Tag Archives: London

Advent Word 2022, Day 5 ‘Make’ 做

December 1, 2022 Catherine Lee Leave a comment

#AdventWord #Make #做

‘Make a plan, make a change, make a difference, make a promise. Make memories, make the most of it, make something of yourself.

To make something is to act upon it, to bring it into being. It is intentional, purposeful.

What are we being asked to make this Advent?

Or is that the wrong question? Would it be better to consider what God is trying to make of us? What is the Maker making here, now?

We can work so hard to develop ourselves, to get closer to the life we have imagined. Is it possible that in this busy-ness, we lose out on the opportunity to allow God to act upon us, to change us, to fulfill a promise to us, to make something us?

If we set aside our own preconceptions this Advent, can we see what is being made in us and all around us?’ (Rebecca Marek)

‘Creativity is in all of us’ at the London Graphic Centre (Art Supply Store), Covent Garden

Faith

Advent Word 2022, Day 4 ‘Mountains’ 眾山

November 30, 2022 Catherine Lee Leave a comment

#AdventWord #Mountains #眾山

‘Humans have always been drawn to mountaintop experiences and for good reason—it often takes an effort to get there but the reward more than justifies it. From Abraham and Moses to the Transfiguration and Crucifixion, major events in the Bible are often centered atop mountains. And yet, a mountaintop experience is not how God chose to reveal the Messiah to the world. Instead, Jesus was born in a cave surrounded by domesticated animals, the miracle of our Savior’s birth revealed first to lowly shepherds so that all, especially the lost and the least, might be drawn to the light of Christ.’ (Victoria Logue)

Mountains in London? Not that I know of, but there are a few hills ~ including Tower Hill, once famous for its public executions of high-profile traitors and criminals. The land was historically part of the Tower Liberty, an area protected from development so as to keep a clear view of the Tower of London for defence purposes.

Faith

Advent Word 2022, Day 3 ‘Teach’ 教導

November 29, 2022 Catherine Lee Leave a comment

#AdventWord #Teach #教導

‘When I think about the ministry of Jesus, often the first thing that comes to mind is that he was a preacher and teacher. When I was an elementary school teacher, I always looked forward to my students having a “lightbulb moment”—the moment when a concept they had struggled with suddenly became clear. Jesus was an extremely patient teacher. I imagine he would delight in the “lightbulb moments” he helped facilitate through his teaching. When have you experienced a “lightbulb moment?”

Kathryn Nishibayashi

‘Exquisite Pain‘ by Damien Hirst at St. Bartholomew-the-Great’s Church (Great St. Barts), London’s oldest surviving church – adjoins St. Bartholomew’s Hospital (Barts) of the same foundation, one of London’s most famous teaching hospitals.

‘St Bartholomew was one of Jesus’ Apostles, who went to Armenia to preach the Gospel, where he was tortured to death by being skinned alive.

Damien Hirst uses the traditional imagery of the saint (which you can see in the Sistine Chapel and Milan Cathedral, for example) – holding his skin over his arm, clutching the knife that tortured him – but gave it a twist special to St Bartholomew’s Church and Hospital: the body is based on an anatomical model and the knife is a scalpel.

“I like the confusion you get between science and religion… that’s where belief lies and art as well.”‘ Damien Hurst

Faith

Advent Word 2022, Day 2 ‘Together’ 一起

November 28, 2022 Catherine Lee Leave a comment

#AdventWord #Together #一起

‘In pandemic times, one of the best ways to stay healthy is in isolation. But in every other circumstance, separating ourselves is a path toward unhealth—physically, mentally, and certainly spiritually. We need to be together. Binding ourselves to each other pushes away fear and despair, and together we discover more courage and hopefulness. In coming together, we unlock creativity and joy. In this season of preparation, we remember that God desires to be together with us, so much so that Christ came to walk alongside us and to live among us.’ (Katherine Bush)

‘WE’ by Jaume Plensa 2021, The Shard, London Bridge

“I call it ‘WE’ because I’ve been using alphabets from different cultures, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Greek, Cyrillic, Hindi and Latin. A group of letters alone means nothing, A-B-C-D-E, they are like cells that in collaboration with others become a text. It’s a beautiful metaphor about community, about society… ‘WE’ comprises two parts – one installed in The Shard’s piazza, one suspended above the escalator outside the building – facing each other as if in dialogue. The piece is designed to give members of the public a chance to frame their individual perspectives, as they walk through Shard Quarter, taking in one figure, followed by the other. By establishing a link between the two, they will be inspired to consider the notion of self, alongside the people around them.”

