Pilgrim

What do we make of the Trinity?   I hope that it’s all crystal clear after our video earlier.   Perhaps not.   Probably not.   I am not of course saying it was not helpful, but I doubt somehow that 5 minutes is enough time to fully understand such a profound mystery.      I suspect that it is a lifetime of learning under the gentle teaching of the Holy Spirit.   In the end, as helpful as it is to try and figure out a way of understanding the trinity in the wonderful world of maths and quantum physics where we find that the basic structure of life is based on something called fractals and imaginary numbers or the multiple universes and multidimensional space, more often than not, we remain left in a fog of confusion. I wonder what the early Christian writings had to say about the Trinity, given that the official doctrine wasn’t agreed until about 3-4 hundred years after Paul’s letters.   And yet, we find in the letters of Paul clear r...

Tomorrow will be my accreditation service as a local preacher.  Another milestone on what has been a fascinating journey so far.  Combine this with my "day job" as a Physiotherapist with injection and prescribing skills then I can have no complaints.  This prayer I wrote specifically for tomorrows service as I wanted to both reflect a thanksgiving from the local preachers elect (there are 5 of us) and for all in the congregation who are also called by God to minister in a variety of ways. Father, we thank you. We thank you for continuing to call forth people to act as Prophets, teachers and Preachers willing to speak out about the new world you have called into being.   A world based on values of righteousness, justice, humility and Holiness. Father, we thank you that this is true, despite the deafening clamour we hear from those that would say otherwise.   When we can’t hear you for the noise, when we can’t see you for the fog of life, when we can’t f...

Here in the UK Election Fever has well and truly taken over.  Where we live there seem to be an unusually large number of advertising posters for a party called UKIP.  One wonders how they will actually fare when it comes to the count on Thursday.  Officially this is a time called Purdah, which means that I am unable to publically espouse one party over another.  Suffice to say that wherever we go on the streets, online on facebook or with email, we are all bombarded with promises and seducements all with the aim of getting our vote.  How do we see through this mire of claim and counter-claim. For so long, people have become untrusting of politicians.  There is a meme going round on the internet which says it all,  it says I'm voting Muppet, we will get one anyway!  Is this what we really wish for from our political representative.  Somehow, it is not what we wish for but it is likely that it is what most of us expect.  Such is the dep...

This   is the final part of “The Generous Life” package of sermons which is being run throughout the North Kent Circuit. We are being encouraged “ to know more of what we are and what we can do to change the world”.   Sometimes, these pre-set series and themes can be challenging to a preacher, because you want to be open to what God is saying in the moment, however it is a good discipline to focus on one area and to try and listen for what God might be wanting to share in an area that I might have subconsciously closed off.   The first thing I would like to say is that a life of Generosity should not be constrained by impacts by the world; I am thinking here of the financial challenges that we face, the political decisions that can shape our living standards, the ongoing debate of austerity and the need to cut back on the welfare state. The reading from Isaiah speaks directly into the hypocrisy of reliance on symbol.   Does our donating money to the latest D...