• Last year’s predictions – how did I do (2017)

    Let’s take a quick look at how well I did at predicting 2017

    1 – Trump will become President of the USA later this month but won’t manage to survive for 4 years. (And don’t be rejoicing anyone, take a look at his VP).

    Well, Trump did but we won’t know yet whether he will survive.

    2 – No significant progressive change will be proposed by the bishops of the Church of England in relation to LGBT issues.

    I think I was right about this one too. Some might say that there are signs of hope in the C of E but I’m a glass half empty person when it comes to that part of the Communion.

    3 – A solid majority in all houses of the Scottish Episcopal Church synod in favour of opening marriage to same-sex couples. (But I’m not predicting whether or not it will be enough to pass the legislation).

    Yes – I was right about this too. Right to be cautious about whether it would be enough to pass the 2/3rds supermajority in each house. It did but only by one vote in the House of Clergy.

    4 – SNP to lead the next administration of Glasgow City Council after the elections in May but possibly in coalition with others.

    Basically got this one right too – not a coalition but a minority administration all the same.

    5 – Lib Dems will claim they’ve turned the corner after the local elections. Greens will continue to make very little progress in a political situation that seems almost designed for them to thrive. UKIP will do badly in Scotland. And is there another party?

    Lib dems claimed they had turned the corner (but hadn’t).  Greens continues to make very little progress. UKIP did badly.

    6 – #Brexit will be triggered. And we will all end up the  poorer for it. Especially those already poorer.

    It was and yes, we are poorer.

    7 – Success for the TIE campaign – I expect that they will make significant progress in getting more inclusive education in Scotland’s schools. By the end of the year I expect there will have been progress either in new Scottish Government guidelines or proposed legislation.

    The TIE campaign has had a successful year though we’ve not got new guidelines or proposed legislation yet. The heat is going to have to be applied to the SNP if it is going to happen.

    8 – Wikileaks-esque publication of details of membership of a large pornographic internet site and consequent sackings, suicides and divorces. (It is only a matter of time).

    There was such a leak. I’m surprised there have not been more.

    9 – François Fillon to win the French Presidency but Le Pen to do frighteningly well.

    Half wrong, half right. No Fillon but yes, Le Pen did frighteningly well

    10 – The end of the beard. (Oh, I know I’ve predicted this before but how long can this hirsute tyranny go on? How much longer can good looking men keep their faces covered. Come along boys, enough is enough. Lather up.)

    Alas and alack. Not yet.

     

    Overall result – not bad this year.

9 responses to “David's Lamentation – Sermon for 9 August 2009”

  1. Muriel Avatar
    Muriel

    Thank you very much for your very moving rendition of David’s Lamentation this morning in between the two readings. You were in excellent voice. I am surprised there are (as yet) no more comments but I am glad that the video held in there until your song was ended.
    I will be putting in on my new IPod once I have bought it and,more importantly, got to grips with it.
    A haunting and memorable moment……

  2. susan s. Avatar
    susan s.

    Thank you for posting this Lamentation. As Muriel says, haunting and memorable. If ever I get to Glasgow again I can come to church and hear you in person.

  3. RosemaryHannah Avatar
    RosemaryHannah

    It not only moved me to tears (not that hard) – it raised the hairs on the back of my arms – which is just about vanishingly rare. Stunning does not do justice to it. Just how profoundly the congregation were affected was heard in the quality of the silence which fell afterwards.

  4. Sarah SSM Avatar

    Thank you very much for this sermon and for the music accompanying it.

  5. Jimmy Avatar
    Jimmy

    Considering the machinations of our leaders over the last few years, the accounts of David’s life are quite up to date.
    In our hearts and in our political and social structures we are no better than the people then and we have not moved on.
    Hypocricy at home and exploitation abroad is not my idea of an improved mankind or world.
    There is not one person in this world who does not need to get on their knees with psalm 51 in front of them.

  6. kelvin Avatar

    Yes, someone said to me on Sunday that they did not think we had moved on at all. However, I think we have.

    Clearly the whole world hasn’t moved on at the same pace or to the same place. However, I’d rather live in the UK with all its faults and failings than live in Burma or Zimbabwe or Afghanistan.

  7. Grandmère Mimi Avatar

    The lamentation is beautifully done, Kelvin.

    I’m with your parishioner who said that we have not come so very far from the times of David.

  8. Aghaveagh Avatar

    Simply wonderful.

  9. Maureen (McK) Avatar
    Maureen (McK)

    I loved the lamentation, Kelvin, having never heard it before. The sermon was very good, too. Thanks

Leave a Reply

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

Previous Posts

  • Dear Justin Welby

    Firstly, thank you for your speech the other night. Oh, I know it wasn’t directed at me, it was for the General Synod of the Church of England. But you knew that lots of us around the communion would be listening in. In that speech, you said: The majority of the population rightly detests homophobic…

  • Some snippets from Englandshire

    Here’s Bishop Alan Wilson on how the C of E bishops have been managing things: Bishops sat on the fence for the sake of unity in the name of even handedness, trying to slow everything down and keep order. The result was disunity, frustration and chaos. In reality there was no fence to sit on.…

  • Presumed Consent

    Last night the Welsh Assembly agreed a new policy of presumed consent with regard to organ donation. Now, instead of opting to become an organ donor, in Wales it will be presumed that a person is willing to donate their organs after death, unless they have opted out. I find this one an incredibly tough…

  • Bad day for bloggers

    Today is, rarely, a bad day for bloggers. Today is the day that Google Reader is being switched off by those people at Google. What it means is that the primary way that some people read blogs is not going to be available to them. Clever-dick readers will already have switched to another server. (I’m…