The Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus are an enfleshed WORD of God – a WORD that declares a new and radically different Creation.

On September 15th, – God and Delta willing – I shall be leaving for my own long delayed return visit to the Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney in the Scottish Episcopal Church.

Dear Friends and Colleagues, Last month I used this letter to pay tribute to one of the people who had a major influence on my formation and eventual decision to become a priest – my High School English teacher. This time I want to do the same for my first Rector – Canon Roland Walls. In 1965 as a newly ordained deacon I became Curate at Rosslyn Chapel, Edinburgh when Roland was the Rector. He had chosen me from amongst the graduating students at Edinburgh Theological College and, as a result, gave me a gift from which I have continued to benefit for all the 56 years of my ministry since...

Dear Friends and Colleagues, Recently I re-read a book I had obtained a year ago. Pilgrim Souls by Mary MacIver, the widow of my high school English Teacher, Hector MacIver. The book was published in 1990 as an autobiographical tribute to her late husband who had died in 1966. Mary lived on becoming a well-known Scottish artist until her death at the age of 92 in 2012. Reading this book, I was made deeply aware of the people who have played a major role in my own life and formation – Hector MacIver was one of these. I studied under Hector from 1953 until 1957 while attending the Royal High...

“…make me an instrument of your salvation for the people entrusted to my care, and grant that I may faithfully administer your holy Sacraments, and by my life and teaching set forth your true and living Word.” BCP page 563 Dear Friends and Colleagues, As most of you probably know I have for the past several months been assigned by the Bishop to provide pastoral support for the congregation of St. Mary and St. Martha of Bethany in Buford. Since mid-April, I have been acting as a temporary Interim Priest there. At this time I am happy to say that on Sunday 15th August The Rev. Laura Masterson...

“The beauty that brings us to peace and whispers that there’s something more – And every square inch claimed by God” Joy Davidman, 1952 Dear Friends and Colleagues, Despite the seemingly endless time of pandemic and its profound consequences I am beginning to notice signs of Spring and of life’s renewal. In my part of the world we have had bitterly cold weather with stark barren trees and coarse wintry grass amidst patches of unyielding bare ground. Yet, here and there, little green shoots are bravely piercing that ground with the promise of growth to come. My sister in Kent, England, tells...

“The hope that we are traveling towards a destiny, rather than a mere collapse, is linked with the faith that our origins were already purposeful.” The Coming of God by Maria Boulding Dear Friends and Colleagues, I have to thank my friend John Hamilton at St Elizabeth’s, Dahlonega for the quotation from Maria Goulding. At a recent clerics meeting of the Mountains Convocation, he read a passage from her article in Celebrating the Seasons: The Coming of God. This made a profound impression on me and I recommend the whole article as a great meditation. After much online exploration, I was able...

“….the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” Ephesians 1:23 Dear Friends and Colleagues, Last week I had a lengthy conversation with one of our colleagues who wanted to discuss the question of how, during lockdown and distancing, we could effectively provide pastoral care especially to those who have lost a loved one and are grieving in isolation. We talked about the use of telephone, video messaging and zoom. We realized, however, that the lack of face to face contact and physical presence left open the question of how priesthood can still provide real...

Timor Mortis Conturbat Me – The fear of death disturbs me. From a Mediaeval Office of the Dead used by William Dunbar ‘Lament for the Makars’ late 15th Century. Dear Friends and Colleagues, On September 12th we learned of the tragic death of our beloved sister Melissa. We have also lost this month three of our retired colleagues who had achieved great age – Woody Bartlett, Buck Belmore and Scott May. I count all of these people as friends as well as colleagues whom I have known personally. The three retirees were close to being contemporaries of mine. Earlier this year I passed the 6th...

‘Let a man do right, not trouble himself with worthless opinion; the less he heeds tongues, the less difficult will he find it to love men’ George MacDonald Dear Friends and Colleagues, ‘Let a man do right, not trouble himself with worthless opinion; the less he heeds tongues, the less difficult will he find it to love men.’ I realize it has been some time since I last wrote one of these letters. Please forgive me. I have been somewhat preoccupied with trying to maintain regular contact with individual people and use my communication systems to do this. I also had the ‘joy’ of a lap-top...