Auschwitz is on my mind, as the seventieth anniversary of its liberation is marked. I have not been to Auschwitz, but at the age of 16 I visited Natzweiler-Struthof, a concentration camp in the Vosges Mountains. People nowadays debate whether there is a point in maintaining the sites of the camps. I have to say […]
Archive | January, 2015
Theme for the Week – 25 January 2015
The Conversion of the Apostle Paul. Scripture for the week: Acts 9.1–22 Psalm 67 Galatians 1.11–16a Matthew 19.27–30 “Never trust anyone who is absolutely certain …” said a former colleague of mine, in a different career. The conversion experience of Saul (who later became known as Paul) is, amongst other things, a story about confronting […]
Marcus Borg on the Afterlife
“So, is there an afterlife, and if so, what will it be like? I don’t have a clue. But I am confident that the one who has buoyed us up in life will also buoy us up through death. We die into God. What more that means, I do not know. But that is all […]
Theme for the Week – 18 January 2015
Scripture for the week: 1 Samuel 3.1–10; Psalm 139.1–5, 12–18; Revelation 5.1–10; John 1.43–51 A touching voice comes from the radio: a young girl, orphaned, but a survivor of Ebola in West Africa: “I wish to serve others.” This is discipleship, whether or not the girl has been schooled to know it. It is what […]
San Antonio – blessing of animals 2015
Theme for the Week – Baptism of Christ – 11 January 2015
Scripture for the week (Sunday after Epiphany; Baptism of Christ): Genesis 1:1-5; Psalm 29; Acts 19:1-7; Mark 1:4-11 Conducting baptism in a river (or the sea, or the ocean), which I have done but once (so far), can be an awe-inspiring experience, connecting the life-blood of the planet to the spiritual life-blood offered by God […]
‘The Village Voice’ On Prayer
The following was printed in The Village Voice in response to a question about prayer. It’s an interesting point of view. Prayer is a type of thought. It’s a lot like meditation — a type of very concentrated mental focus with passionate emotion directed towards a concept or situation, or the lack thereof. But there’s […]
Theme for the Week – 4 January 2015
Scripture for 4 January, observance of Epiphany: Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72:1-15; Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-12 The visit of the Magi has captured popular imagination for centuries, as a result of which it has enjoyed extrapolation and embellishment. The “three kings” from afar deliver extravagant gifts to a poor, Jewish family living in strange surroundings. Yet […]