Podcasts about st martin

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a service of Morning Prayer during the Christmas season. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Daily Prayer app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/morning-prayer-contemporary-saturday-27-december-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a short service of Prayer During the Day for Saturday during Christmas. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Time to Pray app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/prayer-during-day-contemporary-saturday-27-december-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a service of Evening Prayer during the Christmas season. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Daily Prayer app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/evening-prayer-contemporary-friday-26-december-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a service of Morning Prayer for Friday during the Christmas Season. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Daily Prayer app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/morning-prayer-contemporary-friday-26-december-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a short service of Night Prayer for Friday during Christmas. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Time to Pray app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/night-prayer-contemporary-friday-26-december-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a short service of Prayer During the Day for Friday during Christmas. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Time to Pray app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/prayer-during-day-contemporary-friday-26-december-2025

A few years ago, Trymaine Lee, though fit and only 38, nearly died of a heart attack. When his then five-year-old daughter, Nola, asked her daddy why, he realized that to answer her honestly, he had to confront what almost killed him—the weight of being a Black man in America; of bearing witness, as a journalist, to relentless Black death; and of a family history scarred by enslavement, lynching, the Great Migration, the also insidious racism of the North, and gun violence that stole the lives of two great-uncles, a grandfather, a stepbrother, and two cousins.In this powerful narrative, Lee weaves together three strands: the long and bloody history of African Americans and guns; his work as a chronicler of gun violence, tallying the costs and riches generated by both the legal and illegal gun industries; and his own life story. With unflinching honesty he takes readers on a journey, from almost being caught up in gun violence as a young man, to tracing the legacy of the Middle Passage in Ghana through his ancestors' footsteps, to confronting the challenges of representing his people in an overwhelmingly white and often hostile media world, and most importantly, to celebrating the enduring strength of his family and community.In A Thousand Ways to Die (St. Martin's Press, 2025) Lee answers Nola and all who seek a more just America. He shares the hard truths and complexities of the Black experience, but he also celebrates the beauty and resilience that is Nola's legacy. In this episode we discuss the work of Dana Tenille Weeks. You can hear her talk about the reimagination of future at Episode 22 of her podcast, The Rest of Us. Find Trymaine Lee at his website and on Instagram. Host Sullivan Summer is at her website, Instagram, and on Substack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

A few years ago, Trymaine Lee, though fit and only 38, nearly died of a heart attack. When his then five-year-old daughter, Nola, asked her daddy why, he realized that to answer her honestly, he had to confront what almost killed him—the weight of being a Black man in America; of bearing witness, as a journalist, to relentless Black death; and of a family history scarred by enslavement, lynching, the Great Migration, the also insidious racism of the North, and gun violence that stole the lives of two great-uncles, a grandfather, a stepbrother, and two cousins.In this powerful narrative, Lee weaves together three strands: the long and bloody history of African Americans and guns; his work as a chronicler of gun violence, tallying the costs and riches generated by both the legal and illegal gun industries; and his own life story. With unflinching honesty he takes readers on a journey, from almost being caught up in gun violence as a young man, to tracing the legacy of the Middle Passage in Ghana through his ancestors' footsteps, to confronting the challenges of representing his people in an overwhelmingly white and often hostile media world, and most importantly, to celebrating the enduring strength of his family and community.In A Thousand Ways to Die (St. Martin's Press, 2025) Lee answers Nola and all who seek a more just America. He shares the hard truths and complexities of the Black experience, but he also celebrates the beauty and resilience that is Nola's legacy. In this episode we discuss the work of Dana Tenille Weeks. You can hear her talk about the reimagination of future at Episode 22 of her podcast, The Rest of Us. Find Trymaine Lee at his website and on Instagram. Host Sullivan Summer is at her website, Instagram, and on Substack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-american-studies

