The kingdom of heaven is like this …

Here's the sermon I shared this morning at St Andrew’s Wickford:

“The kingdom of heaven is like this …” That is how many of Jesus’ parables begin and his introduction makes clear that the parables are told not to impart general spiritual truths but to help us recognise the kingdom of heaven when we see it. Jesus tells us that the kingdom of heaven is like a seed, a portion of yeast, a hidden treasure, a fine pearl, a fishing net, and a storeroom containing both new and old items.

The parables of the mustard seed and the yeast are both to do with small things that have a big impact. Jesus describes the mustard seed as being the smallest of seeds but it grows to become the biggest of plants; a tree in which birds can make their nests. The phrase a ‘mustard seed’ has entered our language as a little idea that grows into something bigger and that is of course literally what happened with the Jesus movement itself. It was a relatively small grouping of obscure people that died when its founder, Jesus died, but which, following his resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost grew to become the largest religion in history and also within the world currently.

The story of the yeast gives us a different way of understanding the kingdom of God through a growth that is not just in terms of size but also in terms of influence. The yeast does not become large but its effect in the dough is to cause it to rise. In this story the kingdom of God, although small, is the catalyst for change and development.

Today we have read parables in which the kingdom of God needed to be searched out and in which to gain the kingdom of God involved giving everything we have (Matthew 13. 44-46). In these parables the kingdom of God is like a treasure and a fine pearl; both precious and beautiful. How can we understand this aspect of the kingdom? We could say that the kingdom is both precious and beautiful because it is the place where people live as God intended us to live. It is a place of “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self-control” (Galatians 5. 22-23). It is a place where there will be “no more death, no more grief or crying or pain” (Revelation 21. 4).

Such a place is indeed worth searching for and giving everything for. In fact, it can only be gained by giving up everything we have. As Jesus said on a number of occasions, “whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it” (Luke 17. 33). We only find and enter the kingdom of God when we give up our selfish grasping after life for ourselves and what we can get out of it.

Finally, Jesus told two parables that show the inclusivity of the kingdom of God. In the parable of the fishing net, the kingdom includes both the good and the bad; while in the parable of the storeroom the kingdom of God contains both the old and the new. You might say, “that’s all well and good but the parable of the fishing net is about the good being kept and the bad thrown away.” You would be right, but it is important to note that that judgement is God’s judgement and is carried out at “the end of the age.” In the meantime good and bad are both in the net together and we don’t know which is which. So, we have to trust God’s future judgement and not attempt to pre-judge people now.

In this parable, and the parable of the weeds, Jesus is commending here the aspect of Anglicanism that, it seems to me, has always been its great strength and glory; its holding together from its inception of ‘catholics’ (with a small ‘c’) and protestants and in more recent centuries its holding together of the diverse streams that have developed within those traditions – anglo-catholicism, evangelicalism, liberalism, the charismatic movement and so on. By holding these things together now we show our humility (in that we know we can’t judge rightly ourselves) and trust in God’s ability to judge rightly (and perhaps surprisingly) in future.

These parables suggest that the kingdom of God has small beginnings but major influence and effects. They suggest that the kingdom of God reveals how human life should be lived here and now but requires us to give up our selfish ways of life in order to find it. And they suggest the kingdom of God is found in communities that are inclusive, humble and trusting. The Christian Church has, at its best, been a sign of the kingdom of God in the world and in this community. The challenge for us this morning is to learn from these parables and continue to do what Jesus did by creating signs of the kingdom of God in our own day and time.

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Taize - The Kingdom Of God.

Autumn programme: Unveiled, exhibition, Quiet Day, Craft Fayre, Local History Day, Difference Course

We have a packed programme of varied and interesting events in the Wickford and Runwell Team Ministry this autumn including a new art exhibition, heritage displays from Basildon Heritage, concerts, our Unveiled arts and performance events, a Quiet Day, plus two new events - a local history day at St Catherine's and a Craft Fayre at St Andrew's.

Here are fuller details:

Exhibition: 'Trials and Tribulations: Modern Interpretations of Iconography', 13 September to 20 December 2024, St Andrew’s Church - 11 London Road, Wickford, Essex SS12 0AN

The arts programme at St Andrew's Wickford continues in the autumn with an exhibition by Leigh-on-Sea-based artist John Paul Barrett called 'Trials and Tribulations'. The exhibition will run from 13 September to 20 December 2024 at St Andrew's Wickford.

John Paul Barrett specialises in mixed media paintings, using acrylics and oil pastels on paintings that range from symbolism to landscapes and portraits. This exhibition focuses on his modern interpretations of Eastern European religious iconography. More information about him and his work can be found at https://www.jpbarrettart.com/.

Unveiled: A regular Friday night arts and performance event at St Andrew’s Church, 7.00 – 9.00 pm - 11 London Road, Wickford, Essex SS12 0AN

See below for our Autumn 2024 programme and http://wickfordandrunwellparish.org.uk/whats-on.html for more information

Exhibitions, open mic nights, performances, talks and more!

• Unveiled – a wide range of artist and performers from Essex and wider, including Open Mic nights (come and have a go!).
• Unveiled – view our hidden painting by acclaimed artist David Folley, plus a range of other exhibitions.

