A Gospel journey with the English Saints (including St Cuthbert)

A reflection campaign centred around pilgrimage – places and stories that help us feel part of something bigger on our journey towards God.

Each of us has our own story, but we are also part of bigger stories. The greatest story ever told is that of God becoming human in Jesus to offer us a transforming relationship with him. Through these reflections, we will see how this amazing story took root in Anglo-Saxon England, and how those who responded to it became signposts to God. They not only changed the world around them but can still challenge, inspire, and encourage us today. from the Archbishops’ introduction

Running over the 4 weeks of August, these readings and reflections explore eight places which were important in the spread of Christianity in England, and the stories of the saints who lived there. Each day will include a Bible reading, a prayer, a short reflection and a suggested action or reflective question. The booklets are available in St Cuthbert’s Church.

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4

Week 1: Welcoming the Gospel
Reflections by Dee Dyas (on The Venerable Bede) and Sarah Mullally (on St Bertha of Kent)
This week, we explore how the Gospel took root in Anglo-Saxon England through the lives of The Venerable Bede and St Bertha 0f Kent.

Date	Theme	Reading	Summary
3 August	Glory, grace and truth	John 1.1-5, 10-14	We are all part of the great story of the Gospel.
4 August	Pilgrims through life	1 Peter 2.9-11	Responding to the Gospel means letting God transform our lives to reflect love and values.
5 August	Inner journeys, special places	Psalm 27.4-5	Being a pilgrim means both ‘inner pilgrimage’ and pilgrimage to special places.
6 August	Rebuilding	Isaiah 58. 11-12	God guides his people so that they may restore what has been broken
7 August	Welcoming the stranger	1 Corinthians 3.7-9	Welcoming those who come alongside us is a reminder that God weaves his work through a whole community of people.
8 August	Planting the seeds	Galatians 6.9-10	God sees every seed of our faith, kindness, and hope, and uses them in ways beyond our sight.

Week 2: Living for the Gospel
This week, we journey with two remarkable saints whose lives continue to shape the story of Christian faith: St Cedd of Lastingham and St Cuthbert of Lindisfarne who lived in an age of movement, mission, and deep dependence on God.

Date	Theme	Reading	Summary
10 August	Being sent	John 15.5-6	When we visit the sacred places associated with these Anglo-Saxon saints, we should arrive in the same spirit as those who came to Jesus ready to be sent.
11 August	Healing divisions	Revelation 7.9-10	How can we translate the unchanging message of Jesus Christ into the everchanging cultures and languages of the world.
12 August	A gospel community	Luke 5.10-11	To bring people to Jesus is also to bring them to his Church.
13 August	Co-builders in God’s kingdom	1 Corinthians 3.10-12	Whilst we may never fully grasp the scale of God’s kingdom building during our own lives, our individual contributions can be worked together to achieve incredible things.
14 August	Called and chosen	1 Samuel 16.6-13	Our human inclination is to look to outward appearances, yet the Bible teaches that God looks to the heart.
15 August	Planting the seeds	Ephesians 3.16-19	We come to grasp the full breadth and length, height and depth of God’s love through prayer.

Week 3: Trusting the Gospel
This week, we follow the journeys of two holy women whose lives show how trust in God can fill our lives with hope. St Frideswide, the patron saint of Oxford, and St Etheldreda, the patron saint of Ely, discovered their vocations early in life but had to wait many years before their calling was fulfilled.

Date	Theme	Reading	Summary
17 August	Trusting when in fear	Luke 8, 22-25	‘Trust in God,’ the Bible tells us, again and again, reassuring us that in our journey through life we re never alone.
18 August	Trusting while waiting	Romans 15.5-6,13	We can trust that beneath the dark earth of today, there lies hidden the green shoot of tomorrow, offering hope and new life to each one of us.
19 August	Trusting in the everyday	1 Corinthians 13.4-7	We may not always manage the habit of daily prayer and reflection which is th e heart of religious life. But we can look out for God’s presence among the everyday actions which make up our daily lives.
20 August	Joyful in hope	Romans 12. 9-18	We are called to persevere and to hear God’s voice above all the other distractions.
21 August	Renew our strength	Isaiah 40.27-31	Our task is to learn to hear God’s voice amid the noise of daily life so that we can discern where it is that we are being called and trust that God is already there.
22 August	Thanksgiving	Philippians 4.4-9	God’s faithfulness is demonstrated again and again in Scripture, in the lives of the saints and everyday stories. We need to cultivate this trust in ourlives, so that when the times comes, we are ready to answer God’s call.

Week 4: Light of the Gospel
This week invites us to explore how God’s light shines on us through learning, reflection, beauty, and community by reflecting on the lives of St Alcuin of York and Hild of Whitby

Date	Theme	Reading	Summary
24 August	Walking in darkness	Psalm 139.10-11	The Bible often shows us that God’s deepest work happens in times of uncertainty, waiting and struggle.
25 August	Illuminate our path	Psalm 119.105	God invites us to let the Bible illuminate our path and form us in faith through prayerful reflection.
26 August	The beauty of holiness	Psalm 96.9	In almost every church, it is possible to walk around as a pilgrimage and encounter God.
27 August	Light for the future	Isaiah 9.2	God sent us his Son to be our light, and continues to send people to guide us towards this light.
28 August	Lighting up each other	1 Thessalonians 5.11	God invites us to see his light shining in others and encourage it.
29 August	Being the light	Matthew 5.16	We may not lead abbeys or advise kings, but God still invites us to becomes bearers of his light, wherever we go each day.