Praising God in Devon

Dearest friends, On Remembrance Sunday we pause to remember those who have died in war, and those whose lives have been shaped by conflict. We remember people whose names are known to us, and the many whose names we will never know; those who did not return, and those who came home carrying grief, fear, or injuries that were not always visible. We remember, too, the families and communities who have lived with that loss, sometimes for generations. St Paul’s…

Dearest friends, One of the questions people sometimes ask about All Souls is why we pray for the dead. If those who have died are already in God’s hands, what difference can our prayers make? Are we trying to persuade God to be merciful, or to change something which has already been decided? The answer begins with love. When somebody dies, our love for them does not suddenly end. We still speak their name, remember the things they taught us,…

Dearest friends, The man who questions Jesus in this Sunday’s Gospel asks for one commandment. Jesus gives him two. Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbour as yourself. Asked to identify the greatest commandment, Jesus makes sure we don’t leave our neighbour out of the answer. That’s worth sitting with. We can sometimes imagine that our relationship with God happens in one part of life, while our dealings with other people happen somewhere else.…