London, 2025
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kaiser Chiefs - Ruby.
Sunday, 16 November 2025
Signs of the coming kingdom
Here's the sermon that I shared at St Catherine’s Wickford and St Gabeiel’s Pitsea this morning:
How many of the early signs of Christmas have you spotted? They begin in the shops with displays of Christmas gifts from early autumn while, at work, the Christmas meal or party is being booked. Into November, and the displays of Christmas decorations and foods begin appearing. Then the Christmas displays in shop windows go up and the Christmas lights are put up in Town Centres. Before long the first Christmas decorations go up in a home near you triggering the annual competition to see who can cover their house in the most lights or have the largest illuminated Snowman. Bets begin to be taken on whether we will have a white Christmas and you are given the name of a colleague to buy a Secret Santa present for. Before you know it there are children on your doorstep singing the one carol that they know and people start saying there only X number of days to go. These are some of the signs that Christmas is coming and we all recognise them, probably with dread!
In our gospel reading today (Luke 21. 5 – 9) Jesus told his disciples to watch out for the signs of their times. He wanted them to watch out for what God was doing in their world and it was of vital importance for them because it spelled disaster for Jerusalem as well as vindicating all that Jesus had said and done.
Jesus had told his disciples, the crowds following him and the religious leaders that the Temple in Jerusalem would be destroyed because the people of Israel had not fulfilled God’s plan for their lives. The kind of place that Jerusalem should have become had been set out in Isaiah 2; a place that all nations could come to to hear from God:
“Many nations will come streaming to it, and their people will say,
‘Let us go to up the hill of the Lord, to the Temple of Israel’s God.
He will teach us what he wants us to do;
we will walk in the paths he has chosen.
For the Lord’s teaching comes from Jerusalem;
from Zion he speaks to his people.”
Instead of that vision happening, the Temple had become a symbol of Jewish identity with all sorts of people excluded from worship at the Temple unless they conformed to the detailed requirements of the Mosaic Law. The Temple and the worship in it was actually preventing the free access to God’s word that God wanted to see for people of all nations. Therefore, Jesus prophesied that the Temple would be destroyed and told his disciples that they had to watch out and be ready for when this disaster would come about.
They had to be watchful and ready because Jesus did not tell them when this would happen, only that it was going to occur. They had to be watchful and ready because this act would vindicate Jesus; would be the final sign that in Jesus God had been acting to defeat evil and bring in his kingdom and rule. To those people who had not encountered the risen Christ, Jesus of Nazareth looked like just another failed would-be Messiah who had died a shameful death. The destruction of the Temple, however, would be the sign that Jesus had been right and that what he had said was true.
Tom Wright, a former Bishop of Durham has said that when they saw this sign, the vindication of Jesus, for themselves, they knew they were to get on with the task of implementing what Jesus had achieved. Jesus believed “that Israel functioned to the rest of the world as the hinge to the door” so “he envisaged his followers becoming … Isaianic heralds, lights to the world.”
As Christ’s followers today, we inherit that task of putting into practice what Jesus has achieved through his life, death and resurrection. We are the people today who are called to work towards that Isaianic vision of nations streaming to learn what Israel’s God wants them to do, settling disputes among the great nations, hammering swords into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks, and never again preparing to go to war.
How can we do that? Well, here is a story of a father and a rock band who have tried to do just that:
“Gordon Wilson held his daughter’s hand as they lay trapped beneath a mountain of rubble. It was 1987, and he and Marie had been attending a peaceful memorial service in Enniskillen, when a terrorist bomb went off. By the end of the day, Marie and nine other civilians were dead, and sixty-three had been hospitalized for injuries.
Amazingly, Gordon refused to retaliate … He knew that the terrorists who took his daughter’s life were anything but remorseful, and he maintained that they should be punished and imprisoned … [but] he refused to take revenge.
How many of the early signs of Christmas have you spotted? They begin in the shops with displays of Christmas gifts from early autumn while, at work, the Christmas meal or party is being booked. Into November, and the displays of Christmas decorations and foods begin appearing. Then the Christmas displays in shop windows go up and the Christmas lights are put up in Town Centres. Before long the first Christmas decorations go up in a home near you triggering the annual competition to see who can cover their house in the most lights or have the largest illuminated Snowman. Bets begin to be taken on whether we will have a white Christmas and you are given the name of a colleague to buy a Secret Santa present for. Before you know it there are children on your doorstep singing the one carol that they know and people start saying there only X number of days to go. These are some of the signs that Christmas is coming and we all recognise them, probably with dread!
In our gospel reading today (Luke 21. 5 – 9) Jesus told his disciples to watch out for the signs of their times. He wanted them to watch out for what God was doing in their world and it was of vital importance for them because it spelled disaster for Jerusalem as well as vindicating all that Jesus had said and done.
Jesus had told his disciples, the crowds following him and the religious leaders that the Temple in Jerusalem would be destroyed because the people of Israel had not fulfilled God’s plan for their lives. The kind of place that Jerusalem should have become had been set out in Isaiah 2; a place that all nations could come to to hear from God:
“Many nations will come streaming to it, and their people will say,
‘Let us go to up the hill of the Lord, to the Temple of Israel’s God.
He will teach us what he wants us to do;
we will walk in the paths he has chosen.
For the Lord’s teaching comes from Jerusalem;
from Zion he speaks to his people.”
Instead of that vision happening, the Temple had become a symbol of Jewish identity with all sorts of people excluded from worship at the Temple unless they conformed to the detailed requirements of the Mosaic Law. The Temple and the worship in it was actually preventing the free access to God’s word that God wanted to see for people of all nations. Therefore, Jesus prophesied that the Temple would be destroyed and told his disciples that they had to watch out and be ready for when this disaster would come about.
They had to be watchful and ready because Jesus did not tell them when this would happen, only that it was going to occur. They had to be watchful and ready because this act would vindicate Jesus; would be the final sign that in Jesus God had been acting to defeat evil and bring in his kingdom and rule. To those people who had not encountered the risen Christ, Jesus of Nazareth looked like just another failed would-be Messiah who had died a shameful death. The destruction of the Temple, however, would be the sign that Jesus had been right and that what he had said was true.
Tom Wright, a former Bishop of Durham has said that when they saw this sign, the vindication of Jesus, for themselves, they knew they were to get on with the task of implementing what Jesus had achieved. Jesus believed “that Israel functioned to the rest of the world as the hinge to the door” so “he envisaged his followers becoming … Isaianic heralds, lights to the world.”
As Christ’s followers today, we inherit that task of putting into practice what Jesus has achieved through his life, death and resurrection. We are the people today who are called to work towards that Isaianic vision of nations streaming to learn what Israel’s God wants them to do, settling disputes among the great nations, hammering swords into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks, and never again preparing to go to war.
How can we do that? Well, here is a story of a father and a rock band who have tried to do just that:
“Gordon Wilson held his daughter’s hand as they lay trapped beneath a mountain of rubble. It was 1987, and he and Marie had been attending a peaceful memorial service in Enniskillen, when a terrorist bomb went off. By the end of the day, Marie and nine other civilians were dead, and sixty-three had been hospitalized for injuries.
Amazingly, Gordon refused to retaliate … He knew that the terrorists who took his daughter’s life were anything but remorseful, and he maintained that they should be punished and imprisoned … [but] he refused to take revenge.
