Blog

  • 8 Things the Churches Could Learn From the collapse of HMV

    I’m sad to see that the HMV music chain is in trouble. The sadness that I feel about it though has to be accompanied with a knowledge that I’ve looked elsewhere for my entertainment recently. At one time I would have gone there to buy things for others and things for myself around Christmas. This…

  • Sermon preached for St Mungo – 13 January 2013

    I have to confess that for most of my life I did not give St Mungo much of passing thought. I certainly encountered him when I was in primary school up the road in that I remember a wonderful Primary 5 teacher in Bearsden making us do a project on the great urban conurbation that…

  • Sermon preached for the Epiphany 2013

    Here’s the sermon I preached for the Epiphany. My day was made when a member of the congregation came up to me at the end beaming. He introduced himself to me as a member of the Iranian Community of Glasgow and said: “We, we Iranians were the first to worship the Baby Jesus!” And they…

  • Here’s to you, Bishop Robinson

    The Church of England is in full brouhaha mode today over gay bishops once again. Before saying anything about that, I think it is important to give a shout out to the Rt Rev Gene Robinson who is retiring today as Bishop of New Hampshire. It was obvious when he was elected and consecrated that…

  • New Year Predictions 2013

    1 – The UK will lose its triple A credit rating. 2 – The Scottish Episcopal Church will have poor statistical returns this year prompting very quiet wailing and gnashing of teeth except in Argyll. 3 – At least one Church of England bishop (and maybe a pair) will be outed. (Only time I’ve retained…

  • Looking back at last year’s predictions

    Time to have a look back at the predictions I made at New Year last year. The Diocese of Edinburgh will have a new bishop by this time next year. (There is currently an Episcopal vacancy). However, they will have been unable to select a bishop from the first list and will end up chosing…

  • Here’s another nativity

  • Tales of the City #9

    The scene is Great Western Road, at 10 am – just after morning prayer. A street cleaner in a council jacket runs down the street hollaring at me after morning prayer Street Cleaner: “Oi, oi!” I turn wondering what I’ve done. Self: “Um, yes?” Street Clearner: “Was it youse that was in the paper? It…

  • Pewter Nativity

    Here’s one of those nativity sets that I was talking about in my Midnight Mass sermon the other night.

  • Mr Provost’s Finest Reindeer Receipt

    Roughly chop a leek, couple of slices of bacon and as many cloves of garlic as you dare. Heat a frying pan to a sizzle and fling the leek, bacon and garlic in, closely followed by the reindeer steaks. After five minutes turn the steaks over and scoop the leek/pig/garlic into another pan. Heat this…