Fr Luke Miller

We all know by now what the plan is. We are trying to flatten the curve . By extending the period during which Covid-19 is epidemic such that at any one time a smaller number of people is sick, we decrease the pressure on the NHS and other medical services and lower the death rate. We know that the Coronavirus is disproportionately dangerous for those who are older and who have underlying health problems. This will save our old people and our sick. Why are we not just leaving the weak to die? TomHolland has recently  pointed out that our assumptions about what is good and right which we make in western society are profoundly Christian ones. Getting it all over and done with quickly, with those of us who are younger and fitter simply having a heavy cold or a dose of flu and being left with a stronger economy and fewer dependants looks like a good offer for the survivors. That it fills most of us with horror and that we are prepared to push up with the terrible disruption which i...

Text:  Romans 5:3-5 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings,  because we know that suffering produces perseverance;   perseverance, character; and character, hope.   And hope  does not put us to shame, because God’s love  has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit,  who has been given to us. Gospel John 3:1-42  The woman at the well Rome; Lockdown. Washington; Emergency Travel Ban; Paris curfew. London – shortage of loo paper and people washing their hands a bit more. But we are concerned and there is fear in the air. Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. So Yoda, the wise Jedi of the Star Wars movies. But Paul says that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character, hope.  Yoda So if you are a bit afraid this morning, or a bit more afraid than usual, or if you are not afraid, but see people all around y...

My elderly Aunt was delighted a little while ago to receive a copy of the funeral service book for her cousin in Australia and read through the service at the same time as it was taking place to unite herself with it. Uniting oneself spiritually with others who are praying is a concept that lies at the heart of the daily office, and naturally bubbles up from the devotions of the faithful. In this season it is a spiritual tool pastors could very sensibly offer to their people. It is still possible that Coronavirus will not spread into the population, but it does look as if it might. Churches have begun to think about what they might do to plan for the height of an outbreak which might mean that for a couple of weeks one fifth of the population is sick which may mean that some church services have to be cancelled if clergy are ill. (I still think it highly unlikely that there will be any ban on gatherings which would force churches to shut.) Live streaming of services is being do...