St. Michael's Church, Rocester

Call Directions Website Contact the place of worship

St. Michael's Church, Rocester A Family Centred Church where everyone is welcome and every Sunday is full of fun . . .

27/10/2026

27th October Being prepared

Thought for the day

Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect Him.

Matthew 24v44

Recently we are being advised that we need to have stores in place to keep ourselves, warm, lit, fed and healthy in the event of a national emergency

It seems like sound advice to ‘Be prepared’ should we find ourselves without power, or the necessities for some reason.

In the Bible we find several instances where people are called to be prepared. In Genesis Chapters 6-8 we read the story of Noah’s Ark, where God tells Noah to build an ark to avoid the flood which God was going to send on the earth. Noah took heed of God’s warnings and was prepared.

Being warned and acting on the warnings can be two different things, often people ignore warnings thinking that they can rely on their own resourcefulness and ingenuity rather than acting on advice, which can end in disaster.

Jesus emphasises that His followers should be watching and waiting ready for His final return. He uses the parable of the ‘Ten Virgins or Bridesmaids’ in Matthew 25 v1-13 to show how we need to be spiritually ready. Five bridesmaids are wise and take extra oil for their lamps as they wait for the bridegroom and five do not. When the bridegroom is delayed the oil runs out and the five who are unprepared find they cannot borrow oil from those who are ready and consequently miss the wedding feast.

The parable emphasises our need to be spiritually prepared and ready for Jesus by our prayers, our actions and our lifestyle. When we finally meet the Lord the time for preparation will be gone.

C. S.Lewis said,

‘The world might stop in ten minutes; meanwhile, we are to go on doing our duty. The great thing is to be found at one's post as a child of God, living each day as if it were our last, but planning as though our world might last a hundred years.’

To Pray

Heavenly Father,

I thank You that Jesus came to give me forgiveness and eternal life.

As I wait for His return,

please enable me to become the person You want me to be.

Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so I might walk in holiness, peace, and love.

Help me to put aside busyness and distractions that do not matter,

and let my daily choices bring You praise.

In Jesus' name I pray,

Amen.

Xavier University

26/10/2026

26th October Strong wind

Thought for the day

The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So, it is with everyone born of the Spirit.

John 3 v8

Over the weekend the wind has been very powerful, coming as part of the two storms which hit the country. Yesterday some of the gusts of wind were so strong that it was difficult to remain standing. Many of the trees which have been dead for some time were finally blown down; driving back and forth to Church required care as so much debris lay on the road.

When we are struck by extremes of weather, we seem astonished by the power of Nature. How often we fail to see the hand of God in the natural world-not only in its beauty, but also in its power. In the Bible there are several instances of God using the power of Nature, particularly the wind, to achieve His purpose.

In both Hebrew and Greek, the word for wind can also be translated as ‘breath’ or ‘spirit’, so we can begin to understand why in John we read that the Holy Spirit is likened to the wind. The Holy Spirit, this powerful mystery of God is likened to the wind-present yet its arrival and departure outside of our understanding. When we think of the power we experience when we are faced with a strong wind, how much more can we be disturbed, changed and comforted when the Holy Spirit blows into our lives.

The strong wind of recent days serves as a reminder that we do not have to face life alone but that we have a powerful advocate in the Holy Spirit.

To Pray

Journeying with you, Holy Spirit,

Is to journey with the wind.

To move to your wild music.

Then try to sing your song.

So that others may hear

Amen

David Adams .Times and Seasons: modern prayers in the Celtic tradition

25/10/2026

25 th October Pumpkin Party

Thought for the day

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1 v5

Yesterday evening our Church hosted a pumpkin carving party. A local family had grown some lovely pumpkins, and these were utilised as we were encouraged to carve pumpkins with happy faces or things that were full of joy, light and happiness. The emphasis was on the good things of the world as opposed to the very dark and frightening aspects of ‘Halloween’ which has become so commercially lucrative. It was a lovely to enjoy time with children and their parents' enjoying goodness and laughter, rather than the horror of scary masks, death and evil-surely the world has enough real horror without promoting anything of a fictional nature.

