Lislimnaghan Parish Church

03/06/2026

31/05/2026

31st May 2026 - Trinity Sunday

Morning Prayer Two (page 101)
Psalm 8 (page 600)
Old Testament Reading - Isaiah 40 v 27-31
Great and Wonderful (page 129)
New Testament Reading - Matthew 28 v 16-20
The Collect of Trinity Sunday (page 281)

Today is Trinity Sunday and it serves as a reminder that the God we worship is made up of three distinct persons in one substance - an eternal community of love. To put it simply, each person of the Trinity has a distinct but unified role in the salvation of humanity so let us take a brief look at each one in turn. God the Father is the Creator and source of all life; Jesus, God the Son, is the Saviour who redeems humanity; and God the Holy Spirit, is the Comforter and guide who sustains believers.
In addition to today being Trinity Sunday it is also our Sunday School Prize-giving so today is a really good opportunity for us to thank our Sunday School teachers and to reflect on the things we have learned about God from them. So what did they teach us?
First and foremost we learned that God made the world and everything in it and that it was absolutely perfect until sin entered it thanks to the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
We learned about Noah’s ark and the Great Flood; about Abraham, the Father of the Jewish nation: of Joseph and his coat of many colours; of Moses who led the people out of slavery in Egypt towards the Promised land; of the boy Samuel who heard God’s voice in the night and who was to become the prophet who anointed Saul as the first King of Israel; of David, the shepherd boy who killed the giant Goliath, and was destined to replace Saul as King; of His son Solomon who built the Temple: and the story continues throughout the Old Testament - exciting stories of Prophets, Priests, and Kings who had a special part to play in God’s redemption plan. The Bible tells us clearly of God’s amazing love for His special people, His patience with them despite their rebellion, and His plan to send a Saviour into the world.
When it comes to the New Testament we find all the Old Testament prophecies being fulfilled in the person of Jesus, God’s only begotten Son, who was born to a young virgin called Mary in a lowly stable in Bethlehem, grew up in Joseph’s carpentry shop in Galilee, before beginning His teaching and preaching ministry at the age of thirty. Jesus knew that He could not do everything on His own so He called twelve disciples to help Him build the Kingdom of God. For a period of three years Jesus, usually accompanied by His disciples, went around doing good, healing the sick, and preaching about God’s unconditional love for everyone. Jesus loved people so much that He was even willing to go to the cross at Calvary and to suffer and to die so that they, the guilty ones, might be forgiven.
In today’s reading from Matthew 28 we hear Jesus telling His disciples to go and do with others what He has done with them. In other words, the disciples are being told that they have learned so well that they are now ready to teach like Jesus did, and that is a pretty amazing thing that Jesus is telling His disciples. He is telling them that they are able to teach others the very things He taught them. Sometimes we think that what Jesus did during His time on earth was unique and that no one else could do the things that He did. But Jesus did not think that way and we discover from our reading of the Acts of the Apostles and the various other New Testament letters that His disciples, guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit continued the work which He had begun, and it continues right across the world to this day. Every believer in Jesus ought to be a worker in God’s great harvest field.
We can learn a great deal about Jesus in Sunday School and Church, and we can learn lots of things about God from Jesus - in fact on one occasion, recorded in John 14 v 9 Jesus tells His disciple Philip that “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father”, and in John 10 v 30 Jesus says “I and the Father are One”. l
On this Trinity Sunday we thank God for His amazing love and for all those who have helped us to grow in our faith and understanding, and may we who have learned from them become the teachers of others as Jesus expects us to be.

29/05/2026

We are raising funds for emergency repair work needed for Lislimnaghan Church.
Choose a number 1-100 £10 per number which will be drawn once all numbers sold.
Please see Canon Quinn or a vestry member to take part

1st prize £100
2nd prize £50
3rd prize £25

26/04/2026

26th April 2026 - The Fourth Sunday of Easter

Family Morning Prayer Two (page 101)
Psalm 23 (page 616)
The First Reading - Acts 2 v 42-47
Te Deum Part 2 (page 126)
The Second Reading - John 10 v 1-10
The Collect of the Fourth Sunday of Easter (page 275)

