13 December
The phrase “Slechte mensen zingen niet” has perplexed me since I first heard it in an Afrikaans song. The full version of the old Dutch proverb is: “Vrees niet waar weerklinkt het lied, slechte mensen zingen niet,” which translates to, “Fear not, where the song resounds, evil people do not sing.”
As we enter a season of singing—filled with carols and joyous celebrations—it’s worth re-evaluating this old saying, especially amidst the ongoing uncertainty of global conflicts.The prophet Amos presents a different perspective on this matter: “Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; nor will I even look at the offerings of your well-fed animals. Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice roll down like water and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”
From Amos’ perspective, singing can also serve to mask pain, injustice, and suffering. He warns against singing if it becomes a cover-up. As theologian Dirkie Smith reminds us, history shows that evil people do indeed sing. In Elmina, Ghana…
6 December 2024
Dear Friends,
“What would it take to satisfy human desire?”
This was a question once posed by the medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas.
His answer was short and simple: “Everything.” It would take everything to be truly satisfied.
Advent is a time of waiting and longing, but it also challenges us to consider what we are really waiting for or hoping to attain. In what directions are our hearts being pulled? As another medieval theologian, Augustine, asked, what is our telos—the ultimate goal of our existence?
This question may become even more complex when we think about the impact of one of the biggest secular holy-days: Black Friday. According to the good folks at Practicing the Way, the average American sees upward of 4,000 (yes, four thousand!) advertisements per day. Initially, when I saw this figure, I was surprised and shrugged it off in disbelief.
29 November
Dear Friends,
“I feel that my mission is about to begin: my mission of making others love God as I love Him, my mission of teaching my little way to souls. If God answers my requests, my heaven will be spent on earth until the end of the world. Yes, I want to spend my heaven doing good on earth.”
These are the well-known words of St. Therese of Lisieux, who passed away at the tragic age…..
20 September
Dear Friends,
Thank you
Hilary and I wish to thank you all for the warmth of your welcome and for your support over the past seven weeks. It was an honour to share the gospel with you and to witness the outliving of the gospel in the ERC community.
13 September
Dear Friends,
The Rambling Rose
When Hilary and I moved to our retirement cottage on the shores of Belfast Lough, we had a lot of work to do arranging the house in the way we wanted it.
We concentrated on the cottage and ignored the garden. Previous owners had been keen on the garden but, since they left, it had become overgrown.
06 September
Dear Friends,
An Unusual Cathedral Procession
During the winter of 2020-2021 the great cathedral in Salisbury opened its massive doors as a vaccination centre in the fight against Covid19. Indeed on the first day of opening a thousand people in the over-eighties age group were vaccinated.
The cathedral organist volunteered to come in and play throughout the day. He played Bach, Handel and Pachelbel to sooth people as they awaited their life-giving jabs. To the accompaniment of glorious music a long procession of the elderly proceeded through the mediaeval splendour of that great church.
It was an event which embodied the heart of the gospel. God’s church was continuing its life-giving ministry and doing it accompanied by music composed to the glory of God. No doubt the angels watching from heaven were applauding loudly!
31 August
Dear Friends,
Cantique de Jean Racine by Gabriel Faure
In June of 2022 while attending choir practice in ERC, I was captivated by a truly beautiful anthem, Cantique de Jean Racine composed by Gabriel Faure. It is a prayer of thanksgiving and set to a wonderful melody. It was obvious from their delight and enthusiasm that every choir member loved singing this masterpiece. When they discovered that I would be returning home before the Sunday when...
23 August
Dear Friends,
A favourite photo
My favourite photograph of our granddaughter was taken when she was just four. Her father snapped her from behind as they were strolling on the coastal path below our cottage. There she is, a carefree four-year-old, skipping along in the sunlight. On her left are the waves of Belfast Lough; on her right is rough grass. The stony path bends away...
17 August
Dear Friends,
My father’s best landscape
When he retired from business, my father took up painting as a hobby. His first efforts at landscapes were disastrous. His skies were too blue, his grass was too green and his daffodils too yellow. But in time he learned to tone down his colours.
His best painting was of a rugged County Down coastline. It hung for years in our manse in Dublin. When people enquired about it, we said, ‘It’s pretty good except for the clouds. Dad never could paint clouds.’ One day a friend who is a professional artist visited our house. He enquired about the painting and we replied, ‘It’s a pity about the clouds.’ His response surprised us....