Sermon at St Paul's Cathedral - Passion Sunday

A sermon given during Choral Evensong at St Paul’s Cathedral on Sunday 17th March 2024, ‘Passion Sunday’ - Lent 5 (Year B) based on the text of Romans 5.12-end

Coffee with Caiaphas - The Chester Mystery Plays 2023

The Mystery Plays tapestry quilt by B.J.Elvgren, displayed in Chester Cathedral

I once met a nun who felt called to a cloistered life after being captivated by the musical Godspell as a teenager. I confess that I too find dramatic representations of the Passion of Christ encountered outside of the liturgy of the church to be particularly powerful. One of the most arresting such experiences has been watching the Mystery Plays. 

Christ on the Mount of Olives - Beethoven's only oratorio

Christ on the Mount of Olives by Giovanni

In this, his 250th Anniversary year, please listen to Beethoven’s only oratorio – Christ on the Mount of Olives. Criticised by some for emphasizing Jesus’s humanity, for others it is precisely the vivid portrayal of Christ’s agony in the garden that connects the listener to the divine.