Faith

Advent Word 2022, Day 1 ‘Walk’ 行走

November 27, 2022 Catherine Lee Leave a comment

#AdventWord #Walk #行走

‘The very first journey to the manger begins, not with passive waiting, but with a walk. Imagine the pure physicality of that walk: a heavily pregnant Mary and a weary Joseph place one sore, dusty foot in front of the other, mile after mile. Mary plants each foot carefully, lest she slip and harm her child. Like Mary and Joseph, we embark upon a journey today. Let us walk with God through Advent, mindfully and intentionally, with our hearts and minds open to all the possibilities this expectant season brings.’ (Anita Philbrick)

Today is Advent Sunday, and the start of Advent Word, a project of The Episcopal Church, with an ‘AdventWord’ shared each day and a short meditation on that word. From my visit to London last week, I hope to share a photo with you appropriate for each day’s AdventWord.

Faith

Advent Word 2019, Day 20 ‘Go’

December 20, 2019 Catherine Lee Leave a comment

#AdventWord #Go

Go see. Go hear. Go tell. Following Jesus involves movement, witnessing to his ministry, using our agency for positive change through word and deed. As we go, we must keep our eyes and ears open to what the world is telling us, so that in our going, we are prepared to authentically address the needs of others and of creation.

Alan Yarborough is the Communications Coordinator and Office Manager for The Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations.

A Thames Clipper sails past St. Paul’s Cathedral, London

London Churches, Cathedrals and of Course, Celebrations!

September 18, 2018 Catherine Lee Leave a comment

A great weekend in London! Another great weekend in London, I should say. My second in three weeks. Loved it! And it was hot and sunny, totally unexpected. Just check out these photos, taken on Sunday, above is Westminster Abbey, and below is Trafalgar Square and St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church…

This weekend was planned around the 80th birthday celebration (and book launch) of good friend and amazing hymnwriter, Rev. Christopher Idle, who has just published his third volume of collected hymns, this one called, ‘Trees Along The River’. The event was held at St. Mark’s Church, Kennington, near the Oval. Wonderful to see so many old friends, including some I knew long ago in Tanzania and haven’t seen since. And some I once met in Taizé and haven’t seen for several years. Anyway, this is Christopher and his oldest son, Tim and youngest grandson. Such a lovely family. The cake was incredible too, reflecting Christopher’s love of hymns, Arsenal and cricket at the Oval. Many congratulations to him!

The following day was a Sunday off. A Sunday off in London. Wow! What an opportunity! I wanted to visit the biggest churches I could find. Not the biggest church buildings, but the largest congregations. So I found myself at 11:00 am at Hillsong, which meets in the Dominian Theatre in central London, and seats over 2,000; it was totally full!

In the evening I went to the service at 7:00 pm at Holy Trinity, Brompton, famous for its Alpha Courses. Loved it! But there was a notice saying not to take photos. And it was dark. So I took heed, and had a break from photos… 🤔🤔 (that’s me, deep in thought!)

And in-between those 2 services? Well, I arranged to meet up with 3 very lovely Taiwan students who I know from Taiwan, and who have all just arrived in London to study. One is studying MA in Art & Christianity at King’s College, another is studying fashion and the other design, all at famous London universities. They didn’t know each other directly, but for 2 of them, their parents are colleagues from St. John’s University, Taiwan. Of those, one is a member of Dazhi Presbyterian Church, Taipei, one is a member of Good Shepherd Church, Taipei, and the third is a member at St. John’s Cathedral, Taipei.

We found ourselves joining the 54th anniversary celebrations of the St. Martin-in-the-Fields Chinese congregation 聖馬田中文堂 led by Rev. Paul Lau (with us in the photo below). We were very warmly welcomed by the church leaders, and after the service, we enjoyed the most delicious Chinese food at a celebration meal in a room downstairs. So moving, cos we hadn’t realized it was to be a special anniversary service, and with a wonderful meal provided too!

