Several years ago I used to travel regularly to Northern Ireland for business; when it worked logistically I always preferred to cross by ferry as I like the sea but I dislike the airport experience. I will never forget using the Stranraer to Belfast route on an occasion when it was touch and go as…

We were fortunate to be in York recently. With a morning to spare, we decided to walk around the City’s walls; it was an experience for the knees and calves but also for the imagination. For much of the time the ancient Minster is in view, sometimes nearby and sometimes far away. Iconic and solid,…

A recent summary of the declining numbers of people in churches was extrapolated to predict the date of disappearance of various denominations. The author was not supporting the reliability of such predictions but putting down a marker, presenting today’s statistical analysis. Some people use such grim predictions to laugh and remind Christians why they are…

The feast of Candlemas falls exactly forty days after Christmas, so always on 2nd February. Three things come together today. First, for Mary, forty days was the period during which, as a new mother, she must stay away from the temple. The Old Testament Law tells us that after the birth of a Son, the…

I have previously referred to the sound of a woodpecker busying itself in a tree across the road from my study window. Noisy but rarely visible these pretty little birds are strangely alluring (to me). Over the last few weeks one of these friends has become braver and now feeds on the bird feeder that…

Today’s reading from 1 John 4:19-21 says, in verse 18, ‘There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.’ Many years ago I was in a conversation with a friend which, at the time, seemed…

The days immediately after Christmas are a watershed; for some people, they present the opportunity to rest and relax after days of frenetic preparations and activity. There are others for whom the short lived season of generosity of spirit is past and it is time to revert to the grind of poverty, worry and fear…

All around us, people are at work following their break for Christmas and New Year. The younger amongst us are back in school; when you read this, I will be working away from Suffolk for the first time this year. These are ordinary days. In our Christmas nativity scenes, shepherds, kings (or wise men) and…

Much has been written about religious affiliation since the publication of the UK 2021 census results. There are many ways to interpret the numbers. For what it is worth, I think the numbers support what we know to be true, with an interesting overlay. Is it not the case that this time, at last, more…

A little while ago Helen wrote a piece here that reflected on the shelf of old bibles in her home. She wrote touchingly about people who are history for her but memories for me. One of the people featured was my dear Aunt Edith. When I started preaching over forty years ago, and in the…