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Christ in Glory (Tapestry), Graham Sutherland, 1962 This extraordinary image of Jesus dominates Coventry Cathedral, and is a breathtaking 23m high. As I walk into the building each day, I cannot fail to know that Christ is always with me. There he is, enthroned in glory, watching over us. But look closely and you will seeContinue reading “Lent, Day 5 (Monday)”

Mural painting from the catacomb of Commodilla, late 4th century This ancient image of Jesus was painted on a wall nearly 1700 years ago. Understandably, due to its age, it is not quite in focus. So many things can pull our focus away from Christ, until he appears distant and a bit fuzzy.  What areContinue reading “Lent, Day 4 (Saturday)”

Christ in the Wilderness, Ivan Kramskoi, 1872 This image of Jesus shows him alone in a barren land, an intense look on his face, his head bowed and his hands clutched together, maybe in prayer. Maybe this is how you feel. Alone in the wilderness. Searching for direction or answers. Look again. On the horizon thereContinue reading “Lent, Day 3 (Friday)”

Christ Tempted by Satan by Georg Cornicelius, 1825-98 This image of Jesus shows him resolutely looking ahead, focused and determined. But behind him we see the tempter, whispering to Jesus to use his power for his own glorification. Jesus resists. What are the whispered voices telling you? To take the easy option, that you’re not goodContinue reading “Lent, Day 2 (Thursday)”

The Nativity by Juan Gonzalez, 1662 An image of the nativity may seem a strange place to start a series of reflections about Lent, but look closely at the picture. Where is Jesus? In all the busyness of the stable, and wear and tear of a very ancient picture, it takes a moment to findContinue reading “Lent Day 1 (Ash Wednesday)”

40 short reflections for Lent, focusing on images of Jesus. During Lent, I will be producing forty short reflections (around 100 words) each day (excluding Sundays) focusing on a different image from ‘Face to Face with Jesus’. An opportunity to spend a few minutes each day, gazing on the face of Christ, and reflecting onContinue reading “Forty Faces, Forty Days”

40 postcards portraying images of Jesus Christ from through the ages and around the world. Since the earliest days of the church, Christians have depicted Jesus in art. From AD 300 the familiar image of a bearded man with long hair began to emerge, which is still prominent even in much contemporary art.  Images oftenContinue reading “Face to Face with Jesus”

This idea is a lovely and simple way to involve family and friends of all ages in the baptism service, and to encourage them to think about their own faith journey. All you need is: Prior to the service, you will need to cut out enough paper flowers for everyone to have one. They don’tContinue reading “Baptism Prayer Flowers”

Around this time last year, I was delighted to stumble on a wonderful idea in the Facebook Group, Church, Christmas and Covid, ‘Advent in a Bag’ for children. We used it at St Clare’s in conjunction with a whole church activity on Advent Sunday when we made Advent Candles. A few weeks ago, one ofContinue reading “Advent in a Bag for Children”

There is a story that as a child St Clare would use small stones to help her to pray at night. She would hold a handful of stones, and each stone would represent one of her prayers. As she said each prayer, she would place the stone on her bedside table, a physical symbol ofContinue reading “Praying with Stones”