We all enjoyed trying out our skill as pumpkin carvers, the colour and shapes of the pumpkins reminding us of all that God provides. He does not let us live in a dull world but has created amazing autumn colours and shapes. Part of the carving experience is scooping the seeds and flesh out of the centre of the pumpkin to make way for the light which will illuminate the interior once carved. We can liken this to the process by which we need to clear out the dross which accumulates in our lives to allow God’s light to have space to work within us.

Once the centre was cleared out then we could carve a design into the flesh of the pumpkin- in our case, happy faces, Christian symbols and words of encouragement. The children, and adults, were very excited to see the finished pumpkins lit up with candles; they were transformed from pieces of orange vegetable into works of art.

When God works within us clearing the dross and lighting up our lives with hope, we, like the pumpkin can become beautiful, shining beacons for God’s love in a dark world.

To Pray

Christ, as a light

Illumine and guide me.

Christ, as a shield

overshadow me.

Christ under me;

Christ over me;

Christ beside me

on my left and my right.

This day be within

and without me,

lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.

Be in the heart

of each to whom I speak;

in the mouth

of each who speaks unto me.

This day be within

and without me,

lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.

Christ as a light;

Christ as a shield;

Christ beside me

on my left and my right.

Amen

24/10/2026

24th October Greenwich Mean Time

Thought for the day

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Hebrews 13 v8

Today sees the last day of British Summertime before we transition into Greenwich Mean Time; at 2am tomorrow morning, 25th October, the clocks go back one hour here in the UK, which means that we gain an extra hour of rest. As we gain an extra hour of morning light and adjust to earlier autumn darkness, we are reminded that the seasons are always changing. However, despite everything around us changing we know that God remains constant. Hebrews 13 v8 reminds us that,

‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.’

The change in the hour allows us to think that whilst the hour changes and the world around us is in flux, God’s character is unchanging.

The changing hour causes to be aware of the clock and how it effects our lives and perhaps gives us cause to think as Ephesians 5 v15-16;

‘Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.’

We can take the opportunity of an extra hour to reflect on how we spend each hour and each day with God-do we use our time wisely? The extra hour also gives us the reminder that we do need to rest, we do need a Sabbath and time to just be with God.

So, as the clock goes back one hour, let us plan to give ourselves the opportunity to spend that time resting in His presence.

To Pray

As the sun scatters the mist

at the dawning of a new day,

So, you calm our fears and anxieties

if we trust you.

You give us strength and courage

to live our daily lives

knowing you are with us

and we do not walk alone.

As the midday sun warms us,

we feel your protecting arms around us

and sense your loving presence.

As the sun sinks in a kaleidoscope of colour

you give us hope and renewal.

Amen

Jenny Child

23/10/2026

23rd October Hope in the face of loss
The Lord is near to the broken-hearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
Psalm 34:18
Recently we were reminded of the disaster that occurred 60 years ago in the Welsh village of Aberfan.
The Aberfan disaster saw an avalanche of mining waste descend on the village killing 116 children and 28 adults. The tragedy and sense of loss and grief remain today and were rightly acknowledged, with King Charles III, Queen Camilla and the Prince of Wales participating in a memorial service, prayer, and moment of silence at the Aberfan Memorial Garden.
Death and loss of any kind is not something we get over but that we live with, although in the initial instant we may question God and feel that our Christian faith is weak. However, holding onto God, albeit by our finger nails, gives us a place to land and share our sense of emptiness. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus reassures us that grief is not a sign of weakness or lack of faith but a place where God meets us.
‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.’ Matthew 5 v4
When Jesus' friend Lazarus died, we read that Jesus wept. In His humanity He was not spared the loss of a friend, and He reacted as we would-He wept. Showing grief and crying out to God, or being silent before God, is part of the journey through the valley of loss and sadness.
However, the Resurrection of Jesus gives us Hope that our separation is only temporary, and that during our times of sadness and despair we are held by God,
The Lord is near to the broken-hearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
Psalm 34:18
To Pray
Bless those who,
with a word or hug,
can bring a smile
onto the face of someone
who is struggling with life
a simple, inexpensive
but infinitely precious gift
from one heart to another.
Amen
Faith and Worship

22/10/2026

22nd October Red Fly Agaric Mushroom (Amanita muscaria)

Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done,

the things you planned for us.

None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds,

they would be too many to declare.

