Blog

  • The Straight Civil Partnerships Question

    The question is this. If civil partnership is opened to straight couples then would someone in such a partnership be eligible to be considered for ordination? It is a simple question but carries enormous complexity with it and can help to illuminate where we are in the changing world of legal relationship states. I first…

  • Scottish Episcopal Church News for January 2015

    Scottish Episcopal Church News The following post contains news from around and within the Scottish Episcopal Church for January 2015. George Square Tragedy in Glasgow The Rt Rev Gregor Duncan, the Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway was in George Square just after the recent tragedy involving a bin lorry. The accident took place just yards…

  • New Year Predictions 2015

    Here are my New Year Predictions for 2015   Those who voted YES in the Scottish Referendum will continue to behave as though they won. This may be unhelpful. Those who voted NO in the Scottish Referendum will continue to behave as thought he referendum never happened. This may be unhelpful. There will, I fear,…

  • Review of Last Year’s Predictions

    Well, clearly it behoves me to consider last year’s New Year Predictions and see how I did. Remember those people who used to say, “But what is a blog…?” Well this year you are going to be hearing them say, “But what is a mooc…?” Well, I think I got that partially right. Lots of…

  • Review of the year on the blog

    Well, everyone else is doing it so I might as well look back over the last year and pick out a few highlights from the blog. I began the year by declaring that The Archbishop of Canterbury is not a Pope and defended him from other people making demands that he rebuke the Nigerian Church.…

  • Ditching the sermon – a dialogue for Holy Innocents

    This morning I decided to ditch the sermon in favour of a dialogue with Bishop Gregor. It has been a difficult Christmas in Glasgow with a major tragedy in the centre of the city as people were doing their last minute Christmas shopping. Bishop Gregor was himself there in the square just after the incident…

  • The Comites Christi – Gay Icons

    The days after Christmas often seem strange to people. Boxing day is St Stephen’s Day, 27th December is dedicated to St John and then on 28th you get the Holy Innocents. Collectively these three days are known as the Comites Christ or Companions of Christ. Lots of people and lots of churches have run out…

  • Christmas Day 2014 – Sermon

    Come with me to Bethlehem. Come and see the babe in the manger. Come and worship and adore the Lord of Heaven and Earth with the shepherds at the manger. But don’t come with me to Bethlehem of Judea. Not yet anyway. Come with me instead in your mind to the city of Venice where…

  • Midnight Mass 2014 Sermon for Glasgow

    Where does the light of Christ most need to shine? A long time ago on the first holiday that I went on with a friend rather than my parents, I travelled partly by train, partly by boat and partly hitchhiking, to the Orkney Isles. And one of my strongest memories of being there was crawling…

  • Christmas Services

    Today, Christmas Eve, at 4 pm there’s a Christmas Crib Service for all ages – see the photograph below for a picture of last year’s crib service. Then at 6.30 pm there’s the Cathedral Carol Service featuring the full Cathedral Choir of trebles and adults. At 11.15 pm, midnight mass begins which will feature the…