Soul Food

MP3 (Click Here)

Soul Food.  Or Food for the Soul.  The phrase comes from, of course, the notion of hearty, warming, welcoming food, made from cheap cuts of meat and vegetables, yet cooked in a loving and tender way to bring joy and comfort to many.  Soul Food.

Taking this as the theme, our Service today focused on the need to ensure we take time out to, truly, feed our own souls.  A reminder of the need to spend a little time, every day or every week, connecting with the divine.  From the basics.  Nothing too fancy.  A simple reconnection to the source of life, love and joy.  

We lead busy lives - cramming ever more into our working lives and ever strenuous leisure activities.  If not running to another book group, or fuming in a traffic jam on the way to a Yoga class, we are working several hours longer than we might at our desks or places of work. And that is unlikely to change.

But this is where religion has a role to play.  Religion, spirituality, prayer, meditation.  Call it what you will.  We all need a little space - an opportunity to reconnect with the greater presence.  With that which some call God.

Our sermon today, on this theme, is available as an MP3 download.  Simply click the link at the top of this post.

Legacy, or 'How To Avoid the Fate of Ozymandias'

MP3 (Click Here)

This week has seen momentous events unfold in Libya.  Again, we see the image of a fallen leader depicted by the press photo of a toppled statue with an opposition foot upon it.  In this instance, the image of the fallen military leader, surmounted by a be-trainered foot.

In our service this week, we looked at the possible meanings this might have for our own lives.  How the deliberate attempt to build empires and regimes on the basis of personality, with all the attendant statues and pomp that involves, appears to inevitably lead to an early end. 

With reference to Shelley's poem 'Ozymandias', and a reading from AC Grayling's 'The Good Book' (Book of Parables, Chapter 19, Verses 1-15), we considered the futility of deliberately attempting to leave a legacy based on personal popularity and achievement, and looked instead at how we might leave a more lasting, potentially anonymous, memorial through a commitment to ensuring future generations are left with a world of love and hope, where simply working to alleviate suffering and pain is reward enough.

An MP3 of the sermon addressing these thoughts is available by clicking the link at the top of this post.