A few years ago, Trymaine Lee, though fit and only 38, nearly died of a heart attack. When his then five-year-old daughter, Nola, asked her daddy why, he realized that to answer her honestly, he had to confront what almost killed him—the weight of being a Black man in America; of bearing witness, as a journalist, to relentless Black death; and of a family history scarred by enslavement, lynching, the Great Migration, the also insidious racism of the North, and gun violence that stole the lives of two great-uncles, a grandfather, a stepbrother, and two cousins.In this powerful narrative, Lee weaves together three strands: the long and bloody history of African Americans and guns; his work as a chronicler of gun violence, tallying the costs and riches generated by both the legal and illegal gun industries; and his own life story. With unflinching honesty he takes readers on a journey, from almost being caught up in gun violence as a young man, to tracing the legacy of the Middle Passage in Ghana through his ancestors' footsteps, to confronting the challenges of representing his people in an overwhelmingly white and often hostile media world, and most importantly, to celebrating the enduring strength of his family and community.In A Thousand Ways to Die (St. Martin's Press, 2025) Lee answers Nola and all who seek a more just America. He shares the hard truths and complexities of the Black experience, but he also celebrates the beauty and resilience that is Nola's legacy. In this episode we discuss the work of Dana Tenille Weeks. You can hear her talk about the reimagination of future at Episode 22 of her podcast, The Rest of Us. Find Trymaine Lee at his website and on Instagram. Host Sullivan Summer is at her website, Instagram, and on Substack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a service of Evening Prayer for Wednesday for Christmas Day. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Daily Prayer app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/evening-prayer-contemporary-thursday-25-december-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a short service of Prayer During the Day for Thursday during Christmas. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Time to Pray app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/prayer-during-day-contemporary-thursday-25-december-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a short service of Night Prayer for Thursday during Christmas. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Time to Pray app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/night-prayer-contemporary-thursday-25-december-2025

A few years ago, Trymaine Lee, though fit and only 38, nearly died of a heart attack. When his then five-year-old daughter, Nola, asked her daddy why, he realized that to answer her honestly, he had to confront what almost killed him—the weight of being a Black man in America; of bearing witness, as a journalist, to relentless Black death; and of a family history scarred by enslavement, lynching, the Great Migration, the also insidious racism of the North, and gun violence that stole the lives of two great-uncles, a grandfather, a stepbrother, and two cousins.In this powerful narrative, Lee weaves together three strands: the long and bloody history of African Americans and guns; his work as a chronicler of gun violence, tallying the costs and riches generated by both the legal and illegal gun industries; and his own life story. With unflinching honesty he takes readers on a journey, from almost being caught up in gun violence as a young man, to tracing the legacy of the Middle Passage in Ghana through his ancestors' footsteps, to confronting the challenges of representing his people in an overwhelmingly white and often hostile media world, and most importantly, to celebrating the enduring strength of his family and community.In A Thousand Ways to Die (St. Martin's Press, 2025) Lee answers Nola and all who seek a more just America. He shares the hard truths and complexities of the Black experience, but he also celebrates the beauty and resilience that is Nola's legacy. In this episode we discuss the work of Dana Tenille Weeks. You can hear her talk about the reimagination of future at Episode 22 of her podcast, The Rest of Us. Find Trymaine Lee at his website and on Instagram. Host Sullivan Summer is at her website, Instagram, and on Substack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/public-policy

A few years ago, Trymaine Lee, though fit and only 38, nearly died of a heart attack. When his then five-year-old daughter, Nola, asked her daddy why, he realized that to answer her honestly, he had to confront what almost killed him—the weight of being a Black man in America; of bearing witness, as a journalist, to relentless Black death; and of a family history scarred by enslavement, lynching, the Great Migration, the also insidious racism of the North, and gun violence that stole the lives of two great-uncles, a grandfather, a stepbrother, and two cousins.In this powerful narrative, Lee weaves together three strands: the long and bloody history of African Americans and guns; his work as a chronicler of gun violence, tallying the costs and riches generated by both the legal and illegal gun industries; and his own life story. With unflinching honesty he takes readers on a journey, from almost being caught up in gun violence as a young man, to tracing the legacy of the Middle Passage in Ghana through his ancestors' footsteps, to confronting the challenges of representing his people in an overwhelmingly white and often hostile media world, and most importantly, to celebrating the enduring strength of his family and community.In A Thousand Ways to Die (St. Martin's Press, 2025) Lee answers Nola and all who seek a more just America. He shares the hard truths and complexities of the Black experience, but he also celebrates the beauty and resilience that is Nola's legacy. In this episode we discuss the work of Dana Tenille Weeks. You can hear her talk about the reimagination of future at Episode 22 of her podcast, The Rest of Us. Find Trymaine Lee at his website and on Instagram. Host Sullivan Summer is at her website, Instagram, and on Substack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/politics-and-polemics

