St James' Church, Welton

St James’ Church at Welton, Cumbria, was locked when we called, and it seemed to have no distinguishing features, apart from a large Celtic cross in its churchyard. Even these are not particularly unusual, often serving as war memorials, which is the purpose of Welton’s, listing its nine sons who fell in the Great War. If a boring-looking church requires a feature, let it be a war memorial, a reminder to the living of the dead, of man’s violent and bloody history, of our own flimsy grasp of vitality, and the grave’s ever-gaping mouth. Thank God for Jesus Christ, who had every right to proclaim:

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live." John 11:25