TV

It is arguably 100 years since the invention of TV and The Church Society is inviting theological reflection sparked by this.

https://www.churchsociety.org/resource/the-global-anglican-essay-prize-2026/

I don't think I have an essay in me, but perhaps I have a few jottings.

German comedian Henning Wehn speaks of the Parochialism of Facts. Every German child is taught that Friedrich Braun was the inventor of television.

The Traitors and its extraordinary popularity perhaps calls for some Faithful theological reflection. It was interesting to see this spill over into political discourse as Health Secretary Wes Streeting repeated his line that he is and always has been a Faithful.

Way back in the mists of time we read Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business (Methuen, London, 1985) at theological college. It might be worth asking how that looks after all this time.

Paul Kingsnorth mentions TV in his Wendell Berry lecture along with some sources that would be worth following up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTlM-6nZNdE. He is interesting on the Latin origin of the word "focus", as the hearth or fire place (with its associated gods). Which of course feeds in to discussion of TV and focus. Once family viewing was a thing with one TV as the new hearth-light around which the family would gather of an evening. Then there may be a TV in every room. Now there is a devise in every hand too.

The transition from limited linear TV to online is of course also worthy of reflection.

American journalist Nicholas Carr's The Shallows: How the Internet Is Changing the Way We Think, Read and Remember (2010) would be a book to consult. .

Peter Hitchens also has some comments about TV in The Abolition of Britain, if I remember correctly.

TV could also be situated in a broader biblical theology of creation and of making. TV and TV shows are works of sub-creation. The cultural mandate has resulted in this culture! TV is an aspect of technology and of humanity's dominion work , but it can easily have dominion over us. We have created the machine which can become a beast, even a serpent.


The Bible also has things to say of relevance to news, leisure, words and images.


We are to give our consideration to whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy. Like other media, TV is a mixed bag.


We might compare moral panic around TV to that over the printing press, the novel, the telephone or the internet.

Family Evangelism

 Today's Gospel (from John 1) raises the question of Christian witness to non-Christian family. This has its pros and cons. They know you. And they know you. This is not hit and run gospeling but you hope for an ongoing relationship. 

The gospel's account is not really one of deliberate strategy but of spontaneous enthusiasm: we have found; come and see! Perhaps there is a particular opportunity in the first days of conversion to bravely speak up. 

Is Britain broken?

 It seems to be a matter of great debate at the highest and popular levels whether or not Britain is broken. This threatens to be a dividing line in our politics. The shadow cabinet allegedly could not agree.  

 

But as ever, of course, we must distinguish. In what sense is Britain broken or not? For whom? In what ways?

 

For us, in leafy Sussex, life is mostly pretty good. Of course funds are limited. Retirement housing is a worry for this Vicar. And there are pot holes. There are all sorts of challenges and frustrations. Many things we would like, we do not have. And yet we are all in good health. The children’s state secondary school is officially good. It is certainly more than adequate most of the time, even if its not optimal.

 

But if you get ill with certain conditions and you can’t go private, you can probably expect to wait a year or more in some degree of pain and disability. For some issues (children’s mental health?) you could perhaps forget ever getting effective timely help.

 

I suspect in some parts of Britain for many people everything does pretty much feel broken. Nothing works. The state is unresponsive or unhelpful. The police and the GP aren’t on hand when actually needed.

 

Does it really matter whether or not we label Britain as broken?

 

Certainly some aspects of Britain are somewhat broken for some people.

 

Surely we must hope that Britain is not broken beyond repair.

 

So we can all agree there are things which need fixing.

 

A more sensible conversation is how we can go about the job, rather than debating how big the job is. Yes, we know it’s a big job and it’s going to cost us, but the sooner we have a plan and get started, the better.

Parish Magazine Item for February 2026

 

From The Rectory

 

I said last time that, in line with the Diocesan focus for the year, I would try at least to mention Matthew’s gospel here each month.

 

The Church of England has set Lectionary Bible Readings for each Sunday of the Year. The modern Common Worship liturgy (from 2000 onwards) uses the Revised Common Lectionary. Something like this is used by the Roman Catholic church and many other churches around the world. It has a three-year cycle (this is Year A) with a gospel given prominence each year (this year it is Matthew). So as I write I’ve already preached a couple of times from Matthew’s gospel this year. As usual, you can find those sermons on the Warbleton church website or indeed the whole service is on the church’s YouTube channel (@warbletonparishchurch849 or simply search for Warbleton Parish Church). Remember you can easily look up or listen to Matthew’s gospel online. I refer to parts of chapters two and three a bit further below.

