Post No. 9 - Thursday 2nd April
/Posts every Tuesday and Thursday by 12 noon and by 10.30am on Sundays (Please note that Internet service disruption can cause delay.)
From the Rector
DEVOTIONAL
Verse for today: Psalm 40 verse 5: "Great are the wonders you have done, O Lord my God. How great your designs for us!"
Thought: If we look around us, especially here in Newcastle, we see the great beauty of creation. Yes, there is suffering in our world and we feel for those who have to endure poverty, hardship of whatever kind, or sickness - often all three at once - and especially so at this time of the coronavirus global pandemic. Yet, despite its sometimes dark mysteries, the natural world has a constancy and beauty all of its own, reflecting in many ways the constancy of God and the beauty of holiness. What is more, our verse reminds us of the wonders of God's purposes for each of our lives.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the beauty of creation and for your gracious guidance in all our lives. Grant us grace to follow in your way so that we may fulfil your purposes in all that we do. Amen
Pause for reflection
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NEWS
Regarding recent changes in abortion law in Northern Ireland, the Bishop has issued a statement.
He writes of the new legislation: "These new regulations now to be implemented mean that anyone can ask for their pregnancy of up to 12 weeks to be terminated without the need to provide any reason. As a church, the Church of Ireland has always opposed this. There is another stage at 12–24 weeks where pregnancies may be terminated if they ‘would involve risk of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman or girl, greater than the risk of terminating the pregnancy’. This has to be assessed by ‘two medical professionals’ with medical professionals designated as a doctor, a registered nurse or a registered midwife. This is concerning because a risk to the mental health of someone, not requiring a medical diagnosis, can open the gate for what amounts to abortion on demand to continue through to 24 weeks. The new legislation most shockingly permits abortion right up to birth where ‘if the child were born it would suffer such physical or mental impairment as to be seriously disabled.’ As followers of Christ we believe that all are made in the image of God, all are of inestimable value and in society and in our churches today we rightly try to ensure that all are valued, and none discriminated against. This piece of legislation has to be deeply upsetting for the many disabled who we love and value and who contribute so much to society today."
The Bishop's full statement is available online (https://www.downanddromore.org/news/2020/03/statement-regarding-new-abortion-legislation-for-ni).
Bishop’s Palm Sunday Call to Prayer
To read about the Call to Prayer, please follow the link:
https://www.ireland.anglican.org/news/9551/bishop-davids-palm-sunday-call
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With the current challenge, now is the time to say,
‘we believe in God,’ says ecumenical leader
Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit served as a general secretary of the World Council of Churches for more than ten years. (Photo: A. Hillert/WCC)
After more than ten years heading the Geneva-based World Council of Churches (WCC), the Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, originally from Norway, says that this time of the global Covid-19 crisis must prompt us to say we believe in God "our shepherd”.
Yesterday (1st April), following his time as general secretary of the world's biggest grouping of Protestant and Orthodox churches, Dr Tveit took up his new role as Presiding Bishop of the Church of Norway, a church in the Lutheran tradition.
He was interviewed by WCC News and the news agency of the Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy, the country that has suffered so much from the novel coronavirus, with more than 13,000 people killed so far by the disease.
He describes leading the WCC as having been a "privilege" and “blessing".
"It is extremely important that the churches together are able to say, we are walking, we are praying, we are working together," he says.
In the interview, Dr Tveit spoke of the importance of faith "as we in these days fear that we will see something we have not seen before". (WCC News)
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[Next post by 10.30am on Sunday 5th April. This will be an act of worship. Please note that Internet service disruption can cause delay.]