Blog

  • Reviews

    In case anyone was wondering, the rather formal reviews which appear below are o­nes which I submitted to the Episcopalian for possible publication in the April edition.Yesterday was spent being appraised, dealing with chimney sweeps, speaking to people o­n the telephone, visiting someone in hospital, planning Easter, church correspondance, inspecting a newly tuned piano, sorting…

  • The Mysteries

    How can the mysteries of the faith be expressed o­n stage or film? Mel Gibson?s rather gory answer to this question is currently to be seen in cinemas across the land but for a more thoughtful and more fun version of the Passion with plenty of other biblical stories thrown in, take a look at…

  • Review – Resurrexit – Decani Music

    In the time since I was ordained some 7 years ago, there has never been a Holy Week in which someone has not telephoned to enquire where o­ne might find a copy of the Exsultet ? the ancient Easter hymn of praise. Sometimes the request is more specific ? where can o­ne find a singable…

  • Sermon – 7 March 2004 – Abram's line or Jesus's Brood

    One of the interesting revivals in recent years has been the huge increase in people looking for their ancestors. Geneology ? family trees and all that, has never been more popular. Many people have got used to the idea that you can search for anything on the internet and use it to try to do…

  • Music

    I realised today that we have made some steps forward in the congregation. In a conversation with some of the musicians, the question was not whether we were going to have a special sung setting for Easter, but which o­ne we would have, and whether or not we would have an orchestra.I also realised in…

  • Benediction

    Arrived home to find the cat worshipping the washing machine.The machine was almost at the end of its spin cycle. The juddering had cause the cat-food bag, which I had left o­n the top, to tip up. The dry cat food had emptied itself all over the top of the washing machine and was being vibrated…

  • Arrrgh

    Oh dear. I fell over in the street again. “Arrrgh” was the cry as my feet slipped on a thick layer of black ice in the middle of Stirling. It would appear that this came from window cleaners’ water. No bones broken, but a sore back. I was picked up by young people and traffic…

  • Quote

    Like this quote – which has appeared somewhere o­n the Ship of Fools website:”We should give up the foolish task of trying to be saints and get o­n with the more important task of trying to be human” ? Dietrich BonhoefferQuite so, Bonhoeffer. More or less what I took 1000 more words to say in…

  • 29 February 2004 Sermon for Lent 1 – Temptation

    How often we ask God for things that cannot be given. This morning, we read the story of Jesus going into the wilderness and being tempted by the devil. The standard way of preaching about this is to speak about our own temptation and our own wilderness moments. We liken ourselves to Jesus ? ?Oh…

  • Five Sundays in February

    There are five Sundays in February this year. This only happens every 28 years, I think.