Autumn Programme 2024

• 13 September (7.00 pm) – Trials & Tribulations – Exhibition viewing evening. Meet John-Paul Barrett, see his exhibition & hear him interviewed. This Leigh-on-Sea based artist creates modern interpretations of classic iconographic images & scenes.
• 27 September (7.30 pm) – Dave Crawford in concert. Popular local musician, Dave Crawford writes engaging/melodic songs in Americana/ Alt-Rock/Indie-Folk. He has performed at the Leigh Folk Festival, Pin Drop Sessions, & Music for Mind together with Kev Butler. This will be Dave’s second concert at Unveiled. We have also enjoyed his powerful vocals & guitar at our Open Mic Nights.
• 11 October (7.00 pm) – Re-enacting the Napoleonic Wars. Robson Coke (2nd 95th Rifles & Drum Major of the Band of 1st Foot Guards 1815, Napoleonic Association) will talk about the Napoleonic Wars, explain how re-enactments are organised & show costumes and equipment used in re-enactments.
• 25 October (7.30 pm) – Eva Romanakova in concert. Eva Romanakova sings a wide genre of music; Musical Theatre, Arias, Pop, Jazz, Movie Songs & also Folk. She will sing music from various countries and different times. She is performing with accomplished pianist Andrew Palmer.
• 8 November (7.30 pm) – Open Mic Night. Everybody is welcome to come along & play, read, sing or just spectate. See you there for a great evening of live performance!
• 22 November (7.00 pm) – An evening with Steven Turner. Hear about the career of local dancer Steven Turner, who has trained in a variety of dance styles, including contemporary, street, mime & moving with props. Steven founded his own organisation, Next Step Creative, to promote collaboration between dance & other creative arts. He also regularly choreographs & teaches for Dance 21 (a dance company for children & young adults with Down’s syndrome). He has performed across the UK and Europe including Switzerland, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, & France.
• 6 December (7.00 pm) – Broomfield artists in the Basildon Deanery. Find out about artworks in Basildon & Nevendon by Thomas Bayliss Huxley-Jones & Rosemary Rutherford. An illustrated talk by Jonathan Evens.

These events do not require tickets (just turn up on the night). There will be a retiring collection to cover artist and church costs. See http://wickfordandrunwellparish.org.uk/whats-on.html for fuller information.

Other events

Basildon Heritage displays - we will be showing two heritage displays prepared by Basildon Heritage this autumn. Following on from our recent Unveiled talk about Depeche Mode, the first display, 'Sounds of Basildon', will be on the Basildon music scene in the 1980's, i.e. Depeche Mode, Yazoo and Erasure, and will be at St Andrew's from 9 September to 7 October. The second display, linked to our Local History Day, is on 'Wickford's churches' and will be at St Catherine's from 2 October to 30 October.

Underfret in concert - Saturday 21 September 2024, 2.00 pm, St Andrew’s Church, 11 London Road, Wickford SS12 0AN. Underfret are a six-piece ukulele band, playing music from the 1960's onward - https://www.instagram.com/underfret/. A fundraiser for St Catherine’s Wickford (where subsidence has caused cracks in the walls requiring underpinning) - a retiring collection will be taken.

Difference Course - We will be running this course, which “explores what it means to follow Jesus in a complex and divided world, seeing transformation through everyday encounters”, on the following dates: Wednesdays, 2-3.30pm at Roger’s on 25th September, 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd October; and Thursdays, 7.30-9pm in St Andrew’s church on 26th September, 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th October. Each week includes films of stories from Christians facing conflict, Bible study, interactive exercises, prayer and discussion. While it is preferable to attend each week it is not mandatory. A Participant’s Guide is available at a cost of £3.50 for those that would like to purchase one. SIGN - UP sheets available soon. RLN Difference is a part of the Reconciling Leaders Network. Archbishop of Canterbury’s Reconciliation Ministry.

Quiet Day: The 7 S’s of the Nazareth Community, Saturday 28 September, 10.30 am – 3.30 pm, St Catherine’s Wickford. Consider Silence, Sacrament, Scriptures, Service, Sharing, Sabbath, and Staying as a personal Rule of Life. Learn about the Nazareth Community based at St Martin-in-the-Fields and its growth through the Companions of Nazareth. Reflect in the quiet space of St Catherine's, a small country church originally serving a village community which still seems, in church and churchyard, to retain an atmosphere of the rural heritage of Wickford's past. Led by Revd Jonathan Evens, Team Rector, Wickford and Runwell Team Ministry. Cost: £8.00 per person, including sandwich lunch (pay on the day). To book: Phone 07803 562329 or email jonathan.evens@btinternet.com

Local History Day - Saturday 5 October 2024, 10.00 am – 4.00 pm, St Catherine’s Church, 120 Southend Road, Wickford SS11 8EB. View our registers (baptisms, weddings, burials etc,), meet re-enactors from the Napoleonic Association, see a display on Wickford’s churches from Basildon Heritage, tour the church and churchyard, take part in a Scavenger Hunt, support our fundraising appeal, enjoy refreshments in our Church Hall. See our: Commonwealth War Graves; War Memorial for Wickford; William Butterfield reredos; 15th century font; Medieval chancel ceiling; and Stained glass commemorating local characters.

Craft Fayre - A wide range of handmade crafts from a variety of different stalls. Refreshments also available. Saturday 26 October 2024, 10.00 am – 3.00 pm, St Andrew’s Church, 11 London Road, Wickford SS12 0AN.

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 Dave Crawford - Revelations.

Meeting God in the dark night of the soul

Here's the sermon I shared this evening at St Catherine's Wickford:

The book of Job is the record of one man’s dark night of the soul. In the story Job loses everything that gave his life meaning. His family are wiped out, his home, money and possessions are lost, he experiences severe and painful illnesses and is left alone, except for three friends who are more hindrance than help as they offer only platitudes that essentially pin the blame for his condition on Job himself.

Job knows that the diagnosis offered by his friends is wrong. He knows there is nothing he has done to deserve his suffering. He knows that it is not punishment for something he has done and this gives us one of the reasons why this is such a significant book to find within the pages of the scriptures. The book of Job tells us that much suffering in this world is undeserved. There are times in life when we do reap what we sow and bear the consequences of our choices, as Job’s friends assume must be the case for him. But this is not one of those times and the story is told, in part, to warn us against making the assumptions made by Job’s friends. Not all suffering is brought on by our actions, sometimes life simply deals us a bum hand - and that’s the way it is!

