What is more important to you, safety or goodness?
“Ooh!” said Susan… “Is he—quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”
“Safe?” said Mr Beaver;… “Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
The idea that “good” might not be “safe”, and that “safe” is not automatically “good” comes as a surprise in today’s safety-conscious world, where safety has become synonymous with universal good. CS Lewis, however, had encountered the God of the Bible and used this experience to form the character of Aslan, the Lion-King of Narnia. The fact that so many children, and adults too, have been absorbed in, and enriched by the complex characters portrayed in his Narnian tales suggests that his characterisation describes a reality that resonates in human hearts and minds.
The writers of the bible, present us with a God who they are struggling to comprehend, let alone describe or interact with in a positive way.

Significance (noun) 1. The quality of being worthy of attention; importance. 2. The meaning to be found in words or events In Memory of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022) The passing of someone who has been significant in our lives, even when it is expected always comes as a shock. Our world changes as…

When we stop and consider the impact we or others have made on this earth, our first thoughts go to how we have spent our hours alive; the time we have invested in our children, our careers, our communities; what we have given to others, what we have left to those who will come after us. We give little or no thought to the impact that how we die will have. But when we look at the news or read history, we all want to know how someone died. Whatever we think now, actually it does matter. Perhaps how we view our own death is as important as how we choose to live.

Isn’t it strange how quickly the world can change? It changed in the winter of 2020 with news reports of a new disease in a place far away on the opposite side of the globe. But within weeks it wasn’t just there, it was here too. A sinister threat with the power to harm health…

Its spring and time for newness. The re-emergence of life from the weight of winter, the lifting of the burden of restriction and the hopefulness that this dark season is coming to its conclusion together draw our eyes and hearts towards the new horizon. We have felt the earth shake, seen normal life reduced by…

“But, is it safe?” The question, perhaps, that is on everyone’s lips. Is the vaccine safe? When will it be safe for lockdown to be lifted? Can it be safe to travel to other countries, safe to go out for a meal, or to be out at night? Safe to send our children to school, or our young people to university? The world does not feel very ‘safe’ anymore.

“How long must we hold on? How much more can we bear?” The common cries of those in crisis. Questions that demand answers, go unanswered. In times like these the uncertain resort to prayers to the God they have thought little about. “Please God!”, “If you can hear me God”, “Heal my mum”, “Don’t let my friend die”.

It seems that as humans we have always expressed our creativity through the buildings we construct. In a dales cottage, a country house, a village church or a great cathedral, can be seen, not only the builders skill, but an aesthetic that warms our hearts and lifts our souls. They connect us with generations past and yet are an essential part of our everyday.

Buildings that last are the buildings that have been built well. Structures thrown together with little care, from poor materials, may serve a purpose for a season, but they, along with property that is neglected, share the same fate, pulled down to be replaced by something new.

The first thing that God declared was ‘not good’, was for Adam, the human, to be alone. We all desire the company and the presence of others. Someone to share our passions with, to be there in our quiet moments, to talk with and to listen to, to be our companion, our lover, our friend….