If, like Mark Twain, we believe our history is fated to repeat the same old rhymes – we still have the power to change the intonation. And though our ‘Rhymes of Remembrance’ may remain, in the silence of our remembering we still have the power in going forward, to change the intonation.
Our hometown isn’t just something outside, it’s within us. It’s not just a place, but our routines and habits, attitudes, beliefs, opinions, prejudices, assumptions, identity, and values. But what happens when someone comes to our hometown and says, “Follow me.”?
The ITV drama ‘Mr Bates vs The Post Office’ tells the true story of the Post Office Horizon computer system scandal which spans more than 20 years. But the real events and drama point to a question for any of us: ‘What do we do when systems fail?’
What is your Compass? ‘Compass’ comes from Old English and French, and is based on the Latin word – compassus – meaning: a circle or circuit, a limit, a way, or a route.
Prior to COP 28 the head of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgiva, called for an end to an attitude of “business as usual” if the world wanted to manage global warming. Beyond ecotastrophe can a more inspiring vision motivate us? What about the concept of eucatastrophe created by Tolkien?
The phrase ‘King for a Day’ and the tradition of April Fool’s Day are intertwined. Jesus rules a Kingdom with no borders to defend, no soldiers to defend it. It is a kingdom that inverts our very understanding of power. But it’s no joke.
Times of collective fear and terror are nothing new – it’s just that the object of our collective fears may change. When we have witnessed our world come to an end, we have to face the ultimate, apocalyptic question, who or what, do we really trust?
Next month the UN Climate Change Conference will convene from 30th November to 12th December in Dubai. It will comprise the 28th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 28). Continuing targets comprise of emissions reduction targets that align with reaching zero emissions by the middle of this century. And protecting communities and habitats vulnerable to the effects of climate change, mobilise finance to this end, and encourage new patterns of international co-operative working. These two very different, but related subjects, come to mind as I read the words in Mark’s Gospel in Chapter 12.
For anyone who wishes to follow Jesus, the pivotal question is not, ‘Who do you say that I am?’ Instead, it’s implied by Jesus’ words that ends Mark chapter 8. That pivotal question is, ‘Who will you be now?’ In other words, what will we do that is different once we recognise Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the Living God? If we do nothing that is different, have we even answered the question: ‘Who will we be now?’
I want to talk about brief encounters. Not ‘Brief Encounter’ the 1945 classic British film scripted by Noel Coward and starring Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson. But the brief encounters we experience and that Jesus experienced in the gospels. Brief and potentially life changing.
Beyond the legend, St. George had to face a question. Was he the centre of his own universe or was their something more worth defending? A dragon that needed defeating?
I grew up going to a church with bullet holes in the walls. What I should explain is I grew up going to a church with bullet holes in the walls that originate from the English Civil War (1642-1651). All I can say is that it was something of a surreal experience as a child to sing hymns of peace and love while surrounded by these historic reminders of divided humanity.
