Blog

  • Sermon – Road to Emmaus

    Here’s the sermon I preached on the Road to Emmaus story.

  • Michael Perham and Gracious Restraint

    I see that at his diocesan synod, the Bishop of Gloucester, the Rt Rev Michael Perham has made a very passionate plea for even more “gracious restraint”. “My own view is that what is needed in the Church at present is gracious restraint. We need a cool and calm period in which to explore the…

  • A Christian Country?

    I’ve been watching the various debates about whether “we” live in a Christian country with interest over the last 10 days or so. I’m inclined to agree with the notion that the UK clearly has such a great heritage from the Christian tradition that it makes sense to speak of it as having been a…

  • The Cure

    Over the past few weeks, I’ve not been terribly well. Bronchitis was the doctor’s diagnosis and it has gone on and on. I thought it might be helpful to share the advice that I’ve been given in order to get better. After all, it could happen to you. paracetamol lemsip going to the doctor cough…

  • The rules

    Here’s how we are going to get along. Black shoes in the sanctuary Play nicely Don’t copy the provost/pope/prime minister into emails that are addressed to anyone else No boring worship Obey the moratorium on unnecessary exclamation marks! No communion for dogs, not even on St Francis’s Day Communion for all humans any day Black…

  • Scottish Episcopal Conversations about LGBT Issues

    This time next week, the “Cascade Conversations” will be taking place in Pitlochry. This is an attempt to allow discussion in the Scottish Episcopal Church about issues relating to homosexuality. I won’t be there because I’ve not been invited and I’m sorry about that as I would have liked to listen to what others were…

  • Easter Sermon 2014

    What a joy to be in this place today celebrating the resurrection. We began on a high last Sunday and have made our way though this Holy Week. People sometimes call that a journey, a waymarked path, a pilgrimage. But for me, that doesn’t begin to describe it. For me it is more like being…

  • RIP Jim Cotter

    In the middle of the busy days of Holy Week comes the news that Jim Cotter has died. Jim was a poet-priest – someone for whom words were as important as breathing. He wrote prayers in which unicorns danced. He was also I think the first out gay priest I ever met, coming to preach in…

  • Holy Week starts with joy

    Many thanks to all those who made Palm Sunday so special at St Mary’s. (I’ve been ill for a fortnight, so it wasn’t down to me!) Thanks to Stewart Macfarlane for capturing this pic. A reminder that Holy Week starts with joy.

  • Palm Sunday Procession 2014

    Here’s a wee video of the Palm Sunday Procession at St Mary’s this year. I promised people something extra this year. For some reason, people thought I had booked a donkey. Well, anyone can book a donkey. Here’s what happened. Many thanks to the guys from the wonderful Clanadonia for making this year’s procession so…