Good morning everyone!
Hands up anyone who has a cat or dog at home or if you know someone who has one.
And how do you or the person you know try to get the cat or dog to come to you ?
[You can call its name or perhaps offer it food].
And does the cat or dog usually come to you when you call it? [Yes/no/maybe] … dogs tend to do so more than cats for dogs generally tend to be more obedient than cats. It has been said that dogs have masters - cats have slaves!
And why is it that you want the cat or dog to come to you when you call it? [because you want to keep it from doing something naughty or to prevent it from getting into danger like going on to the road, or simply because you like it and want to pet it]
We have a cat called Pixie at the Rectory which actually belonged to our youngest daughter but when she left home to go to university in Belfast her cat stayed with us and Pixie is now very much a part of our household. Sometimes she is a bit naughty and she sneaks upstairs, and when you call her name she remains firmly hidden, but we have discovered one way which is always guaranteed to get her to come out of hiding and that is to rattle the tin of her favourite cat treats and immediately she comes running downstairs.
Generally speaking you want the animal to come to you because you care about it, right?
And do you think the cat or dog knows that you care about it? [Yeah, most likely].
In today’s reading from John 10, Jesus is talking about something that is a bit like pets going to their owners when they are called. But instead of talking about cats and dogs, in the story Jesus talks about sheep and their owners. He says that sheep know the shepherd's voice and will follow the shepherd wherever he goes. Jesus explains that the reason sheep do this is because they have learned that when they go where the shepherd goes, they will end up in places where they can eat, drink, sleep, and be safe. You could say that sheep, even though they are not the cleverest animals in the world, learn to trust the shepherd because the shepherd cares for them and wants to help them live a better way.
Jesus told this simple story about a shepherd and his sheep to help us to understand that it is the same with Him and us. Jesus is the good Shepherd and we are His sheep. If we choose to follow Jesus, then He will guide us into good places and He will always provide for us and keep us safe from harm. Jesus cares for us, just like a shepherd cares for his sheep or an owner cares for his or her pet. Jesus wants us to get the very best out of life, and the way we achieve that is by deciding to follow Jesus and allowing Him to lead us into good and pleasant places.

Let us pray
Dear God, Thank You for Your Son Jesus, who cares for us and teaches us how to live Your better way. Help us to listen to His voice, to trust Him always, and to follow wherever He leads. Amen

11/04/2026

Roll up for a night of comedy.
New date for Lislimnaghan & Cappagh players production
Bobs Your Uncle Fannys Your Aunt.
Friday May 29th 8.15pm

Tickets £10 or you can pay on door

Contact Alan 07877677181

05/04/2026

5th April 2026 - Easter Day

Holy Communion Two (page 201)
The Collect of Easter Day (page 272)
The Epistle - Colossians 3 v 1-4
The Gospel - John 20 v 1-18

