Ipswich Unitarian Meeting House
Founded in 1699 – Still active
Tag: Jesus
-
Marianne Faithfull and the Ages of Women
I. Marianne Faithfull, one of the most truly iconic figures of the so-called ‘swinging sixties’, died on 30th January. I say “iconic” carefully and deliberately – it is such an overused word these days – because in the 1960s Marianne Faithfull’s image – which is what “icon” means – came to represent the feminine aspect…
-
The Power of a Child
It must be admitted that we don’t really know much about the birth of Jesus. There isn’t much about it in the Bible and what there is, in the two gospels that mention it, is mostly contradictory and much embellished, to put it mildly, with mythological signs and wonders. The sincere concern of the evangelists…
-
Keeping Advent
Traditionally, Advent was a fast; a solemn time of reflection and spiritual preparation for the great festival of Christmas. It was a time to remember the suffering of Christ, and the suffering of the world lest, in celebrating Christmas, we forget who and what it is about. In Advent we light candles to defy, not…
-
The Religion of Jesus
Today we tend to see our Unitarian movement as inclusive and diverse to a remarkable degree, but we should never cease to be aware that our roots are in Christianity, and that many Unitarians – of whom I am one – identify as Christian, albeit of an extremely liberal hue. There was a time, not…
-
Hope Out of Darkness: From the Tomb to the Garden
“It is not a shallow thing, this hope. It is the hope that remains when more superficial hopes have gone. It is the hope that we don’t even know we have when life is hard and cruel. It is the hope that underpins our life and survives our death, carrying our love to those who…
-
The World Jesus Came To
Jesus wasn’t born into a historical or geographical vacuum. He was born at a particular time at a particular place and we might imagine that the New Testament would provide us with this information in a clear and unequivocal way. But it doesn’t.
-
Too Cosy at Christmas
“I suppose that most of us like our Christmas to be a cosy time, and, for most of us it probably is – although we know well enough that this isn’t so for all too many today.”
-
The Fast of Advent
The Christian fast of Advent is traditionally a time of preparation for the feast of Christmas, the festival of the Nativity. Advent is supposed to be a solemn time, not the hyper-commercial hullabaloo that can make Christmas into an anti-climax by the time it finally arrives.
-
‘The Last Shall Be First: The Women and the Resurrection’ by Rvd. Cliff Reed
One of the most notable aspects of the Easter accounts in the four canonical gospels is the presence of women at the crucial moments. And one woman in particular is named as being present at virtually all of them, namely Mary of Magdala or Mary Magdalen. Matthew places her at the Crucifixion as do Mark…
-
‘Famous Last Words’ by Rvd. Cliff Reed
The last words of Jesus on the cross will be much read and much reflected upon today, but what were they? In fact the gospel accounts differ on this, and the most agonising and the most challenging version of those last words appears in only two of the gospels, Mark and Matthew. It has been…
Ipswich Unitarian Meeting House 