Job is understandably angry about this situation. In the section of the poem we heard read today (Job 19:1-27), he says that he has been broken down on every side and that he has been pursued by both his friends and by God. God accepts Job’s arguing with him and affirms him in so doing. In the final chapter of the book, God says that he is angry with Job’s friends because they did not speak the truth about him, the way his servant Job did. So, the friends who said “it’s all your fault and God is right to punish you” were condemned and Job, who argued his case with God is affirmed.

The book of Job is important, therefore, because it tells us that it is ok to argue with God and to complain to him when life seems unfair. That is important because it is not how we have been brought up to think about relationship with God. Most of us instinctively think that submission to the will of God rather than arguing the toss with God is what makes for a good Christian. Job tells us that that is not so. And, in fact, if we read scripture carefully, we will finish that stories are told of all the heroes of the faith - from Abraham through Moses, Jeremiah and Habbakuk to Jesus and Paul - arguing with God. Why? Because it means we are in real relationship with God. Our virtuous mask comes off and we say what we really mean. We are honest with God in a way that we cannot be when we are trying to be righteous. That is real relationship and that is what God wants more than anything.

This is something which has been acknowledged and understood throughout Church history. The phrase which I used of Job at the beginning of this sermon - the dark night of the soul - was coined by St John of the Cross while imprisoned in a tiny prison cell for his attempts to reform the Church. He was a sixteenth-century Spanish mystic who wrote many of his poems on a scroll smuggled to him by one of his guards. After escaping his captors, he wrote the Dark Night of the Soul, a poem about the painful experience that people endure as they seek to grow in spiritual maturity and union with God.

Similarly, the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins wrote of “That night, that year / Of now done darkness I wretch lay wrestling with (my God!) my God.”

I wake and feel the fell of dark, not day.
What hours, O what black hours we have spent
This night! what sights you, heart, saw; ways you went!
And more must, in yet longer light's delay.
With witness I speak this. But where I say
Hours I mean years, mean life. And my lament
Is cries countless, cries like dead letters sent
To dearest him that lives alas! away.
I am gall, I am heartburn. God's most deep decree
Bitter would have me taste: my taste was me;
Bones built in me, flesh filled, blood brimmed the curse.
Selfyeast of spirit a dull dough sours. I see
The lost are like this, and their scourge to be
As I am mine, their sweating selves; but worse.

At the end of the Book of Job, Job says, “I talked about things I did not understand, about marvels too great for me to know.” Through his dark night of the soul, he comes to understand that God is not who or what he had thought him to be. God is more than he had imagined or conceived. Human beings can know God but cannot know God fully because is always more than we can imagine or conceive. Every image or idea we have of God is inadequate because God is always more than any human definition. We can say, for example, that God is Father but to say that cannot fully define God as God can also be understood as Mother and as child and as Spirit (without gender). All these different things are true of God at one and the same time. So, God is both known to us and yet unknowable. In the dark night of the soul, all that we had thought we knew of God is taken away from us and we experience something of the mystery of God.

Summing all this up, what can we say? We need to be careful about the advice we offer to those who are suffering. In particular, not to assume that they have in some way brought their suffering on themselves. God said to Job’s friends, “you did not speak the truth about me, the way my servant Job did.” Then, to understand that we do not have to suffer in silence. To argue or complain to God actually brings us into a deeper relationship with him and is a valid part of prayer. Job says, “I still rebel and complain against God; I cannot keep from groaning.” Finally, we need to be prepared to have our understandings of God brought into question as he challenges us to engage with the mystery of who he is, the One who is always more than we can ever conceive or image. And so, like Job, we say “I talked about things I did not understand, about marvels too great for me to know.” May it be so for each one of us. Amen.

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William Cowper - God Moves In A Mysterious Way.

Windows on the world (476)

Colchester, 2024

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Mavis Staples - Build A Bridge.

 

Seen and Unseen: Paradise cottage: Milton reimagin’d

My latest article for Seen & Unseen is entitled 'Paradise cottage: Milton reimagin’d' and reviews the ways in which artist Richard Kenton Webb is conversing with the blind poet in his former home (Milton's Cottage, Chalfont St Giles):

'In Webb’s view, “Paradise Regain’d is about overcoming impossible situations” while, in Samson Agonistes, Milton’s Redeemer shows “Samson, the blind and foolish man”, “that we can always find hope in our living God even when society does not”. These poems moved Webb out of despair to discover hope because he knew they were heading towards redemption. As a result, he sees Milton as “a great English poet who gives hope, which in itself is a creative act for these difficult times”.'

For more on Webb's work, see my Church Times review of his 2023 exhibition at Benjamin Rhodes Arts by clicking here.

My first article for Seen and Unseen was 'Life is more important than art' which reviews the themes of recent art exhibitions that tackle life’s big questions and the roles creators take.

My second article 'Corinne Bailey Rae’s energised and anguished creative journey' explores inspirations in Detroit, Leeds and Ethiopia for Corinne Bailey Rae’s latest album, Black Rainbows, which is an atlas of capacious faith.

My third article was an interview with musician and priest Rev Simpkins in which we discussed how music is an expression of humanity and his faith.

My fourth article was a guide to the Christmas season’s art, past and present. Traditionally at this time of year “great art comes tumbling through your letterbox” so, in this article, I explore the historic and contemporary art of Christmas.

My fifth article was 'Finding the human amid the wreckage of migration'. In this article I interviewed Shezad Dawood about his multimedia Leviathan exhibition at Salisbury Cathedral where personal objects recovered from ocean depths tell a story of modern and ancient migrations.

My sixth article was 'The visionary artists finding heaven down here' in which I explored a tradition of visionary artists whose works shed light on the material and spiritual worlds.

