What are we doing when we gather for worship on Sunday? The hymns, the readings, prayers, sermon, and Eucharist. What do they amount to? The simple answer is this: to give glory to God. We meet to worship God, to give thanks, and to express our love and our devotion to the one who loved us first and to a degree beyond our wildest imagining. Indeed the origin of the word worship means worthy of honour.
the whiff of God
Friday 7 May 2021
on worshiping well
Friday 30 April 2021
on the existence of God
Earlier this month, the Swiss theologian Hans Küng died. He was a giant in the world of academic theology and the enormous size of the books he produced was matched only by his reputation, not just in his native Roman Catholic Church, with whom he had a sometimes difficult relationship, but across Christian traditions.
The question of God’s existence can neither be proven nor disproven. This is what makes the arguments between people of faith and ‘New Atheists’ so futile. For Christians, however, our belief in God comes partly from a choice we’ve made as followers of Jesus, and partly from the tradition handed down to us. But the main evidence comes from the transformation of our inner life through spiritual practice. In discovering prayerful union with God, we encounter love, peace and fullness of life that nothing else in this world can touch.
Friday 23 April 2021
on reading the bible aloud
Friday 2 April 2021
on placing hope in things unseen
Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).
Friday 26 March 2021
on protest
Not everyone is comfortable participating in public protests or demonstrations. Perhaps it doesn't feel polite, turning up as a mob to chant and make one's voice heard on an important issue of the day. Or maybe we don't like the kind of people demonstrations sometimes attract. Or we might feel we're not the protesting type; unsure if it will actually change anything. Or possibly we just don’t like crowds. And yet there are time when we must make our voice heard and stand up for what is right.
Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on a donkey, with the crowds shouting 'hosanna' and paving his way with palms, was a form of protest. It was a parody of the Roman military processions of the time designed to remind people of their power and strength. Jesus’ procession was a demonstration of a different type of reign, an indicator that Jesus’ kingship is based not on power, but on love, self-sacrifice and care for the poor.
photo: Radio Veritas Asi
Friday 19 March 2021
on praying the stations of the cross
What does it mean to follow Jesus?
This is the question at the heart of every Christian’s experience. We each seek, in our own way, to follow his teaching and example in our life so that we, in turn, become more like him. Through prayer and devotions we invite Jesus to inhabit our inner selves, to feel closer to him and to his leading in our life. When we read a gospel passage, we might think about which character we most identify with and imagine how they felt after their encounter with Jesus.
During Passiontide (the fortnight before Easter) we use another way of following Jesus, Stations of the Cross. The fourteen images of Jesus’ passion on the walls of St Anne’s, allow us to take a prayer pilgrimage with Jesus on his journey to crucifixion. It’s a sombre and sorrowful journey, as we set ourselves alongside Jesus in the suffering he undergoes. As we do so, we pray for those who suffer in our world today. We reflect on the examples of kindness shown to Jesus by courageous people during his trials. The Stations of the Cross enable us to profoundly experience the lengths to which God is prepared to go, to show us how loved we are. In turn, they inspire us to give of ourselves in love to others.This year, because of the pandemic, we cannot be in church to journey the stations, but we can pray them at home. We've set up a special page on St Anne's website where you can download the images and a series of reflections. You might wish to read and consider one station a day in the fortnight before Easter, or read them in chunks, or give an hour of your time to slowly reading and praying them all in one sitting. I pray they will be a blessing and bring you closer to the love of Jesus this Passiontide.
Friday 12 March 2021
on feeling far from God
What do we do when we feel far from God? There are always times in life when it’s hard to pray, or open our Bible, or work up the enthusiasm for church. These might be described as desert experiences where life feels dry, dull, or devoid of richness. Just as life has its ups and downs, so too does our faith.
The season of Lent mirrors the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness: a trying time indeed. No scriptures to hand. No synagogue or temple to worship in. No home comforts, nor even any certainty where his next meal would come from. And 40 days is a long time.
I find by the time we get to this stage of Lent it's becoming somewhat trying. All those good intentions I began with – my Lenten fast, that book I said I’d read, daily rhythms of prayer – all begin to come under pressure. And there's that little voice in my head that says, ‘Well, it doesn’t really matter, does it?’ Where does that come from? It's precisely the same voice that tried to tempt our Lord away from his purpose on his desert retreat.
What can we do in such circumstances? Keep going! The devotional life rests on structure and discipline. It won’t feel rewarding every day, but our commitment to showing up for God will always bear fruit. Maybe not today. But one day soon where, instead of hearing the tempter’s voice, it's the still small voice of God speaking to us.
Make sure you don’t miss it.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash