Scripture for this Sunday: Isaiah 35.1–10; Psalm 146.4-9; James 5.7–10; Matthew 11.2–11 Our Advent journey took in a special point of interest this week as we celebrated a diamond wedding anniversary. It’s appropriate, really, because the third Sunday of Advent is about joy, and the anniversary is a joyful occasion. A long-term marriage requires a certain degree […]
Archive | Seasons
Divinity & Earthiness
The following article was first published in Roqueta, Menorca’s English language magazine – Winter 2019 issue. There are times when life seems rather like a house of cards. One surprising medical result, or one shadow on an X-ray, or one misstep, or one banker’s error, or one poor decision, can bring down our sense of […]
Christmas Raffle
The annual Santa Margarita Christmas raffle will be drawn after the service of lessons and carols on 15 December. Tickets are €2 each, €10 for a booklet of five. Star prize this year is a 3-night stay in a London 5 star hotel for two people with return flights Menorca/London. Other prizes: Flight around the […]
Theme for Sunday, 24 November 2019
Scripture for this Sunday (Reign of Christ, or Christ the King): Jeremiah 23.1-6; Psalm 46; Colossians 1.11-20; Luke 23.33-43 I thought that it was rather interesting that during a week when an English coal miner’s daughter emerged as perhaps a pivotal point in the downfall of an American president, a notable anniversary occurred: the 200th […]
Remembrance Sunday 2019
Two years ago the Canadian singer songwriter Lorena McKennitt wrote a song, The Breaking of the Sword. She was prompted to write the song, which imagines the feelings of loss and grief of a mother whose son had been lost in the Great War, after participating in the centenary commemorations of the Battle of Vimy […]
Theme for Sunday, 3 November 2019 – All Saints
Scripture for this Sunday: Daniel 7.1–3, 15–18; Psalm 149; Ephesians 1.11–23; Luke 6.20–31 When I was young, one of the books that we read in Primary School was The Water Babies, a story by Charles Kingsley, who was a priest in the Church of England in the mid-19th century. It is a kind of fairy story, but […]
Harvesting
This article was originally printed in the October 2019 issue of Roqueta, Menorca’s English language magazine. October arrives. It’s autumn – although who knows how autumnal the weather may be in Menorca at this time?! Looking back to the springtime, I wonder how many hopes or aspirations have been fulfilled, or how many disappointments have […]
Theme for Sunday, 6 October 2019 – Harvest Thanksgiving
Scripture for Harvest Thanksgiving: Deuteronomy 26.1–11; Psalm 100; Philippians 4.4–9; John 6.25–35 So the gospel is about bread … which reminds me of a song (of course!). Trying to keep trains of thought from colliding isn’t always successful. Bread, and harvest and a wedding, all falling close together – it all points to the words […]
Archdeacon’s Visit
The Archdeacon of Gibraltar, Italy & Malta, the Venerable Geoff Johnston, visited Menorca during the past weekend with his wife, Carol, to participate in the patronal festival of Santa Margarita and to preside and preach at the Sunday Eucharist. The Fiesta of Santa Margarita was marked with a procession from the Roman Catholic parish church […]
Theme for Easter Sunday, 21 April 2019
Scripture for Easter Sunday: Isaiah 65.17–23; Psalm 118.1–2, 14–24; Acts 10.34–43; John 20.1–18 The gospel of John opens with the contrast between light and darkness and proceeds with a gathering gloom that threatens the light which Christ brings into the world. The darkness gathers as Judas prepares to turn from the way of Jesus to pursue […]