The Church of England’s online service this week comes from a church in our diocese - Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon - the place where William Shakespeare was baptised and is buried. The service uses the playwright’s global legacy as a starting point to explore faith, vocation and the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Exploring faith beyond fame, the service highlights how every life is shaped by God-given gifts, with stories of vocation, belonging and the transforming work of the Holy Spirit at the heart of a world-famous church.
Led by the Revd Patrick Taylor, the service reflects on how a church known around the world for its association with Shakespeare remains rooted in its primary purpose: worshipping God and serving its local community.
Standing above the town at the viewing platform which was added as part of refurbishments to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in 2010, he acknowledges the scale of Shakespeare’s influence, saying:
“It has to be admitted that Shakespeare can tend to dominate our town with over two and a half million visitors a year.”
“But this church was built many years before Shakespeare to be a place to worship God. Christian worship has been offered here for over a thousand years.”
The service coincides with the town’s annual commemorations of Shakespeare, when visitors gather at Holy Trinity to lay flowers at his grave.
While recognising the significance of this cultural moment, the service emphasises that the Christian story and the life of faith extend far beyond any individual figure.
“Yet whilst we celebrate the ways in which famous artists and poets like Shakespeare enrich our human lives, at Holy Trinity Church, we also proclaim the fact that all of us have gifts and skills which are the gift of God through the work of the Holy Spirit.”
The sermon, preached by the Revd Matt Ford, Associate Minister for Outreach and Nurture (pictured), explores how creative gifts, talents and personal experiences can be part of God’s calling rather than distractions from it. He speaks of the New Testament’s encouragement not to abandon our skills, but to see them as integral to our vocation:
“Perhaps the very things that we have been shaped in, the ways that we are gifted already, are the very things that the spirit of God is inspiring in us moving forward.”
The service also features a powerful personal testimony from Chelsea, a member of Holy Trinity’s congregation, who describes her journey into Christian faith and her growing sense of a call to ministry - including a striking experience that came before she came to faith.
She explains: “It might sound a bit surprising because I wasn't a Christian yet when I felt that calling.”
The moment emerged during a time of family bereavement and the support of a hospital chaplain: “I remember feeling a very sort of powerful thing in my chest like it was very clear like this is what you're supposed to be doing.”
“I just really felt the love there and that kept drawing me back again and again.”
The service will be broadcast at 9am on Sunday 10 May on the Church of England's YouTube Channel.
The Church of England’s national online service continues to serve a growing online community of worshippers from across England and beyond - with viewers around the world, from Canada to Japan offering worship, reflection and stories of faith from across the country.
The service reaches a significant audience, with an average social media reach of 65,441 across YouTube and Facebook and around 153,000 weekly views. The congregation is estimated at 3,000 - 4,000 people, with 40 per cent of YouTube views come via television, suggesting the service is often watched in communal settings.
Find out more about the Church of England's online services here.