Walk Church that was – St. Margaret of Antioch, St. Margaret at Cliffe. 25th June 2023
What a day we had in St Margeret-at-Cliffe: a warm welcome from St. Margaret of Antioch, a balmy warm Sunny Sunday, outstanding views across the Channel with a French coast that felt so close you could touch it, not to mention vibrant displays of mauve pyramid orchids. We were so spoilt that highlighting these few aspects of our walk barely does justice to the whole experience
In the timely dappled shade of a small copse, we reflected on the disturbing story of the ejection of Hagar and her son Ishmael from Abraham and Sarah’s household and into the desert. In desperate need of water and food, Hagar prepares for the death of her son, but then becomes one of those privileged few recorded in the Bible to whom God speaks directly. He offers immediate help and gives the promise of greatness for Ishmael’s descendents. It is to Ishmael that the Prophet Mohamed traces his ancestry, and ultimately to the family of Abraham. We reflected on the shared heritage of Muslims, Jews and Christians and on the need to continually remember this in our dealiings with one another,
Our next meeting meets at St. Mary’s Stalisfield, 23rd July 2023.