I went to see the Knife Angel this week. It was glistening in the early morning sun, looking resplendent and serene. All the time I was there, other people were coming to look, photograph, talk about the message it brings, the times we live in that creates art out of confiscated knives. It is a … [Read more…]
I’m delighted that our Church Meeting in January decided that St.Columba’s should stay open for at least the next year. I thank all who were there for their honesty, careful deliberation and willingness to close the building, but ultimately for their faith that God still has a role for us in this place. Seeking a … [Read more…]
There is a style of poetry that doesn’t use punctuation but leaves big gaps between phrases Amongst the leaf … [Read more…]
Every ten years The United Reformed Church gives Ministers the gift of a 3 month sabbatical. It is an opportunity to be refreshed, to study, to find space to take stock of the way we respond to God’s call. Ten years ago, I spent time at music festivals; amongst emerging worship communities and at Westminster … [Read more…]
The third Disciple in the Modern City is Madeleine Delbrêl (1904-1964). A French woman who having declared “God is dead … long live death” as a teenage philosophy student, then discovered God living with her through difficult moments. She founded a House of Hospitality in a communist suburb of Paris and spent her life there … [Read more…]
Our second Disciple in the Modern City was Dorothy Day (1897-1980). Another unlikely candidate; social activist, suffragist, socialist living a bohemian lifestyle who had always explored spiritual writings. The birth of her child brought a spiritual breakthrough in which she learnt that she could trust God. Day and her baby were baptised as Roman Catholic’s … [Read more…]
In May I had the privilege of listening to Rowan Williams, speak on Disciples in the Modern City. He told stories of three remarkable, awkward, rebellious, idealistic, radical women and the communities that emerged around them. The first was Maria Skobtsova. From a wealthy Russian family she rebelled politically and religiously, espousing atheism and radical … [Read more…]
