Today is the shortest day in the northern hemisphere. The winter solstice takes place at 5.11 pm today.
Please have your gongs, whistles and drums at the ready for the moment.
Photo credit – Andreas Krappweis
Personally, I’ve never had a problem with churches – my last church knew my son as a person and if anybody did have reservations they were not going to voice them about one of their own to one of their own – most members of the congregation were totally OK as one would expect.
What I have occasionally had problems with: the occasional Christian saying something which made me yearn for a pick axe, like ‘but one day we will cure homosexuals’ (over my dead body do you cure my son of being himself. Take this literally for the good of your own health.)
‘Most of this congregation are wholly accepting of gay Christians. Of course I can see it is more difficult if it is your own child’. (Only different in so far as it is better, sonny)
It should not be an issue. Except perhaps outside the church. I clean for a lovely elderly couple. Mrs is eagerly awaiting further news of my outfit for son’s civil union in the summer – she lives in terror of Mr saying something crashingly tactless. I wish I could say something to reassure her that I know Mr is just about as tactful as I am, and he is forgiven beforehand. No offence meant and none taken as ’twere.
Last night’s service was very enjoyable. Almost twice as many people turning out as I was expecting. Quite a few saying that it was the plainsong which tempted them out. It being the Transfiguration, I did think that a rousing chorus of Shine, Jesus Shine might have helped at the end, but I managed to…
It is the Feast of the Transfiguration today. The top 10 reasons for coming to the Transfiguration service tonight at 7.30 pm in St Mary’s are: It is the festival of change – an auspicious day to come to church to pray about something you would like to change in your life. We are singing…
The trouble with sin, is that it creeps up on you unexpectedly. There I was doing the ironing, a virtuous task sure as anything. Then I ran out of water in the steam iron and the following sinful thought passed through my mind. “Hmm, having lost the little plastic water bottle that came with the…
Oh, thank you for asking. I’ve recently finished Be Near Me by Andrew O’Hagan. It is a dark read, but a worthwhile one. Fr David arrives in an Ayrshire Roman Catholic parish, with unresolved issues from his past which unravel with a sadness, a poignancy and an apparent inevitability. It is the inevitability which is…
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