Sermon preached by The Ven Ray Pentland, Chaplain in Chief (RAF) on Sunday 26 February 2012 at the Sung Eucharist Mark 1 9-15 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you ...Read more →

The much loved annual visit of the Halle to Lincoln Cathedral is taking place on Saturday 12 May this year. We look forward to welcoming again conductor Sir Mark Elder with a fabulous programme: Borodin’s Overture Prince Igor, Mozart’s Symphony No.40, Borodin’s Symphony No.2, and Tchaikovsky ’1812′ Overture. Their last visit in September had a full house in rapture as Sophia Jaffe played the Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1. Tickets are on sale from Lincoln Minster Shop (01522 561644, shop@lincolncathedral.com ...Read more →

Philip Buckler, Dean   Gavin Kirk, Precentor   Mark Hocknull, Chancellor   John Patrick, Subdean ******************************************************** The practice of giving things up for lent is well known and is part of the discipline of Lent for many people. Talking with a colleague from outside the Cathedral this week, I discovered that her practice during lent is to try to recover something of the Great Silence practiced in monastic communities. Between the hours of 9pm and 8am she withdraws from contact with the outside ...Read more →

In his Sermon on the Sunday next before Lent, the Dean offered some thoughts on this vital season. He explained that, ‘Lent gives us an opportunity – a time less to do than to listen; a time less to struggle with faith than to let go of much around us; a time to allow God’s glory to shine in our lives: a time for transfiguration – the gift of God rather than a prize earned by devotion.’

Sermon preached in Lincoln Cathedral by the Dean, the Very Revd Philip Buckler, at the Sung Eucharist on the Sunday next before Lent, 19th February 2012 The account of Christ’s Transfiguration on the mountain [Mark 9.2-9] is a glorious story that stands on its own. Jesus takes his three close companions away from the crowds and they see him, as we might say, in his true colours. The dazzling white of intense glory envelops him and alongside him appear Elijah ...Read more →

‘By the end of the piece, you feel that you have undergone the full spectrum of human emotion: there is rage and violence, love, tenderness and deep sorrow.’ On 17 March, the Cathedral choir is performing the St John Passion and Chapter Clerk, Phil Hamlyn Williams, asked Charles Harrison, our Deputy Director of Music who is conducting the performance, to tell him more about this work described by many as one of the supreme achievements in classical music. He began ...Read more →

Sermon preached the the Chancellor, Dr Mark hocknull, at the 9.30 Eucharist on Second Sunday before Lent This passage from John’s Gospel (John 1:11) is incredibly well known. We hear it every Christmas and it becomes so familiar that the depth of it is often lost on us. This morning, I just want to pick up on one verse in the passage: verse 11: “He came to his own, and his own people did not accept him”. What does this ...Read more →

Philip Buckler, Dean   Gavin Kirk, Precentor   Mark Hocknull, Chancellor   John Patrick, Subdean What is the Church for? This is a question that I’ve found myself pondering this last week, partly in the context of the debates in the General Synod, partly in response to world development and partly as a result of our forum on the morality of the financial markets, held last Friday in the Chapter House. It’s easy enough to point to the things that any church does: ...Read more →

The Chapter House of Lincoln Cathedral, with its extraordinary soaring gothic lines, where the Canons meet, where Edward I held the English Parliament, where the De Vinci Code and the Young Victoria were filmed: this was the setting for our first debate around the subject of the Common Good. Dr Mark Hocknull, the Chancellor of Lincoln Cathedral, reminded the audience of forty that this was the traditional role of cathedrals, as centres for debate and discussion. The full text of ...Read more →