Sixth Sunday in Eastertide, 9th May 2021 I’m using the occasional day off to conduct a bird census in an area of overgrown fallen-down farmland and it’s thrilling, for me, to hear and see so many migrant birds returning to their territories from abroad, for many will be the very …
Eastertide Sunday 5B, 2nd May 2021 Jo. Did you ever know a prayer?Never know nothink, Sir.Not so much as one short prayer?No, Sir. Nothink at all. Mr Chalbands he wos a-prayin wunst at Mr.Sangsby’s and I heerd him, but he sounded as if he wos a-speakin’ to hisself, and not …
Eastertide Sunday 4B, 25th April 2021 A powerful surge passed through Olney on Thursday morning: two powerfully built dark grey limousines with darkened windows accompanied by eight or so police outriders, several in front clearing the way, as the cortege swept through. It was impressive to suddenly see this power …
Eastertide Sunday 3B, 18th April 2021 It takes time to emerge from ‘lockdown’, and courage too. The disciples are hearing stories now that something momentous has, indeed, taken place in Jerusalem. That the empty tomb signals not further loss but a fulfilment which changes everything. It’s as if the pandemic …
Eastertide Sunday 2B, 11th April 2021 Unless I see the holes that the nails made in his hands and can put my finger into the holes they made and unless I can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe. That’s quite a graphic statement and very black …
The Easter Vigil, 4th April 2021 It was night. And Judas leaves. Night forever associated with spiritual darkness, with sin. And so associated with all times of darkness, moral, physical, alone or with others. This past year we’ve shared a communal darkness with most, if not all, our sisters and …
Palm Sunday, 28th March 2021 Those who are not shocked when they first come across quantum theory cannot possibly have understood it. This is the physicist Neils Bohr on quantum theory. In contrast to this, I’m not sure I’ve ever understood theories of atonement and am still shocked by the …
Fifth Sunday in Lent, 21st March 2021 As in previous weeks, we concentrated on the readings from the Old Testament in our Lenten lectio groups and, as ever, found a great deal to ponder over and to stimulate thought, not least, this week, on what it means to have God’s …
Lent Sunday 4B, 14th March 2021 We’ve been using the passages from the Hebrew Bible for our zoom Lectio meetings in Lent this year and it’s been a useful exercise, not least because many of us are less familiar with the older biblical stories and the pattern of early Israelite …
Lent Sunday 3B, 7th March 2021. Having an argument is a good way of ‘creating an atmosphere’: one can enter a room and know immediately that something is going on – something bad – something not conducive to peace. But one can also enter a room after an argument and …