My seventh article was 'How the incomer’s eye sees identity' in which I explain how curating an exhibition for Ben Uri Online gave me the chance to highlight synergies between ancient texts and current issues.

My eighth article was 'Infernal rebellion and the questions it asks' in which I interview the author Nicholas Papadopulos about his book The Infernal Word: Notes from a Rebel Angel.

My ninth article was 'A day, night and dawn with Nick Cave’s lyrics' in which I review Adam Steiner’s Darker With The Dawn — Nick Cave’s Songs Of Love And Death and explore whether Steiner's rappel into Cave’s art helps us understand its purpose.

My 10th article was 'Theresa Lola's poetical hope' about the death-haunted yet lyrical, joyful and moving poet for a new generation.

My 11th article was 'How to look at our world: Aaron Rosen interview', exploring themes from Rosen's book 'What Would Jesus See: Ways of Looking at a Disorienting World'.

My 12th article was 'Blake, imagination and the insight of God', exploring a new exhibition - 'William Blake's Universe at the Fitzwilliam Museum - which focuses on seekers of spiritual regeneration and national revival.

My 13th article 'Matthew Krishanu: painting childhood' was an interview with Matthew Krishanu on his exhibition 'The Bough Breaks' at Camden Art Centre.

My 14th article was entitled 'Art makes life worth living' and explored why society, and churches, need the Arts.

My 15th article was entitled 'The collective effervescence of sport's congregation' and explored some of the ways in which sport and religion have been intimately entwined throughout history

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John Milton - Paradise Lost.

Abundant, profligate, indiscriminate, and reckless love

Here's the sermon I shared at St Andrew's Wickford this morning:

The Royal Horticultural Society says that sowing seeds outdoors is very straight forward – just think of how many plants scatter their seeds and they grow where they land as soon as it is moist and warm. The secret to success when sowing seeds outside is to prepare a good seedbed, free of weeds and with a crumble-like soil-surface texture. Beds should be dug over in advance to allow time for the soil to settle. Cover the bed to suppress weeds then level the surface and create a crumble-like tilth picking off any remaining weeds and debris. Other problems to be addressed include pigeons and other birds which can be a pest.

Just as in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13. 1 – 23), the RHS guidance is that seeds are less likely to grow well where there are weeds, debris like rocks and stones, or where birds can eat the seeds. Seeds are likely to grow well in good, well-prepared soil. So far, so good; so far, so similar – the secrets of growing good crops were really no different in the time of Jesus from those of today. Given that as much was known then about sowing seeds as is known now, there is just one strange element to Jesus’ story and that is the fact that the sower deliberately sows seeds in the areas where seeds are less likely to grow, as well as in the prepared soil where the seeds are more likely to grow well. The sower is profligate with the seeds in a way that goes counter to the advice from the RHS which, as we have seen, is consonant with the understanding of sowing demonstrated by the parable. So why does the sower ignore good practice and deliberately sow seeds on the path, the rocky ground and among the thorn bushes? Does this strange aspect to the story tell us something significant about God?

The seed is the Word of the kingdom and the Word, John’s Gospel tells us, is Jesus himself. So, it is Jesus himself who is being scattered throughout the world as the seed being sown in this parable (perhaps in and through the Body of Christ, the Church). As the seed was sown indiscriminately, even recklessly, there was a breadth to what was going on here as the places that were known to be poor places for seed to grow were nevertheless given the opportunity for seeds to take root.

This suggests to us the indiscriminate and reckless nature of God’s love for all. It means that no part of our community or our world is off limits to Jesus or to us as the body of Christ. Within HeartEdge, the international, ecumenical movement for renewal within the broad church that has been initiated by St Martin-in-the-Fields and of which we are part, we express this in terms of churches seeking to be at the heart of their communities whilst also being with those who are on the margins or at the edge. By being at the heart and on the edge our mission and ministry will have something of the breadth with which the sower scatters the seed in this parable.

The sower scatters the seed indiscriminately because the life of Jesus can spring up and flourish anywhere. This means that the life of Christ grows outside the church as well as within it. As a result, our task as Christians is not simply to take the love of Christ to all parts of our community and world but also to be actively looking to see where the seed of Jesus is taking root, growing and bearing independently of anything that the church has done. Another of the key concepts for HeartEdge is that God is continually sending gifts to the church of people who we don’t expect or recognise as being Jesus. The renewal of the Church has not come from those already within it, so instead it is likely to come from those who are currently outside of or on the edge of Church.

There are many people and organisations of good will in our communities with which we, as churches, are not yet engaging who nevertheless are well disposed towards the Church and will give some form of support, if the right connection can be made.

There are also many people and organisations of good will in our communities with which we, as churches, are not yet engaging who nevertheless are acting in ways that bring Christ to others by giving food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked and visiting those in prison. We need to look for signs of God within our communities and then come alongside those people in solidarity and support for the ways in which they are bringing Christ to others.

The love of God as shown in the Gospels and in this parable is abundant, profligate, indiscriminate, and reckless. It is, as Jesus says elsewhere, pressed down, shaken together, poured out and overflowing. Jesus came to give us life in abundance, life in all its fullness, yet, within our churches we often operate with a mind-set of scarcity.

The church is getting smaller and becoming narrower. Those regularly attending worship are fewer. The church’s reputation and energy are becoming associated with initiatives that are introverted and often lack the full breadth of the gospel. In response we often focus on what our church doesn’t have, who isn’t there, and what problems it faces. In a deficit culture we begin with our hurts and our stereotypes, and find a hundred reasons why we can’t do things or certain kinds of people don’t belong. As churches we are often quick to attribute our plight to a hostile culture or an indifferent, distracted population or even a sinful generation; but much slower to recognise that our situation is significantly of our own making. In the imagery of this parable when we focus on our deficits, we are focusing on the path, the rocky ground and the thorn bushes.

