What is in Kelvin's Head?

Sermon preached for Lent 1, 2013

18/02/2013

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…)

10 responses to “Keeping the Feast”

Stewart

24/06/2011

Having looked at the pcitures and read the blog, there is only one response – WOW!!!!

Looking forward to next year when I hope to be present.

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Rosemary Hannah

24/06/2011

It really was very very good. And you are so right about the ‘easy to over do the gloomy events’ thing – I found myself thinking ‘and when one gets home after an evening service, late, tired, one fasts’ only to realise that no, actually, one feasts!

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chris

24/06/2011

Glad to have some good pics of the event. It was the the assurance that God was in the midst of it all that was so overpowering – ritual can be a very liberating element, as I’m always rediscovering!

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Stewart

24/06/2011

Put your date the diary – 7 July 2012

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MadPriest

24/06/2011

It all seems tickety-boo, Father, except for the fact that you should have used only red rose petals, liberated by the priest from various municipal gardens shortly before dawn on the day of the service, as is traditional. Also, I would have dragged a few urchins in off the street to accompany the priest as he scatters the petals. This is always a crowd pleaser.

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ryan

24/06/2011

Glasgow’s West End is too posh to have urchins… 😉

NB love the monstrance and humeral veil! 😀

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Elizabeth

24/06/2011

So disappointed to have missed it. Alas, the wee one was not up for rose petals yesterday evening. I do hope there will be a repeat next year.

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Brother David

25/06/2011

OFF TOPIC –
Padre Kelvin, I shared your post and the link to the glorious photos with Padre Bosco in New Zealand. And was reminded that St Mary’s has a connection. I thought that you may not have heard that Christchurch suffered more serious quakes earlier this week and the cathedral, with many other churches, businesses and homes, suffered much more damage. She lost her Rose window and large sections of walls with this last set of temblors. And although certainly no decisions have been taken, it is looking more like St Mary’s will loose her twin and some other type of building may rise in its place.

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1. kelvin
  
  25/06/2011
  
  Thanks Brother David – I was aware of what’s been happening in Christchurch this week and have been remembering the people from there and specifically from the Cathedral there in my prayers.
  
  Reply
Rosemary Hannah

25/06/2011

Elizabeth, we may just have to go for doing it again and different – but still glorious.

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