Updates from Whirlow
Photography by Michael Dysart
November is a month of grey days, misty rain, and shortened darker days. Seemingly a month where colours are grey and dull. However, like the sudden appearance of a rainbow, there can be times of rainbow moments, a burst of colour, and memories which stay with us. For this Whirlow blog, I would like us to think of times when images surprised us, made us stop and think, maybe even changed us.
Read MoreCertainty is an addiction for many of us. As British Summer Time wanes, we note the rhythmic cycle of the seasons that is not ours to control. (We try to manage it by adjusting our clocks!) There is tension between anticipated candle-lit cosiness and winter’s potentially chaotic offerings of weather and viruses. In today’s bible story, Jesus talks about being ready for the unexpected as it were a responsibility. What do his words have to offer you?
Read MoreSome of us are instinctively suspicious of dramatic and emotionally-charged moments in religion (and in life); others are addicted to those times, relentlessly pursuing them and impatient with the mundane. Perhaps drama and routine are needed; perhaps they inform one another. In this reflection, we ask what wisdom we can find when we consider the place of miracles in Jesus’ ministry.
Read MoreLast week we considered what Home and Belonging mean to us. This is World Homelessness Week, so we offer more food for thought on that subject - reflecting on biblical texts in the light of ‘homecoming’ and possible human responses to these.
Read MoreLabels about belief can be divisive. If we think there there are only two answers to the ‘Are you religious?’ question - and that only one of those is correct - then ‘secular’ and ‘sacred’ are pitted against one another and conversion is a loaded word. In our culture, any change of heart might be scoffed at - politicans making ‘u-turns’ are usually derided. This reflection recommends a different perspective.
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