Thursday, 18 June 2009
Thursday, 11 June 2009
Funding of hospital chaplains attacked
On Monday’s BBC “One Show” retiring agony aunt Claire Rayner attacked the government funding of hospital chaplains. She added that she was mystified regarding the actual roles of the chaplains.
This prompted (at the last count) 100 postings on the One Show Blog. It was interesting to see that about two thirds of the responses support the chaplaincy. This included people outside faith groups who said they valued the support during difficult moments.
Critics were aghast at the NHS funding of clergy. Many saw church organisations as being prosperous!! Some put chaplains in the same category as the MP scandal and demanded the monitoring of expenses. No doubt this will elicit a series of confessions about clergy second manses, four figure restaurant accounts and moats around the church property!!!
This prompted (at the last count) 100 postings on the One Show Blog. It was interesting to see that about two thirds of the responses support the chaplaincy. This included people outside faith groups who said they valued the support during difficult moments.
Critics were aghast at the NHS funding of clergy. Many saw church organisations as being prosperous!! Some put chaplains in the same category as the MP scandal and demanded the monitoring of expenses. No doubt this will elicit a series of confessions about clergy second manses, four figure restaurant accounts and moats around the church property!!!
Saturday, 6 June 2009
The Trinity and the Coffee Shop
I Love this picture of Andrei Rublev’s Icon of the Trinity. Is it possible to imagine the trio sitting around a table at Starbucks?
Every sweep of the paint brush resonates with symbolism.
The Father is on the right. He is adorned with different colours which change with light, He cannot be confined.
The son is wearing garments reflecting the link between heaven and earth. Reddish brown symbolises the earth. The blue cloak suggests heaven.
The Holy Spirit is in blue and fragile green garments. Often he meets us without our recognition.
In the background is a hill of prayer and a house of hospitality. A tree represents the death to life nature of the resurrection
The relationship flows in an anticlockwise fashion from father to Spirit and is channelled into the space at the table.
The object of all the energy is humankind.
I look at the coffee outlet, product highly visible to the world, offering a seven day hospitality.
I wonder if sometimes, the energy within church life has been used up in another direction?
Every sweep of the paint brush resonates with symbolism.
The Father is on the right. He is adorned with different colours which change with light, He cannot be confined.
The son is wearing garments reflecting the link between heaven and earth. Reddish brown symbolises the earth. The blue cloak suggests heaven.
The Holy Spirit is in blue and fragile green garments. Often he meets us without our recognition.
In the background is a hill of prayer and a house of hospitality. A tree represents the death to life nature of the resurrection
The relationship flows in an anticlockwise fashion from father to Spirit and is channelled into the space at the table.
The object of all the energy is humankind.
I look at the coffee outlet, product highly visible to the world, offering a seven day hospitality.
I wonder if sometimes, the energy within church life has been used up in another direction?
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