The Bible is definitely no stranger to tears and crying. It records numerous accounts of people who shed tears for all kinds of reasons. The shortest verse in the Bible tells us that “Jesus wept” (John 11 v 35) at the tomb of His friend Lazarus. He also wept over the city of Jerusalem (Luke 19 v 41), and Hebrews 5 v 7 tells us that in the days of His flesh Jesus offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears. Paul told the Ephesian elders that for three years of his ministry to the people of Ephesus he had not ceased to warn them with tears. There is even an entire book in the Bible that sounds like one great sob - I refer of course to the Old Testament book of Lamentations!
The conversation of Jesus with Mary Magdalene early on Easter morning had to do with tears. The first recorded words of Jesus after His resurrection were, “Woman, why are you crying?”. Her tears that day were a strange mixture of unbelief and love, affection and fear. And in response to her weeping, Jesus appeared and spoke words that are a strange combination of comfort and rebuke.
Mary’s tears were tears of sorrow, and Jesus spoke to her words of comfort. It is not difficult for those of us who have suffered the death of a close loved one or friend to understand Mary’s grief. She was brokenhearted, crushed, totally overcome with sorrow. Not only was Jesus dead, but now His body was missing. She couldn’t make any sense of it. All she could do was allow her tears to freely flow. Most of us can identify with Mary. If you have ever known the chilling hand of death touch someone you love, you too will have wept tears of sorrow. Doubtless the awful pain of separation will have caused tears to flow, but in the midst of our grief Jesus comes to us as He did to Mary and gently asks “Why are you crying?”. Mary supposed Jesus to be the gardener and answered, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” In response to those pleading, pitiful words, Jesus answered with just one word, her name, “Mary.” In the time of sorrow what a person needs more than anything else is the comfort of God’s presence and love. For the Christian the time of sorrow is a bittersweet time in life. It is bitter because of the pain of loss and the suffering of separation. But it is also sweet in the experience of the nearness of God and the reality of His care and power.
On Easter morning Mary also wept tears of love, and Jesus spoke to her words of assurance. Mary loved Jesus and her tears were a sign of that love and evidence of her devotion to Him. In response to that love and devotion, Jesus appeared to reassure her that her love was received and reciprocated. By speaking to her personally, He was saying, “I know about your devotion, I receive your love.” Jesus was essentially assuring her of His concern and continuing unconditional love for her.
It is interesting to note that all of the postresurrection appearances of Jesus were only to people who loved Him - bar one and it it is to Saul of Tarsus, the persecutor of the early church, who following that totally unexpected encounter with the Risen Lord on the Damascus Road was to become Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles, After His resurrection Jesus did not appear to Pilate, Herod, Caiaphas, or the Roman soldiers. Why is that? Why did He not choose to dazzle them or overwhelm them by showing them that He was alive and that He was real? The simple answer is that He knew that such appearances would not accomplish any real purpose. He knew that appearances to these people would at best simply frighten them and at worst solidify their resistance to Him even more. The postresurrection appearances were to those who loved Him, to those whose hearts were already turned to Him. The same is true to this very day. Jesus is real only to those who love Him and are willing to commit their lives fully to Him. In John 14 v 21 we read, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, He is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him”. Jesus will manifest Himself only to those who love Him. Do you know how a person comes to know God? It’s not by acknowledging that He exists or knowing everything about Him. God only becomes real in a person’s life when that person opens his or heart to Him, is willing to trust Him, make a commitment to Him, and obey Him. If we do those things God will surely manifest Himself to us and make Himself real to us. Just as Jesus made Himself real to Mary by His appearance in the garden, so He will give us the assurance of His presence in our lives the moment we accept Him as our Saviour and Lord.
Outside the tomb Mary wept tears of unbelief, and Jesus appeared to her to challenge her. Her grief blinded her to the facts - the empty tomb, the way in which the strips of the linen burial cloths lay and the way in which the cloth that had been around Christ’s head was neatly folded, the presence of the angels. All of these things should have reminded her of Jesus’ own words that He would rise from the grave on the third day. Even Jesus’ voice did not pe*****te her grief. She was oblivious to everything except her own feelings. So Jesus’ question “Why are you crying?” was asked to open Mary’s eyes and encourage her faith. Was Jesus actually saying to her, “Mary, your tears are unnecessary. Remember what I promised you. Believe in Me. I am alive just as I said I would be”.
We are so like Mary. How many times do we weep for something that is already within our grasp? How many times do we weep for fear of something that will never actually happen? How many times do we weep for some unnecessary reason? On this Easter morning as we celebrate the glorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ I believe that He is challenging us just as He challenged Mary. Jesus is saying to each of us today - “Put away your tears of anxiety, fear, and unbelief. Trust in My power, love, and providence, for I am with you to the very end of the age”.
Happy Easter.

5th April 2026 - Easter Day

Holy Communion Two (page 201)
The Collect of Easter Day (page 272)
The Epistle - Colossians 3 v 1-4
The Gospel - John 20 v 1-18

