Believe it or not, there were some sunny days earlier this summer, and on one of these your webmaster enjoyed an al fresco breakfast with family and friends while the torch sped past! It was a great honour to be chosen to carry the torch, and all the torchbearers had a story to tell. This particular … [Read more…]
In her sermon on Trinity Sunday, Dr Margaret Dineley introduced us to Rublev’s icon, which is based on Genesis 18, when Abraham is approached by three strangers as he sits under the oaks of Mamre, and shows them typical hospitality, learning only later he has entertained the Lord. This story was much used by iconographers as … [Read more…]
Summer indeed makes us glad to be alive. As Longfellow puts it: “Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape lay as if new-created in all freshness of childhood”. However, as we are still in the throes of Jubilee (see last month’s page), with the Olympic flame making its way … [Read more…]
Our regular cycle of readings won’t reach Luke 4 until next January but, in this period when we celebrate our Lord’s ascension, the coming of the Holy Spirit, and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, perhaps we should recall what Jesus read aloud in the synagogue at Nazareth at the start of his ministry. A key phrase from … [Read more…]
On the afternoon of that first Easter Day, two downcast and confused disciples are escaping from Jerusalem to nearby Emmaus, deep in conversation, when they are joined by a stranger who shares amazing insights into their experiences. They ask him to stay with them as evening approaches, and they share a meal. As the stranger … [Read more…]