It has been a bad week for any football-loving family. First, they’re hit with the news that HM Revenue & Customs has lost two CDs containing personal data such as their names, dates of birth and bank account details, along with those of the other 25 million British citizens who receive Child Benefit. Then, they have to watch in horror and disbelief as England are beaten 3-2 by Croatia and thus fail to qualify for Euro 2008.
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St. Andrew's Colour Supplement (continued) Articles by Christians around the world
Items posted here are reproduced by permission, and are intended as a catalyst for thought, discussion and prayer as appropriate. Articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the webmaster or St. Andrew's Church, Taunton.
2007
Christmas Day 25 December
Archbishop of Canterbury's Christmas Day Sermon 2007 News from the Archbishop of Canterbury - 25 December 2007 Eleven days ago, the Church celebrated the memory of the sixteenth century Spanish saint, John of the Cross, Juan de Yepes - probably the greatest Christian mystical writer of the last thousand years.
A man who worked not only for the reform and simplification of the monastic life of his time, but also for the purification of the inner life of Christians from fantasy, self-indulgence and easy answers.
Those who've heard of him will most likely associate him with the phrase that he introduced into Christian thinking about the hard times in discipleship - 'the dark night of the soul'.
Sunday 23 December
Learning from Joseph A sermon preached by Katharine Smith, Reader at St. Andrew's Church on 23 December 2007.
The baby is only just beginning to take a recognisable shape.
He’s tiny, curled up, waiting, growing, unaware of who he is and what his life will be. His mother, Mary, is betrothed to a man called Joseph. But he’s not Joseph’s son, not yet.
Joseph hasn’t yet decided what he’s going to do about this situation.
A concert for Kids for Kids by Henry Haslam of St. Andrew's Church
I had a very memorable evening in London on December 12th. I had received an invitation to the annual Christmas concert to raise money for the charity Kids for Kids, so that I could hear my poem ‘A Gift of a Goat’ read by one of the charity’s trustees, Lord Cope of Berkeley, who had found it on this website and thought it suitable for the occasion: the poem (after some initial misunderstandings) does try to express the thinking behind what charities like KIDS FOR KIDS are doing.
A site for the environment by Adrian Smith of St. Andrew's Church
Members of St. Andrew's Church (and anyone else interested in the environment for that matter) may be interested to know that I have just published a new website www.bathandwellsenvironmental.org.uk.
Sunday 16 December
Hello from Australia by Frank and Maureen of St. Andrew's Church Taunton
Hi everyone A note to let you know we arrived safely in Oz and our now settled in. Took us a while to get connected to a landline and the internet but now all ok.
We are in the middle of all the Christmas activities and yesterday Frank asked when we are going to have a day off!! All most enjoyable with dancing, meals out, boat trips and days out.
Archbishop's Christmas words of wisdomNews from the Archbishop of Canterbury The Archbishop gave the following message on the Chris Evans show on BBC Radio 2 on 12 December 2007: “One of the main things that Christmas means to me is that God actually likes the company of human beings.
At Christmas let the mystery take hold of you A personal message for Christmas 2007 from Bishop Peter of Bath and Wells
Courtesy of The Diocese of Bath and Wells One of the most depressing aspects of Christmas for me is the television adverts that announce that the shops will be open again on 26 December. I think of the shop workers, who have struggled through the frantic preparations of other people’s Christmas, and who arrive at their own Christmas Day weary and unable to relax and enjoy the festival because they have to be back at work the next day.
Sunday 9 December
Waiting for Christ-mas by Revd Jim Cox, Vicar of St. Andrew's Church Taunton You can always tell when it's nearly harvest time, the shops are full of Christmas cards - or so we used to say in Birmingham. Waiting is not very fashionable these days. Everything has to be instant – including the coffee --and the church can appear terribly out of touch when -it-keeps a whole season of waiting, which is what Advent really is. But actually, we do have to wait for some things in life and Advent still has the power to speak to the needs of modern people. Bethlehem 2007 by Janet Fulljames of St. Andrew's Church Taunton I had envisaged Bethlehem as a small town with shepherds on the surrounding hills! Today greater Bethlehem has a population of about 150,000 people. Travelling from Jerusalem to Bethlehem I was struck by the urban nature of the environment, new settlements and communities running into one another. During October this year Peter and I spent 4 nights in Bethlehem. We were part of a Christians Aware Group, visiting pilgrimage sites and meeting local Christians in Israel and Palestine. Sunday 2 December
Health Insurance in the US - a broken system By Gordon Atkinson Maybe you noticed I was gone for a few days. I had some pretty important stuff going on, and I just didn’t have any energy to write. I’m going to tell you what happened to us. I could have written this without so much detail, but I think the details might be important for someone who is in the same situation. Four days ago Jeanene and I were looking at the real possibility of our entire family being medically uninsured. No insurance of any kind for us or our children... Sunday 25 November Christ the King A sermon preached on Sunday 25 November 2007 by Katharine Smith, Reader at St. Andrew's Church
Each of us has our own Feast day, our birthday; the day when we celebrate being alive; or an anniversary, an engagement, a wedding; occasions when we celebrate relationships.