By contrast, in HeartEdge, we believe that churches can do unbelievable things together by starting with one another’s assets, not our deficits. We believe churches and communities thrive when the gifts of all their members are released and they build one another’s assets. We are enough as local communities because God has given us what we need in each other. We also believe that God is giving the church everything it needs for the renewal of its life in the people who find themselves to be on the edge. Wisdom and faith are found in the places of exile and rejection. The rejected are to be sought out because they are the energy and the life-force that will transform us all. If you are looking for where the future church is coming from, look at what the church and society has so blithely rejected.

The life of the church is about constantly recognising the sin of how much we have rejected, and celebrating the grace that God gives us back what we once rejected to become the cornerstone of our lives. Thus is deficit turned to plenitude, threat turned to companionship, and fear turned to joy. This is the life of the kingdom. The life of the kingdom of God is found in recognising the abundance of the seed that is continually being sown. The life of the kingdom of God is found when we expect and look for the growth of that seed at the heart and on the edge, often in unanticipated ways, in surprising places and in unexpected people.

May we commit to being a people who live out of the abundance of God, rather than our scarcity, by beginning with our assets, not our deficits; both those within our church and those without. Amen.

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We Plough The Fields And Scatter.

Artlyst: Cedric Morris And Arthur Lett-Haines Gainsborough House

My latest exhibition review for Artlyst is on Revealing Nature: The Art of Cedric Morris and Lett-Haines at Gainsborough's House:

'‘Revealing Nature: The Art of Cedric Morris and Lett-Haines’ extends our appreciation of Morris and Lett considerably by foregrounding Lett’s work alongside that of the better-known Morris and by the range of Morris’ work shown. In doing so, our understanding of what drew so many artists to Benton End to be part of the East Anglian School of Art and Design is also enhanced.

Suffolk, more generally, provides additional opportunities to sample the work of artists linked to Benton End. I took the opportunity to visit several churches containing work by Rosemary Rutherford. Rutherford attended the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing, where she focused on flower paintings and landscapes. Although an excellent painter of religious scenes in addition to landscapes and flowers, she is best known for her stained-glass windows, striking examples of which can be found within reach of Sudbury at St Mary Boxford, St Mary the Virgin Walsham-le-Willows, and St Mary Hinderclay. The Memorial Window at Walsham-le-Williams has St Catherine surrounded by a vibrant array of flora and fauna, as Lett-Haines also sought to do in his work. In the same church is a marvellous depiction of Christ walking on the water among several impressionistically rendered Thames barges. As with some of Morris’s images, the lifting of darkness in this image could be a response to changes in their wartime experiences.'

Find out more about Rosemary Rutherford - here and here.

Interviews -

• Michael Petry Discusses In League With Devils with Revd Jonathan Evens
• Sean Scully A Humility Towards Nature
• Winslow Homer: American Passage An Interview With Biographer Bill Cross
• Grayson Perry Tapestries On Show At Salisbury Cathedral
• Sidney Nolan’s Africa: Interview With Andrew Turley
• Ilona Bossanyi: Tate’s Ervin Bossanyi Stained Glass Window Mothballed After 2011 Redevelopment
• Louis Carreon: Sampling Art History
• Modus Operandi - What Makes Successful Public Art: Vivien Lovell InterviewedGenesis Tramaine: A Queer Devotional Painter
• Lakwena Maciver: Review-Interview Hastings Contemporary
• Nicola Ravenscroft - Sculpture With A Peaceful Stillness
• Artist Hannah Rose Thomas – Tears of Gold – Interview
• Marcus Lyon: Human Atlas Explorations
• Elizabeth Kwant Interview
• Helaine Blumenfeld: Undulating Structures
• National Gallery Explores ‘Sin’ In New Exhibition – Interview Dr Joost Joustra Curator
• Betty Spackman: Posthumanism Debates
• Christopher Clack: Connecting The Material And Immaterial
• Peter Howson Artlyst Interview
• Marleen Hengelaar-Rookmaaker On The Legacy Of ArtWay
• Alastair Gordon A Testament To His Faith
• Katrina Moss Chaiya Art Awards Interview: Where is God in our 21st century world?
• Apocalypse Now: Michael Takeo Magruder Interviewed
• Jonathan Anderson: Religious Inspirations Behind Modernism
• Caravan – An Interview With Rev Paul Gordon Chandler On Arts Peacebuilding
• Art Awakening Humanity Alexander de Cadenet Interviewed
• Michael Pendry New Installation Lights Up St Martin In The Fields
• Mark Dean Projects Stations of the Cross Videos On Henry Moore Altar

Monthly diary articles -

• The Art Diary July 2024
• The Art Diary June 2024
• The Art Diary May 2024
• The Art Diary April 2024
• The Art Diary March 2024
• The Art Diary February 2024
• The Art Diary January 2024
• The Art Diary December 2023
• The Art Diary November 2023
• The Art Diary October 2023
• The Art Diary September 2023
• Jeremy Deller In Rennes And Brittany Post-Impressionism – August Diary
• The Art Diary July 2023
• The Art Diary June 2023
• The Art Diary May 2023
• The Art Diary April 2023
• The Art Diary March 2023
• The Art Diary February 2023
• Surveying New Exhibitions With A Spiritual Twist January 2023 Art Diary
• Christmas: The Art Of Faith December 2022 Diary
• Soulages And Strange Clay November 2022 Art Diary
• Alexander de Cadenet And Michael Forbes October 2022 Diary
• Spiritual Joseph Beuys Plus More: September Diary
• Holiday Snaps – End Of Summer Art Diary
• Art Search: August 2022 Diary
• Re-imagining Essex July 2022 Diary
• Art Illuminating spirituality June 2022 Diary
• Venice To London May 2022 Diary
• Jacob Epstein, Louis Carreon, Titus Kaphar, Betty Spackman – April 2022 Diary
• Audrey Flack Carlo Crivelli And Robert Indiana – March Diary
• My Art Diary And Other Thoughts February 2022
• And On An Art Note: End Of Year Diary 2021
• International Autumn Art Exhibition Reviews
• And On An Art Note: End Of Year Diary 2021

