This episode is a bit different from the ones we've had before. Our very own (Revd Dr) Paul Roberts continues the series on the Beatitudes, but his sermon on Matthew 5:7, as part of an all-age communion service, is very much geared towards the children, with plenty of audience participation (!)

His conversation with our Principal, Sean, both before and after, however, is much more wide-ranging. Paul talks about:

• The challenges of preaching at an all-age service and how to set objectives when children are the special guests
• The changes he has observed at Trinity over the years, particularly relating to the increase in the number of women
• The creation of Trinity more than 50 years ago from three theological colleges
• The impact of technological changes on the world into which our students are entering
• AI, its limits, and the difference between human-created reality and God-created reality
• How he prepared for the sermon
• The nature of forgiveness and mercy
• The significance of "gut feeling" together with the brain and the imagination in forgiveness

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It was a huge pleasure to welcome back a former Principal of Trinity College, the Very Revd Dr Francis Bridger, who first came to Trinity as an ordinand 50 years ago and went on to become Principal two decades later. Francis preaches on Matthew 5:6: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled", introducing us to the idea of two aspects of righteousness, which he terms "righeousness A" and "righteousness B". He goes on to talk about the connection between righteousness and justice and challenges us to act on this verse in our own lives.

In their discussion before and after the sermon, Francis and Sean (Doherty, our current Principal)  inevitably talk about being Principal (and how daunting it feels to assume the role), and Francis reminisces about Trinity 50 years ago in the 1970s, recalling what drew him to Trinity. He goes on to speak of the joy of teaching (and learning from the students) before recounting his move to Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California.

He and Sean also talk about:

• changing attitudes to Anglicanism and what Anglicanism offers the wider church
• the joys and challenges of learning from students from around the world
• the meaning of justice and how the justice and love of God are inseparable
• putting justice into practice

Finally they discuss AI - a particular ethical interest of Francis', its effect on those who sift and label the data, the resources needed to support it and the prospect of companion robots.

The books referred to in the conversation are: 

• The Robot Will See You Now - Artificial Intelligence and the Christian Faith by John Wyatt and Stephen N. Williams (SPCK 2021)
• Atlas of AI - Power, Politics and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence by Kate Crawford (Yale University Press, 2022)

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*Trigger warning: please note that this episode contains references to suicide.*

For our third episode we are joined by Revd Craig Philbrick, the vicar of St Paul's Weston, who preached on Matthew 5:5: "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth". In his sermon, Craig talked about lives transformed at St Paul's and further afield, and told us how "meekness is not weakness" but involves standing steadfast in the hope we have in Jesus.

In their discussion before and after the sermon, Sean (our Principal) and Craig talk about:

• following God's call and the surprises this can bring;
• meekness in leadership;
• imposter syndrome and whether it's all bad;
• Weston super Mare and the joys and challenges of parish ministry there
• the mission and aims of St Paul's Weston
• what meekness means for St Paul's as a church community - submission to God and faithful lifelong discipleship

You can find out more about St Paul's Weston here.

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We are delighted to welcome Rosie Hopley to the Trinity Talk podcast, as our guest speaker on the second beatitude, Blessed are those who mourn (Matthew 5:4). Rosie is the founder of the Christian charity, Beloved, and one of the leaders of the Reconciled Church, which works with churches across the UK exploring reconciliation within church, and what the church is called to display and manifest about people coming together as the body of Christ. She is also studying for an MA at CMS in Oxford. This episode includes both Rosie's sermon on this beatitude and a a chat with our Principal, Sean Doherty, both before and after the sermon.

In her sermon, Rosie draws on the story of Jesus and Lazarus and talks about how Jesus is both a weeping God and a God who has overcome - and that because he has overcome, so shall we. There is, she says,  not just comfort but an abundance of comfort for those who mourn.

In her conversation with Sean, Rosie talks about her work with the Reconciled Church and the personal experiences of her and her family that led her to get involved with this movement. You can find out more about the Reconciled Church course and resources  that Rosie talks about here. She also tells Sean about her work with Beloved, visiting, ministering to and praying with sex workers in Bristol.

They discuss hospitality and being willing to accept it as well as offer it. Finally, Rosie talks about her MA dissertation on how the gifts of the spirit are received within the church in the post 19th century charismatic and pentecostal movements, when they are brought from people from the Global South.

Huge thanks to Rosie for joining us and sharing her time and wisdom so generously.

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We kick off the Trinity Talk podcast with the first in a sermon series on the Beatitudes, as found in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5. At Trinity the values we live by are based on the Beatitudes, so this  sermon series seemed like a good place to start our podcast.

Our preacher in this episode is Helen Johnson, our Vice Principal for formation and a former nurse. In this episode, both before and after the sermon she chats to our Principal, Sean Doherty, about her career as a nurse, the challenges of parish ministry, leadership and introducing change.

They go on to discuss the meaning of the "poor in spirit" and Helen's interpretation of the phrase. She explains her choice of the healing of the paralysed man as her second reading, and talks about who we might identify with in this story. She and Sean go on to discuss the process of mutual learning that is involved in growing spirituality in the students at Trinity. Finally, she tells Sean what  her favourite thing is about life at Trinity.

Please do tell us what you thought of the episode by emailing us at [email protected], and do like and subscribe to the podcast as it'll make it easier to find. You can follow us on our social media for episode updates and to get a taste of life at Trinity.

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Welcome to our brand new podcast! We hope you'll join us here for for discussions, ideas and sermons about the Christian faith, and get to know more about Trinity and our wonderful students and faculty.

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