IMG_8059-001

And afterwards, it was so sunny outside that we walked outside to see the church (see top photos), and then on around London. How can you NOT walk around London on such a beautiful September Sunday afternoon?

And my final church of the weekend to show you – though it was actually the first one I visited on Friday afternoon en route to elsewhere. It’s a former Anglican Church now converted to be St. Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Kentish Town. This is it! So ordinary outside, but oh so stunning inside! Do go and visit!

And the last amazing place I went to, not a church nor a cathedral, and I was only there a few minutes, was the British Museum. This is the view inside.

Check out the Tennyson quote on the bottom right of the above photo… this is it:

And in fact this is where most people (well, tourists anyway) were going on Sunday morning, not to all the churches, but to the British Museum. The entrance was completely packed out!

So thanks be to God for a great weekend in London! Almost churched-out (!), but not quite. Really enjoyed the variety of worship and all the different buildings and people. And many thanks to all the kind friends who welcomed me for meals and coffee and cake and more. Much appreciated.

Now saying goodbye to the great capital and heading off to East Anglia tomorrow. In fact off to visit the very place where my family and Christopher Idle’s family knew each other 20+ years ago. Neighbouring parishes in sunny Suffolk. So, guys, just watch this space, and thanks for your prayers!

London’s Street Art @ Shoreditch: Must Go!

September 18, 2018 Catherine Lee 1 Comment

The best place in London to see street art in abundance is the Shoreditch area, and wherever you go, there’s tons of murals, paintings and graffiti of every kind ~ some of it very famous, like the 2 original ones above by Banksy. Just walk around and there’s so much to see, you end up walking miles and miles. New stuff is coming up all the time. So check it out, often. I love it! This was my street art walk last Friday in the area….

I love the way these 2 almost interact….

And some more, including the community garden on Brick Lane….

So, get yourself to Shoreditch and, well, just enjoy wandering around!

From Taiwan to London ~ with love!

September 6, 2018 Catherine Lee 3 Comments

This was really quite some weekend!

What you need to know (according to Wikipedia): Lambeth Palace, London is the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury in England. And the Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury…

And this past weekend was my first time for both. My first ever visit to Lambeth Palace, AND my first time to meet the Archbishop of Canterbury. YES!

This year, Taiwan is marking the 60th anniversary of the 823 Artillery Shell Bombardment of Kinmen, and on Monday September 3, I was honoured to present an artillery shell cross on behalf of the Bishop of Taiwan, David J. H. Lai, to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, during a lunchtime Eucharist in the chapel at Lambeth Palace. It was a really wonderful occasion, and Archbishop Justin and his staff made me feel really welcome. Later that day, the archbishop wrote in his Facebook post, ‘The cross shows us the transformation of hatred into love. Today I was given a special gift by the Diocese of Taiwan – a cross made from artillery shells. Made as part of the diocese’s peacemaking ministry, these crosses show us that the love of Jesus turns hate into love, and war into peace. Thank you Catherine Lee for presenting this cross on behalf of the Bishop of Taiwan, David Lai.’

This is the artillery shell cross on the Lambeth Palace chapel altar after the service…

I also had a short tour of some of the other rooms, the crypt chapel, and the state drawing room. Many of these rooms were badly damaged during World War II, so extensive restoration work had to take place after the war. Fascinating place to visit!

The chapel has an amazing ceiling, ‘From Darkness to Light’ (Leonard Henry Rosoman, 1988)…

Before the service at the chapel, Archbishop Justin introduced me as working for Church Mission Society (CMS). In fact, the Archbishop of Canterbury is the patron of CMS. During the service, we prayed for our CMS executive leader, Philip Mounstephen, who has just been appointed as the next Bishop of Truro, Cornwall, and for the CMS trustees as they start the search for a new leader. Archbishop Justin also mentioned that before I worked in Taiwan, I had been in Mwanza and Dodoma in Tanzania, places he knows well. Ah, yes, I was just so happy to hear the Archbishop of Canterbury mention Mwanza and Dodoma!

