I was recently told that Abraham Lincoln used to spend 2/3 of his address preparation time thinking about the topics or subjects that the audience wanted to hear. He would then spend 1/3 of his time thinking about that which he was going to say.
What do people want to hear on Easter Sunday?
What is it that could bring to people the joyous celebration of Easter or perhaps the sense of wonder that something mysterious and ineffable happened on this day many centuries ago?
Many, I think, would like to get that sense of inspiration and joy that perhaps marked Easter Sundays when we were young. That sense of celebration with bright colours, Easter bonnets, packed churches singing robustly wonderful Easter hymns such as ‘Jesus Christ is risen today’ or ‘Thine be the glory’.
Many, I think, would want to… click here to read more
Two photos from Easter.
We started off with a service on the beach at 7am. Strangely, no photos of this event. Eyes too bleary.
After breakfast at 8am, a 9.30 communion and then the children met at the beach at 10am. Kites, streamers and windmills to welcome Easter. Here’s one of the set of windmills.
Easter windmills
After romping on the beach and some coffee/hot cross buns, it was an 11am service with communion. The choir contributed Bach’s ‘Christians shout for joy’ as well as key bits of the communion liturgy drawn from James MacMillan’s St. Anne’s Mass. Beautiful. And now inserted between Curtains 1 and 2 by Rachael Thomas was the Easter Banner. In front of the communion table are two kites made by the Breakfast Club during their overnight vigil and a prayer burst of sunlight. A fantastic Easter.
Curtain (1 and 2) by Rachael Thomas
Introductory Thoughts by Stewart Weaver
Several months ago Rachael contacted St. Philip’s to ask if she could hang some of her final year artwork at the church. The material suggested Holy Week and we initially planned to hang the works in the southeast and southwest corners of the church. But when she arrived they pleaded to be placed more prominently.
Below you will find a general description of Rachael’s work, her description of Curtain (1 and 2) and a few ruminations from the minister. He can’t resist putting his oar in!
Underlying Principles (Rachael Thomas)
My practice begins with the collection and recognition of mundane materials. These substances, such as tin foil, cling film, chalk, cardboard and flour are steadily accumulated in my studio, their properties noted… click here to read more
ST. PHILIP’S E-NEWSLETTER
8 APRIL 2011
COMMENT FROM THE EDITOR
Your editor is running a bit late this morning (oops…afternoon) and thus it seems best to get cracking.
THOUGHT
The Edinburgh Presbytery are encouraging congregations to take part in the TryPraying initiative. On 12 April there will be a short prayer service at St. P’s from 7.30-8pm, on the same day that 15 other congregations will be having services in the city. On 14 April our neighbours at the Old Parish will host a 24 hour prayer vigil with much of the time in the wee hours offered by Rev. Andrew Patterson.
In light of this, a lovely prayer your editor happened upon recently. In this time of Lent an unusual… click here to read more
Today’s reading is a corker.
It’s the story of the dishonest steward from Luke 16. One might think that Jesus is in fact condoning some disingenuous, underhanded dealing. What to make of it?
William Barclay, the ever-reliable Scottish commentator, essentially suggests that they are all rascals. The stewart is a rascal for embezzlement. The debtors are rascals for allowing themselves to become involved in a scheme that they knew was unjust. And the master is a rascal because he appreciated the shrewd brains behind all of this wheeling and dealing.
In the Gospel of Luke there are a few endings added to verses 1-8a which suggest that the early compilers and writers weren’t sure what to do with this story. If we take the nugget of the story it certainly is tricky. Perhaps, following Barclay, we might suggest that we should perhaps… click here to read more
In the last newsletter I included a quote from the Philosophy/Classics professor Margaret Nussbaum. It is taken from her examination of Hellenestic ethics called ‘The Therapy of Desire’. Here it is:
‘A person who notes and reacts to every injustice must, in reacting to them all with anger, become, in the end, similar to the raging and furious people against whom he reacts. Anger hardens the spirit and turns it against the humanity it sees. And in turning against humanity, in evincing the rage and disgust of the angry, one then becomes perilously close to the cruel and aggressive types who arouse the disgust.’
Her discussion on anger and public anger is fascinating and relevant in the contemporary climate. There are the discussions in the US over the media and the rhetoric surrounding the shootings in Arizona.
In the Church of Scotland… click here to read more
Wisdom: what is it?
It almost echoes Pilates famous words in the Gospel of John, having washed his hands of any part to do with Jesus’ execution: what is truth?
‘It just didn’t click anymore.’
That’s the comment made to me by a member of the congregation who some years ago stopped coming along. On one level it became more and more of a battle to get children out of the house for Sunday School. Was it worth it? On another level, so much of the faith that we hold now just doesn’t seem to mesh, to reflect or to challenge adequately the modern world. She felt she was like one of the multitude of people who live in something of a no-man’s land of faith. Somewhere between the complete and utter rejection of faith, religion and transcendence and an inability to accept… click here to read more
Chris Galbraith, the probationer at St. Philip’s, gathered thoughts about Remembrance Sunday from members of the congregation. Working in conjunction with our Breakfast Club this reflection was put together and presented on Sun. 14 Nov. 2010.
1. Well, we’ve got all these comments from members of the congregation but I’m still not sure what Remembrance Day means for people?
2. It looks like it means a lot of very different things. People have very personal memories, people that they have known and lost (shot down over France last few days of WW1), people have general comments both in support and against Remembrance Day.
3. There are a lot of diverse views.
4. But the views have been shared. We have to take these thoughts and feelings people have shared with us and treat them carefully, with respect.
2. The Storyteller who spoke to us said that World War 1 changed… click here to read more
ST. PHILIP’S E-NEWSLETTER
3 DECEMBER 2010
COMMENTS FROM THE EDITOR
Brrrrrrrrr.
THOUGHTS
Your editor recently encountered a quote from Soren Kierkegaard, the introspective Danish theologian/philosopher who in the name of the individual’s relationship with God/Christ rebelled against overriding systems. He had little time for accepted, established church in 19th century Denmark and became a thorn in the side of the respectable. This quote is salutary for those of us who approach Christmas with ambivalence: beautiful celebrations of the Christ’s birth alongside tinsel and tat.
Original Christianity relates itself so militantly to this world that its view is: not to slip happily and comfortably through this world but to take care to collide in dead earnest with this world…Thus there is a world of difference, a heaven of difference between the respectable church life-view (which is actually Epicurean, one of the enjoyment of life, zest for… click here to read more
ST. PHILIP’S E-NEWSLETTER
26 NOVEMBER 2010
COMMENTS FROM THE EDITOR
Yesterday was a big day for our cousins across the pond:
Thanksgiving!
THOUGHT
The quote last week prompted some interesting responses. ‘Simplicity is complexity resolved’ said Constantin Brancusi, the Romanian sculptor.
One person wrote back with this comment, which hangs above his desk: ‘if things seem simple, you’re not looking hard enough’.
I then wondered if we could summarise St P’s purpose in one simple sentence. Here are some responses:
‘To bring souls to the kingdom.’
‘To make us all a people of compassion in God’s world’.
‘To reach out to all showing the love of Jesus’.
‘To share the love.’
Peter Nielson, a Church of Scotland minister, does a great deal of work encouraging churches to think through mission. He once asked numerous scholars to summarise their views on the purpose of the church. Though much… click here to read more
