The Dresden Frauenkirche is a Protestant church, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and originally built in the early 18th century. As a result of a devastating bombing raid, it was completely gutted by fire, and its amazing dome collapsed on 15 February 1945. The ruins lay untouched until after the reunification of Germany, when there … [Read more…]
Our Gospel readings this month take us through Matthew 24, with its rich seam of sermon material about the wise answers given by Christ to the questions of his critics. William Weedon reflects on one of these passages in these words: So the question to our Lord, the trap, about whether one ought pay taxes to … [Read more…]
This picture from Peter Mannox’s 2008 blog shows a late-August crop still several weeks from harvest, which was predicted to be a month later than normal. It’s a reminder that the good things we take for granted are affected by climate and weather, and too much water (or worse, too little) are for many of … [Read more…]
William Carey was born 250 years ago this month in a tiny Northamptonshire village, and started as a poor shoemaker turned nonconformist preacher, yet churches round the world will be celebrating ‘Carey Sunday’ on 21 August. Why? Because it was Carey who pressed the need to “teach all the nations”, and persuaded reluctant colleagues to … [Read more…]
When Valerie Walker was ordained Priest on 3 June, the preacher (the Rev Canon Dr Alison Peden) spoke about the priestly task of blessing: pronouncing God’s favour, God’s good-will, and making “a link between God and the people, a channel for the blessings of God to flow to us. “If you go to the Jewish … [Read more…]