One of the contrasts between our nonconformist worship and that in churches which follow a liturgy lies in the central role of the preacher. In many Anglican churches, for example, the liturgy is followed and punctuated by an ‘address’ which
What the artist saw
A certain artist in the nineteenth century chanced one day to look out of his window. He saw the pathetic figure of a beggar limping past, clothed in rags and plodding mechanically along. Something about the man made the artist
If Uxbridge Were Bethlehem
If Uxbridge were Bethlehem, where would Jesus be born? An interesting question. Each year we re-tell the stories of the birth of Jesus. The place names are familiar to us, and yet, unless you have had the privilege of visiting
Tails wagging dogs?
“I always preach to the lectionary” a preacher told me recently. She added that if she did not want to preach to two of the lectionary passages then she ‘may as well’ preach to the third. I said nothing! However,
November
As we head out of October into November we head into a month of transition, full of dates and events that remind us of change and flow. The weather is the first thing that we notice change. These days October
Another New Year
I want to begin the New Year by saying thank you to everyone for the good wishes I received for the New Year. I am sure I am not the only one who thinks that last year passed very quickly,