New Kid on the Blog

A random thought to end the day Was thinking - thanks to a line in 'Shites unoriginal miscellany' 'How deep would the ocean be if there were no sponges?'

Another sermon - this time preached yesterday in a couple of my own local churches. No great theological thoughts, just a few reflections of my own... Strange for me to say that noise is not always a good thing!!! dum de dum de dum de dum The Spirit of Subtlety John 15.26-27, 16.4b-15 Romans 8.22-27 Acts 2.1-21 Every year we celebrate Pentecost, and every year we make a big noise about it! I mean that literally, we have the reading from Acts talking of the Holy Spirit coming like a rushing wind, with tongues of fire – as if the divine special effects budget was blown on this one event, the birthday of the Church… Then there’s the babbling, the different languages, all the noise of people speaking before one voice shouts above them all to proclaim the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the saviour, the one who was prophesied, and pouring out of God’s Spirit on all flesh. In the letter to the Romans, Chapter 8 v 22-27 one of the alternative readings set for this morning we hear of ...

I found myself stranded a few miles from home yesterday as my car was in for a service and i couldn't get a lift back. It was a beautiful summery day so i thought i would walk home... As i left the village i was passed by a huge 4x4 (or SUV as they say in the U.S) which pulled into the local recycling centre and dropped off some bottles in the glass bank. So as i wandered i muttered (only in my head) 'huge petrol guzzling monstrosity, imagine having that to get around these villages and i bet there's only one person in there travelling half a mile to drop bottles in the recycling bank' etc etc.... the usual self-righteous stuff. About half a mile later the same car stopped next to me and said 'Oh, hi Alastair, where are you going and can i give you a lift...' It turned out to be one of my parishoners who was on her way to pick up her horse box, with a load of kids in the car and had decided to combine the journey with a trip to the recycling bank. As it tu...

Not really down and out, but have had a couple of 'downer' days, overshadowed by going to see someone very sick indeed in our local 'mega-hospital' - Addenbrookes in Cambridge. This person is such a fighter, so defiant of any attempt to control her life that to see her helpless and wired up to umpteen machines and any number of tubes was a bit of a shock to the system. It really put the kybosh on my visiting for a couple of days so i have cracked on with getting my act together administratively and generally catching up with emails, phone calls and diary schedules. It did make me reflect on the dangers of ministry in that we get to know and, indeed, to love these folk and sometimes have to see them go through hell and still be expected to keep going - often without support - and take the flack for all the difficulties the Church is going through, and the criticism for not doing things the way people want (normally in a style redolent of the archetypal 1950s/Carry on E...

Have been thinking quite a bit about 'transformational theology' since reading ' The Art of God ' by Christopher Irvine - this wonderfully crafted book of theology addresses the way in which our worship is founded in the transformational nature of encountering God's Spirit. It is very much based in the western liturgical tradition but draws from a variety of sources, Scripture, poetry, early Church teaching etc etc to help us consider again just what is happening in worship. i was struck by many things in the book, it is very readable but pretty dense theology, but one thing that really made me think was the way he talked of worship as 'doing' - it is not something that happens to us or for us, but something into which we enter actively, even when the words are being read to or for us (as in the Eucharistic Prayer, for instance). My own concern is that in worship I can 'do a good show' as a worship leader, but the purpose of what we do is to offer ou...

Had problems with the phrasing of the questions, so not sure if some of my understanding of Christian Theology was well represented! Anyway, had a go on another online quiz (now my lunch hour!) and the results are: You scored as Chalcedon compliant . You are Chalcedon compliant. Congratulations, you're not a heretic. You believe that Jesus is truly God and truly man and like us in every respect, apart from sin. Officially approved in 451. Chalcedon compliant 100% Pelagianism 75% Monarchianism 67% Nestorianism 50% Socinianism 42% Arianism 33% Modalism 33% Monophysitism 33% Adoptionist 25% Apollanarian 17% Albigensianism 0% Docetism 0% Donatism 0% Gnosticism 0% Are you a heretic? created with QuizFarm.com

My earlier sermon at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, is now online as a download - you too can hear me struggle with my maths (yes, I said two thousand millenia, then later two hundred centuries - good job i only claim to be a theologian, not a mathemetician). Anyway, the files of a selection of this terms sermons on the Apostle's Creed are here .