 

I know I mentioned the wise men here a couple of months ago. And I must have preached on them countless times in Christmas and Epiphany sermons. But I do find they’ve somehow captured my imagination. I can’t quite shake them off. Maybe it’s the mystery around them. That journey. The danger. The T. S. Eliot poem. I’m not sure. Their example urges us to seek Christ in the Scriptures, whatever the cost, and to appreciate something of Jesus’ true significance. How much they really knew we cannot tell. Yet they gave Jesus gifts fit for a king. And perhaps, if the carol can be believed, they saw that a deity was nigh, but also the bitter perfume spoke of gathering gloom and of an impending death of great import. A Bible study on gold, frankincense and myrrh is instructive. The only passage where all three are actually named together is in Old Testament love poem The Song of Songs (that is, the best song ever), sometimes known as The Song of Solomon. The gifts are associated with the arrival of this great bridegroom king famed for his wisdom, the object of the bride’s love and longing.

 

The gospels tell us next to nothing about Jesus’ childhood and adolescence. Matthew goes straight from the wise men and the associated sojourn of the Holy Family in Egypt to the baptism of Christ. Scholars imagine Jesus was about 30 years old at this point which marked the beginning of his public ministry. Now John the Baptist fades from the scene and Jesus takes over. In three years’ time he will be crucified.

 

John’s baptism is a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And in Christian theology Jesus is the perfect God-Man. He has no sins of which he needs to repent. So why is he being baptised? The Baptist recognises something of this oddity. He at least says to Jesus it ought to be the other way round: “Jesus, you should be the one giving me a wash, not me you.” Baptism in the Bible can be a picture of death, of flood waters which overwhelm. Here is the shadow of the cross again. Jesus is standing in the place of sinners. He is the innocent one on whom our guilt will crash. The judgement of God will expend itself on him that grace and mercy, blessing and love might flow to us.

 

The baptism is also rich with Biblical associations. Water, God speaking and the Spirit hovering recall the creation narrative. Jesus is the New Adam who will bring in a New Creation. Like Noah, who is associated with a dove, Jesus will be the Saviour. The church is a kind of ark. There will be a fresh start for planet earth. Jesus is called God’s Son whom he loves, with whom the Father is well pleased. Later in the gospel these words are repeated with the instruction “listen to him”.

 

Seek Jesus. Listen to Jesus. These are great new year’s resolutions as relevant in February as in January. And if we haven’t managed this brilliantly well so far this year, Jesus is always ready to receive us back, to welcome us, embrace us and go with us on the Way.  

 

The Revd Marc Lloyd

Towards a pattern for clergy well being

 Clergy need to take responsibility, at least to some extent, and under and with Jesus, for their own well-being. 

Hopefully "the diocese" are supportive of you. But they won't turn up with a big pile of money and make you do what you ought to do. The Bishop cannot stand over you to make sure you pray or set the out of office email. If she tries to make you go to her study day, you will probably resent it! 

Likewise your best and right thinking parishioners, if they consider these things, will be all for them. These things will in fact benefit them if done wisely. No one wants an angry / tired / stressed / drained / resentful / worn out / hopeless / frazzled Vicar! 

It is hard for others to get what it is like for you and hard for them to know what would help you. 

You should pray for self-knowledge. And perhaps get some help. Talk to your spouse and someone else about what might work for you. 

Take your day off and your holidays. There is always some good work you could do on your day off. Don't! Or at least if you do, take some other time off. Ideally a full 24 hours. That is the rule and it is a wise one. Don't feel guilty about saying you will be on holiday (even if you can't afford to stay outside the parish) and don't come back from your holiday to do that funeral. Or at least not more than once a decade. 

You are meant to say Morning and Evening Prayer every day. Do this, or some other devotional practice, in a way that actually feeds your own soul too. There is little more important than each day remembering something of the gospel, saying thank you to Jesus and seeking his grace which is new every morning.  

And then find what will work for you. Perhaps some of the following: 

A quiet away day three times a year?

A planning and review afternoon each term?

A spiritual director or soul friend or group?

Reading? Perhaps have some things you want to read and some time marked out in the diary. 

Writing?

A retreat or conference or study week?

Walking the dog?

Going to the gym?

Hobbies?

Music?

Art?

Get away from your desk. Get out in creation. Breath. No one expects you to work 7am - 11pm six days a week. Allow yourself a little space.  

These things need not be self-indulgent. They are a way of serving God and others for the long haul.

Toil and suffering are normal. Sometimes there are emergencies or busy periods. But in the midst of all the challenges, seek to be a joyful human being, not just a sermon and Bible study machine, or the world's best administrator.