What is in Kelvin's Head?

  • Sermon preached for Lent 1, 2013

    Here’s the video.


    And here is the text:

    One of my favourite stories about St Mary’s is one that I’ve heard several versions of. It concerns one of my predecessors as Provost here.

    He had been here for a couple of months and thought that things were going OK. And then suddenly a letter appeared from a member of the congregation. (It may be that person is still here and just about to write to me in similar terms, so I’m taking a risk in telling this story).

    The gist of the letter was that its author listed the many ways in which the worship of the congregation had changed in those three months.

    See here, the letter writer wrote – see all the changes that you’ve made.

    And in the letter there was a list. In the version of the story I like the best there were 90 points listed but I don’t know whether we should allow a little bit of exaggeration in the telling.

    And the Provost in question had to confess (more…)

2 responses to “The Rabbling”

  1. Layclerk Avatar
    Layclerk

    “brutal”, “lots of noise”, “lots of unease”, “rabbling”.

    Yes indeed, and that’s why I won’t be there next year. If I manage to find somewhere else with quiet calm dignity then I shall go there, otherwise I’ll be at home watching TV and not missing it.

    I generally like the services at St Mary’s, well, apart from Eucharist but that’s a personal thing, but I’m afraid to say last night didn’t hit the spot for me in any way shape or form. No dignity.

    Reply
  2. kelvin Avatar
    kelvin

    I’d be sorry not to see you next year, Layclerk. I’d say that there was great beauty, peace and dignity at many moments during the Thursday evening, though not indeed during the Stripping.

    Arrests tend not to be pretty. But then you know that.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Previous Posts

  • Pancakes

    www.anglicansonline.org has quite a funny essay o­n Pancakes written by Brian Reid. It includes this: The two styles of pancakes could be called thick and thin, leavened and unleavened, cakelike or cr?pelike. In England and Ireland and the antipodes, a pancake is as thin as you can make it, and usually rolled up for serving.…

  • Man with a cold

    I am a man with a cold. And the only remedy for a man with a cold is an audience.

  • Sermon updated

    I’ve just updated the sermon to reflect what I actually said this morning, rather than what I wrote beforehand. – Changed the ending just before the service.