In St Mary’s churchyard, Nottingham, lies the grave of a Christian. That’s obvious, I hear you say, that’s where Christians are buried. Well, I’ll wager a guinea that there’s many an occupant of those graves who now regret their lack of real, saving faith. So what makes Daniel Robinson stand out?
‘He frequently sung‘.
Many today believe that human life was created by alien species, sometimes called ‘ancient astronauts’. The idea first appears in the science fiction of the early 20th century and was increasingly popular from the 1950s. The odd piece of archaeology, showing beings floating or wearing spacesuit-like apparel, supposedly lends credence to the theory. The approach is a great way of rejecting the atheistic nihilism of modern cosmology without having to embrace traditional theism.
Recently I had the pleasure of visiting Coton Manor Garden in Northamptonshire. The leaflet describing the garden says, “The ten acre garden, originally laid out by the grandparents of the present owner, encloses a series of smaller gardens providing interest and variety throughout… everyone will enjoy the charm and special atmosphere of the garden.” Certainly I couldn’t disagree with that; it was a beautiful place, lovingly cared for and full of vibrant colour. This year, it has been short-listed as one of the nation's favourite gardens.
Last week I visited a Welsh woollen mill. After admiring the patterns, textures and colours of the various blankets, throws and cushions on sale, I went into the weaving room to watch the cloth being made, a fascinating, though noisy, process. After my ears had had enough, I escaped to another room where I watched a video in which different employees talked about their work. And how complicated it turned out to be! My head was soon full of warping, beaming off, and threading; of punch cards and heddles; of green lights and red ones; of special knots and needles.
One of the joys of being at the seaside is the opportunity to do a little beach-combing. There are so many ‘treasures’ to be found: shells, sea glass, driftwood, pebbles. It’s easy to fill your pockets in no time! Sometimes when you get home your finds look a little disappointing, especially the pebbles which don’t gleam so jewel-like when they are dry. But having selected them, I don’t like to just throw them away so I treat them to a few weeks in the Tumble Polisher. First with coarse grit, then with medium grit, then with fine grit.
I saw something this month which I do not remember seeing before. A strange creature? An unusual plant? A Yorkshireman opening his wallet? No. I saw a dark sky. I don’t just mean a night sky, I mean a black sky, unspoilt by cloud and light pollution. When I go stargazing at home, I take my little telescope to the chapel where the sky is darker. But even those clear skies above Rimington are nothing to the black skies of deepest Australia. Though the chapel is rural, its skies are blighted by a hundred thousand streetlamps in Manchester, Burnley and Blackburn.
01282 540562
pastor @ martintop. org .uk
Salem Chapel, Martin Top
Rimington, Clitheroe BB7 4EG
Sunday Worship 10.45am & 6pm