Seeker

Remembrance Sunday is when we remember the worst people do to each other and the best people do for each other. It is when we remember that “the war to end all wars” failed to do that. It is a time to lament that there have been few days of peace since the Armistice that ending the fighting of World War 1 on 11 November 1918.  There is no war that is not horrible, however 'noble' a cause might be, or said to be. One of its many horrible aspects is that most casualties in modern conflicts are civilians, including children.  What a mess the world is in. We could blame people in power. We could blame uneven distribution of resources. We could ask, why does God allow dreadful things to happen? This Welsh teenager's letter to God was written some decades ago, but it says what many feel about lack of peace between people: "Dear God,  I’m writing to complain about the state of the world. I would like to know what you’re going to do about it. Are you still in charge...

Last year, in a post entitled All Souls Day I asked whether Christians should pray for the dead or simply remember them with thanksgiving? My answer was that for those who pray and who have lost those they have loved, it is natural to hold loved ones in our hearts before God. I remember them with thanksgiving and trust them to God. You can read the whole post here . Around this time of year many churches hold special services to commemorate those who have died. This can be especially helpful for those who have been bereaved in recent months or years. There is something about coming together with others in the presence of God to light a candle, remember and give thanks that can give hope as we learn to live with the lonely process of grief. The prayer below is a prayer of remembrance, particularly for those who have died in the faith of Christ. I think it can be used for anyone who has died. None of us knows the depths of another's heart and we cannot plumb the depths of ...

Can you understand the pictures in this photo of a stained glass window? The image is a small part of the enormous window above the west door in Winchester Cathedral (UK). Seeing the whole window does not help to interpret the pictures. The window contains a jumble of irregularly shaped coloured glass. You might be able to pick out the odd face or hand and if you know what you are looking for, a lot of broken golden halos. The west window is not the original. The original medieval window had Bible stories and images of saints. During the English civil war, on 12 December 1642, Cromwell's soldiers destroyed many things in the cathedral, leaving it without glass in the windows and with holes in the roof. If you want to know what happened, do take a look at the dramatic story from Winchester Cathedral's website, as written for schoolchildren here in 'The story of the Great West Window' . To cut a long story short, horrified Winchester residents collected and sec...