Meditation and Reflection

Fire flood famine the end is nigh

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 Germany and Belgium, floods are devastating states and lives: thousands…
Bad Samaritan

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…
Duke of Edinburgh dead

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…
Jesus crucified good friday

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,…
lonely christmas

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…
sheep dog shepherd jesus

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…
Supper at Emmaus caravaggio

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…
harrowing of hell

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,…
jesus crucified good friday

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…
clap for jesus

Nobody claps for Jesus

This is the 12th contribution to His Grace’s emergency team ministry during the coronavirus pestilence. It comes from Mike Stallard, who has been in education all his life, and is…