Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

Thorough and frequent hand washing with soap and water is recommended by the World Health Organisation as the first step to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus. I don’t know who first said, “Cleanliness is next to Godliness”, but you won’t find that phrase in the Bible. Ritual washings are practised by many religions, but...

Have you seen the film How to Train your Dragon? It’s set in a Viking village under attack from dragons, who steal livestock and burn down houses. Hiccup, the village Chief’s son, invents a machine to capture dragons. However, when he catches one of the most dangerous dragons, he cannot kill it, when he sees...

Mark, whose home in Jerusalem became a place of rest for Jesus and His 12 apostles, is considered the traditional author of the second gospel.  He is also usually identified as the young man, described in Mark 14:51, who followed Christ after his arrest and then escaped capture by leaving his clothes behind. Papias, in...

Are only children more narcissistic, with feelings of self-admiration and being more prone to rivalry (both of which are signs of being self-centred)? According to recent research by psychologists at Winchester University, the answer is no. A study into the personality differences between only children and those with siblings found that the sole difference in...

Two ambitious projects to boost church growth in Wales have secured grants of nearly £5m between them. New centres of mission in St Davids Diocese and outreach to young people in Llandaff Diocese are at the heart of the latest projects to win grants from the Church in Wales’ Evangelism Fund. The Evangelism Fund was set up in 2018 to help engage people...

How do we say goodbye to someone who we have known for many years and enjoyed their company? We arrange a farewell party! When Jesus prepared to leave, it was very different. He arranged His last meal and it was no party. His disciples were in for a shock. Jesus brought His friends together and...

The traditional marks on an altar are five crosses representing either the five wounds of Christ or perhaps more matter-of-factly, Christ at the centre of what holds up the table – and indeed what holds our lives. .This month let’s consider the work of the person responsible for preparing the altar for worship. So often...

Five hundred years ago, on 6th April 1520, Italian Renaissance artist and architect Raphael died in Rome of an unknown illness. He was 37. Born Raffaello Sanzio at Urbino, he was orphaned at the age of 11 and led something of a nomadic life. He was immersed in neoplatonic philosophy, as was the pre-Reformation Church of...

Tertullian was born in Carthage, North Africa, about 155 AD. He had pagan parents and his father may have been a centurion. Carthage was a prestigious Roman colony and Tertullian was given a good education in Greek, Latin, literature, history and philosophy. On arrival in Rome, Tertullian probably worked as a lawyer. In Rome, he...

‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’ (Acts 20:35). This unique saying of Jesus, not recorded in the gospels, is quoted by the apostle Paul in the book of Acts. These few words contain a powerful truth about giving and receiving love. Stage 1 – receiving love. As children we love to receive...

The Rectory St James the Least My dear Nephew Darren Your decision to place a notice board outside your church seems a good one – and its design in blue plastic with luminous red detachable letters seems entirely in keeping with the aesthetics of your building. Make sure that it is lockable, however, as an...

Palm waving It was Palm Sunday, but five-year-old Jamie stayed at home with mum because of a bad cold. When his father and sisters returned, they were carrying several palm fronds. His sister explained:  “People held them over Jesus’ head as He walked by.” “That’s not fair!” Jamie protested. “The one Sunday I don’t go,...