I received an email last week from ‘Linda’ in England who was a member of the congregation in London, 39 years ago. In her words, she had been ‘tracking’ me down for ages. She asked if I would give her call via zoom. She had a question about religion that she thought I could answer.…
I was standing outside my local café on Friday waiting for my takeaway skinny flat-white with one sugar to arrive. The weather was cold and wet, but the owner had turned on the outside overhead heaters and was ‘broadcasting’ hits from the 70’s – all designed to make our waiting just a bit more fun…
Hard things by definition are hard. Reconciliation is a hard thing. In truth, I have come to recognise it as one of the hardest things in life. I write from personal experience, but perhaps it comes easier to others. I have found that all sorts of things get in the way. Feelings and thoughts mostly.…
I don’t often write in a way that is clearly party political because I know it puts people off and they stop reading as soon as they catch a whiff of ‘Church engaging in Politics’. Of course, we are all entitled to our perspectives – that is the nature of democracy – but we seldom…
During COVID 2020, the building in which the Church gathers each Sunday underwent a fair bit of repair work. The ‘unstable’ bell tower was completely re-built, and the roof has been completed re-slated in accordance with Heritage expectations. It certainly all looks very nice now, but the congregation has never been very big on pouring…
These poignant words deeply connected with breaking bread and sharing wine, have special meaning for me this month. So too, did the ANZAC day gathering when we focused upon ‘Lest we forget. Especially today on Mother’s Day. A couple of weeks ago the nursing home in which my 93 yr old mother-in-law has lived for…
I suspect ( indeed hope) that most people have a period in their lives that they can look back on and say “That was a special time. Or, that time really changed me”. I’ve probably had more than my fair share of periods like that. Not because I am especially lucky but because every circumstance…
I hadn’t seen a fox in the wild for years. Even longer since I’d driven in deep darkness swallowed up by thick drifting fog. For both things to happen on the same day was really quite marvellous. I was spending my day off with my dear friend Larry. He was crafting a ‘retreat’ for himself…
I’ve been thinking lately about the concept of passing or failing the ‘pub test’. The phrase has been used quite a bit in the news and it’s one of those phrases that has slipped into popular political jargon ranging across topics as far afield as sexual abuse in an MP’s office, the purchase of Cartier…
The final week of Jesus’s life leads into the first week of the disciples’ lives without him. Endings and beginnings – this is the way of all things. I’m pretty sure most of us can relate to the experience of losing someone who was very important and very close to us. Such grief defies simple…