The Bible is definitely no stranger to tears and crying. It records numerous accounts of people who shed tears for all kinds of reasons. The shortest verse in the Bible tells us that “Jesus wept” (John 11 v 35) at the tomb of His friend Lazarus. He also wept over the city of Jerusalem (Luke 19 v 41), and Hebrews 5 v 7 tells us that in the days of His flesh Jesus offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears. Paul told the Ephesian elders that for three years of his ministry to the people of Ephesus he had not ceased to warn them with tears. There is even an entire book in the Bible that sounds like one great sob - I refer of course to the Old Testament book of Lamentations!
The conversation of Jesus with Mary Magdalene early on Easter morning had to do with tears. The first recorded words of Jesus after His resurrection were, “Woman, why are you crying?”. Her tears that day were a strange mixture of unbelief and love, affection and fear. And in response to her weeping, Jesus appeared and spoke words that are a strange combination of comfort and rebuke.
Mary’s tears were tears of sorrow, and Jesus spoke to her words of comfort. It is not difficult for those of us who have suffered the death of a close loved one or friend to understand Mary’s grief. She was brokenhearted, crushed, totally overcome with sorrow. Not only was Jesus dead, but now His body was missing. She couldn’t make any sense of it. All she could do was allow her tears to freely flow. Most of us can identify with Mary. If you have ever known the chilling hand of death touch someone you love, you too will have wept tears of sorrow. Doubtless the awful pain of separation will have caused tears to flow, but in the midst of our grief Jesus comes to us as He did to Mary and gently asks “Why are you crying?”. Mary supposed Jesus to be the gardener and answered, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” In response to those pleading, pitiful words, Jesus answered with just one word, her name, “Mary.” In the time of sorrow what a person needs more than anything else is the comfort of God’s presence and love. For the Christian the time of sorrow is a bittersweet time in life. It is bitter because of the pain of loss and the suffering of separation. But it is also sweet in the experience of the nearness of God and the reality of His care and power.
On Easter morning Mary also wept tears of love, and Jesus spoke to her words of assurance. Mary loved Jesus and her tears were a sign of that love and evidence of her devotion to Him. In response to that love and devotion, Jesus appeared to reassure her that her love was received and reciprocated. By speaking to her personally, He was saying, “I know about your devotion, I receive your love.” Jesus was essentially assuring her of His concern and continuing unconditional love for her.
It is interesting to note that all of the postresurrection appearances of Jesus were only to people who loved Him - bar one and it it is to Saul of Tarsus, the persecutor of the early church, who following that totally unexpected encounter with the Risen Lord on the Damascus Road was to become Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles, After His resurrection Jesus did not appear to Pilate, Herod, Caiaphas, or the Roman soldiers. Why is that? Why did He not choose to dazzle them or overwhelm them by showing them that He was alive and that He was real? The simple answer is that He knew that such appearances would not accomplish any real purpose. He knew that appearances to these people would at best simply frighten them and at worst solidify their resistance to Him even more. The postresurrection appearances were to those who loved Him, to those whose hearts were already turned to Him. The same is true to this very day. Jesus is real only to those who love Him and are willing to commit their lives fully to Him. In John 14 v 21 we read, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, He is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him”. Jesus will manifest Himself only to those who love Him. Do you know how a person comes to know God? It’s not by acknowledging that He exists or knowing everything about Him. God only becomes real in a person’s life when that person opens his or heart to Him, is willing to trust Him, make a commitment to Him, and obey Him. If we do those things God will surely manifest Himself to us and make Himself real to us. Just as Jesus made Himself real to Mary by His appearance in the garden, so He will give us the assurance of His presence in our lives the moment we accept Him as our Saviour and Lord.
Outside the tomb Mary wept tears of unbelief, and Jesus appeared to her to challenge her. Her grief blinded her to the facts - the empty tomb, the way in which the strips of the linen burial cloths lay and the way in which the cloth that had been around Christ’s head was neatly folded, the presence of the angels. All of these things should have reminded her of Jesus’ own words that He would rise from the grave on the third day. Even Jesus’ voice did not pe*****te her grief. She was oblivious to everything except her own feelings. So Jesus’ question “Why are you crying?” was asked to open Mary’s eyes and encourage her faith. Was Jesus actually saying to her, “Mary, your tears are unnecessary. Remember what I promised you. Believe in Me. I am alive just as I said I would be”.
We are so like Mary. How many times do we weep for something that is already within our grasp? How many times do we weep for fear of something that will never actually happen? How many times do we weep for some unnecessary reason? On this Easter morning as we celebrate the glorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ I believe that He is challenging us just as He challenged Mary. Jesus is saying to each of us today - “Put away your tears of anxiety, fear, and unbelief. Trust in My power, love, and providence, for I am with you to the very end of the age”.
Happy Easter.

01/04/2026

EASTER SERVICE TIMES

GOOD FRIDAY -
Service in Lislimnaghan at 8.00 pm.

EASTER DAY -
Holy Communion One in Cappagh at 8.30am
Holy Communion Two in Lislimnaghan at 10.00am
Holy Communion Two in Cappagh at 11.30am

We look forward to seeing you at one or more of these Services and wish you and yours a very Happy and Blessed Easter.

09/03/2026

*NEW DATE FRIDAY 29TH MAY*

For tickets contact Alan 07877677181