Psalm 40 v5



Yesterday saw the Forestry England volunteers busy clearing paths up in Dimmingsdale. This involved cutting back rhododendron, brambles and bracken which had grown vigorously during the summer. It was a different experience than the hot summer sessions when we were busy pulling up Himalayan balsam as yesterday it was raining. The ground underfoot was very soggy with lots of wet leaves and damp leaf litter. The colours of Autumn were spectacular; looking out across the valley there were hues of orange, red, brown and yellow-really spectacular and shouting out about the creativity of the Designer.

Underfoot the colours were more subdued, that is until I saw a bright red and white mushroom; Red Fly Agaric mushroom, growing in the damp leaf litter and shadow. How often God’s handiwork appears in overlooked corners of the earth. The vibrant colour of the mushroom speaking of a Creator who delights in intricate detail, as Psalm 40 verse 5 tells us;

‘Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us.’

The Autumn fungi are an important part of the forest cycle of life, as they turn fallen leaves and dead wood into rich soil for future life. They mirror for us the Christian hope of Redemption; that God turns the things in our life that seem broken and decayed and prepares us for new growth and new life in Him.

To Pray

In the mighty name of God,

Creator of all,

the saving name of Jesus Christ,

Redeemer and Friend,

and the strong name of the Holy Spirit,

our Guide and Comforter,

we come before you in humility and hope.

We cry out for your mercy,

we watch for your presence,

we wait for your direction,

we look for your light,

and we long for your transforming love to fill our lives.

Amen.

David Adam "The Open Gate: Celtic Prayers for Growing Spiritually" (London: SPCK Triangle 1994)

21/10/2026

21st October Honey and Vinegar

Thought for the day

Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

Proverbs 16:24

In our daily interactions with people, it is the words and the actions which accompany them which have an impact on our lives. Words and actions of kindness and gentleness are more likely to inspire and encourage us than those which are rude, aggressive or dismissive.

The common idiom;

‘....you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar’...

Is a very apt reflection on how we should deal with others and how we expect them to graciously deal with us.

We know that vinegar is a harsh cleanser, it stings open wounds and burns. Honey, on the other hand is a gentle healer, sweet and nourishing. We can appreciate how honey would be the choice that we would make if we needed healing, we much prefer a gentle approach, especially one which yields results.

In the New Testament we find that whilst Jesus often spoke some plain and hard truths about hypocrisy and greed, He preached a Gospel of love, reaching out with patience, compassion and grace to those who were outcast and broken human beings. In so doing He drew to Himself followers who responded to love rather than the harsh rules of Law. Human nature has not changed since Jesus walked on the earth; each one of us responds to genuine love and care rather than criticism and harsh words.

As we go about our lives today it is worth reminding ourselves that the tone of our words matters just as much as the delivery. In our interactions as Christians, we will win a lot more souls by offering love and compassion rather than ‘hell fire and damnation’

To Pray

Help us, with simple words,

to explain the warmth

within our hearts

that we experienced

in that first encounter

with your love and grace -

the Spirit’s flame,

still burning bright within -

that others, in their own

journeys of discovery

might reach out and touch

the hand that’s always there,

and be embraced by love.

Amen

Faith and Worship

20/10/2026

20th October A different perspective

Thought for the day

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55 v8-9

Yesterday I got stuck behind a very slow tractor, I was not alone as there was quite a queue which had formed. The tractor driver was clearly sitting at a much better vantage point than we were and could see the road ahead, hence when the oncoming road was clear he waved a vehicle on.

We are dependent on the view we have, whether it be the physical view we have of something or the impression of a situation that we have been given. It depends on the perspective. We tend to view the world from a single vantage point- our own! We view situations by the impact that they have on us, which narrows down our frame of reference. To see things from a different perspective requires us to change, to step outside the attitude that limit us seeing things from a different point of view.

To see life as God sees it requires humility on our part, often having to acknowledge that we are wrong.In Isaiah 55 v8-9 we read that God says ....

’As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts’.

It is inevitable that we are not going to see things exactly as God sees them, but there are times when we need to widen our horizons and take a more God -centred view. Indeed, the Apostle Paul makes it quite plan.

‘So, from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view.’

