Locked in jail and locked out of action. A man whose whole life was devoted to one particular cause. His mission was to announce the arrival of the Messiah, the almighty messenger from God, who was to come to purify the Chosen People of Israel and to defeat their enemies. John the Baptist had been carrying out that mission with…
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I must make a confession: I don’t like Advent. Or – to be more precise – its liturgical aspect. Let me explain why briefly. Across the country, Christmas lights are being switched on in villages, towns and cities. Shops, with very few exceptions, are kitted out in their Christmas décor and have a tempting assortment of goodies and promotions on…
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Not long after I’d completed the Speyside Way it was extended to the village of Kincraig south off Aviemore. That section is only 10.5km (6.5 miles) and I considered that too short a walk to make all necessary arrangements. Instead I decided to walk from Kincraig all the way to Grantown-on-Spey, in total 37km (23 miles) – quite ambitious considering…
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It’s the end of the world as we know it. This song – by the band REM – was the most requested on last Wednesday night’s radio show, following the outcome of the American presidential election. The show has a particular theme each night, and last Wednesday’s was how the listeners felt after Mr Trump had been elected. Most of…
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I was looking for a story – or at least a quotation – to start this sermon in an interesting way. I flicked through numerous pages and read up on a vast number of sayings and short stories, but virtually nothing appealed to me. But it wasn’t a waste of my time. Many of those quotations gave me an insight…