A few years ago, Trymaine Lee, though fit and only 38, nearly died of a heart attack. When his then five-year-old daughter, Nola, asked her daddy why, he realized that to answer her honestly, he had to confront what almost killed him—the weight of being a Black man in America; of bearing witness, as a journalist, to relentless Black death; and of a family history scarred by enslavement, lynching, the Great Migration, the also insidious racism of the North, and gun violence that stole the lives of two great-uncles, a grandfather, a stepbrother, and two cousins.In this powerful narrative, Lee weaves together three strands: the long and bloody history of African Americans and guns; his work as a chronicler of gun violence, tallying the costs and riches generated by both the legal and illegal gun industries; and his own life story. With unflinching honesty he takes readers on a journey, from almost being caught up in gun violence as a young man, to tracing the legacy of the Middle Passage in Ghana through his ancestors' footsteps, to confronting the challenges of representing his people in an overwhelmingly white and often hostile media world, and most importantly, to celebrating the enduring strength of his family and community.In A Thousand Ways to Die (St. Martin's Press, 2025) Lee answers Nola and all who seek a more just America. He shares the hard truths and complexities of the Black experience, but he also celebrates the beauty and resilience that is Nola's legacy. In this episode we discuss the work of Dana Tenille Weeks. You can hear her talk about the reimagination of future at Episode 22 of her podcast, The Rest of Us. Find Trymaine Lee at his website and on Instagram. Host Sullivan Summer is at her website, Instagram, and on Substack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a service of Morning Prayer for Wednesday during Advent. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Daily Prayer app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/morning-prayer-contemporary-wednesday-24-december-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a service of Evening Prayer for Wednesday during Advent. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Daily Prayer app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/evening-prayer-contemporary-wednesday-24-december-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a short service of Prayer During the Day for Wednesday during Advent. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Time to Pray app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/prayer-during-day-contemporary-wednesday-24-december-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a short service of Night Prayer for Wednesday during Advent. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Time to Pray app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/night-prayer-contemporary-wednesday-24-december-2025

Blessing of the Crib.Today our service for Christmas Eve takes the form of a Blessing of the Crib service from St James' Islington. Rev Helen Sims-Williams will be retelling the Christmas story with help from her congregation, while building the crib scene before blessing it, accompanied by music from Andrew Earis and St Martin's Voices.We invite you to tune in and reconnect with scripture, worship, and fellowship - alongside our growing online community across England and beyond.

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a service of Morning Prayer for Tuesday during Advent. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Daily Prayer app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/morning-prayer-contemporary-tuesday-23-december-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a service of Evening Prayer for Tuesday during Advent. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Daily Prayer app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/evening-prayer-contemporary-tuesday-23-december-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a short service of Night Prayer for Tuesday during Advent. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Time to Pray app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/night-prayer-contemporary-tuesday-23-december-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a short service of Prayer During the Day for Tuesday during Advent. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Time to Pray app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/prayer-during-day-contemporary-tuesday-23-december-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a service of Evening Prayer for Monday during Advent. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Daily Prayer app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/evening-prayer-contemporary-monday-22-december-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a service of Morning Prayer for Monday during Advent. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Daily Prayer app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/morning-prayer-contemporary-monday-22-december-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a short service of Prayer During the Day for Monday during Advent. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Time to Pray app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/prayer-during-day-contemporary-monday-22-december-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a short service of Night Prayer for Monday during Advent. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Time to Pray app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/night-prayer-contemporary-monday-22-december-2025