Articles/Reviews -

• Lunar Lullabies, David Lock and Concrete Dreams Three Shows To See At Firstsite
• Tate Expressionists Exhibition Reveals Spirituality and Past Gender Disparity
• The Last Caravaggio National Gallery
• Issam Kourbaj Kettle’s Yard And Heong Gallery Cambridge
• Li Yuan-chia And Friends Kettles Yard Cambridge
• Antony Gormley Explores Self Awareness White Cube Bermondsey
• Holbein: Politics Religion And Draughtsmanship – The Queen’s Gallery
• R B Kitaj And Philip Guston: Figurative Painting Celebrated
• Paula Rego And Lord Harries Respond To Art And Religion
• A World In Common: Contemporary African Photography Tate Modern
• Chris Ofili Exploring Sin At Victoria Miro
• Ai Weiwei - The Artist of Resistance - The Design Museum
• Saint Francis of Assisi A Timely Exhibition - National Gallery
• Why Critics Have A Problem With The Pre-Raphaelites?
• Religion and Spirituality in Post Impressionism National Gallery
• Black Artists From The American South Royal Academy
• Donatello: The Divine Fused With The Human V&A
• Lucian Freud And His Circle Surveyed In Two London Exhibitions
• A Question Of Clay: Strange Clay – Hayward Gallery
• William Kentridge: Merging Politics With Aesthetics – RA
• Winslow Homer: Beyond The Sea – National Gallery
• Hidden Depths: The Woman in the Window – Dulwich Picture Gallery
• Heavenly Visions: Churches As Spaces For Contemporary Art
• In The Black Fantastic London’s Best Summer Exhibition
• Hew Locke And The Christian Roots Of Carnival – Tate BritainLes Lalanne, Schütte And Gursky London Spring Exhibition Highlights
• Sensuous Sickert and Philpot Two Major UK Solo Exhibitions
• Raphael The Human And Divine – National Gallery
• Damien Hirst The Visceral Reality Of Death
• Ali Cherri: Artist in Residence National Gallery
• Surrealism Outside The Usual Story – Tate Modern
• Marcus Lyon Creates Fields of Vision At St Martin-in-the-Fields London
• Van Gogh Self Portraits The Infinite And The Ordinary
• Marvellous Icons: The London Jesuit Centre
• Albrecht Dürer Travels Of A Renaissance Artist – National Gallery London
• Diasporan Identities: Life Between Islands Caribbean British Art – Tate Britain
• Isamu Noguchi: Socially Engaged Art – Barbican Centre
• Pablo Bronstein: A This-World Vision Of Hell
• Bosco Sodi: In The Beginning Of Wisdom
• George Condo Lockdown Works Hauser & Wirth
• Theaster Gates Clay As A Profound Metaphor
• Mark Rothko: Mesmerising And Intimate Works On Paper
• Roger Cecil: A Once In A Generation Welsh Painter
• Tino Sehgal: Location, Nature And Pandemic – Blenheim Palace
• Michael Armitage And The Power Of Art – Royal Academy
• Marie Raymond And Post-War Avant Garde Painting In Paris
• Rachel Kneebone: A Complex Tableau Of Organic And Geometric Forms
• Rodin: Suffering And Conflict – Tate Modern
• Barbara Hepworth: Symbols Of Art & Life – Hepworth Wakefield
• 20th Century Women Artists Challenging Conventions In Britain
• Chaiya Art Awards 2021 Gallery OXO
• Marc Chagall’s Exquisite Stained Glass Window Commissions
• George Gittoes Equal parts artist and warrior
• Keith Haring: Personal Spiritual Imagery
• Sean Scully: Philosophical Poetic Pastoral The 12 / Dark Windows
• Arthur Jafa: The Art Of Cutting And Pasting
• Blackpentecostal Breath: Spirit-Led Movement Jumps From Music To Visual Art
• Made in USA Ed Ruscha An American Perspective
• Robert Smithson: The Archetypal Nature Of Things
• If Jesus Is A Man Of Colour Why Did We Make Him Aryan?
• Cosmic Patches And Quilts Five Exhibitions
• Everyday Heroes: Southbank Exhibition Celebrates Low-paid Key Workers
• Entwining Spiritualism And Art – Three Shows
• Of Church And The Visual Arts
• Has The Word Master Reached Its Sell-By Date?
• The People Behind Community Is Kindness Billboard Campaign
• André Daughtry: Art, Rebellion And Racial Justice
• Salisbury Cathedral 800 Years Of Art And Spirit
• Home Alone Together Twenty Five Artists
• Botanical Mind Online: Art, Mysticism and the Cosmic Tree
• Salvador Dalí The Enigma of Faith
• Art And Faith A Time For Seeing
• Andy Warhol: Catholicism His Work, Faith And Legacy
• Kiki Smith: Embodied Art
• Art and Christianity Awards A Positive New Millennium Legacy
• Arnulf Rainer: 90th Birthday Exhibition Celebrated At Albertina Museum
• A Belonging Project And Exiles Loss and Displacement
• Robert Polidori: Fra Angelico Opus Operantis
• Art, Faith, Church Patronage and Modernity
• Contemplating the Spiritual in Contemporary Art
• Mat Collishaw Challenges Faith Perspectives With Ushaw Installation
• Waterloo Festival Launches At St. John’s Waterloo
• John Bellany Alan Davie Spiritual Joy and Magic
• RIFT Unites 17 Art and Science MA Graduates At Central St Martins
• Visionary Cities: Michael Takeo Magruder – British Library
• Van Gogh’s Religious Journey Around London
• William Congdon Holy Sites And The Kettle’s Yard Connection
• Mark Dean Premieres Pastiche Mass At Banqueting Hall Chelsea College of Arts
• John Kirby: The Torment
• Underlying The Civilised Facade
• Curating Spiritual Sensibilities In Changing Times
• Homeless Highlighted: New Beau Exhibition At St Martin-in-the-Fields
• Ken Currie: Protest Defeat And Victory
• Bosco Sodi: A Moment Of Genesis
• Bill Viola And The Art Of Contemplation
• Art In Churches 2018: Spiritual Combinations Explored
• Sister Wendy Beckett – A Reminiscence
• Guido Guidi: Per Strada Flowers Gallery London
• Peter Howson: The play is over – Flowers Gallery
• Camille Henrot: Scientific History And Creation Story Mash Up
• Nicola Green Explores Recent And Contemporary Religious Leaders – St Martin-in-the-Fields
• Art And The Consequences Of War Explored In Two Exhibitions
• Helaine Blumenfeld Translating Her Vision
• Sam Ivin: Physically Scratched Portraits Of Asylum Seekers Exhibited
• Sacred Noise: Explores Religion, Faith And Divinity
• Bill Viola: Quiet Contemplative Video Installation St Cuthbert’s Church Edinburgh
• The ground-breaking work of Sister Corita Kent
• Picasso To Souza: The Crucifixion Imagery Rarely Exhibited
• Michael Takeo Magruder: De / coding the Apocalypse – Panacea Museum
• Giorgio Griffa: The Golden Ratio And Inexplicable Knowledge
• Arabella Dorman Unveils New Installation At St James Church Piccadilly
• Can Art Transform Society?
• Art Awakening Humanity Conference Report
• Central St Martins in the Fields Design Then And Now
• The Sacramental And Liturgical Nature Of Conceptual Art
• Polish Art In Britain: Centenary Marked At London’s Ben Uri Gallery
• Refugee Artists: Learning from The Lives Of Others
• The Religious Impulses Of Robert Rauschenberg
• The Christian Science Connection Within The British Modern Art Movement
• Artists Rebranding The Christmas Tree Tradition
• Art Impacted - A Radical Response To Radicalisation
• The Art of St Martin-in-the-Fields
• Was Caravaggio A Good Christian?

