St Paul's Cathedral

Every Christian in every generation has to work out what it means to be a follower of the way of Christ in their particular culture; for us, that is our globalised, consumerist world. Ruth Valerio will reflect on the call to justice and wisdom, and how we can live both gently and joyfully on the planet and with each other in the 21st century. Recorded March 2016.

Julian of Norwich was a 14th century woman whose mystical experiences led her to believe in a God of unconditional love, of merciful compassion and honesty, and a radical belief in the goodness of creation and humanity, deeply challenging to medieval ideas of a God of wrath. Robert Fruehwirth explores faith’s consolations and challenges, using the wisdom and insight of Julian’s Revelations of Divine Love as a guide. Recorded 2 October 2016.

There is an Irish saying that it is in the shelter of each other than we live, but in our fragmented, urban societies it can be difficult to find, or offer, shelter to each other. Pádraig Ó Tuama draws on everyday stories, poetry, gospel reflections and Celtic spirituality to open up ways we can make our lives a place of welcome, both for ourselves and others, and live well together in a troubled world. Recorded 7 February 2016.

Etty Hillesum was a 27 year old Jewish student living under occupation in 1940s Amsterdam. Throughout that time she wrote a diary of her daily life recounting her spiritual transformation. Patrick Woodhouse will explore her life and writing including what her profound reflections on the nature of evil can teach us today. Recorded July 2016.

Katharine Jefferts Schori, by profession and passion both scientist and theologian, will look at the many meanings of the first chapters of Genesis, exploring what they can teach us about God, the world, and ourselves. Recorded 3 March 2016.

Although we tend to associate darkness with the absence of God, Advent is a season when we are called to contemplate the unseen workings of God in preparation for new life and new hope as we wait for the explosion of joy at the birth of Christ. Barbara Mosse explores the many gifts of God that can be found during this season, and also the wisdom to be found in the seasons of the church year as we begin them once again. Recorded 4 Dec 2016.

Drawing together the themes of the kingdom and the cross, the resurrection and ascension, Tom Wright presents a radical rereading of the gospels with radical implications for our lives – spiritually, politically and for the church as a whole. Tom Wright is Research Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of St Andrews, and was until recently the Bishop of Durham. Recorded October 2015.

Advent is the season when we prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ at Christmas – a season for slowing down and reflecting on the great spiritual themes of light and dark, life and death. But while all around us the world speeds up in pre-Christmas rush, it can be difficult to find a place for stillness and contemplation. Malcolm Guite suggests one way is to read a poem each day and offers a seasonal reflection on this. Recorded in December 2015.

Music parallels and illuminates the experience of God in its changeability and fleetingness, and is one of the best ways we have to find the stillness in which a experience the sense of God’s presence. It can also provide a narrative for the cycle of life which allows our inexpressible feelings to be given voice at times of both sorrow and rejoicing. In reflection and conversation, renowned theologian Fr Timothy Radcliffe OP and award winning musician Andrew Carwood explore together what music can teach us about faith beyond words. Recorded in June 2015.

What kind of person do you want to be? It’s easy to go through life without ever really considering what we’re here for and who we want to be. How can we think not just about what we do with our lives, but who we’re becoming while living them? Steve Chalke, minister of Oasis Church Waterloo and the Founder of Oasis Trust, says that God calls each one of us to play our part in his plan for a just and loving world, and it’s finding our place in that story that will shape us and our lives into everything we were meant to be. Recorded in September 2015.