‘Those who have to account for this deed will have to face a judgement of God, which is way beyond [my] forgiveness,’ he said. ‘It would be wrong for me to give any impression that gunmen and bombers should be allowed to walk the streets freely. But … whether or not they are judged here on earth by a court of law … I do my very best in human terms to show forgiveness … The last word rests with God.”
On the evening of the Enniskillen bombing, in Denver, Colorado, the Irish band U2 and playing a gig on their world tour. Their lead singer Bono asks, “Where’s the glory in bombing a remembrance day parade of old age pensioners, their medals taken out and polished up for the day? Where’s the glory in that? To leave them dying, or crippled for life, or dead, under the rubble of the revolution that the majority of the people in my country don't want.” And he leads the crowd in a shout of “NO MORE!” before launching into the song Sunday Bloody Sunday. This is a song which ends:
“The real battle just begun
To claim the victory Jesus won
On a Sunday bloody Sunday …”
Eleven years later, in 1998, U2 are playing another concert. This time it is in Belfast and it is a concert to draw support for the national vote on the Good Friday/Northern Ireland Peace Agreement four days later. In the concert, Bono is able to bring on stage David Trimble and John Hume, leaders of the traditionally opposing Ulster Unionist Party and Social Democratic and Labour Party, respectively. The political leaders stand on each side of Bono as he raises their arms together in a show of unity. Four days later, the Peace Agreement is approved overwhelmingly by voters in both the North and South.
We all know that there are still many difficulties in living with the legacy of terrorism in Ireland and of making and keeping peace. But these are two stories of Christians in very different situations who have been looking out for God at work in their world, looking for the signs of peace, and seeking to claim the victory that Jesus won.
Although we have waited two thousand years for the coming of God’s kingdom in full, there have always been clear signs of that coming kingdom throughout the years in the lives of committed Christians like Gordon Wilson and U2. Our job is to join them in being watchful and alert to the signs of God at work in our world and in implementing what Jesus has achieved, claiming the victory that Jesus won on a Sunday Bloody Sunday. May it be so for each one of us. Amen.
On the evening of the Enniskillen bombing, in Denver, Colorado, the Irish band U2 and playing a gig on their world tour. Their lead singer Bono asks, “Where’s the glory in bombing a remembrance day parade of old age pensioners, their medals taken out and polished up for the day? Where’s the glory in that? To leave them dying, or crippled for life, or dead, under the rubble of the revolution that the majority of the people in my country don't want.” And he leads the crowd in a shout of “NO MORE!” before launching into the song Sunday Bloody Sunday. This is a song which ends:
“The real battle just begun
To claim the victory Jesus won
On a Sunday bloody Sunday …”
Eleven years later, in 1998, U2 are playing another concert. This time it is in Belfast and it is a concert to draw support for the national vote on the Good Friday/Northern Ireland Peace Agreement four days later. In the concert, Bono is able to bring on stage David Trimble and John Hume, leaders of the traditionally opposing Ulster Unionist Party and Social Democratic and Labour Party, respectively. The political leaders stand on each side of Bono as he raises their arms together in a show of unity. Four days later, the Peace Agreement is approved overwhelmingly by voters in both the North and South.
We all know that there are still many difficulties in living with the legacy of terrorism in Ireland and of making and keeping peace. But these are two stories of Christians in very different situations who have been looking out for God at work in their world, looking for the signs of peace, and seeking to claim the victory that Jesus won.
Although we have waited two thousand years for the coming of God’s kingdom in full, there have always been clear signs of that coming kingdom throughout the years in the lives of committed Christians like Gordon Wilson and U2. Our job is to join them in being watchful and alert to the signs of God at work in our world and in implementing what Jesus has achieved, claiming the victory that Jesus won on a Sunday Bloody Sunday. May it be so for each one of us. Amen.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
U2 - Sunday Bloody Sunday.
Tuesday, 11 November 2025
In the silence we begin to assemble a dream of a new world out of the rubble of the old
Here's the reflection I shared during this morning's Armistice Day Service held at St Catherine's Wickford:
On the original Armistice Day, November 11, 1918, a profound and immediate silence fell across the battlefields of the Western Front at exactly 11:00 a.m., the moment the armistice officially came into effect.
This was the first time in more than four years that the continuous sound of warfare ceased in that region. The armistice had been signed by Allied and German representatives in a railway carriage in the Forest of Compiègne, France, at 5:00 a.m., but fighting was ordered to continue until the appointed hour of 11:00 a.m..
For the soldiers at the front, the transition was abrupt and eerie:
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BSLQ7wCpc/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwisj9WqWc0
The singer-songwriter Judee Sill sings:
‘Every way beauty is slain, it's seen
Though no word is uttered, a grave silence rings
Underfoot innocents on the scene
With humble hearts shudder, assembling a dream
And in each one a manger is seen
Where the dark, by the spark, is redeemed’ (‘Til Dreams Come True’)
It is in silence, unannounced and on the edge, that the gospel finds the soil to take root and begin to grow in real lives. We begin to assemble a dream of a new world out of the rubble of the old not with explanation or information, but by sharing silence – opening up before one another and before God, our unknowing.
In silence, we become aware of our own noise, movement, and conflicts, being enabled to lay those things aside, while also encountering the peace into which God longs to draw us.
We are formed by this silence. As we enter into silence, we place ourselves in the presence of Christ. We create the place and space for a deeper listening to God, the longings of our own souls and a deep compassion for the world.
In silence we make our home with God. We are spiritually and physically turning to Christ and allowing the preoccupations of self to get out of the way so we can allow Christ to dwell at our very centre. Silence is that which allows room for the gift of self and for the gift of Christ to fill that space. The soul empties itself of all its own contents in order to receive the gift of humanity and divinity.
May we use the silence in this service to receive that gift and begin to assemble a dream of a new world out of the rubble, devastation and noise of war. Amen.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the original Armistice Day, November 11, 1918, a profound and immediate silence fell across the battlefields of the Western Front at exactly 11:00 a.m., the moment the armistice officially came into effect.
This was the first time in more than four years that the continuous sound of warfare ceased in that region. The armistice had been signed by Allied and German representatives in a railway carriage in the Forest of Compiègne, France, at 5:00 a.m., but fighting was ordered to continue until the appointed hour of 11:00 a.m..
For the soldiers at the front, the transition was abrupt and eerie:
- A sudden cessation of noise: The relentless "cough" and "fume" of artillery and the rattle of machine guns stopped instantly.
- Mixed emotions: There was little immediate celebration; the dominant feelings were a combination of relief, disbelief, and a profound sense of emptiness after 52 exhausting months of war.
- The sound of peace: One of the most noted aspects of the immediate aftermath was the sudden audibility of nature, such as a bird singing, a sound completely drowned out by the constant barrage moments before.
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BSLQ7wCpc/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwisj9WqWc0
The singer-songwriter Judee Sill sings:
‘Every way beauty is slain, it's seen
Though no word is uttered, a grave silence rings
Underfoot innocents on the scene
With humble hearts shudder, assembling a dream
And in each one a manger is seen
Where the dark, by the spark, is redeemed’ (‘Til Dreams Come True’)
It is in silence, unannounced and on the edge, that the gospel finds the soil to take root and begin to grow in real lives. We begin to assemble a dream of a new world out of the rubble of the old not with explanation or information, but by sharing silence – opening up before one another and before God, our unknowing.
In silence, we become aware of our own noise, movement, and conflicts, being enabled to lay those things aside, while also encountering the peace into which God longs to draw us.
We are formed by this silence. As we enter into silence, we place ourselves in the presence of Christ. We create the place and space for a deeper listening to God, the longings of our own souls and a deep compassion for the world.