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Karen Peris - Flowers.

Seen and Unseen: The collective effervescence of sport’s congregation

My latest article for Seen & Unseen is entitled 'The collective effervescence of sport's congregation' and explores some of the ways in which sport and religion have been intimately entwined throughout history:

'[Dr. Mark] Doidge notes that “Regular congregation at a sacred space to perform collective rituals creates a ‘collective effervescence’ where the individuals become a community and identify themselves as such”. He also notes the similarities with sport which provides a “way of understanding who we are - who we socialise with, how we see other people, and the ways in which we interact with others” – and which is, like life, “about rivalries and competition, solidarity and teamwork, division, and unity”.

 
These similarities can lead some to privilege sport over religion but Doidge argues that sport “should recognise that religion is a key part of many people’s identity and sense of self, and work hard to be inclusive for all”.'

My first article for Seen and Unseen was 'Life is more important than art' which reviews the themes of recent art exhibitions that tackle life’s big questions and the roles creators take.

My second article 'Corinne Bailey Rae’s energised and anguished creative journey' explores inspirations in Detroit, Leeds and Ethiopia for Corinne Bailey Rae’s latest album, Black Rainbows, which is an atlas of capacious faith.

My third article was an interview with musician and priest Rev Simpkins in which we discussed how music is an expression of humanity and his faith.

My fourth article was a guide to the Christmas season’s art, past and present. Traditionally at this time of year “great art comes tumbling through your letterbox” so, in this article, I explore the historic and contemporary art of Christmas.

My fifth article was 'Finding the human amid the wreckage of migration'. In this article I interviewed Shezad Dawood about his multimedia Leviathan exhibition at Salisbury Cathedral where personal objects recovered from ocean depths tell a story of modern and ancient migrations.

My sixth article was 'The visionary artists finding heaven down here' in which I explored a tradition of visionary artists whose works shed light on the material and spiritual worlds.

My seventh article was 'How the incomer’s eye sees identity' in which I explain how curating an exhibition for Ben Uri Online gave me the chance to highlight synergies between ancient texts and current issues.

My eighth article was 'Infernal rebellion and the questions it asks' in which I interview the author Nicholas Papadopulos about his book The Infernal Word: Notes from a Rebel Angel.

My ninth article was 'A day, night and dawn with Nick Cave’s lyrics' in which I review Adam Steiner’s Darker With The Dawn — Nick Cave’s Songs Of Love And Death and explore whether Steiner's rappel into Cave’s art helps us understand its purpose.

My 10th article was 'Theresa Lola's poetical hope' about the death-haunted yet lyrical, joyful and moving poet for a new generation.

My 11th article was 'How to look at our world: Aaron Rosen interview', exploring themes from Rosen's book 'What Would Jesus See: Ways of Looking at a Disorienting World'.

My 12th article was 'Blake, imagination and the insight of God', exploring a new exhibition - 'William Blake's Universe at the Fitzwilliam Museum - which focuses on seekers of spiritual regeneration and national revival.

My 13th article 'Matthew Krishanu: painting childhood' was an interview with Matthew Krishanu on his exhibition 'The Bough Breaks' at Camden Art Centre.

My 14th article was entitled 'Art makes life worth living' and explored why society, and churches, need the Arts.

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New Order - World In Motion.

