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Robb Sutherland

Home of Robb Sutherland

May202016

Hospital in the Nave | Beaune

We’ve just been around the L’Hotel-Dieu in Beaune for a look around. I’ve been a couple of times in the past. I was struck by the large church in which the nave was used as a hospital for hundreds of years. All being treated within eyesight of the alter.

It’s interesting to see that this religious community were still treating people until 50 years ago. A reminder of what the church has done and what it can do when it sets its mind to it.

This is a photo of the posher smaller bit for people deemed worthy. It was much easier to photograph.

C’est la vie!

May122016

Wage Inequality

It suits the current political climate to perpetuate a narrative that poor people are poor because they don’t work hard.  The growing gulf between the haves and the have nots in our world is bad for society.  Monkeys just do it faster.

May112016

Sanctum | An Emerging Gathering

This is the second year for Sanctum.  “What is sanctum?” I hear you ask.  Sanctum is an “Emerging Sacramental gathering of practitioners and dreamers to worship, recharge, share ideas, pray and support”.  A place for people on the edges to meet.

9th August 2016 2pm to 11th August 2016 2pm

at The Community of the Resurrection Mirfield

As Alt:worship practitioners there is little around in the way of support so Sue Wallace (transcendence), Edward Green and I put our heads together and decided to come together each year at Mirfield to share good practice, to pray and worship together and dream dreams together.  Last year was very organic with people with lots of experience of being part of Emerging Church gatherings, people who have always wondered what it was about and were thinking of exploring new ways of worshipping in their context and everything in between.

Mirfield is a newly ordered worship space that is perfect for the high tech and the low tech.  As a place that is used regularly for sacramental worship, there is space to use all of the senses as people explore their creativity using the traditions of the church.

Check out the site and BOOK!

Apr162016

A Short Essay on Friendship

Well hopefully no one will read this. And if you do, don’t tell them. But…

As I grow older I have discovered what friendship means. I thought I knew but apparently I didn’t. I can pinpoint a few key moments but in the last 36 hours things have crystallised:

Friendship is spending a couple of hours talking about the hardships you face via Skype and listening to the hardships your friend faces. And hearing. And listening. And laughing. And joking. And saying “maybe next time we Skype we could do it at 10pm with a glass of whisky?”

Friendship is sitting around a table with a takeaway and saying out loud “this is just us picking up the conversation we were having six months ago, now we’re 200 miles apart, without missing a beat”. Didn’t even skip. 

Friendship is answering the question “where do you want to go in this sprawling metropolis where all things are possible?” with “I don’t mind. I’m here to see you”. So we’re off to Mecca Bingo. My choice. Didn’t expect that did you‽ 

Friendship is a constant messenger ping coming from your pocket letting you know that “I want to go to this gig with you” or “I think that you will love this song” or “you need to say this to your bishop*” or “come and play this song on Thursday night at jam night, it’ll be a right laugh!!” Ping. Ping per per ping ping. 

Friendship is that… We are fond of the silliness. We are. Sometimes words can’t express the love that you have for a friend but “we are fond of the silliness” will let that loony know how much he means to me. Yeah. I said loony. That’s what mates do. 

Friendship is being held up to be the best person that I can be. And I fail all the time, but I have the best friends in the universe. And friendship is also seeing people you love becoming the best that they can be. Friendship is holding people up when they feel like falling down – heck, my guys hold me up to be more than I can be all of the time. 

Friendship is forming community with people whether they are in the here right now… or constrained by family commitments and the bounds of space and time. Friends are there for you. 

Geography is annoying. 

Friends are intimate connections that transcend the bounds of Google maps estimated arrival time. 

*trust me it really was nice stuff.