Welcome: A Beginning
Hello and welcome to this little corner of the internet — a place where I hope to share sermons, thoughts, prayers, and perhaps glimpses of the things that catch my heart and hold my attention.
I am an Anglican priest, in the Diocese of London. I serve a diverse community in North London. I trained to be a priest in Wales, where I have had the deep privilege of serving my curacy. I have lived in various corners of the United Kingdom, and spent nearly a decade in Vancouver, Canada, an experience that shaped my understanding of community, justice, and the radical hospitality of God.
I carry with me a passion for living a life rooted in the love of God and in the daily practice of self-compassion – not always easy, but always worth the work. The Gospel, for me, is simple and profound: good news that everyone is loved beyond measure, no one is excluded, and in that embrace we are called deeper into the truth that we are God’s beloved children.
Lady Julian of Norwich whispers her wisdom into many of my days: “He did not say, you will not be tempted; you will not be trou-bled; you will not be distressed. What he said was, “You shall not be overcome.” God wants us to pay attention to these words and be strong in absolute trust, in both well and woe. Just as he loves and delights in us, it is his will that we love and delight in him, and fully trust in him, and all will be well.ll shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.” I find myself drawn to liberation theologies and to the transforming beauty of liturgy – spaces and words that can set us free and draw us home at the same time. I was formed in the catholic tradition but hold a broad, open love for the wide, diverse ways people find and worship God.
Before ordination, I was a professional musician, a voice teacher, and an educator – and music still threads through my days. I sing, play the piano, and have recently taken up the harp (tentatively, but with joy!). I’m an open water swimmer, an avid reader, and I love fashion – clothes that speak, tell stories, and sometimes feel like small acts of courage.
I am a Mum to two remarkable, inspiring adult children who amaze me every day. I am married to Mark, who is a psychotherapist, a kind soul and my best friend. We share our days with two wonderful rescue dogs, Lukie and Alma.
I also live with the complexities of my mental well-being — I live with C-PTSD, I am neurodiverse: living with ADHD, and I am profoundly dyslexic. So you may well find the odd typo, or sentences that meander. I could wait until it’s perfect – but then it would never be shared. I hope you’ll come as you are, and read as you are, and find something here that makes you feel more loved and less alone.
This blog is a place for sermons, reflections, prayers, and the small scraps of hope that keep me going. It’s for you too – for all who are looking for good news, and for reminders that Love is wider, wilder, and more generous than we dare believe.
Thank you for finding your way here. May you find welcome in these words.
With love,
Ruth x
Ruth Greenaway-Robbins 