Shingle Bank

Dear friends,

At the northernmost tip of the Isle of Man, you can park your car at the edge of the vast stretches of shingle that comprise the Point of Ayre, and, if it is a clear day, look north across to Scotland, away over the water. The channel is deep, and the huge ferries from Belfast ply their cargo close by on their way to Heysham, or Liverpool, or Douglas, curling tight in round the point. Fishing trawlers both small and great are also on the main. There are grey seals in the water, and if you venture down to the water they will surface and give you an innocent and inquisitive eye, leaving you agape with wonder at just how close they come. But it is their world, and you, to them, are the interloper. The Point splits the Irish sea into east and west, leaving the Manx perpetually unsure which way to look – east to England, or west to Ireland. The resolution is a robustly independent spirit, looking back to Viking and then Celtic heritage, but in truth today, for in most things that matter (such as food, power and health) the Manx are dependent upon the UK. However the finance gurus that work out of the island enjoy a “close” relationship with Irish institutions, to undoubted mutual benefit. If you are lucky, the cafe at Stephenson’s 1818 Point of Ayre lighthouse will be open, and provide a haven from the wind. Make the most of the sunshine, for fog is a serious and frequent risk here, evidenced by the two massive trumpets of the 1890’s foghorn, a little away from the lighthouse, nearer to the shore. “Keep Away!” “Keep Away!” she would call when the visibility faded to zero. Decommissioned only in 2005, her blasts were so loud that, with the wind from the south, she could be heard on the Mull of Galloway. She remains in situ, bigger than a house, her 3m twin trumpets pointing either way, voiceless without her compressed air “lungs”, superceded by radar, and satellite, and computer navigation.

In these breathless times, forgive us, O Lord of the waves

For the noise we bring to a world that longs for peace

Still our hearts, open our ears

To heed your warnings and promises in Scripture

To repent of our two faced speech

To wait on your call

To be lifted on the wings of the wind

Breathe on us, breath of heaven.

Quicken us, breath of God.

A little inland from the Point of Ayre, and its interface with land and sea, there is a newly opened national bird reserve. An old gravel pit has been cleared and landscaped, and birds of all kinds are making their home in the heathland, and on the new lake. Take your binoculars, and enjoy a different boundary – between the land and the sky. Pray that our nation and its leaders will also learn to look not just to the polarities of “left and right”, or “north and south”, but also “up and down”, to the world of the Spirit, and “forward and backward” to the strength of tradition and history. Back down the road, in the village of Bride, at the end of July, you can pick sunflowers from a farmer’s field. £5 for as many of the giant beauties as you can carry in your arms. It is a joyful memory of being a child again, in a field of gold, a world full of promise.

Worship Services for Pentecost Sunday 24th May

9.30am Holy Communion at St John’s Stoke Row with Revd Kevin Davies

11am Holy Communion at St Peter and Paul, Checkendon with Revd Kevin Davies.

Midweek zoom service: Wednesday Evensong at 5.00pm  410 935 129

Trinity Sunday 31st May

10.30am Team Service at St Mary’s Ipsden, with Revds John Blair and James Leach

Spring Bank

This coming Sunday we celebrate God’s gift of the Holy Spirit to the church – divine wind and fire to equip and enliven our lives as followers of Jesus. Join us for hymns, and communion, and refreshments.

The schools are on half term next week, and some of the Team staff will be on leave. Sunday May 31st is a fifth Sunday, so there will be a Team Service, hosted by St Mary’s Ipsden, at 10.30am. Please note that there won’t be any other main Sunday morning services elsewhere in the Team on that day.

The photo below of the Point of Ayre foghorn doesn’t quite do justice to its enormity, although the height of the fence gives some scale. The concrete structures at it’s foot were the supports for eight large tanks of compressed air, now relocated elsewhere. (Westminster, perhaps?)

We pray to God, who alone has the power to save, who alone brings life and love. “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” (Psalm 90:14)

Your Rector, Canon Kevin