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The Sound-Bite
Another day, another story about the Church of England. This time the Bishop of Liverpool has retired, following allegations of sexual harassment of two women, one a bishop. The Bishop of Liverpool denies the allegations; they were apparently investigated by the police and no action was taken and there was no action taken following a…
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The Power of a Place
A few weeks ago, I was talking to a local resident. She had taken her son into one of our churches. Once there, he just sat, not moving. Eventually he spoke, of how beautiful the place was. He could never remember being in a church before, now he was overwhelmed. Apparently he had no wish…
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A New Take on an Old Prayer
Sent to me this week by a colleague: God, grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, which is pretty much everyone, since I’m clearly not you, God. At least not the last time I checked. And while you’re at it, God, please give me the courage to change what I need to…
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The Truth is Self-Evident
“Truth” is much in the news at the moment, particularly as regards the big social media platforms; what is true and who decides that? Sometimes truth is simple to decide, where it hinges on a verifiable fact, but this is not always the case. There are “moral truths” on which we base society; thus the famous opening…
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Realistic Resolutions
It is traditional for any vicar to write something in January about New Year resolutions. Every year I have the same problem, because I have never made a resolution for the New Year; how can I improve on my current state of perfection?…. The truth is that I do not make resolutions because I know…
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A Merry Christmas
How is the Christmas season going for you? In the Church, we talk a lot about hope in the run-up to Christmas and the birth of a saviour. However, I often speak of hope as being something in the far distant future and welcoming a saviour implies we have things we need to be saved from.…
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What is Power?
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…
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The Power of a Symbol
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…
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Be Careful What You Wish/Pray For
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…
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30th November 2024 – The Momentous Vote
The House of Commons have now voted to legalise assisted dying. The very fact that was a free vote indicates the complex moral issues around this issue. Earlier this week, in a Thought for the Day, the Rev. Sam Wells gave a very balanced account of the different Christian perspectives around the issue; he presented…
Benefice of Highley with Billingsley, Glazeley and Deuxhill and Chelmarsh
Knowing Jesus and Making Him Known