In silence we make our home with God. We are spiritually and physically turning to Christ and allowing the preoccupations of self to get out of the way so we can allow Christ to dwell at our very centre. Silence is that which allows room for the gift of self and for the gift of Christ to fill that space. The soul empties itself of all its own contents in order to receive the gift of humanity and divinity.
May we use the silence in this service to receive that gift and begin to assemble a dream of a new world out of the rubble, devastation and noise of war. Amen.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Judee Sill - Til Dreams Come True.
Seen and Unseen - The dot and the dash: modern art’s quiet search for deeper meaning
My latest article for Seen and Unseen is 'The dot and the dash: modern art’s quiet search for deeper meaning' in which I argue that Neo-Impressionism meets mysticism in a quietly radical exhibition at the National Gallery:
'Enabling such contemplation was the aim of these three and this exhibition reveals how and why they followed that aim. In doing so, the exhibition reveals more to us about the connections found and made between art and spirituality early on in the development of modern art. These are connections which have been overlooked in earlier discussions and presentations of Neo-Impressionism but which are being helpful and rightly rediscovered and represented in the present.
Visit this exhibition to gain that understanding but also to take the opportunity, as Bremmer, Kröller-Müller and Van de Velde desired, to meditate in silence ‘to inscribe the mysterious Meaning’ of the works you will see.'
'Enabling such contemplation was the aim of these three and this exhibition reveals how and why they followed that aim. In doing so, the exhibition reveals more to us about the connections found and made between art and spirituality early on in the development of modern art. These are connections which have been overlooked in earlier discussions and presentations of Neo-Impressionism but which are being helpful and rightly rediscovered and represented in the present.
Visit this exhibition to gain that understanding but also to take the opportunity, as Bremmer, Kröller-Müller and Van de Velde desired, to meditate in silence ‘to inscribe the mysterious Meaning’ of the works you will see.'
For more on Vincent van Gogh see here and here, on Jan Toorop see here, on Post-Impressionism see here and here, and on Symbolism see 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
My 16th article was entitled 'Paradise cottage: Milton reimagin’d' and reviewed the ways in which artist Richard Kenton Webb is conversing with the blind poet in his former home (Milton's Cottage, Chalfont St Giles).
My 17th article was entitled 'Controversial art: how can the critic love their neighbour?'. It makes suggestions of what to do when confronted with contentious culture.
My 18th article was an interview entitled 'Art, AI and apocalypse: Michael Takeo Magruder addresses our fears and questions'. In the interview the digital artist talks about the possibilities and challenges of artificial intelligence.
My 19th article was entitled 'Dark, sweet and subtle: recovered music orientates us'. In the article I highlight alt-folk music seeking inspiration from forgotten hymns.
My 20th article was entitled 'Revisiting Amazing Grace inspires new songs'. In the article I highlight folk musicians capturing both the barbaric and the beautiful in the hymn Amazing Grace and Christianity's entanglement with the transatlantic slave trade more generally.
My 21st article was entitled 'James MacMillan’s music of tranquility and discord'. In the article I noted that the composer’s music contends both the secular and sacred.
My 22nd article was a book review on Nobody's Empire by Stuart Murdoch. 'Nobody's Empire: A Novel is the fictionalised account of how ... Murdoch, lead singer of indie band Belle and Sebastian, transfigured his experience of Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME) through faith and music.'
My 23rd article was entitled 'Rock ‘n’ roll’s long dance with religion'. The article explores how popular music conjures sacred space.
My 24th article was an interview with Alastair Gordon on the artist’s attention which explores why the overlooked and everyday capture the creative gaze.
My 25th article was about Stanley Spencer’s seen and unseen world and the artist’s child-like sense of wonder as he saw heaven everywhere.
My 26th article was entitled 'The biblical undercurrent that the Bob Dylan biopics missed' and in it I argue that the best of Dylan’s work is a contemporary Pilgrim, Dante or Rimbaud on a compassionate journey.
My 27th article was entitled 'Heading Home: a pilgrimage that breaks out beauty along the way' and focuses on a film called 'Heading Home' which explores how we can learn a new language together as we travel.
My 28th article was entitled 'Annie Caldwell: “My family is my band”' and showcased a force of nature voice that comes from the soul.
My 29th article was entitled 'Why sculpt the face of Christ?' and explored how, in Nic Fiddian Green’s work, we feel pain, strength, fear and wisdom.
My 30th article was entitled 'How Mumford and friends explore life's instability' and explored how Mumford and Sons, together with similar bands, commune on fallibility, fear, grace, and love.
My 31st article was entitled 'The late Pope Francis was right – Antoni Gaudi truly was God’s architect' and explored how sanctity can indeed be found amongst scaffolding, as Gaudi’s Barcelona beauties amply demonstrate.
My 32nd article was entitled 'This gallery refresh adds drama to the story of art' and explored how rehanging the Sainsbury Wing at the National Gallery revives the emotion of great art.
My 33rd article was an interview with Jonathan A. Anderson about the themes of his latest book 'The Invisibility of Religion in Contemporary Art'.
My 34th article was an interview with 'Emily Young: the sculptor listening as the still stones speak'.
My 35th article was a profile of New York's expressionist devotional artist, 'Genesis Tramaine: the painter whose faces catch the spirit'.
My 36th article was a concert review of Natalie Bergman at Union Chapel - a soul-soaked set turned personal tragedy into communal celebration.
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
My 16th article was entitled 'Paradise cottage: Milton reimagin’d' and reviewed the ways in which artist Richard Kenton Webb is conversing with the blind poet in his former home (Milton's Cottage, Chalfont St Giles).
My 17th article was entitled 'Controversial art: how can the critic love their neighbour?'. It makes suggestions of what to do when confronted with contentious culture.
My 18th article was an interview entitled 'Art, AI and apocalypse: Michael Takeo Magruder addresses our fears and questions'. In the interview the digital artist talks about the possibilities and challenges of artificial intelligence.
My 19th article was entitled 'Dark, sweet and subtle: recovered music orientates us'. In the article I highlight alt-folk music seeking inspiration from forgotten hymns.
My 20th article was entitled 'Revisiting Amazing Grace inspires new songs'. In the article I highlight folk musicians capturing both the barbaric and the beautiful in the hymn Amazing Grace and Christianity's entanglement with the transatlantic slave trade more generally.
My 21st article was entitled 'James MacMillan’s music of tranquility and discord'. In the article I noted that the composer’s music contends both the secular and sacred.
My 22nd article was a book review on Nobody's Empire by Stuart Murdoch. 'Nobody's Empire: A Novel is the fictionalised account of how ... Murdoch, lead singer of indie band Belle and Sebastian, transfigured his experience of Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME) through faith and music.'
My 23rd article was entitled 'Rock ‘n’ roll’s long dance with religion'. The article explores how popular music conjures sacred space.
My 24th article was an interview with Alastair Gordon on the artist’s attention which explores why the overlooked and everyday capture the creative gaze.
My 25th article was about Stanley Spencer’s seen and unseen world and the artist’s child-like sense of wonder as he saw heaven everywhere.
My 26th article was entitled 'The biblical undercurrent that the Bob Dylan biopics missed' and in it I argue that the best of Dylan’s work is a contemporary Pilgrim, Dante or Rimbaud on a compassionate journey.
My 27th article was entitled 'Heading Home: a pilgrimage that breaks out beauty along the way' and focuses on a film called 'Heading Home' which explores how we can learn a new language together as we travel.
