Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

The coronavirus pandemic has placed Christians who work in roles such as funeral directors, funeral celebrants, bereavement nurses and grief counsellors (like so many in the sector) under great pressure. Often, they are working alone or in small groups where they are the only believer. As a result, Transform Work UK has set up a Christian Support...

18th – 25th January This year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity has been prepared by the Monastic Community of Grandchamp in Switzerland. The theme, “Abide in my love and you shall bear much fruit”, is based on John 15:1-17 and expresses Grandchamp Community’s vocation to prayer, reconciliation and unity in the Church and the...

Never under-estimate a deacon. After all, the first-ever Christian martyr was a deacon in the church of Jerusalem – St Stephen.  And the first-ever Christian martyr in Spain was a deacon of the Church of Saragossa – St Vincent. By now it was 304AD, and the Roman Emperor Diocletian was persecuting Christians.  When his edict...

Perhaps this was a question the Wise Men asked after seeing the infant Jesus. They had come from a distant land to Jerusalem. They had followed a star and expected to see a royal child. Now in Bethlehem, they saw things differently. No doubt, Mary and Joseph shared with these men their recent experiences and...

Climate change is largely to blame for the huge rise in natural disasters between the years 2000 to 2019.  So says a recent report from the United Nations office for disaster risk reduction. It goes on to warn that the earth is rapidly becoming “uninhabitable” to millions of people worldwide. Three quarters of a billion...

I want to share a message of hope that Christians in the sciences around the world can bring to the church. Dr Francis Collins, who leads medical research in the US, spoke earlier in the pandemic about his faith and his hope in God to help us through this time. He expressed the grief that...

January is a month of the beginning of great things! As well as the naming of the Son of God, we celebrate the conversion of the greatest ever apostle of the Christian faith.  Many books have been written on Paul, and here is the briefest of introductions. He was a Jew, born as ‘Saul’ at...

The Rectory St James the Least My dear Nephew Darren You may have had several years of intensive training on biblical interpretation, preaching and church history, but that doesn’t cover the really important matters in parish life: how to evade disgruntled parishioners, run a brisk Summer Fete and, in your case at present, deal with...

Smoking is on the decline. The number of people who successfully quit smoking last year was the highest in a decade, Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) reckons that more than a million people in the UK stopped smoking during the lockdown period. By the end of last year, smoking prevalence in England was at...

This month, on 25th January, the Church celebrates probably the most famous conversion of all. At least, what happened to a young man called Saul on the road to Damascus has become a byword for all instant conversions – what is known as a ‘damascene’ moment. Saul was a devout Jew, a Pharisee, a student...

As the days are dark, and winter still stretches ahead, many of us find the prospect of more restrictions for months to come even harder than when we first went into lockdown. After nine months of coronavirus, we are emotionally drained. We are financially drained.  We are lonely, depressed, frightened, and facing deep uncertainty, from...

What’s in your front garden? If it is sparse, why not consider adding some plants this year?  Apparently, the presence of greenery can lower your stress levels as much as two months of mindfulness sessions. Plants can also help you to feel happier. A recent trial study by the Royal Horticultural Society found that people...