Today we are joined by David Fleming, Peabody-nominated correspondent for Meadowlark Media, longtime ESPN senior writer, and author of A Big Mess in Texas: The Miraculous, Disastrous 1952 Dallas Texans and The Craziest Untold Story in NFL History (St. Martin's Press, 2025). In our conversation, we discussed the origins of the infamous (but also surprisingly un-famous) Dallas Texans, the club's disastrous rise and fall, and why the NFL's first franchise in Texas failed. In A Big Mess in Texas, Fleming skilfully recovers the characters, hijinks and scandals, losses and one wonderful win that engulfed and eventually finished the Dallas Texans over ten months in 1952. It was the last NFL franchise to fail. His tale includes notable NFL personalities including Bert Bell, Jimmy Phelan, Gino Marchetti, Buddy Young, and Art Donovan. He argues that the Texans, mostly remembered for being a famous flop, also deserve a place in NFL history for being pioneers. They were the first team NFL team in the south, the first football team to integrate and Texas, and their management and ownership included men and women. The rump of the team became the beginnings of the super successful Baltimore Colts team of the 1950s. Perhaps most importantly, while they were never America's team, they set the stage for the emergence of the Dallas Cowboys in 1960, who borrowed liberally from the aesthetics and the antics of the Texans. Fleming's compelling account, deeply researched, and genuinely rollicking narrative will be of broad interest to people fascinated by American sports, football, and the NFL. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

Thursday 11th December: A Contemporary Christmas by St Martin's Voices

Thursday 18th December: A Contemporary Christmas by St Martin's Voices

Today we are joined by David Fleming, Peabody-nominated correspondent for Meadowlark Media, longtime ESPN senior writer, and author of A Big Mess in Texas: The Miraculous, Disastrous 1952 Dallas Texans and The Craziest Untold Story in NFL History (St. Martin's Press, 2025). In our conversation, we discussed the origins of the infamous (but also surprisingly un-famous) Dallas Texans, the club's disastrous rise and fall, and why the NFL's first franchise in Texas failed. In A Big Mess in Texas, Fleming skilfully recovers the characters, hijinks and scandals, losses and one wonderful win that engulfed and eventually finished the Dallas Texans over ten months in 1952. It was the last NFL franchise to fail. His tale includes notable NFL personalities including Bert Bell, Jimmy Phelan, Gino Marchetti, Buddy Young, and Art Donovan. He argues that the Texans, mostly remembered for being a famous flop, also deserve a place in NFL history for being pioneers. They were the first team NFL team in the south, the first football team to integrate and Texas, and their management and ownership included men and women. The rump of the team became the beginnings of the super successful Baltimore Colts team of the 1950s. Perhaps most importantly, while they were never America's team, they set the stage for the emergence of the Dallas Cowboys in 1960, who borrowed liberally from the aesthetics and the antics of the Texans. Fleming's compelling account, deeply researched, and genuinely rollicking narrative will be of broad interest to people fascinated by American sports, football, and the NFL. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Today we are joined by David Fleming, Peabody-nominated correspondent for Meadowlark Media, longtime ESPN senior writer, and author of A Big Mess in Texas: The Miraculous, Disastrous 1952 Dallas Texans and The Craziest Untold Story in NFL History (St. Martin's Press, 2025). In our conversation, we discussed the origins of the infamous (but also surprisingly un-famous) Dallas Texans, the club's disastrous rise and fall, and why the NFL's first franchise in Texas failed. In A Big Mess in Texas, Fleming skilfully recovers the characters, hijinks and scandals, losses and one wonderful win that engulfed and eventually finished the Dallas Texans over ten months in 1952. It was the last NFL franchise to fail. His tale includes notable NFL personalities including Bert Bell, Jimmy Phelan, Gino Marchetti, Buddy Young, and Art Donovan. He argues that the Texans, mostly remembered for being a famous flop, also deserve a place in NFL history for being pioneers. They were the first team NFL team in the south, the first football team to integrate and Texas, and their management and ownership included men and women. The rump of the team became the beginnings of the super successful Baltimore Colts team of the 1950s. Perhaps most importantly, while they were never America's team, they set the stage for the emergence of the Dallas Cowboys in 1960, who borrowed liberally from the aesthetics and the antics of the Texans. Fleming's compelling account, deeply researched, and genuinely rollicking narrative will be of broad interest to people fascinated by American sports, football, and the NFL. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sports