My 28th article was entitled 'Annie Caldwell: “My family is my band”' and showcased a force of nature voice that comes from the soul.
My 29th article was entitled 'Why sculpt the face of Christ?' and explored how, in Nic Fiddian Green’s work, we feel pain, strength, fear and wisdom.
My 30th article was entitled 'How Mumford and friends explore life's instability' and explored how Mumford and Sons, together with similar bands, commune on fallibility, fear, grace, and love.
My 31st article was entitled 'The late Pope Francis was right – Antoni Gaudi truly was God’s architect' and explored how sanctity can indeed be found amongst scaffolding, as Gaudi’s Barcelona beauties amply demonstrate.
My 32nd article was entitled 'This gallery refresh adds drama to the story of art' and explored how rehanging the Sainsbury Wing at the National Gallery revives the emotion of great art.
My 33rd article was an interview with Jonathan A. Anderson about the themes of his latest book 'The Invisibility of Religion in Contemporary Art'.
My 34th article was an interview with 'Emily Young: the sculptor listening as the still stones speak'.
My 35th article was a profile of New York's expressionist devotional artist, 'Genesis Tramaine: the painter whose faces catch the spirit'.
My 36th article was a concert review of Natalie Bergman at Union Chapel - a soul-soaked set turned personal tragedy into communal celebration.
My 37th article was based on the exhibition series 'Can We Stop Killing Each Other?' at the Sainsbury Centre. In it I explore how art, theology, and moral imagination confront our oldest instinct.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Beatles - Here Comes The Sun.
Monday, 10 November 2025
HeartEdge: Making room for Christ through Advent
Making room for Christ through Advent
This Advent, HeartEdge invites individuals, families, and communities to pause, reflect, and make space. Heartbeat of the Incarnation brings together three distinct but deeply connected Advent resources designed to help us live into the mystery of God with us – Emmanuel – in ways that are hopeful, and rooted in everyday life.
Weekly Group Study THE ADVENT HEARTBEAT COURSE
The four-week Bible study series is written for small groups, churches, and HeartEdge communities. It can be used during Advent or in the weeks leading up to it. Each session explores a key theme of incarnation and belonging:
- Saying ‘Yes’: Making Space in a World of Scarcity
- The Womb as Holy Ground: Finding God in Hidden Places
- The Cost of Love: Mary’s Labour, God’s Compassion
- Birthing Christ Today: Church on the Edge
The day-by-day journey through Advent draws inspiration from the mystery of pregnancy and the hidden development of Christ in the womb. Each day includes:
- A reflection grounded in the developmental stages of pregnancy
- A wondering
- A reflective action – inviting heart, mind, and body to prepare room for Christ
This is more than a countdown to Christmas. It’s a call to transformation, to slow down and notice where Christ is already gestating in our midst – especially at the edges of our lives.
The books are available at £10 Please email heartedge@smitf.org to order with details of a postal address and HeartEdge will post and send an invoice with details of how to pay by BACS.
HeartEdge in Urban Communities - A Course of Discovery
A New Course for Urban Churches Exploring the HeartEdge Model
Are you part of a church in a town or city or suburb ? Do you long to see your local church thrive at the heart of your community—while staying faithful to your calling and context?
This new course has been created especially for urban churches, inspired by the HeartEdge 4Cs model of church . Compassion – Culture – Commerce – Congregational with a foundational trust in the God of Abundance.
This flexible and beautifully illustrated course can be run:
- As a one-day event or over six 90-minute sessions or two half -days
- Online or in person
- Led by local leaders or HeartEdge staff
Who is the course for? Clergy, lay leaders, Church Councils and church members – accessible to all denominations
What does it cost? HeartEdge are inviting a contribution of £10 from each participant to include a course book plus the on-line preparation session for the leader(s) and an on-line session at the end for practical advice on following up the ideas that emerge. However grants are available if such charges are a problem. They do not want a shortage of money to be a barrier to taking part.
For more information contact heartedge@smitf.org
HeartEdge in Rural Communities - A Course of Discovery
This seven-session course is designed to help rural churches explore the HeartEdge principles developed by Sam Wells: compassion, culture, commerce, and congregation.
It begins with an introduction to the foundational concept of abundance, encouraging participants to move beyond a mindset of scarcity and embrace God’s overflowing grace.
Each session focuses on one of the 4Cs, offering biblical reflections, practical examples, and open discussions to inspire creative approaches to ministry.
The course culminates in a session that ties together the insights and actions from the previous weeks, followed by a reflective gathering several months later to evaluate how ideas have developed in practice.
This course equips rural churches to recognise and celebrate the unique opportunities and gifts present in their contexts, encouraging collaboration and innovation.
It is offered to churches with a ‘donation’ of £10 per participant. (Subsidies are available if this is prohibitive.)
This will provide an online session to introduce the course and explain how it runs. And a further online session at the end to offer advice on how to develop the vision that emerges from the course.
For more information or to order copies of the book please contact Sian or Andrew Yates on heartedge@smitf.org
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bernadette Farrell - Christ, Be Our Light.
Stride Magazine: Five
Stride Magazine has a new series is called 'Five' which simply involves writing about five linked items. The first articles in the series can be found here and here. My piece for the series which is on entries in Prog 50 will be published on 24 November.
I recently wrote another article for Stride, this time about my 'Five Trios' series of poems. 'Five Trios' is a series of five long poems on thin places and sacred spaces in Essex and East London, each of which are also located within the Diocese of Chelmsford. The five poems in the series are:
I recently wrote another article for Stride, this time about my 'Five Trios' series of poems. 'Five Trios' is a series of five long poems on thin places and sacred spaces in Essex and East London, each of which are also located within the Diocese of Chelmsford. The five poems in the series are:
These poems have been published by Amethyst Review and International Times.
The article explores the inspiration for the series and includes information about each of the locations included.
Several years ago, Stride published a series of texts by authors about themselves and their poetry called 'Deflated Ego'. My article on 'Five Trios was part of a new 'Deflated Ego' series. Authors were invited to choose their own approach to the piece, be that self-interview, review, manifesto, contextual/social material, statement of poetics, personal comment, or whatever. The first pieces in this new 'Deflated Ego' series can be read here and here.
To read my poems published by Stride, click here, here, here, here, here, and here. My poems published in Amethyst Review are: 'Runwell', 'Are/Are Not', 'Attend, attend' and 'Maritain, Green, Beckett and Anderson in conversation down through the ages'.
I am among those whose poetry has been included in Thin Places & Sacred Spaces, a recent anthology from Amethyst Press. I also had a poem included in All Shall Be Well: Poems for Julian of Norwich, the first Amethyst Press anthology of new poems.
IT have also published several of my poems, beginning with 'The ABC of creativity', which covers attention, beginning and creation, and lastly 'The Edge of Chaos', a state of existence poem.
Stride magazine was founded in 1982. Since then it has had various incarnations, most recently in an online edition since the late 20th century. You can visit its earlier incarnation at http://stridemagazine.co.uk.
I have read the poetry featured in Stride and, in particular, the work of its editor Rupert Loydell over many years and was very pleased that Rupert gave a poetry reading when I was at St Stephen Walbrook.
Rupert Loydell is a poet, painter, editor and publisher, and senior lecturer in English with creative writing at Falmouth University. He is interested in the relationship of visual art and language, collaborative writing, sequences and series, as well as post-confessional narrative, experimental music and creative non-fiction.
