Curate Conundrums

Today is a special and exciting day. I mean, I know every Sunday at St Peter Mancroft is a whirlwind of excitement, but this is a special occasion. In case you haven’t noticed, Today three people are being baptised, Emily, Tim and Theo. It is amazing to have them here, and I’m pretty sure that God thinks it’s great that many friends and family have come from far and wide to share this special spiritual moment with us, welcome to all of you too. Theo, Emily and Tim are being brought in, and welcomed into this Church. Into God’s worldwide church which has so many amazing and varied expressions. Today they are being baptised not as Church of England, or Anglican, but as a Christian. There’s no such thing as an Anglican baptism, only a Christian one. Today is a celebration and Thanksgiving for the gift of Theo too, it’s a celebration of the love that created Theo, both Stuart and Becca’s love for one another, and God’s love for Theo, Emily and Tim, and God’s love for each and eve...

I feel I need to nail my colours to the mast about a very important subject, a subject that has been on my mind all summer. Socks and sandals. I hate socks and sandals. Socks and sandals to me are a massive no, no. Even more than camping. Let’s do a straw poll, who thinks that socks and sandals are a good thing, hands up, be honest. Who thinks that socks and sandals are an abomination. Well, now we know who’s getting into the kingdom of heaven don’t we? No I’m joking of course, but hear me out. What if I started to separate out the people who wear socks and sandals? What if I started saying that the people who didn’t wear the correct footwear in or outside of church weren’t proper Christians? What if I said that I had trawled through the Bible and found biblical justifications for ostracizing people who wear socks and sandals, and that as a leader of this community, it is my job to safeguard all Christians against those who do this, because it’s not of God. Who thinks...