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a service of Evening Prayer for Sunday during Advent. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Daily Prayer app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/evening-prayer-contemporary-sunday-21-december-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a service of Morning Prayer for Sunday during Advent. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Daily Prayer app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/morning-prayer-contemporary-sunday-21-december-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a short service of Prayer During the Day for Sunday during Advent. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Time to Pray app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/prayer-during-day-contemporary-sunday-21-december-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a short service of Night Prayer for Sunday during Advent. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Time to Pray app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/night-prayer-contemporary-sunday-21-december-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a service of Evening Prayer for Saturday during Advent. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Daily Prayer app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/evening-prayer-contemporary-saturday-20-december-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a service of Morning Prayer for Saturday during Advent. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Daily Prayer app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/morning-prayer-contemporary-saturday-20-december-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a short service of Night Prayer for Saturday during Advent. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Time to Pray app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/night-prayer-contemporary-saturday-20-december-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a short service of Prayer During the Day for Saturday during Advent. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Time to Pray app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/prayer-during-day-contemporary-saturday-20-december-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a service of Morning Prayer for Friday during Advent. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Daily Prayer app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/morning-prayer-contemporary-friday-19-december-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a service of Evening Prayer for Friday during Advent. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Daily Prayer app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/evening-prayer-contemporary-friday-19-december-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a short service of Prayer During the Day for Friday during Advent. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Time to Pray app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/prayer-during-day-contemporary-friday-19-december-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a short service of Night Prayer for Friday during Advent. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Time to Pray app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/night-prayer-contemporary-friday-19-december-2025

Good morning. ‘Her own thoughts and reflections were habitually her best companions.' So says Jane Austen of Fanny Price in Mansfield Park. But she could equally have said it of herself. Jane Austen's 250th birthday this week is being widely celebrated on this network. She was swathed in the practice of faith: her father and two of her brothers were ordained, and two visits to church on Sunday were her lifelong pattern. She certainly knew the shortcomings of religion: parodying the servility and self-importance of the parson Mr Collins, she says he ‘was not a sensible man, and the deficiency of nature had been but little assisted by education or society.' Her gift is to turn the interactions of family and community, and especially the elaborate dance and fragility of finding a marriage partner, into a whole moral universe. Her characters transcend their surroundings. One, Mr Bennet, says laconically, ‘For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn?' Another, Mr Knightley, says poignantly to Emma Woodhouse, ‘If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more.' It's a truth universally acknowledged that it's never been clear what it actually means to be a Christian. Some insist on adherence to specific doctrines. Others on obedience to identifiable moral codes. Others point to formation in a traditional culture. A woman of her time, Jane Austen's participation in worship and devotion was socially conventional. But she has her own answers to this perennial question. If she were to identify a favourite parable, my guess is she'd choose the story of the two sons, one of whom refused his father's request to go into the vineyard, but did; while his brother said, ‘I will,' but didn't. For Austen, Christianity's about actions not words. ‘Christian' is more of a verb than a noun. The many suitors are sifted out not by their protestations of love, but by their true character. Of Fanny Price, we're told, ‘She made herself indispensable to those she loved.' Which connects Jane Austen in a significant way to Christmas. For the Christmas story's not about what God says. It's about what God does. In Northanger Abbey, Isabella Thorpe exclaims, ‘There's nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves. It's not my nature.' Coming in person as a vulnerable baby is communicating by action rather than by word. Maybe Jane Austen knew exactly what she thought being a Christian meant. It meant not loving by halves. Perhaps she's more of a theologian than she's usually given credit for.

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a service of Morning Prayer for Thursday during Advent. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Daily Prayer app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/morning-prayer-contemporary-thursday-18-december-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a service of Evening Prayer for Thursday during Advent. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Daily Prayer app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/evening-prayer-contemporary-thursday-18-december-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a short service of Night Prayer for Thursday during Advent. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Time to Pray app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/night-prayer-contemporary-thursday-18-december-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a short service of Prayer During the Day for Thursday during Advent. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Time to Pray app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/prayer-during-day-contemporary-thursday-18-december-2025