Fr Luke Miller

  A government consultation reveals some significant concerns for churches and places of worship.  As chair of the Faith Sector Panel of the London Resilience Forum I have a lot to do with London’s Faith Communities’ response to terrorism (see here for my role). So it was with interest that I heard that there was to be a consultation on a new “ Protect Duty ” to “make the public safer at publicly accessible locations.” The proposals follow campaigning by Figen Murray, whose son Martyn was tragically killed in the Manchester Arena attack , to introduce “Martyn’s Law” which aims to legislate for a duty on those who own or manage publicly accessible places to take actions to reduce the threat of terrorism. The ‘simple common sense security’ for which Figen Murray calls must be right; but the legislation now being consulted on causes considerable concern. The proposed legislation has very significant unintended consequences for places of worship. In my view it needs to be...

  John 19:26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. I remember once I was in a bus held up at a traffic light when a big car with outriders swept through the junction. It had the Queen in the back. Loads of cars have been past junctions while I have been sitting in busses, but that is the only passenger I noticed. Looking is not something passive. To give attention to something is a choice. We give attention to what we think is important or interesting or beautiful or titillating. The kind of attention we give is also a choice, a moral choice. If I look at a person, I may see someone to exploit or use; or perhaps someone to respect or to love. He saw His Mother standing there with the Disciple He loved. In His looking He taught them to see each other differently: Son , behold thy Mother; Mother ...

Some thoughts  on the Church of England's Vision We live in an age of visionaries. Organisations have their mission statements and plans, carefully measured against key performance indicators, and all based on values and visions. No institution is without its vision. The Church of England has just launched its own vision . Something I often say is that Vision begets Provision. It is good therefore to grapple with what a vision for our profoundly devolved organization. We must get this right, for proper vision will lead us to the provision that we need. That will mean taking our parishes seriously. At the heart of what has been presented lies a recommitment to the Five Marks of Mission which have long characterised the Anglican understanding of what the church is about, alongside a reaffirmation of the “mixed ecology” of the church. The presentation helpfully recognises that a church which proclaims Good News, makes disciples and nurtures them, serves neighbour and has a hea...

How shall society be healed? In the midst of lock down protest erupts as the coronavirus searingly exposes the dis-ease of our society. At the first meeting of the London Recovery Board last week voice after voice called for us to 'rebuild better' and to seek at last to address the inequalities which have been made more manifest then ever. What then does the church have to say about all of this? Many now squirm on a hook about what and how to say anything. For on the one hand we are reminded the very ability and platform to speak is itself the product of privilege, but on the other hand we are told not to use one's voice is, like the unfaithful servant of the Lord's parable , to bury the talent in the ground. Hagia Sophia Nicea (Iznik) - Synthronon of the church where the Council of Nicea met 325;  The 4c building was replaced in the 5c after a fire and then extensively rebuilt in the 10c after an earthquake. It is now a Mosque and a museum. The Trinity was defined he...

A Message as London Area Chaplain of the Sea Cadets on Ascension Day The lockdown has been long and difficult, especially for those whose homes are uncomfortable or unsafe or full of people of three generations squeezed into a flat or small house. We are all missing the ability to mix together. There is a sense of time flying past and opportunities being missed. The usual patterns of life are being disrupted. We all hope there is a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel, but it is hard, and perhaps especially for young people. Thank you for bearing with it. It is making a difference. Fewer people have died because of the lockdown and others have been protected from becoming ill in the first place. Thank you for the sacrifices you are making. Now is possibly the most difficult time to stick with it, but do keep it up. It takes courage but it is helping. None of those brave words mean that it is easy. School has been disrupted and many people have lost their jobs...

A church is not a pub. That might seem like an obvious statement but it is really important to understand that for people of faith and belief places of worship are not generally seen as places of entertainment. Though it involves sublime performance, my attendance at church is not a leisure activity like going to the theatre; though I am exhilarated by it, my worship is not recreational like going to a party or a club; instead it is part of my identity and my life. This season of restriction has been extraordinarily hard. It has brought devastating loss, fear, anxiety and sorrow for many and, sadly, it is not over yet. But as I write, there is now a sense that we are looking forward, albeit with justifiable trepidation, to a gradual (and potentially very longwinded) return to some kind of normality. That brings hope, but also a realisation that this process may not be as simple as it might look. There has been a great deal of discussion about shops, theatres, cinemas, footba...

The parish boundary of S Andrew by the Wardrobe where I am the Rector runs along the south side of S Paul's. High up on the pediment of the transept   is the figure S Andrew looking over towards the parish church.  The Apostle stands above the famous carving  saved from Old Saint Paul's   the single word: RESURGAM . It is a message of resurrection, and the Phoenix added to it is Greek mythology re-purposed as Christian iconography. After the plague in London of 1665 and the Great Fire of 1666 Sir Christopher Wren 's great vision was for a new cathedral at the centre of a renewed City, risen from the ashes of the old. All London was to be as it were a symbol of resurrection: RESURGAM.   The place of the familiar dome in the skyline of London reminds us that in addition to wealth creation symbolised by the skyscrapers and recreation shown by the Millennium Wheel, our city is a place of resilience and selflessness. If that was true for preceding generat...