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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