.

Rabbi Loew put him to rest in the attic of the Old-New Synagogue. The rabbi then returned and continued to sing Psalm 92 … and so, it is said, the Old-New Synagogue in Prague is the only place in the world where this psalm is sung twice.

A few months before he died in 1828 at the age of 31, the composer Franz Schubert (1797-1828) produced a setting in Hebrew of Psalm 92, Tov Lehodot La’Adonai (‘It is good to give thanks to the Lord’), for Vienna’s main synagogue, the Stadttempel on Seitenstettengasse.

The Jewish community had asked Beethoven in 1825 to compose a cantata for the dedication of the Stadttempel. He was unable to accept the commission, although he apparently carried out a preliminary study of Musik der alter Juden, perhaps with this in mind. Instead, the cantata was written by Josef Deschler (1742-1852), a kappelmeister at the Stephansdom, Saint Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, and Franz Schubert wrote his setting of Psalm 92 for the choir of the synagogue.

The musicologist Elaine Brody suggests in Schubert Studies: ‘Sulzer was meticulous in his text-setting; he must have advised Schubert on these matters.’ Schubert could have fulfilled his commission by writing music to a German translation. Instead, he decided to work with the Hebrew language.

Schubert’s Psalm 92 sounds like many of his other melodies and part-songs. Elaine Brody is of the opinion that, stylistically, his setting of Psalm 92 ‘resembles church music more than synagogue music; it displays no characteristic Hebrew melody.’

‘The righteous … grow like a cedar in Lebanon’ (Psalm 92: 12) … a young girl with a violin and her friend beneath a cedar tree at Curraghchase Forest Park near Askeaton, Co Limerick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Psalm 92 (NRSVA):

A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath Day.

1 It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
2 to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night,
3 to the music of the lute and the harp,
to the melody of the lyre.
4 For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
5 How great are your works, O Lord!
Your thoughts are very deep!
6 The dullard cannot know,
the stupid cannot understand this:
7 though the wicked sprout like grass
and all evildoers flourish,
they are doomed to destruction for ever,
8 but you, O Lord, are on high for ever.
9 For your enemies, O Lord,
for your enemies shall perish;
all evildoers shall be scattered.

10 But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox;
you have poured over me fresh oil.
11 My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;
my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.

12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree,
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 They are planted in the house of the Lord;
they flourish in the courts of our God.
14 In old age they still produce fruit;
they are always green and full of sap,
15 showing that the Lord is upright;
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

Today’s Prayer:

The theme in this week’s prayer diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel) is ‘Mission in Australia.’ It was introduced on Sunday by Peter Burke, Manager at Mission and Anglican Community Engagement AnglicareSA.

The USPG Prayer Diary this morning (26 May 2022, Ascension Day) invites us to pray:

Lord, help us to focus on care and justice in all we do. May we look after each other and challenge exclusion wherever we see it.

Yesterday’s reflection

Continued tomorrow



Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

An evening walk to Saint Andrew’s Church, Great Linford, a church with Saxon foundations

Saint Andrew’s Church in Great Linford, one of the ancient churches in Milton Keynes (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2022)

Patrick Comerford

Late one evening, as darkness was beginning to close in around Milton Keynes, two of us had a late lunch in the Black Horse in Great Linford and then walked along a stretch of the Grand Union Canal to Saint Andrew’s Church, Great Linford, one of the ancient churches in Milton Keynes.

Saint Andrew’s Church is the only place in Milton Keynes where definitive in situ evidence of late Saxon occupation has been discovered. Nestling in the north-west corner of the grounds of Great Linford Manor Park, in the grounds of a 17th century manor house built by the Pritchard family, Saint Andrew’s has seen many changes and modifications over the centuries.

The name Linforde, which appears in the Domesday Book in 1086, refers to an area with two settlements on each bank of the River Ouse. The name Linford probably refers to the point of the river crossing where there were lime or linden trees. By the 13th century, these two settlements were in separate parishes, known as Little Linford to the north of the river and Great Linford to the south.