He has edited Stride magazine for over 30 years, and was managing editor of Stride Books for 28 years. His poetry books include Wildlife and Ballads of the Alone (both published by Shearsman), and The Fantasy Kid (for children).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The article explores the inspiration for the series and includes information about each of the locations included.
Several years ago, Stride published a series of texts by authors about themselves and their poetry called 'Deflated Ego'. My article on 'Five Trios was part of a new 'Deflated Ego' series. Authors were invited to choose their own approach to the piece, be that self-interview, review, manifesto, contextual/social material, statement of poetics, personal comment, or whatever. The first pieces in this new 'Deflated Ego' series can be read here and here.
To read my poems published by Stride, click here, here, here, here, here, and here. My poems published in Amethyst Review are: 'Runwell', 'Are/Are Not', 'Attend, attend' and 'Maritain, Green, Beckett and Anderson in conversation down through the ages'.
I am among those whose poetry has been included in Thin Places & Sacred Spaces, a recent anthology from Amethyst Press. I also had a poem included in All Shall Be Well: Poems for Julian of Norwich, the first Amethyst Press anthology of new poems.
IT have also published several of my poems, beginning with 'The ABC of creativity', which covers attention, beginning and creation, and lastly 'The Edge of Chaos', a state of existence poem.
Stride magazine was founded in 1982. Since then it has had various incarnations, most recently in an online edition since the late 20th century. You can visit its earlier incarnation at http://stridemagazine.co.uk.
I have read the poetry featured in Stride and, in particular, the work of its editor Rupert Loydell over many years and was very pleased that Rupert gave a poetry reading when I was at St Stephen Walbrook.
Rupert Loydell is a poet, painter, editor and publisher, and senior lecturer in English with creative writing at Falmouth University. He is interested in the relationship of visual art and language, collaborative writing, sequences and series, as well as post-confessional narrative, experimental music and creative non-fiction.
He has edited Stride magazine for over 30 years, and was managing editor of Stride Books for 28 years. His poetry books include Wildlife and Ballads of the Alone (both published by Shearsman), and The Fantasy Kid (for children).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
McFly - Five Colours In Her Hair.
Sunday, 9 November 2025
Remembering to maintain peace
Here's the Address I shared as part of the Act of Remembrance held this morning at Wickford's War Memorial:
In this Act of Remembrance, we honour all those from this town who laid down their lives in the two World Wars and subsequent conflicts. We will remember them. We also honour all from these shores who died in these conflicts. We will remember them. We also honour all those from the Commonwealth who fought and died for freedom. We will remember them. And we honour those from our Allies who also lost their lives. We will remember them. Although the counting of casualties can never be fully accurate, the number of Allied lives sacrificed in the two World Wars is thought to be in the 10's of millions. We will remember them.
What does it mean to remember, particularly when we were not present and may not have lived through those times. What is it that we need to remember. All these died in the cause of peace. They died to bring about the peace we continue to enjoy today. The work to build and maintain peace was the legacy of all those who laid down their lives in the two World Wars. Therefore, as well as remembering the sacrifice of all who died (both military and civilians), we must also remember all that was put in place after the World Wars to build and maintain peace.
There was a recognition among the Allies following the war that global cooperation between nations was necessary for the maintenance of peace and institutions such as the United Nations and agreements such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights were quickly set up and agreed to form the foundation for maintaining peaceful relations between nations. The actions that were taken then by those who had lived through the two World Wars brought about what has become known as the Long Peace. The actions taken to build and maintain peace were taken by those who knew firsthand the horrors of war and those actions were the active legacy of those who died.
In a world where tensions between nations are growing ever more acute and where the institutions and agreements put in place to maintain peace are also being questioned and challenged, it is more important than ever to remember the reason why so many died and the understanding of how peace is achieved and maintained learnt by those who lived through the two World Wars.
Jesus called his followers to be peacemakers and that was the intent of those who died and also of those built the long peace that we still enjoy. Jesus said that those who acts as peacemakers are the children of God. If we are to live as God’s children by being true to the call to be peacemakers, it remains vital that we do remember; remembering that peace was the goal of all who died and remembering, too, how peace has been built and maintained following the two World Wars. May it be so for each one of us. Amen.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Judee Sill - The Living End.
The Resurrection of the Soldiers
Here's the Remembrance Sunday sermon I shared at St Mary's Runwell this morning:
The acclaimed war artist Sir Stanley Spencer painted an epic series of large-scale murals after World War II for the Sandham Memorial Chapel. “Built to honour the 'forgotten dead' of the First World War, who were not remembered on any official memorials, the series was inspired by Spencer’s own experiences as a medical orderly and soldier on the Salonika front, and is peppered with personal and unexpected details. The paintings took six years to complete in all, and are considered by many to be the artist’s finest achievement, drawing such praise as 'Britain’s answer to the Sistine Chapel'.”
“Spencer painted scenes of his own wartime experiences, as a hospital orderly in Bristol and as a soldier, also on the Salonika front. His recollections, painted entirely from memory, focus on the domestic rather than combative and evoke everyday experience – washing lockers, inspecting kit, sorting laundry, scrubbing floors and taking tea – in which he found spiritual resonance and sustenance ...
the paintings ... describe the banal daily life that, to those from the battlefield, represented a ‘heaven in a hell of war.’ For Spencer, the menial became the miraculous; a form of reconciliation.”
The scheme is dominated by a “Resurrection scene behind the altar, in which dozens of British soldiers lay the white wooden crosses that marked their graves at the feet of a distant Christ.”
“Painted on canvas adhered to the wall of the high altar at Sandham,” the 'Resurrection' took Spencer nearly a year to complete. “It dominates the Chapel and all the other scenes are subordinate too it. The picture is a reminder of the relationship between war, death and Christianity, not merely a convenient and familiar religious image behind the altar. The composition is based on a complex pattern of wooden crosses which was suggested to Spencer by his habit of squaring up the canvas in order to work out the design. As a living soldier hands in his rifle at the end of service, so a dead soldier carries his cross to Christ, who is seen in the middle distance receiving these crosses. Spencer's idea was that the cross produces a different reaction in everybody;” so we see these crosses serving as an object of devotion; ... or marking a grave from which a soldier emerges; or framing a bewildered face. “This is Spencer’s vision of the end of war, in which heaven has emerged from hell.”
So, Spencer gives us two versions of heaven in a hell of war. The first, the mundane acts of service that people do for each other, while the second is the new life that we receive in Christ following our resurrection from the dead. The first is, in some ways, a taster for the second.
Our readings today focus on the second of these, the resurrection from the dead (Job 19. 23 – 27a and Luke 20. 27 – 38), but, before thinking about that briefly, I would like to think a little about the first.
When Jesus spoke to his disciples shortly before his own death, he said they had been chosen and appointed to bear fruit – fruit that will last (John 15. 16). The fruit that he was talking about was his characteristics of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control. Christlike behaviour and actions he said lasts or endures. Similarly, St Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13 that actions which are based on faith, hope and love remain. The word he used for remain hints that such actions continue beyond the grave into eternity i.e. that we can take something with us when we die, that the fruit or acts of faith, hope and love grown in this life continue into, and continue to bear fruit in, the next.
So there is a connection here between the two things which Stanley Spencer described as being heavenly; acts of loving service in the here and now and our future resurrected life in eternity.