Cards, flowers, gifts, perhaps a special meal or a ‘phone call tell us that our friends are glad to know us and that we make a difference to their lives just by being who we are.
Today we celebrate the feast of Christ the King. We celebrate Christ, risen, ascended and glorified. We bring out our royal red vestments and altar frontal.
The Railway Parish
St. Andrew's was built to serve the rapidly expanding area of Taunton which served the newly arrived Great Western Railway, and soon became known as "The Railway Parish". See a picture of locomotive 2913 Saint Andrew and learn more about the man who designed it.
We was robbed! by Nigel Hopper of LICC
Sunday 18 November
The Act of Remembrance by David Anderson, a member of St. Andrew's Church
I must thank Katharine for her recent article. It has inspired me to write a bit about the Act of Remembrance.
Initially, it was introduced to remember the signing of the armistice which ended the first World War on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, and to remember the service personnel who lost their lives in that war. It was extended to include those service personnel who lost their lives in the second World War, and it was decided to hold a national Remembrance Sunday on the Sunday nearest to 11th November. Although the second world war finished in Europe in June 1945, how many of us remember that the war in the Far East lasted until August? A Pilgrimage to Holy Russia (part II) by Jean Hole of St. Andrew's Church
Last month I mentioned that churches were closed or destroyed following the 1917 revolution. Some churches were preserved as good architecture. Many of the icons from redundant churches were saved and are displayed in a museum in the Nevinsky Convent in Moscow. Secret faults and presumptuous sins a sermon preached at 8am on Sunday 18 November 2007 by Katharine Smith, Reader at St. Andrew's Church Luke 21:5-19 We wouldn’t need to look through many newspapers this morning before we read reports of the things Jesus says will happen.
We have wars and insurrections; nation is set against nation, nations are divided within themselves. There are earthquakes, famines and floods, there are illnesses which spread like a plague through humans and animals and there are many people who read into all these things the signs that the end times are upon us.
Sunday 11 November Re-membering A sermon preached by Tricia Anderson, Reader at St. Andrew's
I love words - words like Popocatapetl. (It's a volcano in Mexico, if you were wondering.) Words that roll around my mouth and tongue. But I also love thinking about words and their meaning.
Words like re-membering. A 'member' is a distinct part of the whole, especially our limbs and our organs apart from the rest of our bodies. So re-membering would be to put our bodies back together if, for some reason they had been separated. You an I Under the Stars TonightBy Gordon Atkinson - Real Live Preacher
What if you and I could sit across the table from each other tonight, under the stars? What would you say to me? Some people say, “I’ve read a lot of your writing, you know?”
“Yeah?” I say.
There’s not much to say after that. “Thanks” doesn’t seem to work. “That’s cool” sounds arrogant, like it’s somehow cool to have read things that I wrote. Mostly I just hold still until the moment passes.
The Highway Code and Weather Forecast: chanted
There has been discussion in The Church Times recently about these pieces of music. They were set as a psalm by John Horrex, who sang in a group The Mastersingers, with George Pratt, then Director of Music at Keele University, Geoff Keeting and Barry Montague.
Sunday 4 November 2007
Dear RLP
By
Gordon Atkinson - Real Live Preacher
Dear RLP, Regarding your story
about yourself, you said "people who cannot be completely convinced of
God's existence think faith is impossible for them." What of those who
go beyond this? Those who are pretty much completely convinced there is
no God or gods at all, and yet still want to believe? Mona Lisa's eyebrows By Ben Care of LICC
Is there no limit
to what science can reveal to us? In yet another leap forward,
this week a French inventor, Pascal Cotte, established after
numerous tests that the Mona Lisa originally did have
eyelashes and eyebrows. Dan ‘Da Vinci Code’ Brown must be
kicking himself for missing that secret!
