This year has continued like the last, to be a difficult one for our world, with many complex situations. The Covid crisis has now almost been forgotten and we are “back to normal” At home a new Government has been elected and the political outlook is slowly starting to change with new plans being put in place. Within the Church of England, we have also had the recent resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury the Most Revd Justin Welby.

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In the wider world of course, we have the continuing conflicts in Ukraine, Syria and Israeli/Palestinian conflict, and other place where conflict is happening, but it doesn’t get the news coverage. We also have the prospect a returning US president in the New Year. We have also recently had the assisted dying bill going through the houses of parliament a very complex and divisive issue and one that has been widely discussed both inside and outside the church, and one that I have been thinking a lot about having lost my mother to MND and the issues she faced during her illness.

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Saint Cedds Church is one of openness and welcome, we have all had different life experiences, so our view of the world’s problems may be different, but these differences allow us to have grown up discussions. Often what starts as a Bible study or prayer meeting heads off down various routes and we can end up looking at what the Bible says about a particular issue, and how those fits (or not) with our current personal points of view. We now also have the pleasure of sharing our premises with the Armor Of God (Our Tamil Church Family) and the Seventh Day Adventist Congregation.

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It always seems that it is only the bad stuff that we see on our news bulletins, but in the style of Trevor Macdonald I am going to put in an “and finally” item on this ‘bulletin’

 

I pray that you are all able a break over the Christmas Holiday and remember that tiny baby  born over 2000 years ago many, many miles away.

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If you are struggling and/or lonely I pray that there will be someone somewhere ready to you the love and support, you need. You could see what events your local Church is offering.

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