Poppies were one of the few flowers able to survive in areas severely damaged by fighting. The flowering of poppies from seeds which germinated in the mud of the World War I battlefields (and Flanders, in particular) became a symbol of hope on the battlefields, and after the war it became associated with Remembrance, a sign of life continuing after the horrors of conflict.
As Christians, we believe that we will grow into new life through death because of Jesus. Jesus was a seed sown into our world which died and was buried only to live again. As Paul puts it in 1 Corinthians 15, “the truth is that Christ has been raised from death, as the guarantee that those who sleep in death will also be raised.” The tomb therefore becomes a womb, a place of new birth, not just for Jesus but, through Jesus, for each one of us as well.
St Paul writes that, “This image of planting a dead seed and raising a live plant is a mere sketch at best, but perhaps it will help in approaching the mystery of the resurrection body — but only if you keep in mind that when we’re raised, we’re raised for good, alive forever! The corpse that’s planted is no beauty, but when it’s raised, it’s glorious. Put in the ground weak, it comes up powerful. The seed sown is natural; the seed grown is supernatural — same seed, same body, but what a difference from when it goes down in physical mortality to when it is raised up in spiritual immortality!”
Stanley Spencer painted a vision of that future life in his Resurrection of the Soldiers. The resurrection life is different from this life because the soldiers are leaving war behind – handing in their rifles to Christ as these are no longer required – and contemplating with devotion the cross on which he died for their salvation. Their acts of loving service – washing lockers, inspecting kit, sorting laundry, scrubbing floors and taking tea – have not been left behind however; as they look out from their scene of resurrection it is these things that they see in the Chapel before them. It will be the same for us - our acts of faith, hope and love will continue to be with us in our resurrected future – and this can be a source of inspiration and encouragement as we seek to bear fruit for Christ in the here and now by living Christlike lives; lives which are characterised by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control.
The acclaimed war artist Sir Stanley Spencer painted an epic series of large-scale murals after World War II for the Sandham Memorial Chapel. “Built to honour the 'forgotten dead' of the First World War, who were not remembered on any official memorials, the series was inspired by Spencer’s own experiences as a medical orderly and soldier on the Salonika front, and is peppered with personal and unexpected details. The paintings took six years to complete in all, and are considered by many to be the artist’s finest achievement, drawing such praise as 'Britain’s answer to the Sistine Chapel'.”
“Spencer painted scenes of his own wartime experiences, as a hospital orderly in Bristol and as a soldier, also on the Salonika front. His recollections, painted entirely from memory, focus on the domestic rather than combative and evoke everyday experience – washing lockers, inspecting kit, sorting laundry, scrubbing floors and taking tea – in which he found spiritual resonance and sustenance ...
the paintings ... describe the banal daily life that, to those from the battlefield, represented a ‘heaven in a hell of war.’ For Spencer, the menial became the miraculous; a form of reconciliation.”
The scheme is dominated by a “Resurrection scene behind the altar, in which dozens of British soldiers lay the white wooden crosses that marked their graves at the feet of a distant Christ.”
“Painted on canvas adhered to the wall of the high altar at Sandham,” the 'Resurrection' took Spencer nearly a year to complete. “It dominates the Chapel and all the other scenes are subordinate too it. The picture is a reminder of the relationship between war, death and Christianity, not merely a convenient and familiar religious image behind the altar. The composition is based on a complex pattern of wooden crosses which was suggested to Spencer by his habit of squaring up the canvas in order to work out the design. As a living soldier hands in his rifle at the end of service, so a dead soldier carries his cross to Christ, who is seen in the middle distance receiving these crosses. Spencer's idea was that the cross produces a different reaction in everybody;” so we see these crosses serving as an object of devotion; ... or marking a grave from which a soldier emerges; or framing a bewildered face. “This is Spencer’s vision of the end of war, in which heaven has emerged from hell.”
So, Spencer gives us two versions of heaven in a hell of war. The first, the mundane acts of service that people do for each other, while the second is the new life that we receive in Christ following our resurrection from the dead. The first is, in some ways, a taster for the second.
Our readings today focus on the second of these, the resurrection from the dead (Job 19. 23 – 27a and Luke 20. 27 – 38), but, before thinking about that briefly, I would like to think a little about the first.
When Jesus spoke to his disciples shortly before his own death, he said they had been chosen and appointed to bear fruit – fruit that will last (John 15. 16). The fruit that he was talking about was his characteristics of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control. Christlike behaviour and actions he said lasts or endures. Similarly, St Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13 that actions which are based on faith, hope and love remain. The word he used for remain hints that such actions continue beyond the grave into eternity i.e. that we can take something with us when we die, that the fruit or acts of faith, hope and love grown in this life continue into, and continue to bear fruit in, the next.
So there is a connection here between the two things which Stanley Spencer described as being heavenly; acts of loving service in the here and now and our future resurrected life in eternity.
Poppies were one of the few flowers able to survive in areas severely damaged by fighting. The flowering of poppies from seeds which germinated in the mud of the World War I battlefields (and Flanders, in particular) became a symbol of hope on the battlefields, and after the war it became associated with Remembrance, a sign of life continuing after the horrors of conflict.
As Christians, we believe that we will grow into new life through death because of Jesus. Jesus was a seed sown into our world which died and was buried only to live again. As Paul puts it in 1 Corinthians 15, “the truth is that Christ has been raised from death, as the guarantee that those who sleep in death will also be raised.” The tomb therefore becomes a womb, a place of new birth, not just for Jesus but, through Jesus, for each one of us as well.
St Paul writes that, “This image of planting a dead seed and raising a live plant is a mere sketch at best, but perhaps it will help in approaching the mystery of the resurrection body — but only if you keep in mind that when we’re raised, we’re raised for good, alive forever! The corpse that’s planted is no beauty, but when it’s raised, it’s glorious. Put in the ground weak, it comes up powerful. The seed sown is natural; the seed grown is supernatural — same seed, same body, but what a difference from when it goes down in physical mortality to when it is raised up in spiritual immortality!”
Stanley Spencer painted a vision of that future life in his Resurrection of the Soldiers. The resurrection life is different from this life because the soldiers are leaving war behind – handing in their rifles to Christ as these are no longer required – and contemplating with devotion the cross on which he died for their salvation. Their acts of loving service – washing lockers, inspecting kit, sorting laundry, scrubbing floors and taking tea – have not been left behind however; as they look out from their scene of resurrection it is these things that they see in the Chapel before them. It will be the same for us - our acts of faith, hope and love will continue to be with us in our resurrected future – and this can be a source of inspiration and encouragement as we seek to bear fruit for Christ in the here and now by living Christlike lives; lives which are characterised by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mark Knopfler - Remembrance Day.
Saturday, 8 November 2025
Windows on the world (544)
Colchester, 2025
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Judee Sill - Crayon Angels.
International Times: ‘A dialogue across time’
My latest book review for International Times which is on 'Great Art Explained' by James Payne:
'Payne notes that we live in an era defined by images and where we are inundated with visual content. As a result, he suggests (and this is the guiding principle for his book): ‘We need to stop and consider the impact of one image, one work of art. Art is not just something to look at, it’s something to engage with. It challenges us to pause, to question and to connect with ideas that transcend time and place.’ As he concludes, in writing of Johannes Vermeer’s ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’, art ‘makes us realise that the quiet moments are often the most profound’.'
ROSALÍA - Divinize.
'Payne notes that we live in an era defined by images and where we are inundated with visual content. As a result, he suggests (and this is the guiding principle for his book): ‘We need to stop and consider the impact of one image, one work of art. Art is not just something to look at, it’s something to engage with. It challenges us to pause, to question and to connect with ideas that transcend time and place.’ As he concludes, in writing of Johannes Vermeer’s ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’, art ‘makes us realise that the quiet moments are often the most profound’.'