Sunday 28 October 2007
Remembrance Sunday: an invitation to remember, reflect and respond by Katharine Smith, Reader at St. Andrew's Church
Four or five years ago I wanted to find out what Remembrance Sunday means today, at the beginning of the 21st Century, to generations who have no personal memories of the world at war.
I asked among my colleagues to find out what they thought. Three comments in particular stuck in my mind:
“I don’t think you need a special day – you can remember people who’ve died any day”.
Morningtown Ride by Adrian Smith, Webmaster
It's amazing how many of these pieces have their origins on a motorway somewhere. Last week I was driving along the M42 listening to Terry Wogan (OK, you've got me - I'm a 'TOG' - and what is more I've reached the age where I don't feel inclined to apologise for it!) when he played The Seekers singing 'Morningtown Ride'.
The parent trap by Jason Gardner of LICC
It’s a constant challenge as a parent to stay positive rather than paranoid.’ So says one mother quoted in the Independent’s response last week to a report from Cambridge University that declared that Britain is failing its children.
It’s no wonder that parents are prone to neurosis. Over the past year, several major surveys have reached the same conclusion. Last November, the Institute for Public Policy Research found that British teenagers drink, fight and have casual sex more than any of their Continental counterparts. More recently, Unicef published a report that said that British children were the unhappiest in Europe.
Sunday 21 October
The grumpy judge and the determined widow A sermon for the 20th Sunday after Trinity preached by Katharine Smith - Reader at St. Andrew's
Luke 18: 1-8
Jesus tells us a very vivid and comic story about a grumpy old judge and a single minded and determined widow who pesters the judge night and day for justice. In the end the judge gives in because, as he says to himself, if I don’t give her what she wants she’s going to end up giving me a black eye!
Sunday 7 October
A Pilgrimage to holy Russia by Jean Hole of St. Andrew's Church
A few weeks ago I joined a pilgrimage to Holy Russia led by Bishop Peter Price, Bishop of Bath and Wells. A band of 36 pilgrims met at Heathrow airport and flew to Moscow.
And finally... farewell to That Goat by Tricia Anderson, Reader at St. Andrew's -
Another inconvenient truth By Gordon Atkinson
I love looking at old photographs; it's the closest thing to time travel that I know. I find myself staring at century-old black and white photos taken on the streets of large cities. I look at the people. I search their faces, wondering what was going on in their minds. Often they are turning toward the camera—an item that was much less common then—with a shocked expression. They seem as fascinated to be a part of the captured moment as I am to witness it.
Darwin's angel by Nick Spencer of LICC
Richard Dawkins has long been recognised as Britain’s grumpiest atheist, our very own Darwinian Victor Meldrew, screeching ‘I don’t believe it’ at anyone who will listen. Readers of his recent God Delusion will have enjoyed him harrumphing his way through modern religion, vanquishing the faithful by the power of ridicule and rhetoric alone.
Sunday 30 September
A Pilgrim People by Revd Jim Cox,
Greetings one and all and thank you for such a warm welcome. We have been overwhelmed by your generosity here, with cards, well-wishing and an overflowingly abundant hamper of food and refreshments. We are all truly grateful for all the above and for the many other bits of practical help at the house that have made the act of physically moving here more bearable. Anita Roddick by Peter Heslam of LICC
When Anita
Roddick founded
the Body Shop in
1976, there was
nothing
remarkable about
hippyish lefties
dreaming of a
new order. No
one guessed
that, in
pursuing her
dream, this
particular
eco-worrier
would build a
multi-million-dollar
global brand
with a dominant
high-street
presence.
Sunday 23 September
Timothy 1: a sermon preached by Revd Rod Corke at St. Andrew's Church on 16 September 2007 I begin today with two stories which I want to weave together to help us in our understanding of Paul’s words at the beginning of 1 Timothy. The first concerns the TV. Nowadays I visit homes and the TV screens fill almost a wall of the living room. The colour and sound quality is excellent. When I was a small boy TV’s were very different. As a child I sat in front of an 10” black and white, 425 line, one channel, set and absorbed the Wooden tops, Bill and Ben and Andy Pandy. The worry I had was that Loopy Lou would not get back to the Toy box before Andy and Teddy came. I think I was scarred for life.
