Preached in the Chapel of the University of Glasgow

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Dove.

Coming to read the gospel story here in a University Chapel today has reminded me of an incident which occurred when I was a student.

Sadly, I never studied here in Glasgow. However I had a good time of it in St Andrews on the East Coast. There, the Divinity Faculty was located in a small and very beautiful quadrangle. In the centre was a tree and set by the college buildings an ancient dovecote. With real live doves which were fed each day at the same time.

On the day I have in mind, I was in a lecture. Now, I know that these days lectures must have changed. I guess nowadays a lecture is an extravaganza of moving pictures and internet web chats and multimedia this, that and the other. However in those days of distant glory, it was just someone who was thought to be wise talking away to a bunch of people whose wisdom was expected to grow day by day.

Anyway, the professor was holding forth about some crucial matter of doctrine. Perhaps it was about the difference between the cherubim and seraphim. Something important anyway.

It was a summer day. The voice of the professor carried on. The cherubim snoozed in one corner. The seraphim dozed in another. And suddenly there was a noise. [Read more…]