See also Great Books Explained on the King James Bible, a script I co-wrote with James Payne.
My earlier pieces for IT are: an interview with the artist Alexander de Cadenet; an interview with artist, poet, priest Spencer Reece, an interview with the poet Chris Emery, an interview with Jago Cooper, Director of the the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, a profile of singer-songwriter Bill Fay, plus reviews of: 'Down River: In Search of David Ackles' by Mark Brend; 'Headwater' by Rev Simpkins; 'The Invisibility of Religion in Contemporary Art' by Jonathan A. Anderson; 'Breaking Lines' at the Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art, albums by Deacon Blue, Mumford and Sons, and Andrew Rumsey, also by Joy Oladokun and Michael Kiwanaku; 'Nolan's Africa' by Andrew Turley; Mavis Staples in concert at Union Chapel; T Bone Burnett's 'The Other Side' and Peter Case live in Leytonstone; Helaine Blumenfeld's 'Together' exhibition, 'What Is and Might Be and then Otherwise' by David Miller; 'Giacometti in Paris' by Michael Peppiatt, the first Pissabed Prophet album; and 'Religion and Contemporary Art: A Curious Accord', a book which derives from a 2017 symposium organised by the Association of Scholars of Christianity in the History of Art.
Several of my short stories have been published by IT including three about Nicola Ravenscroft's EarthAngel sculptures (then called mudcubs), which we exhibited at St Andrew's Wickford in 2022. The first story in the series is 'The Mudcubs and the O Zone holes'. The second is 'The Mudcubs and the Clean-Up King', and the third is 'The mudcubs and the Wall'. My other short stories to have been published by International Times are 'The Black Rain', a story about the impact of violence in our media, 'The New Dark Ages', a story about principles and understandings that are gradually fading away from our modern societies, and 'The curious glasses', a story based on the butterfly effect.
IT have also published several of my poems, including 'The ABC of creativity', which covers attention, beginning and creation, and 'The Edge of Chaos', a state of existence poem. Also published have been three poems from my 'Five Trios' series. 'Barking' is about St Margaret’s Barking and Barking Abbey and draws on my time as a curate at St Margaret's. 'Bradwell' is a celebration of the history of the Chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall, the Othona Community, and of pilgrimage to those places. Broomfield in Essex became a village of artists following the arrival of Revd John Rutherford in 1930. His daughter, the artist Rosemary Rutherford, also moved with them and made the vicarage a base for her artwork including paintings and stained glass. Then, Gwynneth Holt and Thomas Bayliss Huxley-Jones moved to Broomfield in 1949 where they shared a large studio in their garden and both achieved high personal success. 'Broomfield' reviews their stories, work, legacy and motivations.
To read my poems published by Stride, click here, here, here, here, here, and here. My poems published in Amethyst Review are: 'Runwell', 'Are/Are Not', 'Attend, attend' and 'Maritain, Green, Beckett and Anderson in conversation down through the ages'.
I am among those whose poetry has been included in Thin Places & Sacred Spaces, a recent anthology from Amethyst Press. I also had a poem included in All Shall Be Well: Poems for Julian of Norwich, the first Amethyst Press anthology of new poems.
'Five Trios' is a series of poems on thin places and sacred spaces in the Diocese of Chelmsford. The five poems in the series are:
These poems have been published by Amethyst Review and International Times.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My earlier pieces for IT are: an interview with the artist Alexander de Cadenet; an interview with artist, poet, priest Spencer Reece, an interview with the poet Chris Emery, an interview with Jago Cooper, Director of the the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, a profile of singer-songwriter Bill Fay, plus reviews of: 'Down River: In Search of David Ackles' by Mark Brend; 'Headwater' by Rev Simpkins; 'The Invisibility of Religion in Contemporary Art' by Jonathan A. Anderson; 'Breaking Lines' at the Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art, albums by Deacon Blue, Mumford and Sons, and Andrew Rumsey, also by Joy Oladokun and Michael Kiwanaku; 'Nolan's Africa' by Andrew Turley; Mavis Staples in concert at Union Chapel; T Bone Burnett's 'The Other Side' and Peter Case live in Leytonstone; Helaine Blumenfeld's 'Together' exhibition, 'What Is and Might Be and then Otherwise' by David Miller; 'Giacometti in Paris' by Michael Peppiatt, the first Pissabed Prophet album; and 'Religion and Contemporary Art: A Curious Accord', a book which derives from a 2017 symposium organised by the Association of Scholars of Christianity in the History of Art.
Several of my short stories have been published by IT including three about Nicola Ravenscroft's EarthAngel sculptures (then called mudcubs), which we exhibited at St Andrew's Wickford in 2022. The first story in the series is 'The Mudcubs and the O Zone holes'. The second is 'The Mudcubs and the Clean-Up King', and the third is 'The mudcubs and the Wall'. My other short stories to have been published by International Times are 'The Black Rain', a story about the impact of violence in our media, 'The New Dark Ages', a story about principles and understandings that are gradually fading away from our modern societies, and 'The curious glasses', a story based on the butterfly effect.
IT have also published several of my poems, including 'The ABC of creativity', which covers attention, beginning and creation, and 'The Edge of Chaos', a state of existence poem. Also published have been three poems from my 'Five Trios' series. 'Barking' is about St Margaret’s Barking and Barking Abbey and draws on my time as a curate at St Margaret's. 'Bradwell' is a celebration of the history of the Chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall, the Othona Community, and of pilgrimage to those places. Broomfield in Essex became a village of artists following the arrival of Revd John Rutherford in 1930. His daughter, the artist Rosemary Rutherford, also moved with them and made the vicarage a base for her artwork including paintings and stained glass. Then, Gwynneth Holt and Thomas Bayliss Huxley-Jones moved to Broomfield in 1949 where they shared a large studio in their garden and both achieved high personal success. 'Broomfield' reviews their stories, work, legacy and motivations.
To read my poems published by Stride, click here, here, here, here, here, and here. My poems published in Amethyst Review are: 'Runwell', 'Are/Are Not', 'Attend, attend' and 'Maritain, Green, Beckett and Anderson in conversation down through the ages'.
I am among those whose poetry has been included in Thin Places & Sacred Spaces, a recent anthology from Amethyst Press. I also had a poem included in All Shall Be Well: Poems for Julian of Norwich, the first Amethyst Press anthology of new poems.
'Five Trios' is a series of poems on thin places and sacred spaces in the Diocese of Chelmsford. The five poems in the series are:
These poems have been published by Amethyst Review and International Times.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, 6 November 2025
St Peter's Hutton: Stations of the Cross by Henry Shelton
This evening a set of Stations of the Cross at St Peter's Hutton created by Henry Shelton were dedicated by Bishop Guli Francis-Dehqani, Bishop of Chelmsford. Fr Andy Smith and Christine Thomas write: 'Henry's contemporary style, marked by its spare drawings and muted tones, complements the mid-20th-century design of St Peter's.'
The Stations were prayed before being dedicated and a very special evening was rounded off by a reception at which Henry spoke about his work. A book of reflections and prayers to complement Henry's images is in preparation. Henry had previously created etched glass windows for St Peter's sister church, All Saints Hutton.