Community Candles By Gordon Atkinson
In the late
90's, when we were planning our first building, we decided
against pews, pulpits, and most of the things that mark
usual places of worship. We were used to somewhat casual
settings, having worshipped in a home, a daycare center, a
fire station, a bar, and an elementary school. It's not that
we didn't recognize the value of sacred spaces. We just had
some different ideas about how sacred spaces might look.
Making a
difference
by
Brian Draper of LICC
Q: What does the man who has everything want? At least, Roman Abramovich, the super-rich Russian owner of Chelsea Football Club, apparently does. His chief executive, Peter Kenyon, was reported earlier this week in the Guardian as saying: ‘When we talked about “What do you want Chelsea to do? What is success?”, he said he wanted Chelsea to “make a difference”.’
Sunday 16 September
Atonement by Mark Greene of LICC
Ian McEwan has come a long way since the days when his menacing, somewhat morbid tales of deviancy and dysfunctionality earned him the nickname ‘Ian MacAbre’. Today, ten novels and five film adaptations later, he is regarded by many literary critics as one of Britain’s finest living novelists. Amsterdam won the Booker Prize in 1998 and his new novel, On Chesil Beach, is shortlisted for this year’s award.
Sunday 9 September 2007
Letting go of the need to know
By
Gordon Atkinson If you were
extremely wealthy, you could try to see everything. You could hop into a car and
zoom across the United States, stopping in major cities and seeing the famous
sites. You could pay a cabbie to wait for you while you hurried to the top of
the Empire State Building for a quick look. Then you'd hop back in the cab and
say, "To the Statue of Liberty, and step on it!"
Facebook
by
Brian Draper of LICC
Sunday 2 September 207
Hung out to dry: a short story of international relations and clothes pegs
Clothes pegs have many uses beyond hanging your T-shirt on the line. I have known for some time that they are handy for re-sealing a bag of crisps; they are ideal for attaching Christmas cards to a length of string; they are also a useful tool for holding a sheaf of papers together. Indeed, the BBC have an entire webpage dedicated to alternative uses for the humble clothes peg.
Maps, music, numbers and churches by Frank Hammond, a member of St. Andrew's Church
‘Surprised, what possible connection could there be between maps and music?’ Well, if you are unlucky and cannot play by ear then you are obliged to read a picture of music. There’s the connection, both maps and written music are pictures. ‘What about Churches and other Houses of God?’ Well they are very special and often have their very own symbol on a map. A church spire is an excellent landmark for hikers. And, of course, there’s the Church Choir.
The Festival Spirit by Jason Gardner of LICC
These days, as long as you had the time and the money, access to an indestructible tent and an unending supply of puncture repair kits for your airbed, you could spend the entire summer at some festival or other if you wanted. From the curious mix of commercial rock, diehard folk and eclectic spirituality that is Glastonbury to the more ‘blissed-up’ ambient charms of the Big Chill, festivals have become big business.
Sunday 26 August 2007
Season of new beginnings A letter from Katharine Smith - Reader at St. Andrew's
I’ve always liked September. I prefer it when it follows a long, hot summer so that the slightly cooler air and the unmistakable smell of autumn feel refreshing and timely. This year I’m hoping we finally get some summer which lasts until October. I’m writing this during the first week in August and there are signs that all is not lost. Fighting over The New Testament By Gordon Atkinson
I’ve been a part of the Christian Church all of
my life. I’ve watched how things work within the
faith, and I’ve been particularly fascinated by
the ways we Christians use and abuse the New
Testament.
The New Testament - the
uniquely Christian part of the Bible - is a messy collection of books
and letters. No one can be absolutely sure what parts are important and
what parts are the cultural containers that hold the important parts...
A
holiday for the soul
by
Brian Draper of LICC
So, if you’re going away this summer, here are a few ideas to help you reflect on your journey of life and faith, as you (hopefully) gain a little much-needed space for respite and reflection. Sunday 12 August 2007
Henry's Goat's Blog Part 26 - A gift from a goat
I’ve something to tell you, I’ve news to convey: I’m writing this blog, then I’m going away. My days here are over. I’m leaving tonight, And this is the last ever blog I shall write.
Sunday 5 August 2007
Henry's Goat's Blog Part 25 - An accusation
Well really! The things that he asks me to do! I don’t think it’s right to go thieving, do you?
