Fight or flight? The falling man of Afghanistan has haunting echoes of 9/11
They aren't stupid. They scramble beneath a US military aircraft and cling to its wings and wheels in the hope of escaping the coming Taliban terror. It is fight or…
Meditation and Reflection
Hardship of Life
Meet Munzir al-Nazzal and his five-year-old son Mustafa. They live in Reyhanli, in the Turkish province of Hatay, at the border with Syria. Munzir lost his right leg as he walked through a bazaar in Idlib, and out of nowhere…
Flood, fire, famine and pestilence: the end is nigh (maybe)
Wildfires blaze across the western states: California and Oregon burn day and night. Death Valley hit a blistering 54.4°C, which might be the highest recorded ambient temperature on Earth. Across…
Pope meets Spider-Man: when did religious leaders cease being superheroes?
The cynic will say religious leaders were never superheroes (or superheroines), but, of course, they were. The precise nature and source of their superhuman powers may be lost in antiquity,…
The Parable of the Bad Samaritan
On one occasion a lawyer member of the General Synod of the Church of England stood up to test the Bishop of Oxford. “Bishop,” he asked, “What must I do…
On the death of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said today: "I join with the rest of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth in mourning the loss of His Royal Highness Prince Philip, The…
Easter Day: the triumph of Christ and the reign of grace
Without death there is no resurrection. Without the Cross there is no salvation. Without the Resurrection of Christ there is no eschatological act of grace, and no reign of Christ.…
Good Friday: God is dead
God died today. He hung on cross, in misery and agony, and died eventually. Today is a day to remember the day God died; the passion, the weeping, the wailing,…
2021: a new year of change and the promise of hope
As seasons go, 2020 was a year to cast away. It was a time die, a time to break down, a time to weep and a time to mourn. Its…
Holy Innocents: why are we putting 12-year-olds in solitary confinement for 23½ hours a day?
Herod then with fear was filled: "A prince," he said, "in Jewry!" And all the little boys he killed At Bethl'hem in his fury. Childermas – the Feast of the…
It’ll be lonely this Christmas
"Even if we can't be together as normal, no-one needs to feel lonely this Christmas", tweeted Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden. "We're giving £7.5m to charities, arts organisations, libraries and local…
The valley of the shadow of death
If you go down into the valley of the shadow of death today, there won't be a big surprise. No gad about, and no play or shout. Perhaps quite a…
Enforced Sabbatical: Rest and Be Thankful
This is the 17th contribution to His Grace’s emergency team ministry during the coronavirus pestilence. The author wishes to be known that he is a feckless waster saved by grace.…
Sheep(dog) Sunday
Today is not liturgically designated as “Sheep Sunday”, but our lectionary readings effectively render it so, as up and down the country preachers dust off their ovine metaphors and try…
The Supper at Emmaus
Today’s Gospel reading gives me the opportunity to share with you one of my favourite paintings, that of The Supper at Emmaus, by the Italian Renaissance genius Caravaggio. It hangs…
Adam was patient zero: he passed his virus on to all of us
This is the 16th contribution to His Grace’s emergency team ministry during the coronavirus pestilence. It comes again from the Rev’d Ian Chidlow, Curate at St Mary’s Parish Church, Cheadle. …
The mission of the Church is not ‘right ethics’
This is the 15th contribution to His Grace’s emergency team ministry during the coronavirus pestilence. The author wishes to be known as The Snail @. He has a background in…
‘I am the resurrection and the life’
No matter how many times this day comes and goes; no matter how many years of how many decades and centuries Easter Sunday passes with a myriad of sorrows or…
Holy Saturday: the Harrowing of Hell
Each Easter, those charged with preaching sermons have the opportunity to refresh their understanding of the story. Being human, not all of us do so each and every year. Life,…
Good Friday is good enough
The crucifixion of Christ remains the event of salvation-history: it is the defining pivotal moment of creation, redemption and reconciliation. It is the nexus of the realm of eschatology, without…