This set of Stations also feature in Mark of the Cross, a book of 20 poetic meditations on Christ’s journey to the cross and reactions to his resurrection and ascension written by myself. The meditations are complemented by Henry's set of semi-abstract watercolours of the Stations of the Cross and the Resurrection.
Henry and I collaborated on two collections of images, meditations and prayers on The Stations of the Cross, Mark of the Cross and The Passion. These provide helpful reflections and resources for Lent and Holy Week. These collections can both be found as downloads from theworshipcloud.
The Passion: Reflections and Prayers features minimal images with haiku-like poems and prayers that enable us to follow Jesus on his journey to the cross reflecting both on the significance and the pain of that journey as we do so. Henry and I aimed in these reflections to pare down the images and words to their emotional and theological core. The mark making and imagery is minimal but, we hope, in a way that makes maximum impact. An example follows:
Jesus dies on the cross
The sun is eclipsed, early nightfall,
darkness covers the surface of the deep,
the Spirit grieves over the waters.
On the formless, empty earth, God is dead.
Through the death of all we hold most dear, may we find life. Amen.
The set of Stations now at All Saints Goodmayes have previously been exhibited at York Minister, St stephen Walbrook, and Chelmsford Cathedral. The booklet comes with a Foreword by The Most Revd and Rt Hon. Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York: "At this most holy time, as we follow Jesus on His journey to the cross, Henry Shelton's contemporary images provide an evocative background against which we can place our deepest reflections as we contemplate the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, who by his death and resurrection delivered and saved the world."
Together, Henry and I formed commission4mission, an artist's collective that generated church commissions, exhibitions, events and resources. commission4mission was set up in 2009 and became a registered charity (Charity no. 1161109) in 2011. commission4mission ended its work at the end of March 2020. A summary of its work and achievements can be found here.
Henry Shelton was born and grew up in Stratford, East London. He joined West Ham church as a choir boy where he first became aware of the importance of Christian art. After leaving school he joined a London studio as an apprentice draughtsman developing his drawing skills in lettering and fine art. After 15 years of service he set up his own studio receiving many commissions to design for such clients as the Science Museum, Borough Councils, private and corporate bodies.
During this time he continued painting Christian art and after meeting Bishop Trevor Huddleston he completed a series of portraits of him which were exhibited in St Dunstan's Church, Stepney, where he was also confirmed by the Bishop.
Henry worked designing in studios across the world, including Hong Kong and the USA. His commissions include a large oil painting of the Ascension installed as an altarpiece in the Church of the Saviour, Chell Heath; the Millennium clock tower in Goodmayes, memorial etched glass windows in All Saints Goodmayes and All Saint's Hutton, paintings for the Chapel at Queen's Hospital Romford, Stations of the Crown of Thorns at St Paul's Goodmayes, and the Trinity Window at All Saints Goodmayes.
Henry Shelton was born and grew up in Stratford, East London. He joined West Ham church as a choir boy where he first became aware of the importance of Christian art. After leaving school he joined a London studio as an apprentice draughtsman developing his drawing skills in lettering and fine art. After 15 years of service he set up his own studio receiving many commissions to design for such clients as the Science Museum, Borough Councils, private and corporate bodies.
During this time he continued painting Christian art and after meeting Bishop Trevor Huddleston he completed a series of portraits of him which were exhibited in St Dunstan's Church, Stepney, where he was also confirmed by the Bishop.
Henry worked designing in studios across the world, including Hong Kong and the USA. His commissions include a large oil painting of the Ascension installed as an altarpiece in the Church of the Saviour, Chell Heath; the Millennium clock tower in Goodmayes, memorial etched glass windows in All Saints Goodmayes and All Saint's Hutton, paintings for the Chapel at Queen's Hospital Romford, Stations of the Crown of Thorns at St Paul's Goodmayes, and the Trinity Window at All Saints Goodmayes.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, 4 November 2025
Artlyst - The Art Diary November 2025
My November Art Diary for Artlyst begins with exhibitions by artists (including Lakwena Maciver, Hannah Rose Thomas, Tuli Mekondjo, and Paul B. Kincaid), about which I’ve written previously or with which I have worked, and venues with similar connections, mainly with a link to spirituality. Then, there are exhibitions of work by significant artists who have had or have spiritual inspirations, including Stanley Spencer, Sister Corita Kent, Sean Scully, and Edmund de Waal. I conclude with several environmentally themed exhibitions at The Arc, the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, and the Nevada Museum of Art, as well as an exhibition in Mexico City on the theme of failure:
'Welsh sculptor, Paul. B. Kincaid’s work can be found at the Courtyard Gallery in Hereford. His background as a Catholic and his continuing faith are manifested in all his sculptures, from a monumental depiction of St. David in the Vallée des Saints in Brittany, to Adam and Eve; Christ on the Cross; and much more. He also has work on public display in the National Botanical Garden in Wales; Newport in South Wales; Rohan in Brittany and the Carmarthen School of Art. When describing his sculptures, he likens them to angels, as “difficult earth-born images”. Not the soft feathered Seraphim of familiar thought instead” a heavy, muscular manifestation that pushes out of a dark concentrate, a kind of rich physical loam that contains the seed of life” – “Dust thou art and unto dust thou shalt return.” These are fixed objects that will not rest; images of sex and death; a paradox of stone that would be flesh.'
My other pieces for Artlyst are:
Interviews -
'Welsh sculptor, Paul. B. Kincaid’s work can be found at the Courtyard Gallery in Hereford. His background as a Catholic and his continuing faith are manifested in all his sculptures, from a monumental depiction of St. David in the Vallée des Saints in Brittany, to Adam and Eve; Christ on the Cross; and much more. He also has work on public display in the National Botanical Garden in Wales; Newport in South Wales; Rohan in Brittany and the Carmarthen School of Art. When describing his sculptures, he likens them to angels, as “difficult earth-born images”. Not the soft feathered Seraphim of familiar thought instead” a heavy, muscular manifestation that pushes out of a dark concentrate, a kind of rich physical loam that contains the seed of life” – “Dust thou art and unto dust thou shalt return.” These are fixed objects that will not rest; images of sex and death; a paradox of stone that would be flesh.'
My other pieces for Artlyst are:
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 Interviewed
- Genesis 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
- The October Art Diary
- The August/September Art Diary
- The July Art Diary
- The June Art Diary 2025
- The May Art Diary 2025
- The April Art Diary 2025
- The Art Diary March 2025
- The Art Diary February 2025
- The Art Diary January 2025
- The Art Diary December 2024
- The Art Diary November 2024
- The Art Diary October 2024
- The Art Diary September 2024
- The Art Diary August 2024
- 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 -
- Into Abstraction Meaning Connection And Hope Firstsite
- Nigerian Modernism Explored Tate Modern
- Can We Stop Killing Each Other? – Sainsbury Centre
- Millet Life on the Land National Gallery
- Lubaina Himid With Magda Stawarska Kettle’s Yard
- Arpita Singh Social Observations Serpentine North
- Siena: The Creative Achievement Of Christendom
- An Uncommon Thread Hauser & Wirth Somerset
- Michelangelo Leonardo Raphael At The Royal Academy Review
- Modern Art Oxford Reopens After £2million Redesign
- Leonora Carrington Still Relevant Firstsite Colchester
- Ken Currie, Kehinde Wiley, Susie Hamilton Three Exhibitions About Communities
- The Victorian Radicals And Other Related Exhibitions
- Cedric Morris And Arthur Lett-Haines Gainsborough House
- 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?
Emmylou Harris - Light Of The Stable.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)