2 Corinthians 5:16

To truly begin to see things from Gods higher perspective we need to ask the Holy Spirit to help us adjust our focus.

To Pray

I watch this morning for the light

that the darkness has not overcome.

I watch for the fire that was in the beginning

and that burns still in the brilliance of the rising sun.

I watch for the glow of life

that gleams in the growing earth

and glistens in sea and sky.

I watch for your light, O God,

in the eyes of every living creature

and in the ever-living flame of my own soul.

If the grace of seeing were mine this day

I would glimpse you in all that lives.

Grant me the grace of seeing this day.

Grant me the grace of seeing.

Amen

Newell 2000 Celtic Benediction

19/10/2026

19th October Winnie The Pooh

Thought for the day

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.

1 Corinthians 12 v 20

Winnie the Pooh celebrated his 100th birthday on October 14. It is a century since A.A. Milne’s classic book was first published.

The book is a collection of ten interconnected stories about the gentle bear called Winnie-the-Pooh, who loves honey, and his friends who live in the fictional Hundred Acre Wood. The friends are a diverse and endearing collection of animals who display human traits. There is Winnie the Pooh an uncomplicated bear, whose one vice is his love of honey. The little Piglet who is always anxious and worried. The gloomy and depressive donkey called Eeyore. The Owl who appears to 'know it all'. Rabbit who likes to control every situation and Tigger who cannot relax but bounces around unable to relax. Despite all their differences the fictional friends live together, each adding something to the whole because of their unique contribution.

The family of God is also made up of diverse members, many displaying the human traits so cleverly woven into the stories of Winne the Pooh.

1 Corinthians 12 v20, tells us that the of family of God is made up of many members, all unique but all united through Jesus Christ.

‘For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.’

In the fictional stories of Winnie the Pooh and his friends, all rely on one another despite their differences. In Life, as followers of Jesus Christ we each have a part to play, we need to rely on each other as we live out and share Jesus' message of salvation.

To Pray

We are your hands to tend the soil,

We are your feet to walk the path of peace,

We are your voice to speak for the silent,

Different pieces, yet one living breathing Christ

Amen

Bible.com

18/10/2026

18th October Joy

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"

Philippians 4:4

I was listening to a radio programme the other day where a lady was talking about a piece of music that she had played. She went on to say that it had brought her ‘joy’ but then wondered if ‘joy’ was a word that was still in relevant today. It struck me that it was immensely sad that someone needed to question whether joy was something with which people are familiar these days. Perhaps it is a sad reflection of the world in which we live that we do not live in joy, giving and receiving its uplifting quality. What a sad world we would live in if we were devoid of times of Joy.

Joy is a God given gift. The author C.S. Lewis recognises this when he says that,

‘Joy is the serious business of heaven’.

In Jesus we are called to know joy, not that we are leaping around and being joyful all the time, but that we have an inner soul joyfulness, a deep sense of knowing that we are uplifted and all is well.

Charles Spurgeon explains further that we are invited to receive joy, not sorrow through Jesus Christ.

‘It is not to sorrow but to joy that the great King invites his subjects, when he glorifies his Son Jesus.’

When we are secure in the knowledge that we are held in the love of Jesus then as Mother Teresa suggests,

‘Joy is strength’.

The world may throw all sorts of things our way, but we have great strength to carry on when the ‘Joy of the Lord’ is deep within our souls. We also have a responsibility to share that joy with others.

To Pray

As the hand is made for holding,

And the eye for seeing,

You have fashioned me for joy.

Share with me the vision that finds that joy everywhere:

In the wild violet’s beauty;

In the lark’s melody;

In the face of a steadfast man;

In a child’s smile;

In a mother’s love;

In the purity of Jesus.

Amen

Alistair MacLean, published in his book Hebridean Altars (Moray Press, Edinburgh, 1937).

Address

Church Lane
Uttoxeter
ST145JZ

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 3:30pm
Tuesday 9am - 3:30pm
Wednesday 9am - 3:30pm
Thursday 9am - 3:30pm
Friday 9am - 3:30pm
Sunday 9:30am - 12:15pm

Telephone

+441889591748

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when St. Michael's Church, Rocester posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Place Of Worship

Send a message to St. Michael's Church, Rocester:

Shortcuts

Share

Category