Month: December 2024

It has been another bruising week for the Church of England, as more revelations have emerged of abusive behaviour from vicars and calls for resignations. For the victims of abuse, the news must have been particularly hard to bear. Over the next few days, I will be standing in pulpits talking about good tidings in my Christmas sermons; some will see that as a sanctimonious act of hypocrisy. All I can urge is that people do not focus on the institution of the Church, do not focus on the person in the dog collar. Look instead at the one in the manager; a baby, helpless and vulnerable and see in that how God really works in the world. God does not use earthly power, God does not use human authority. God works only through love but that love will triumph, with or without the Church of England.

Rev David Poyner

This week, I have been attending a meeting of the British Pharmacological Society (BPS) at Harrogate. I teach and research pharmacology, the science of how drugs work and have been a member of the BPS for over 25 years. The society organises a large meeting every year just before Christmas; there are talks about matters of current scientific interest and there is also the opportunity for people to show their latest findings my means of posters. This year, my PhD student had a poster. Over the years my routine at the meeting has changed; once I avidly attended all the scientific sessions and sought out the big names in the field who I wanted to impress.  Now I am more inclined to linger drinking tea by the posters and chatting with old friends before retiring to a nearby tea room or pub. There has been another change; now, when I attend, I wear my clerical collar. I have occasionally got some strange looks, but I have never encountered any hostility. Instead, people who do approach me often want to talk about their own faith or are curious about mine. The dog-collar is obvious, but there are other forms of identity such as cross lapel-badge that achieve much the same thing. A symbol can be powerful.

Rev David Poyner

I was scrolling through a friend’s facebook page, looking for profound reflections I could pass of as my own in my next sermon and found this. There may be something here about encouraging us to think carefully about what we actually need, although the real reason I am re-posting it is because it made me laugh out loud. Thanks to the friend who may recognise this when he reads it…

An atheist was taking a walk through the woods.

“What majestic trees! What powerful rivers! What beautiful animals”, he said to himself.

As he continued walking alongside the river he heard a rustling in the bushes.

Turning to look, he saw a 7 foot bear charging towards him.

He ran as fast as he could up the path.

Looking over his shoulder he saw that the bear was closing in on him.

His heart was pumping frantically and he tried to run even faster.

He tripped and fell on the ground.

He rolled over to pick himself up but saw the bear raising his paw to take a swipe at him.

At that instant the atheist cried out, “Oh my God!”

Time stopped.

The bear froze.

The forest was silent.

It was then that a bright light shone upon the man and a voice from heaven asked, “You deny my existence for all of these years, teach others I don’t exist and even credit creation to a cosmic accident. Do you expect me to help you out of this predicament? Am I to count you as a believer?”

The atheist looked directly into the light.

“It would be hypocritical of me to suddenly ask you to treat me as a Christian now, but perhaps, could you make the BEAR a Christian?”

“Very well”, said the Voice.

The light went out, and the sounds of the forest resumed.

And then the bear lowered his paw, bowed his head and spoke: “Lord, bless this food which I am about to receive and for which I am truly thankful, Amen”…

Rev David Poyner