Curate Conundrums

There is sometimes a strange wisdom in children and young people. I’m bot saying they’re always right, or wise. Often they do things that make no sense, and those of us with a bit more experience know aren’t going to work, but often they come out with things that are so wise it can take your breath away, and you pause and say. Wow, yes you’re right. There was a thread on Twitter recently about young children naming everyday things with alternative names, and there’s a strange wisdom in what they call things, some of them are hilarious. Here’s some genuine examples. Crow becomes a ‘Halloween Eagle.’   A Rhino is a “Battle Unicorn.” Gloves are “Hand socks.” Earmuffs are “snow headphones.” A Harmonica is a “cowboy trumpet.” I think there’s a genuine wisdom in these names, a practically   based wisdom, I think we should let five year olds name more things. These names aren’t wrong really are they? They’re just looking at things from a different perspective to the r...

I’ve been watching on Netflix a show called ‘F is for Family.’ It’s a cartoon comedy set in the early 1970’s and revolves around the lives of Frank and Sue Murphy and their three children Kevin, Bill and Maureen.   Of all the characters Bill, he’s 11 years old, quite shy, physically weak and is characterised as being a bit of a ‘wet blanket’, I won’t use the word they use to describe him in church, but it’s another word for a cat. Bill is by the standards of the early 1970’s not a proper boy, he doesn’t stand up to people, he’s no good in a fight. He gets picked on by a much bigger boy. Due to a series of unfortunate events, and Bill’s innocence and lack of support he’s lead to a point where he thinks why bother being good? What’s the point, all of the bad things happened to him despite being good. Because of this lack of support, it leads him down a deeper and worse path, he starts to steal things, and ends up in a mess all of his own doing. All because he wa...

Lost sometimes amongst the twinkling lights of this festive time of year is the season of Advent. A season when the church traditionally looks at meaty subjects such as heaven and hell, the eschaton (that’s the last things to me and you) and the judgement. As human beings the thought of eternity scares us. Some of us have probably got some idea of what eternity is like, if you’ve ever been to deanery synod for example. That seems to go on for an eternity. I joke of course. The theme I’d like to explore with you today is just that, the theme of judgement. Judgement often brings about a sort of, hand wringing embarrassment in some Christian circles. The judgement has been used as a tool to control people for centuries. Before the Reformation English Churches, like this very one would’ve been covered in pictures for the illiterate to see. Many would’ve contained gruesome images of what awaited those who didn’t believe the right stuff after death, or even worse, those who d...

Working at St Peter Mancroft can often be a challenge, in a good way. Our Parish is tiny, there are fewer than four hundred people living in it, so our parishoners are the transient people that pass through the bustling centre of Norwich. It’s almost like an island, standing still while the ocean of people and things move around it, but there it sits, open, inviting. One of the things with being an island though, is that boats will come, often these boats are filled with well to do tourists, camera snapping people, having a look round. There are spiritual pilgrims, who come in to pray, to sit and to think. Then there are other people with very complex needs, some who are extremely troubled or mentally ill, others who are going through a really tough time in their lives, and they cling to our Island for refuge from a storm. Here are two stories, that happened this week. Story One. Monday Evening, after the church was shut, choir rehearsals going on, twilight. A l...

This week has been a big week for me, I’ve been through another ministry milestone, It’s an important one that I think every minister has probably dealt with, and I’m sure it won’t be the last, I received my first complaint letter. Or rather complaint email. It was about Beer and Hymns which happened last week, and it was really good fun. It began with a call into our office which Diana took, and handled excellently. Then a subsequent email was sent to me, asking me whether I felt it was appropriate to drink beer and worship with ‘non-believers.’ Well yes I do, you’ve probably realised that. Humans like to form clubs. It’s natural, we hang around with the people we like, people who are like us, and we don’t generally socialise with the people we find weird, or socially awkward. In this country another factor is social class too, many people hang around mostly with people from similar backgrounds, or with similar beliefs. But Jesus says, those who eat Quinoa are as welco...

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...