I’m not sure how much you know about St Clare of Assisi, whose Feast we are celebrating today. Before I delved into the history surrounding St Francis, also of Assisi, I knew very little about Clare. So who was she? And why does her story still matter? Clare was born in about 1194, and was about 12 years younger than Francis. Their stories are intertwined, but her story is usually overshadowed by his. When she was 18, Francis was about 30, and had already begun his ministry of preaching, and...

Isaiah 56: 1,6-8. Matthew 15: 21 – 28 For 25 years Stanley Green walked up and down Oxford Street carrying a placard that encouraged us all to be better people. His sign read: “Less Lust, By Less Protein: Meat Fish Bird; Eg Cheese; Peas Beans, Nuts. And Sitting’. He believed that eating less protein would curb aggression and lust, leading to a happier society. God rest his soul, but it doesn’t really work like that. If only it were that easy – and we could fix it all by changing our...

Genesis 21:8–21 When we gather for a baptism, we often picture the beautiful parts of family life. The photos. The smiles. The tiny outfit chosen with great care. Proud parents. Proud grandparents. A child being welcomed into the family of God. What we don't usually put on the baptism invitations are the other realities: the sleepless nights, the cold cups of coffee, the arguments about whose turn it is to get up at 3am, the toys that somehow reproduce overnight and spread across the floor...