Excavations beneath the nave suggest a late Saxon or very early Norman church stood on this site, with a simple nave and small chancel. At some time in the 12th century, the present church tower was abutted to the earlier nave and chancel and the westernmost wall of the old nave was demolished. However, the roofline survives within the east face of the tower, within the present nave roof.

Over the following centuries, many other demolitions, extensions and alterations to the fabric of the building can be traced, while the internal fixtures and fittings have also been much repaired and altered to accommodate changing tastes and uses. The church today consists of the tower, nave, chancel, south aisle and porch, north chapel and north porch, along with a recently added vestry.

A section of late mediaeval tile pavement has survived too, and at one point, the church may have had a steeple, and an effigy of a Green Man dates from the mediaeval period.

Saint Andrew’s Church is the only place in Milton Keynes where definitive in situ evidence of late Saxon occupation has been found (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2022)

The earliest reference to a chapel at Great Linford appears in a charter dated 1151-1154. The first recorded rector of Saint Andrew’s was Geoffrey (or Galfridus) de Gibbewin in 1215. At the time of his death in 1235 he was insane, although he died not at Great Linford, but at Osney Abbey in Oxfordshire.

The barest hints remain of mediaeval paintings in Saint Andrew’s include a fragment of 13th century red scroll on the exposed parts of the tower arch. When the 18th century wooden panelling on the north wall of the nave was removed, at least three periods of painted decoration were discernible, of which the earliest was a fragment of inscribed scroll that points to the prior existence of a large image.

A fragment found on the west wall of the chancel depicted a series of red and yellow skeletal legs. It is speculated that this would have been an image of the three living and the three dead, intended as an allegorical warning against the emptiness of earthly ranks and riches. Another fragment of a ‘doom painting’ was found on the chancel arch.

The Manor of Great Linford was held by the Butler family of Kilkenny until 1560 (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2022)

The Pipard family held the manor from the 1180s until 1310, and seemed to be engaged in something of a tussle for ownership with the Butler of Ormond after the marriage of John Pipard’s daughter to an Edmund Butler. King Edward II briefly took control of the on the death of Edmund Butler in 1321, and restored the manor to John Pipard in 1323. But by 1328 the Butlers had regained the manor.

James Butler (1420-1461), 5th Earl of Ormond, was a staunch supporter of the House of Lancaster and after the Yorkist victory at Towton, he was beheaded at Newcastle on 1 May 1461. The manor then passed through a number of hands, first to a Richard Middleton and his heirs, then in 1467 to Princess Elizabeth, daughter of Edward IV and future wife of Henry VII.

She was followed by Gherardo di Bernardo Canigiani, a representative in London of the Medici bank of Florence, which was lending vast sums of money to Edward IV to shore up the crown. When Henry VII became king in 1485, ending the War of the Roses, he annulled the act of attainment against the Butlers, who remained Lords of the Manor until 1560. Between 1322 and 1535, members of the Butler family of Ormond presented no less than 18 rectors of Great Linford.

The Lords of the Manor of Great Linford held the advowson of the parish or the right to nominate the rector until 1560, when Queen Elizabeth I granted it to a William Button and Thomas Escourt from Wiltshire. By 1590, the advowson had been acquired by Edward Kimpton, a London merchant, who appointed the Revd Richard Napier, who was Rector of Great Linford for over 40 years until he died in 1634.

The coat of arms of King Charles II in the church, damaged when the coved ceiling was added in 1707, may date from the 1660s.

Sir William Prichard replaced the mediaeval manor and built the almshouses (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2022)

The wealthy London merchant Sir William Prichard (or Pritchard) became the new Lord of the Manor in 1678. He knocked down and replaced the mediaeval manor and built the almshouses in the manor grounds. He died in 1705 and was buried in a family vault beneath the church.

His widow Sarah contributed to refurbishing the church in 1707. The mediaeval chancel was demolished and the original material was used to rebuild on the same foundations, while the nave was completely refurbished. The south aisle was also demolished and a new simple narrow replacement built, and the south porch was remodelled. The steeple may have been removed at this time.