Y’know, many of my closest friendships date from my years in Tanzania, and I’ve spent this weekend in London catching up with some of them, including Tim and Sarah and their family ~ and I’m grateful to them for their generous hospitality this weekend. They are long-time members of Brandon Baptist Church, Camberwell, S. London….

The minister of Brandon, Steve, kindly invited me to speak at their church on Sunday morning – and I showed the congregation the artillery shell cross that I was about to present to the Archbishop of Canterbury the following day. Steve followed up my sermon by sharing how this artillery shell cross and its message, of hatred transformed into peace, is so relevant for their local community, struggling with unprecedented levels of knife crime and violence. And many of the prayers of the congregation during the service were also related to their desire for peace on the streets of London. The words written on the wooden artillery shell cross stand say in English and Chinese, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Matthew 5:9. Yes, indeed.

The Brandon Baptist Church congregation were so lovely, and those originally from Nigeria, Ghana and Jamaica in particular were wearing the most amazing variety of stunning outfits. Had to take some photos. Loved them all!

After the service, Tim and Sarah took us on a wonderful outing and picnic to the Horniman Museum, in Forest Hill, where we had a very lively and colourful carnival to entertain us as we ate…

The museum is really incredible. There is THE very huge and very famous walrus in the centre, and all around are a real mix of interesting things from all over the world. Highly recommended. And it’s not often that I recommend museums, or even go in them to find out. So make sure you go. Just make sure you don’t touch the walrus or sit on that iceberg! 🤣🤣🤣

The walrus even appears on the street art sign (by Lionel Stanhope) of Forest Hill under the railway bridge, he’s a local celebrity!

Actually my London weekend got off to a really lively, exciting and fun start, when I had the chance to meet up with Eshita and her parents, who I knew from Isamilo Primary School, Mwanza. She was one of my pupils there when she was, well, just 5-6 years old! Y’know, not everyone feels really comfortable meeting up with their former primary school teachers, but Eshita is completely delightful and I am honoured that she arranged to meet me, at a delicious S. Indian restaurant (Sagar in Hammersmith). It was the first time I’ve seen her parents since I was in Mwanza, so we had much to catch up on. Thank you Eshita!

Also visited a few more friends over the weekend, and the rest of the time, I spent walking round London. And on the underground. And on the bus. Seeing all the sights. Catching up after 3 years away. Seeing what’s new. And what’s not. Loved it all!

So, here goes. I went to Southwark Cathedral. There was only one other person in there, a lady taking photos of the cathedral cat. The cathedral is free to go in. Make the most of it, guys, this is a cathedral, and what’s more, it’s FREE!

And across the Millennium Bridge….

To St. Paul’s Cathedral, where the Bishop of London was in the middle of rededicating the cathedral bells…

Along by the river…

Past the Globe Theatre…

The Houses of Parliament, under restoration and renovation…

The London Eye…

Westminster Abbey..

Methodist Central Hall (good coffee shop in the basement)…

Around Buckingham Palace…

St. James’ Park…

Kensington Palace…

The Round Pond and Hyde Park – swans and geese everywhere!

The Albert Memorial and Royal Albert Hall…

Christo’s beautiful art installation in Hyde Park, called ‘The Mastaba’, and made out of over 7,000 oil drums…

And more art at Carrie Riechardt’s mosaic house out at Chiswick, ‘The Treatment Rooms’…

Piccadilly, St. James’ Church and Piccadilly Circus….

And not forgetting Trafalgar Square, and St. Martin-in-the-Fields….

And finally on Monday afternoon, the last place to visit was my most favouritest shop in all of London, Stanfords in Long Acre, near Leicester Square where they sell maps of every kind and every place and every style. Go there if you want to travel. Go there even if you don’t want to travel, and maybe you’ll get inspired. Could have spent a fortune, but restrained myself. Had tea instead, lol. Ah, I love that shop!

‘When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life’, so said Samuel Johnson in 1777 and it’s been true ever since. And for women too, of course. Tired of London? Ain’t gonna happen, I’m sure of that. As long as you have legs that carry you, you can walk around that great city seeing everything. And on a sunny September weekend, with blue skies, friends and fellowship to enjoy, what more can London do to make us smile? Thank you London, and all my friends in London, you’ve done it again! YES!