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…)

4 responses to “How to Keep Holy Week”

  1. Christine McIntosh Avatar
    Christine McIntosh

    I have never been able to attend any part of the Triduum services in another church. Some day …

    Reply
  2. Rosemary Hannah Avatar
    Rosemary Hannah

    I had really hoped to be able to push for/be part of an over-night Vigil this year, but my family commitments currently make that hard (my grandson needs a more or less awake Nana on Easter Day) but I am sure the time will come. It would be a brilliant thing to do.

    Reply
    1. Rosemary Hannah Avatar
      Rosemary Hannah

      And to really tell the bible – not just readings but proper stories, to bring the whole thing to life. Not extracts, giving one no time to get to grips with the the content, but a real chance to see it as – well to be honest, very largely as the Deuteronomistical historians wanted one to see it.

      Reply
  3. Allan Ronald Avatar
    Allan Ronald

    It was always the Crux Fidelis setting by John IV of Portugal that moved me most when I was part of the congregation at the London Oratory. And considering how potent the rest of the liturgy was, that is saying a lot.

    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Your email address will not be published.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.