The village of Great Linford grew in importance following the construction in 1800 of the Grand Junction Canal and associated wharf to serve Newport Pagnell.

The Revd Christopher Smyth was curate in 1836-1838. Other curates who lived at the Rectory included the Revd Lawson Shan, the Revd Edmund Smyth and his son the Revd William Smyth. The Revd Sidney Herbert Williams played a significant role in the management of Saint Andrew’s School on the High Street.

The Revd William Andrewes Uthwatt (1793-1877) was the titular Lord of Great Linford Manor from 1855, but rarely visited the area, and appointed the Revd Francis Litchfield as rector in 1838. Litchfield was Rector of Great Linford in 1838-1876, but he was an absentee pluralist who lived at Farthinghoe in Northamptonshire. Instead, curates lived in the Rectory in Great Linford.

After the weight of the tower had unsettled the foundations and distorted the tower arch, the church was refurbished in 1884. A new baptismal font was presented to the church by the Clode Family, Mrs Uthwatt gave a new lectern, and a new organ was installed in 1887 by Mr Atterton, of Leighton Buzzard, with an organ recital by Mr B Wilford, of Newport Pagnell.

By 1911, the Uthwatts were no longer living at the Manor House, which was rented to the Mead family. But in 1922, Thomas Andrewes-Uthwatt appointed his son, the Revd Henry Andrewes-Uthwatt, as Rector, and the Uthwatt family continued to present until 1932.

Saint Andrew’s Church has been changed, altered and refurbished over the centuries (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2022)

The 12th century tower is the oldest part of the present church. Saint Andrew’s has three good examples of 15th to 17th century brasses commemorating Sir Roger Hunt and his wife Joan, Thomas and Elizabeth Malyn and Anne and John Uvedall. A large white marble monument on the west wall of the north chapel commemorates Sir William Pritchard and a similar one on the east wall recalls Thomas and Catherine Uthwatt, later owners of the manor.

Considerable refurbishment works took place in the early 18th century including rebuilding the chancel, south aisle and porch. The pulpit also dates from 1707. Saint Andrew’s has a full set of six bells made by Joseph Eyre and installed in 1756.

A late medieval timber roof of the King Post type and carved bosses were revealed during the work in the 1980s. Unfortunately, the mediaeval wall paintings were plastered over at the time, the mediaeval stained glass was removed, a small 13th century holy water stoup inside the north door was damaged.

The late 19th century saw the addition of new stained glass, oil lights, furniture, remodelled pews and heating. The large limestone font probably dates from the late 19th century. The most valuable items of church plate are on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Linford Manor is now owned by Pete Winkelman, wchairman of Milton Keynes Dons FC. The former stables and associated gate houses are now an Arts Centre. The former almshouses are not in use, but they are scheduled to be restored.

In response to the changes introduced by the new city of Milton Keynes, Saint Andrew’s was redecorated in 1980, with the addition of a vestry, kitchen and toilet, and the pews were removed and replaced by individual seating. The work was assisted by the Archaeology Unit of Milton Keynes Development Corporation.

Saint Andrew’s Church serves the Great Linford, Giffard Park, Blakelands and Redhouse Park areas. It is one of the six churches in the Stantonbury Ecumenical Partnership in north-east Milton Keynes, which serves the areas of and near Bradwell, New Bradwell, Stantonbury, Great Linford, Downs Barn and Willen.

Ministry at Saint Andrew’s is shared between several lay and ordained ministers, and three licensed ministers look after Saint Andrew’s, sharing pastoral leadership: Canon Chuks Iwuagwu, the Rev David Lewis, a Baptist minister, and Colin Taylor.

Saint Andrew’s is a member of the Quiet Garden Movement that nurtures low cost, accessible, outdoor space for prayer, contemplation, rest and inspiration in a variety of settings. The garden beside the church is always open and on Sundays in August the church is open for afternoon teas from 2 to 5 pm.

Saint Andrew’s Church, Great Linford, is one of six churches in the Stantonbury Ecumenical Partnership in north-east Milton Keynes (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2022)