Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

When we gather with other Christians to celebrate the Eucharist and to make our communion, we are remembering that special meal Jesus shared with His disciples on the eve of His arrest and death. But do we always appreciate what we are doing? Sometimes the monotony of repetition and distractions will get in the way....

These days, it is unthinkable to leave your dog’s waste on the pavement when in town. But in the countryside, too many of us still think it is okay to let our pets foul an area of natural countryside.  Now a recent study has found that this can be especially harmful to nature reserves. The...

** Not expecting this The young minister took his wife to the Maternity Hospital and was told it would be a long labour. So, he agreed to ring at lunchtime for news. But when he phoned, he dialled the wrong number and got the County Cricket Ground. He said: “I brought my wife to your...

This saying is attributed to John Bradford (1510-1555), who was one of the Protestant Reformers. When he saw criminals on their way to execution, Bradford would utter, “But for the grace of God, there goes John Bradford.” It was his way of acknowledging that he depended every day on the mercy of God, despite his sins, which...

Take a good look next time you go to the supermarket. What is the thing you see most?  Plastic. It is everywhere. Tight around the cucumbers, holding the groups of apples together, protecting the chickens, keeping the sausages in a neat line. The yoghurt pots are all plastic.  And on it goes…. Milk, juice, water,...

As the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations approach, The National Churches Trust has issued a ‘Royal Proclamation’ to thank her for her patronage of the Trust for nearly 70 years. Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth has been the Patron of the National Churches Trust since 1953, when the Historic Churches Preservation Trust, its predecessor charity was founded. In...

A few years ago I visited the Smithsonian Museum’s Hall of Human Origins. Our guide, the curator of anthropology, was keen to help Christians understand his research. Whatever you make of the evidence for human evolution, the fact remains that other species a bit like us were around before we came on the scene – or...

The Rectory St James the Least My dear Nephew Darren A Spring parish picnic is always a good idea – although you must bear some details in mind. First, whatever date you choose will turn out be the wettest of the year. English picnics are invariably eaten under umbrellas while wearing Wellingtons and the sort...

Josephine Butler is the ‘saint’ for anyone who believes in social justice.  This remarkable 19th century clergyman’s wife became a renowned campaigner for women’s rights and for putting a halt to human trafficking. Josephine was born in Northumberland in 1828, the daughter of a wealthy family of liberal politics and committed Christian faith. They had...

The Changing Prayer for May The travellers The Refugee Bovinophobia Ascension Day ** The Changing Reflections of Mary (Mark 16: v1-8) Our eyes seeing the same mountains, The gentle touching of our hands, Simply breathing the same air, Pleasures unrecognised till now, Gone…. In the changing. In the certainty of our grieving, You surprise us,...

Remember the Millennium, and thousands of churches getting involved in planting ‘Yews for the Millennium’? Then you will have encountered the Conservation Foundation. It is turning 40 this year, and the ‘Millennium Yews’ project was only one of many for which the Church of England has worked with the Foundation, in an effort to preserve...

In March, April and May this year the coloured frontal of the altar will have been changed many times – as will the colour of the priest’s vestments. Each colour – and there can be as many as six in a church’s store – has a different meaning. They reflect the significance of that day...