Month: August 2026

A few weeks ago, I shared a poem by R.S. Thomas in which he spoke of the apparent emptiness that can accompany prayer; the most he ever saw was “the flickering of the curtains” as he imagined he was praying to God in a house. I said that this is an experience I know well. This seems to have caused some comment, perhaps even concern. Silence and emptiness are not things we necessarily take well. I live by myself and so have no problems with silence but I do not cope well with inactivity; I always want to be doing things. This is fine, up to a point, but I do know that sometimes I simply need to stop and let nothing happen. I think R.S. Thomas also knew this; he prayed through the silence and emptiness because he knew that even in that void, God was still present. Throughout the centuries, Christian “mystics”, men and women of deep prayer and contemplation, have discovered this. A friend of mine once told me that he learns more about God from the times of silence than at any other time in his life. Much has been written about “the dark night of the soul”, the “cloud of unknowing”. For me, the reality of the God who is present in the emptiness is summed up in the hymn “Dear Lord and Father or mankind”; it speaks of Jesus praying by sharing with God the father “the silence of eternity, interpreted by love”. In that space, words, actions and feelings no longer matter; there is only God.

Rev David Poyner

King Charles is “Defender of the Faith”. This one of the historic titles of the monarch. It was originally granted to King Henry VIII by the Pope when Henry wrote a book defending the Roman Catholic faith against the charges brought by the Protestant reformers. A few years later, when Henry fell out with the Pope and established the Church of England as the national reformed church, Parliament bestowed the title on him, I imagine to make a point to Rome. Recently I have rumours that this title has been changed to become “defender of faiths”.  This is not true. I suspect it is an internet lie spread by those who seek to stir up religious tensions in this country. King Charles remains Defender of the Faith, technically that espoused by the Church of England  as the “established” church in England. But to see what the King actually defends as head of the established church, it is worth reading words spoken by his mother, our late Queen Elizabeth II in 2012.

  “The concept of our established Church is occasionally misunderstood and, I believe, commonly under-appreciated. Its role is not to defend Anglicanism to the exclusion of other religions. Instead, the Church has a duty to protect the free practice of all faiths in this country. It certainly provides an identity and spiritual dimension for its own many adherents. But also, gently and assuredly, the Church of England has created an environment for other faith communities and indeed people of no faith to live freely.” 

Amen, may it always be so.

Rev David Poyner

How was the eclipse for you? My pin-hole camera was not a great success; I saw a disc, I persuaded myself it did get smaller but it was hardly spectacular. The birds probably did go silent; not so some of the nearby parties. But I did notice how it seemed that dusk had arrived; it was notably gloomy. The next day I saw some quite spectacular photos of the sun taken in Billingsley; it really was 90% covered. It is easy to see how in former times an eclipse would be regarded with fear the trepidation and why in many ancient cultures the sun was considered to represent a God.  Both as a scientist and a Christian, I of course have no truck with such notions. But I am aware of the power of the sun. As I write this just after 8am in the morning, it already uncomfortably hot. There is the famous Greek myth of how Icarus flew to close to the sun and was killed.  I however find myself drawn to the famous poem by St Francis; the Canticle of the Sun.

Most High, all-powerful, good Lord, Yours are the praises, the glory, the honor, and all blessings.

To You alone, Most High, do they belong, and no man is worthy to mention Your name.

Praised be You, my Lord, with all your creatures; especially Brother Sun, who is the day, and through whom You give us light.

And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor, and bears a likeness to You, Most High One.

I give thanks for the wonder I feel for my Brother Sun.

Rev David Poyner

As I write this, the town of Thetford in Norwich has experienced its third night of violence originating from anti-immigrations protests. There are of course a range of views on migration; I suspect most people would accept there is a need for regulation of who comes into the country. It is certainly not for me to lecture others on what that number should be or the policies needed to enforce it. However, as a Christian priest what I can and should do is to remind us of what has always been the Christian response to the stranger and alien. This is rooted in the history and tradition of the people of Israel that they had been exiled and had become migrants, albeit something that did cause tension even in Old Testament times. I worry that asylum seekers are being housed in places where they can receive no support, becoming someone else’s problem. It is also not right that protests against asylum hostels turn violent; it is evil when crowds turn on the asylum seekers themselves by  attacking houses where s are living to try and force them out. I find it particularly sickening when some try and dress up their prejudices as supporting Christian values. Jesus’s summary of the law stands as a rebuke to this; “You shall love the Lord God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul and all your strength… and you shall love your neighbour as yourself“.

Rev David Poyner