Dictionary

Words on this page

Anglican

Anglicans form the family of Christians closely related to the Archbishop of Canterbury. Whilst tracing their inheritance back to Christ and the earliest Christians and to the ancient Roman Catholic church, the sixteenth century Reformation was a crucial moment for Anglicanism.

Bishop

‘Bishop’ comes from the Greek word for ‘overseer’. So a bishop is a senior Christian minister authorised to have oversight for God’s people. As well as duties given to deacons and priests, bishops confirm and ordain.

Lectionary

A lectionary is a pattern for Bible readings for the Church year. This means that churches in the Church in Wales are able to use the same readings on any given day.

Liturgy

Liturgy is a set form of words and action used for worship. In the Church in Wales (and many other churches) these forms follow the same pattern from one congregation to another. Most Anglican liturgies look back in some way to the Book of Common Prayer.

Llandaff Centre of Mission

A partnership between the Diocese of Llandaff and Church Army.

Prayer

Prayer sustains our human relationship with God and may involve words (formal or informal) or be silent. Prayer can involve adoration (‘I love you’), confession (‘sorry’), thanksgiving and supplication (‘please’).

Priest

‘Priest’ comes from the Greek word for ‘elder’. Priests in the Church in Wales are those authorised specifically to proclaim forgiveness of sins, preside at the Eucharist and bless God’s people, as well as other responsibilities.

Home News and Blogs Time to Listen – Christian Podcasts

Time to Listen – Christian Podcasts

Posted: 7 October 2020

Fr Andrew Highway, Associate Priest Benefice of Whitchurch, reflects on staying connected to our church community through the Covid-19 pandemic:

One of the real challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic for all of us has been a growing sense of disconnection. Whether from our family, friends, work colleagues or in the case of Christians, from our church community. The pandemic seems for many of us to have been a very long journey, much of it spent in isolation, physical, emotional and spiritual.

Of course we have all found new and innovative ways to stay connected, from standing on the doorstep waving to neighbours whilst clapping to show our support of the NHS, to investing in new technology to help stay in contact with those we love. Indeed the word Zoom has now been adopted into our everyday vocabulary. Through embracing these new technologies there has been a huge rise in demand for content not least in a Christian context. People are really searching for ways to not only sustain faith but also grow in it.

I like Podcasts in particular as they can be listened to on the go. By listening to a Christian Podcast a walk in the park becomes an opportunity to seek some quiet time with God by listening to a sermon, hearing teaching or being immersed in liturgy. The great joy of Christian Podcasts are that they cover a broad church, whatever our tradition and spiritual leaning there is something out there to suit.

Here are three that may be worth a look.

Phone and headphones for listening to a podcast

Time To Pray

The podcast is produced by the Church of England and you can listen to morning and night prayer each day. It’s a wonderful opportunity to engage with the beauty of the Anglican liturgy and a way to start and end the day in God’s presence.

Word on Fire

This podcast features Catholic Bishop Robert Barron. Each Wednesday you can listen to his homily which links to the readings from the next Sunday’s Church in Wales lectionary – most of the time

Turning to the Mystics

The podcast is fairly new and produced by the Centre for Action and Contemplation which was established by well-known Franciscan author Fr Richard Rhor. So far the Podcasts are an exploration of Christian mystics, to date they have featured the writings of the Thomas Merton and Saint Teresa of Avila’s The Interior Castle. It may not be for everyone but it’s a really good way to gain a better understanding of some classic Christian texts.