In the minister’s morning sermon He had told of the primal fall, And how thenceforth the wrath of God Rested on each and all. And how of His will and pleasure, All souls, save a chosen few, Were doomed to the quenchless burning, And held in the way thereto. Yet never by faith’s unreason A saintlier soul was tried, And never the harsh old lesson A tenderer heart belied. And, after the painful service On that pleasant Sabbath day, He... Read more

The following is a sermon written by Fred Barrett in the 1920s, which will be one of many in the third volume of Luminesence. It seems in many ways particularly apt for the political season we find ourselves in today. See what you think— BW3 —– “THE FOOL AND HIS PENKNIFE”—Jeremiah 36.23 (Preached at Fentiman Road 1/13/1924) Jeremiah 36.23 “And it came to pass when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, that the king cut it with the penknife... Read more

I have no use for an emotionalism which has no foundation in intelligence and principle, which is not regulated by wisdom, and which does not work or its living. But I simply cannot understand a religion without emotion, and I cannot imagine a religion which is fellowship with Eternal Love being too devout to sing and too phlegmatic to be stirred to enthusiasm. Instead I want to sing, “Oh that all might catch the flame!” Let us draw near to... Read more

The praise should be as beautiful as can be, with nothing slovenly and tawdry about the singing and nothing careless about the reading of God’s word. The prayer, you will agree, should be as soulful and deliberate as talking with God ought to be and the sermon as fittingly phrased and delivered as is becoming of the eternal Gospel. And this is not only for preachers and members of the choir, but for all. The idea is of worship in... Read more

The new Spiderman movie is out, the second reboot of the franchise. The whole thing has been mired in a web of litigation until finally Marvel was able to get control of our friendly neighborhood guy once more. Is your spidey sense tingling yet? Stan Lee is so relieved, he was prepared to play a tenement dweller in Queens on a hot day, for his cameo in this one. The early box office showings suggest this will be the biggest... Read more

We become the creatures of habit, our ruts become too deep to get out of. Grooves are in danger of becoming graves. Read more

There is no need to be a crank, an oddity, for the sake of the Kingdom. Someone has said that the Lord has His dear ones, and His queer men. He has. The cause of God has suffered because of the angularities and peculiarities of some professing Christians. It is not for me to condemn folk who are better and braver than I am, but I do not think Christ calls us to be anything simply silly. There is no... Read more

Religion makes demands on us in worship. Worship is not an easy thing. To sit and criticize while the minister pours out his own soul, to look on at the choir as you would at an opera chorus, to pass judgment on the service as you would on a play, that is not worship! To come to Church to see your friends and eager to gossip, that is not worship. When men worship, they not only fall on their knees,... Read more

In discussing the original Tabernacle referred to in Exodus, the Methodist minister Fred Barrett, CK. Barrett’s father, said the following: “But we shall greatly err, and to our own impoverishment, if we fail to see here the eternal behind the ephemeral, the essential behind the transient, and the spirit behind the form. Here at least is the first intimation that God will in very deed dwell with men and find His rest in the sanctuaries they consecrate to Him. He... Read more

Some of us are mystics and some are practical men and women, some put the emphasis on prayer and worship, others are philanthropic and social services, some love to be up and doing and others love to stand and wait, some of us are of a choleric temperament, some phlegmatic, some sanguine, some of us are bright and gay and others somber and sad. And God is the God of all because He is the God of each. There is... Read more