I salute the work of this very remarkable man – who I met while on sabbatical in 2008 in Washington DC. His influence on our thinking about old age has been pioneering. Before passing away from acute leukemia on July 4, 2010, at the age of 83, Robert N. Butler, MD, served as president and […]
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The Mask
Posted on by James Woodward
“PUT off that mask of burning gold With emerald eyes.” “O no, my dear, you make so bold To find if hearts be wild and wise, And yet not cold.” “I would but find what’s there to find, Love or deceit.” “It was the mask engaged your mind, And after set your heart to […]
The Lords Prayer
Posted on by James Woodward
I thought this much worth pondering shared with me by Gill Henwood The Lord’s Prayer (traditional English) Our Father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done; on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we […]
Durham Miners Gala
Posted on by James Woodward
Last weekend I travelled north to Durham for the Miners Gala ( or better known in those parts as the Big Meeting) – here is my sermon for the day and some pictures taken by Trevor Smith – for which many thanks! The Davy Lamp Kelloe and the Banner being processed down the Village The […]
glass
Posted on by James Woodward
Words of a poem should be glass But glass so simple-subtle its shape Is nothing but the shape of what it holds. A glass spun for itself is empty, Brittle, at best Venetian trinket. Embossed glass hides the poem or its absence. Words should be looked through, should be windows. The best word were […]
Touched?
Posted on by James Woodward
All that we do Is touched with ocean, yet we remain On the shore of what we know.
A revolution in the most unlikely of places?
Posted on by James Woodward
I was very glad that my old friend and parishioner Cliff Morrey continues to wage war against the forces of bureaucracy! 17 households from one street challenge council tax bands and share £50,000 refund Residents from a street in Solihull have been refunded £49,000 after 17 neighbours challenged their council tax bands. The valuers’ office said […]
Thomas
Posted on by James Woodward
Almighty and eternal God, who, for the firmer foundation of our faith, allowed your holy apostle Thomas to doubt the resurrection of your Son till word and sight convinced him: grant to us, who have not seen, that we also may believe and so confess Christ as our Lord and our God; who is alive […]
What are the limits of Government?
Posted on by James Woodward
An assumption has grown that ‘the government’ carries the responsibility for making our world a better place, and then blaming ‘the government’ when it fails to deliver. This is one of the decadent habits in our society because the public domain is everyone’s responsibility: that is the essence of the polis – a body of […]
St Peter and Paul
Posted on by James Woodward
This feast day commemorates the martyrdom of the two great Apostles, assigned by tradition to the same day of June in the year 67. They had been imprisoned in the famous Mamertine Prison of Rome and both had foreseen their approaching death. Saint Peter was crucified; Saint Paul, a Roman citizen, was slain by the […]
What will make you complete?
Posted on by James Woodward
A Sermon preached in St Georges Chapel Windsor Castle 27 June 2010 at Mattins ‘Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’ (Luke 9. 51-62) A glimpse of the nature of discipleship is offered to us this morning in the demanding and seemingly impossible directives […]
Collage
Posted on by James Woodward
Faith is not a proud self-consistent f philosophy. It involves maintaining oneself between contradictions that can’t be solved by analysis. It is therefore a living response to the grace of God as revealed in fragile lives. It resembles a collage. Collages are slowly pieced together out of diverse materials in an attempt to present a […]
to express the sky
Posted on by James Woodward
One of the sheer joys of my home in Windsor is the sense of the vast open space of the sky ….. This is the grass your feet are planted on. You paint it orange or you sing it green, But you have never found A way to make the grass mean what you […]
make peace
Posted on by James Woodward
‘Only when you make your peace with death,’ said Hamlet, ‘will you understand that everything under the sun is really new…’ From Vladimir Holan, A night with Hamlet
Durham Miners Gala
Posted on by James Woodward
A quiet Saturday has gven me the opportunity to do some thinking and planning for an invitation to preach that has given me a great deal of pride and pleasure. On July 10th I shall travel north to preach in Durham Cathedral for the One hundreth and first Miners Festival Service in Durham Cathedral. A […]
Making a Difference?
Posted on by James Woodward
I found myself putting odd bits of unwanted ‘stuff’ into a box the other day in preparation for the annual Heritage Weekend Fair – only to realize that this event belonged to my former parish which I left over a year ago. Old habits die hard! I cam across thsi reflection that puts some of […]
Conflict?
Posted on by James Woodward
All of us live with conflict. We experience conflict in relationships; we can be the cause of conflict at work. This article will explore the inevitability of conflict and encourage us to reflect its shape and how best we might use conflict to deepen understanding and enlarge our sympathies. The following two examples reflect conflict […]
Garter Day
Posted on by James Woodward
Garter Day in 2010 takes place on Monday 14 June. King George VI reintroduced an annual service for the Order of the Garter in 1948. Up to that year services had been held irregularly. At first glance the processions, uniforms, robes and music seen and heard on Garter Day might appear to add up to […]
Columba
Posted on by James Woodward
Of all the Dark Age Scottish saints, Columba is the most spectacular star. In 563 AD Columba left Ireland and settled with the Gaels of Dál Riata, where he was granted the Island of Iona to found his monastery. For the Gaelic warrior kings, Columba was a useful asset. His monastery provided education for their […]
Consideration for others?
Posted on by James Woodward
If it lies anywhere, salvation is in releasing our sweaty grip, and saying ‘after you’. This is what George Steiner calls the courtesy of true art, which doesn’t seek to grab, smother and possess, but stands back to make space, regardless of personal cost.