Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

Last month we stood at the doorway of a church in West Yorkshire. Open the door of that church or any church and the first thing to greet our eyes is the font. It marks the beginning of Christian life in the church. Many fonts have fine carvings of the seven sacraments that nourish the...

Exactly 125 years ago, on 2nd February 1901, the funeral of Queen Victoria took place. She had died at the age of 81 on 22 January, having ruled for nearly 64 years, and her death took her family, courtiers and subjects by surprise in difficult times. The Boer war was still in progress, and the...

This summer brings us the election of a new General Synod. And the people who get voted on to this new General Synod are the ones who will be voting either for or against the stand-alone services of blessing for same-sex couples that are expected in 2028. Whatever you believe, when it comes to choosing...

Pray Prayer – of thanks for Candlemas and the Presentation at the Temple The Gift Flame of a Candle Disturb us, Lord Come reign in me The Boffins and the Technocrats ** Pray (Mt 6:5,9) When you pray… Words and wisdom of Jesus – He doesn’t say, if or in case, He says, when… you...

Isaiah is often regarded as the greatest of the prophets. His name means ‘The Lord saves’ and he began his 50-year ministry in 740 BC when King Uzziah died (6:1). Many scholars challenge the claim that Isaiah wrote the entire book, however there are striking verbal parallels between chapters 1–39 and 40–66. Isaiah spoke during...

**. ** It hurts A little girl told her mother one day before lunch that her stomach was hurting. Her mother replied: “That’s because it’s empty, you have to put something into it!” That evening the minister and his wife came for dinner. The minister looked a bit rough and explained that his head was hurting...

Remember the Winnie the Pooh stories? And Kanga’s insistence on Baby Roo’s taking his Strengthening Medicine? It’s ‘really quite a nice taste when you get used to it’, she explained, although I’m not convinced Baby Roo always agreed. It can be helpful to think of Lent as a sort of medicine; an opportunity to strengthen...

Gypsies, Travellers and Roma don’t often get a mention in General Synod. But seven years ago, this month (Feb 2019), they gained an unexpected ally: the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell. For Stephen Cottrell introduced a debate calling for more pastoral care and compassion for the estimated 200,000 Gypsies, Travellers and Roma living in the...

– the chosen one       Have you ever been in the position where someone is desperately needed – and you fit the bill perfectly? It is almost as if all your miscellaneous qualifications that never made much sense before now make PERFECT sense. And you sense that you have been chosen by God for the...

The Rectory St James the Least of All My dear Nephew Darren You closed your last letter with the remark that it was time to retire to bed with a cup of cocoa. That may be all very well for the pious intensity of a theological college – although a stiff whisky was always acceptable...

Have you ever had to hurry to make it to safely across the street because the pedestrian crossing light is about to turn red again? If so, you are not alone. A recent study has found that pedestrian crossing timings are simply too brief for many elderly people and especially those with mobility problems. The...

Fifty years ago, on 23rd February 1976, the artist L S Lowry died of pneumonia. He was known primarily for his bleak industrial landscapes of north-west England, populated with matchstick men, but he also painted original and striking seascapes and impressive portraits. Laurence Stephen Lowry was born on 1st November 1887 in Stretford. His father worked for...