Category Archives: Uncategorized

In the half-term break, Rose and I visited London and were able to see the poppies at the Tower of London. “Up to 4m people are expected to have visited before 12 November, when there will be 888,246 ceramic poppies … Continue reading →

Luke 15 I never did get into the US TV series, ‘Lost’. I saw the pilot episode, which was one of those American shows that has a bigger budget than the entire British film industry since the War. It’s the … Continue reading →

November! November November – hardly anybody’s favourite month. Even those of us who have birthdays! It’s often a bleak month, although this year it has begun with some mild autumnal weather. There are newspaper headlines promising “Coldest winter in 100 … Continue reading →

Introduction In 1991 I was vicar of Clock Face and Sutton Manor, in the Sutton area of St Helens. St Helens is a rugby league town and the players are local celebrities. I was also a member of a gym … Continue reading →

To being with a question: Did Jesus come to bring peace on earth? Yes, of course! Right from the beginning, from the Christmas story, we hear the angels sing: ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,and on earth peace among … Continue reading →

In today’s Old Testament reading (2 Kings 9.17-end) we discover the ancient equivalent of someone who loves Top Gear: Jehu son of Nimshi; “for he drives like a maniac.” We also read one of the earliest examples of dissing someone … Continue reading →

It Started in a Garden The Bible, it is said, starts in a garden and ends in a city. The story moves from an earthly paradise to a heavenly Jerusalem. There is a tree in the Garden of Eden: eat the fruit of … Continue reading →

In a previous parish, a woman asked me, “Why do they keep changing the Lord’s Prayer?” I explained that the Lord’s Prayer that we use is a translation of the words Jesus would have said. Jesus spoke Aramaic, the ordinary … Continue reading →

… having a go at God, telling Him He’s asleep on the job! (Psalm 44:24; Mark 4:38).

“Once every three years the fleet of ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.” Once every three years? Obviously, he didn’t have Amazon Prime.