Proper 6 2021 For many years humans have believed that we can have as much as we want, or at least, as much as we can afford. We have had a belief in a world of endless resources; a world where everyone can have more, where nothing is rationed or limited. We are, of course,…
Labels. They can be useful things; they tell us what’s in the tin, what not to touch, where to stand and so on. But they can also be cruel:‘coward’, ‘cissy’, ‘trouble maker’, ‘useless’, ‘pathetic’. And once acquired, labels seem to stick. They get passed on, copied and replicated and so more and more people begin…
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”John 3:1–17 In the past few days I have been preparing for the wedding of good friends. Their child is also due to be baptised at the service which…
Pentecost: the feast of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy Trinity. It falls on the fiftieth day after Easter – hence its name. It also falls on the Jewish Festival of Weeks, which is a harvest festival celebrating the first fruits of the season. The story is familiar to us; bereft after…
Ascension day is one of the great festivals of the Christian year, and yet it is relatively forgotten and neglected. I suspect that this is because the event, as pictured in art, is strange and not very believable. In order to understand Christ’s Ascension into heaven, it’s necessary to lay those images aside – in…
The past year has been one hand washing, mask wearing and of staying at home. The first two of these requirements have been a bit of a nuisance, but not too demanding. For many of us though, the third, ‘stay at home’, has been a real challenge. We have missed friends and family, and have…
It is said that St Frances, when a young man, was injured in war and spent some time as an invalid confined to bed. Francis took to reading romantic stories where the characters all lived happily ever after. He alternated these stories with reading about the lives of the saints. After a while he noticed…
This fourth Sunday after Easter has become known as Good Shepherd Sunday as the readings are always about shepherds and sheep. At Christmas, we often hear of the Shepherds as being rather smelly and uncouth: a contrast to the Magi who were wealthy, sophisticated and probably delicately perfumed – rosewater maybe. By Good Shepherd Sunday…
Wounds are not mentioned in today’s’ Gospel reading, but they are definitely implied – for what other reason would Jesus ask his disciples to look at his hands and feet – surely his face would be more easily recognised. But it was the wounds of crucifixion at which Jesus asked his disciples to look. By…
It was with great sadness that we heard, on Friday, of the death of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, just two months short of his 100th birthday. There was much about Prince Philip that was admirable. I think his loyalty to the Queen, his unfailing support, is especially notable. Their marriage and early years…