Artworks in the Diocese of Chelmsford

My latest article for Church Times is about the artist Enid Chadwick, whose painting 'The Baptism of Christ' hangs in St Mary's Runwell. There are many interesting artworks to be found in the Diocese of Chelmsford; a fact I have been involved in highlighting previously through art trails in the Barking Episcopal Area - see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. Most recently, I have included a listing of artworks to be found in the Basildon Deanery here and the Wickford and Runwell Team Ministry here and here. See also my post about artists in Broomfield - here.

On the back of these and other sources of information, here is a partial listing of artists with work which can be found in churches within the Diocese of Chelmsford:

• Mark Angus: St Mary the Virgin Maldon.
• G.F.Bodley: St John the Baptist Epping.
• John Bridgeman: St Bartholomew East Ham.
• Sarah Burgess: St Edmund Chingford.
• Edward Burne-Jones: Ilford Hospital Chapel, St Lawrence Bradfield.
• William Butterfield: St Catherine Wickford.
• W.D. Caroe: St Barnabas Walthamstow.
• Sir Hugh Casson: St Andrew Greensted-Juxta-Ongar.
• Mark Cazalet: Chelmsford Cathedral; St Alban Romford.
• Enid Chadwick: St Mary Runwell.
• Fyffe Christie: St Margaret Stanford Rivers.
• Margaret Chilton: St Andrew Leytonstone.
• Clayton & Bell: St Barnabas Walthamstow.
• Stanley Clifford-Smith, St John the Baptist with Our Lady and St Laurence Thaxted
• John Coleman: St Andrew Romford.
• Ninian Comper: St Barnabas Little Ilford.
• John Constable: St Mary Dedham.
• Samuel Cooper: St Augustine of Canterbury Birdbrook
• Anne Creasey: Christ Church Thamsview.
• Robert Crutchley: St Michael and All Angels Manor Park.
• Hilary Davies: St Andrew Leytonstone.
• Lewis Davies: St Andrew Leytonstone.
• Louis B. Davis: St John Seven Kings.
• Georg Ehrlich: Chelmsford Cathedral.
• Peter Eugene-Ball: Chelmsford Cathedral; St Alban Romford.
• Leonard Evetts: St Paul Goodmayes.
• Faith-Craft Works: St Barnabas Walthamstow; St Paul Goodmayes.
• Eric Gill: St Barnabas Walthamstow.
• Angela Godfrey: St Peter-Ad-Vincula Royden.
• David Griffiths: St Andrew Ilford.
• Hans Feibusch: St Martin Dagenham.
• David Folley: St Andrew Wickford.
• Anthony Foster: St Peter Aldborough Hatch.
• Peter Foster: St Martin of Tours Basildon.
• Wilfrid Gabriel de Glehn: St Michael Theydon Mount.
• Charles Gurrey: St Alban Romford; St Barnabas Walthamstow.
• John Hardman: St Lawrence Bradfield.
• Charles Hare: St John the Baptist Epping.
• John Hayward: St Peter-Ad-Vincula Royden.
• Henningham Family Press: St Peter Harold Wood.
• Gwynneth Holt: All Saints Stock; St Andrew Hornchurch; St Margaret of Antioch Downham; St Mary Broomfield.
• Derek Hunt: St John Seven Kings, St Peter and St Thomas Stambourne.
• John Hutton: Chelmsford Cathedral; St Erkenwald Barking; St George Gants Hill.
• Thomas Bayliss Huxley-Jones: Chelmsford Cathedral; St Martin of Tours Basildon; St Peter Aldborough Hatch.
• George Jack: St Margaret Barking.
• C.E. Kempe & Co. Ltd: St James Nayland; St John the Baptist Epping; St John Seven Kings.
• Mark Lewis: St Margaret of Antioch Ilford.
• Alison McCaffrey: St Edward Romford.
• Morris & Co.: Holy Cross Hornchurch; St Paul Goodmayes.
• Nicholas Mynheer: St Bartholomew East Ham.
• Kjellaug Nordsjö: Diocesan Retreat House Pleshey; St Margaret Barking.
• Joseph Nuttgens: St Martin of Tour Basildon.
• John Piper: St Paul Harlow.
• John Pitt: St Alban Romford.
• Hugh Powell: Little Horkesley, Essex
• Jane Quail: St Paul East Ham; St Paul Goodmayes.
• Patrick Reyntiens: St Alban Romford.
• Caroline Richardson: Church of the Good Shepherd Collier Row; St Luke’s Chapel Queen’s Hospital Romford; St Peter Harold Wood.
• Richard Richardson: St Peter-Ad-Vincula Royden.
• Zdzislaw Ruszkowski: St Peter Harlow.
• Rosemary Rutherford: St Edmund Tendring; St Lawrence Bradfield; St Mary Broomfield; St Paul Clacton-on-Sea; St Peter Nevenden.
• Jamie Sargeant: St Alban Romford.
• Henry Shelton: All Saints Goodmayes; All Saints Hutton; St Barnabas Walthamstow; St Luke’s Chapel Queen’s Hospital Romford; St Paul Goodmayes.
• F.W. Skeat: St Margaret Stanford Rivers.
• Charles Smith: St Barnabas Walthamstow.
• Peter S. Smith: St John Leytonstone.
• Francis Stephens: Church of the Holy Innocents, High Beach; St Martin Chipping Ongar; St Peter-on-the-Wall Bradwell.
• Alan Stewart: St Margaret Barking.
• Steven Sykes: Holy Trinity & St Augustine of Hippo Leytonstone.
• Josephina de Vasconcellos: St John the Baptist Epping.
• Leonard Walker: St Martin Chipping Ongar.
• Peter Webb: St Mary Woodford.
• A.Wyatt: St Peter Aldborough Hatch.
• Alan Younger: St Andrew Leytonstone; St Mary Woodford; St Paul Woodford Bridge.

I'm looking to extend the list in order to make it more comprehensive, so do let me know of any artists or locations that are missing. 

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Joy Williams - One Day I Will.