The Story of my love
By
Gordon Atkinson
My love was born at my
mother’s breast and in my father’s strong arms. It was a sucking,
insatiable, infantile love. I was happily curled in the warm embrace of
pure need. My love was shaped in
early days by my need to perform. I worked hard at home, in sports, and
at school. I had a first-born child's natural sense that people would
love me if I excelled.
Sunday 29 July 2007
Walking the walk - The Playtex Moonwalk 2007 by June Acreman of St. Andrew's Church
Did I want to be sat on the floor in Hyde Park eating pasta with 15,000 other people - NO
Did I want to queue 20 deep for the toilet - NO
Did I want to listen to very loud music - NO
Did I want to walk 26.2 miles during the night of 19 May - NO, NO, NO!
Jeff and I returned from a relaxing cruise in the Med on Friday 18 May and I was off up to London early Saturday morning for the 2007 Moonwalk, and before I knew it there I was again with all the above thoughts going through my head, promising myself it will be my last year...
Moth of the moment
Scarcity value is sometimes dependant upon location. I recently found the smart fellow in the big picture above resting on my geraniums. I know nothing about moths but I couldn't recall having seen one like it before so I took his picture and e-mailed it to a colleague who knows about these things
It all works out in the end by Jason Gardner of LICC
So, where were you at midnight last Friday? Tucked up in bed with a Horlicks and a John Grisham novel, or standing in a motley queue of striped stockings and pointy hats, itching to get your mitts on the latest (and last) Harry Potter? You may be thinking good riddance to Hogwarts, hippogriffs and horcruxes, or you may be feeling that curious sorrow that comes at the end of a particularly good yarn, when we find ourselves wishing that somehow the story would never end.
Sunday 22 July 2007
Henry's Goat's Blog Part 25 - The goat with a coat
‘It’s wintertime now, so I’ll make it a coat’? Well, winter it was when I came to his flat, And cold it was too, and I didn’t like that...
The Song of Myself
By
Gordon Atkinson
"What is truth?” Pilate asked Jesus. And Jesus
answered him not.
One
of the poems in Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass"
is called,
"Song of Myself." That poem caught my
attention the first time I read it, and I have
contemplated its meaning many times since.
Singing the song of yourself has a thrilling and
dangerous appeal, like skinny-dipping or
hitchhiking across the country with only twenty
bucks in your pocket. Welcome to everytown by Nick Spencer of LICC
Is there an
English
philosophy? Do
the English see
the world in a
particular way?
These were the questions that the philosopher Julian Baggini set out to answer in his book Welcome to Everytown. Identifying the most typical postcode in the country – that is, the one that most accurately reflected its demographic and economic mix – he ended up going to live in S66 in Rotherham for six months.
Sunday 15 July 2007
Fleeting yet eternal
We all have them, these moments. They are hard to define, yet easy to identify.
I started thinking about such moments a few weeks ago, without being able to put a name to them. I was travelling between the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth on the Wightlink ferry. The boat was not crowded, and I was able to sit right at the front looking down at the prow of the boat. Suddenly something caught the corner of my eye. Focussing more carefully I saw that we were being guided towards Portsmouth by several dolphins, leaping from the waves in perfect arcs and easily keeping pace with the ferry.
Henry's Goat's Blog Parts 23 and 24 - A multipurpose goat!
It’s never to early to plan your display, As carnival time edges closer each day.
It's a girl thing by Jason Gardner of LICC
It came as something of a shock earlier this year when Ofsted (which oversees standards in British education) decided to single out for praise the much maligned world of teen-girl magazines. It lauded the likes of Sugar and Bliss not for their top 10 tips on dealing with acne or their insight into the motivation behind Britney’s bizarre buzz cut but rather for their informative approach to the matter of sex.
Sunday 8 July 2007 No update - webmaster on holiday
Sunday 1 July 2007
Less means more by Sigurd Reimers of St. Andrew's Church
Our house to house collection during Christian Aid week this year officially raised £ 999.25.That is the amount I have put into the bank account, but small additional amounts are still coming in. The amount raised is well over a hundred pounds more than in 2006, and it is the first time we have exceeded the £ 1000 mark. Even in the heyday of the rich and varied Christian Aid weeks of years ago we didn’t raise that much money.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes by Brian Draper of LICC
‘Let the work of change begin,’ declared the new Prime Minister on the steps of No 10 on Wednesday. He used that word eight times in his short statement. Everything must change. At least, that’s what Nina Simone once said in her song of the same name. ‘Nothing stays the same.’ |