15 January 2026 ‘The Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius’, a former Roman Emperor, are full of wisdom. In thinking about those who act badly towards us, he invites us to remember a number of things which will help us cope with this apparent injustice. Here are three. ‘Reflect that, if these actions of theirs are right, it is no duty of thine to take them amiss; while if they are wrong it is clear they err through ignorance, not of free-will.’ He argues that people wouldn’t choose to sin against us because it is natural to treat people according to their merits. He also reminds us that we have vices too and sin as others do. Then he gets under our skin. ‘True, thou holdest aloof from certain errors, yet thy character is prone to fall into them, though cowardice, love of reputation, or some equally despicable motive may save thee from such overt commission.’ One of his most effective suggestions to cope with what happens to us is to gain an eternal perspective. ‘When utter ve...
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14 January 2026 On Sunday, I illustrated my sermon with a tale told by Jim Crumley in his beautiful book, ‘The Company of Swans’. He befriends an enfeebled pen who has been rejected by the cob. She feeds from his hand and on one occasion she slept in his shadow for ten minutes. It is a tale about the relationships which can be made with wildlife through a gentle and compassionate spirit. It underlines the truth that the earth does not belong to human beings but to God and everything in it has been created to live in harmony. Telling this tale had an extraordinary effect on the congregation. It seemed to inspire people not only to reflect on their own relationships with wildlife but to share these tales not only with me but with each other over the tea and coffee which followed the service. One person told me a remarkable story about a small, newly born rabbit which had been abandoned. It was so small, it could be carried in her pocket. For this reason, it was given...
13 January 2026 At the end of November, it was reported in ‘The Tablet’ that ‘more than one-third of priestly ordinations in the Catholic Church in England and Wales from 1992 to 2024 were former Anglican clergy’. All in all, 486 Anglican priests were ordained in the Catholic Church. Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, thought these conversions to Roman Catholicism was ‘not so much a turning away or rejection of their rich and precious Anglican heritage but an experience of an imperative to move into the full visible communion of the Catholic Church, in union with the See of Peter’. I am cynical about this. For in 1992, the Church of England General Synod voted to ordain women priests with the first woman ordained to the priesthood in 1994. This was Angela Berners-Wilson, a fellow student at the University of St. Andrews. The imperative to align themselves with the See of St. Peter came from this negative impulse to reject the ordination of women al...
12 January 2026 Gentleness is achieved by those who have the ability to control their strength. There are numerous examples in our world today of people who abuse their strength not least because they can. They do not relate to others in a gentle way. But there’s more to gentleness than self-control. It could simply result in a cold detachment which could hardly be called gentleness. No! This self-control is motivated by benevolence. We control our strength for the benefit of others! In the Bible, this word has been translated by the word ‘meekness’. ‘ I am meek and lowly of heart.’ says Jesus. The Greek word is used to describe an animal which has been tamed. Once it was wild. Now it is gentle. Meekness or gentleness is not the passive quality which is seen in people who haven’t any backbone but in the likes of Moses who was described as ‘ the meekest of men’ and in Jesus who said that he was ‘meek and lowly in heart’. Their gentleness describes their ability to...
11 January 2026 – Baptism of Christ In the baptism of Christ by John in the river Jordan, there are three illustrations of divine gentleness. When Jesus and John meet at the Jordan, John is unsure that he should baptise Jesus. In fact, he thinks that Jesus should baptise him! Jesus responds to his perplexity in a gentle way. He simply says, ‘Let it be so now.’ His response is enfolded in grace. He is not saying that John’s instincts were wrong nor is He insisting that His way is right. He leaves the door ajar with that little word ‘now’ as in ‘Let it be so now.’ The second is the picture of the dove and its descent. ‘ Suddenly, the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.’ ‘ Spirit of God as strong as the wind, gentle as is the dove.’ We sing the children’s hymn to that gentlest of folk tunes, ‘The Skye Boat Song’. Once again, the gentleness of the snow-white dove touches...
10 January 2026 We visited the V and A in Dundee recently to see the exhibition, ‘Garden Futures: Designing with Nature’. It has been running since May and finishes at the end of this month. It was expedient that we went before it was too late. I enjoyed seeing the parterre gardens which featured at Versailles and the geometrical blocks which were drawn up by the designer. The garden carpets came in traditional and contemporary designs and created a magical interior garden for nurturing the inner life and communing with friends. There was an impressive photograph of a garden created by a couple in a bomb crater in London. It looked large and mesmerising. I couldn’t work out how they had the wherewithal to seek permission and to make something beautiful out of this lamentable wound in the wartorn city. But by far the most inspiring part of the exhibition for me were the Ethiopian Forest Churches. If Armenia was first to become a Christian nation, Ethiopia was...
9 January 2026 The analysis of our Christmas cards has some drama in it. For the first time, the number of secular cards has been greater than the number of sacred cards. The difference is modest, some 6% of the total number of cards received but significant for all that. The largest category of secular cards are those which feature wildlife, two-fifths of the total. Of that number two-fifths had robins as their central character. Other animals featured included dogs, highland cows, deer, a squirrel, a partridge, a wren. The most popular aspect of the nativity has always been cards which feature the exotic figures of the kings or the magi with their magical gifts – gold frankincense and myrrh. This compares with only one card featuring the shepherds on their own. Is it the mysterious journey, the wealth of kings or the ordinariness of shepherds? Having said this, the dove of peace has given the magi a run for their money. This doesn’t surprise me in a world which h...