The following is a Punch cartoon that C.K.Barrett used to recite about a conversation between and older and younger brother about Christmas and whether there really is a Santa Claus: ‘Nonsense,’ says the rather older child to the rather younger child, ‘Of course I don’t believe in the Devil; it’s like Santa Claus, it’s only Father.’ Read more
THE BONDING A cold and listless season, And full of cheerless cheer, When hopes are raised and dashed again And joy dissolves in tears. The search for endless family The search for one true Friend Leaves questers tired, disconsolate With questions without end. Best find some potent pleasure quick Some superficial thrill Than search for everlasting love When none can fill that bill. So hide yourselves in shopping And eating ‘til you burst, Use endless entertainment As shelter from the... Read more
Commenting in a sermon on the discussion of apostasy in 1 John 5, Kingsley Barrett says—- “You cannot ever become so good a Christian as to be secure, beyond all fear of falling. ‘AH Lord, with trembling I confess, A gracious soul may fall from grace; The salt may lose its seasoning power, And never, never, find it more’ (Charles Wesley). This means you must watch your step when you talk about Christian certainty. Karl Barth once wrote ‘God lends... Read more
A few days ago my son and I were doing our lessons and learning to read and write small words. We were doing those which end with the N, putting various consonants in front of them— bin, din, pin, and so on, we read. We came to the letter S and (I must admit) more for fun than for anything else I asked ‘Do you know what sin means?’ Martin looked at me and said ‘it is something we like... Read more
When you have a sequel to the prequels that has as its sequel the original three Star Wars movies (plus last year’s installment), things can get confusing fast, especially if you are not literate in ‘Star Wars’ sagas. And sure enough, this movie, which consists at the outset with all new characters, not to mention a flurry of new planets and moons is confusing, even for those with whom the Force is strong. You might need Yoda to sort it... Read more
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