Light
Last month, Cathedral Consort, went on a tour to Lapland. They sang a concert and at a Sunday service that was part of the celebrations to welcome the first sunrise after two months of a polar night. They were fortunate to see the Northern Lights in deep tones of blue and green. In the summer they will have a period of no sunset. Both of these must play havoc with your equilibrium.
Read MoreNext week the United Kingdom will leave the European Union. This will be a significant moment for our nation: some will be pleased that the Referendum result has been honoured, others will regard it as a sad and misguided step for the nation. Regardless of your perspective, Leave or Remain, we will all collectively face the same challenges together over the next decade.
Read MoreWe celebrate today the feast of the Baptism of Christ within the season of Epiphany: God’s glory is revealed as Jesus is baptised and shown to be the beloved Son, as God’s glory was also revealed to the Magi who came to worship the infant Christ, and later at the wedding at Cana when the water was turned to wine – foreshadowing every occasion when poverty is turned to riches and sorrow into joy.
Read MoreIn Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus’ conception is described from the perspective of Joseph. We learn nothing of the conversation he had with Mary on hearing the disturbing news of her pregnancy, and that he is not the father. Rather we learn of the honourable way Joseph intends to act, and then of a revelatory dream, in which an angel tells him that Jesus is the product of a new divine action, in line with a prophecy of Isaiah. The significance of a ‘virgin birth’ is that Jesus will be more than the accumulated best of his ancestors; he will be a unique manifestation of the power of God.
Read MoreIn Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus’ conception is described from the perspective of Joseph. We learn nothing of the conversation he had with Mary on hearing the disturbing news of her pregnancy, and that he is not the father. Rather we learn of the honourable way Joseph intends to act, and then of a revelatory dream, in which an angel tells him that Jesus is the product of a new divine action, in line with a prophecy of Isaiah. The significance of a ‘virgin birth’ is that Jesus will be more than the accumulated best of his ancestors; he will be a unique manifestation of the power of God.
Read MoreIn between me writing these highlights and you reading it on paper or online, we will know the results of the general election. It seems strange to be talking about something that hasn’t happened yet. It’s like shouting at the top of your voice in the wilderness waiting to hear an echo.
Read MoreThe second Sunday of Advent is traditionally the time when the church thinks of prophets and prophecy. In the week of the General Election, it feels like we are living somewhere in between Isaiah’s prophecy and vision of an ideal society in Isaiah 11, and John the Baptist’s condemnation of the self-satisfied and complacent – in his case that applied to the religious authorities in Matthew 3.
Read MoreThe Revd Kathryn Percival will be installed as Canon Chancellor and Vice Dean during Choral Evensong at 6pm on Sunday 15th December. Please join us as we welcome Kathryn and her family. We have agreed with Kathryn to mark her installation by raising funds to improve the fabric of the Cathedral. The southwest door is in urgent need of repair. Portsmouth Cathedral Development Trust has donated £3,100 to start the appeal and donations can be made through https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/cathedralsouthwestdoor or the Cathedral Offices.
Read MoreThe Cathedral has appointed Sophie Henstridge-Brown to the post of Head of Fundraising and Events. She will begin working with us on Tuesday 18th February 2020. Sophie comes to the Cathedral from the Royal Opera House, and is an active member of Southwark Cathedral. The Dean said, “I am delighted that Sophie is joining the Cathedral team, bringing just the skills and background we need at this point in our history. Her track record is second to none, and Sophie will help us continue to build a flourishing and financially sustainable Cathedral”.
Read MoreHappy New Year. I’m speaking of course of the church’s liturgical year. We press the reset button this Sunday and begin once again the journey through the worshipping calendar starting with the period of watching and waiting for the Saviour’s birth this Christmastide.
Read More“40 years since I was a choirboy at Bangor Cathedral, I’m bringing my special concert of music and stories to Cathedrals throughout the UK. I can’t wait to see you all there!
Read MoreThe Feast of Christ the King reminds us that God is sovereign over all things. Every part of our existence falls under the dominion of Christ, and that for Christians there can be no valid idea of the secular: no place or activity should be disconnected from God. All things were created by, and exist for, God. It is interesting to note that to describe a space as secular, as a place without the presence of God, is to describe what Christians believe Hell to be like.
Read MoreThe weeks between All Saints and Advent are sometimes referred to as the ‘Kingdom’ Season. We give thanks for those who have gone before us and we look forward to the reality of God’s Kingdom which lies ahead for us all.
Read MoreOn Sunday morning I will be standing on the steps of the Guildhall, taking part in the City Council’s Remembrance Sunday Service, concluding with a wreath laying ceremony. It also includes an act of commitment, in which all respond to the question ‘Will you strive for all that makes for peace?’ with the words, ‘We will.’
Read MoreAll Saints’ Sunday
The Church of England’s introduction for this new liturgical season - All Saints to Advent - says: “No Christian is solitary. Through baptism we become members one of another in Christ, members of a company of saints whose mutual belonging transcends death.” This is particularly relevant for the coming few weeks of remembrance. I would like to draw your attention to the ways we will remember them.
Read MoreIt is becoming almost axiomatic to say that we seem to be living in times of uncertainty over what appear to be binary issues at least politically. Brexit may be on or off. There may or may not be a ‘deal’. We may have an election in December or not. It is as if the new religion is not nationalism so much as Schrodinger.
Read MoreAlthough our choirs are off for Half Term, there is nevertheless a varied and interesting programme of activity at the Cathedral, over the next two weeks, including a Family Activity Day as well as a number of visiting choirs.
Read MoreIn 2008, in the wake of the banking crisis, when trust in banks and the financial sector was extremely low, a researcher at Bath University began a study of the key elements that created trust in business. Her name is Veronica Hope Hailey, and her work is worth looking up on the internet.
Read MoreAs autumn finally takes hold and the colours turn in the landscape around us, we have a week full of colour, commemoration and pageantry here at the Cathedral (and uniforms!).
The Royal Marines Band Service has been coming to the Cathedral for an annual service of glorious music and solemn remembrance since 1998 when the RMBS moved their School of Music to Portsmouth from Deal. This year saw the 30th anniversary of the terrible explosion at Deal on 22nd September which left 11 musicians dead and another 11 injured, so the music played in tribute at Sunday’s service will have a special poignancy.
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