Lent will start on Ash Wednesday, 6th March, and this is traditionally when churches offer a study course. This year marks the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed, the great poem that we recite every communion service which explores what we and virtually all Christians have believed over those centuries. The Apostles Creed is a shorter version of this which we use at Morning Prayer. To celebrate this anniversary and also to understand more about the basis of our faith, this Lent the Highley and the Brown Clee benefices will work together to look at the creeds. We will follow a course developed some years ago entitled; Pilgrim: The Creeds Book 5 (Grow Stage) by Jane Williams, Paula Gooder, Stephen Cottrell, Steven Croft, Robert Atwell, Graham Tomlin, Martyn Snow, Mary Gregory - Paperback - 9780715144442 The cost is £4 from Church House Publishing, if anyone wishes to buy a copy of the book, although this is not necessary to follow the course.For those who wish to join an online group, we will meet on Wednesday evenings from 7-8pm by Zoom, starting on Wednesday 12th March; https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3592851895?pwd=cksyL0t5TlhFUURRenpxMG9yQTVhUT09.Meeting ID: 359 285 1895 Password: 512607The courseAsh Wednesday, 6th March, In church - join us for our Ashing service.Week 1, beginning 10th March; What are the creeds?Week 2, beginning 17th March: God as TrinityWeek 3, beginning 24th March: Jesus, fully God and fully manWeek 4, beginning 31st March: Crucified, risen and ascendedWeek 5, beginning 7th April: The Holy SpiritWeek 6, beginning 14th April: One holy, catholic and apostolic church Maundy Thursday, 17th April, church service.
It has been a depressing week to follow the news. We seem to be entering a new world of international relationships, where old conventions no longer hold. Even more worryingly, there seems to be in some a hankering after autocratic leaders who disregard any interests other than their own and listen to no one. There is of course an argument that people need to be confronted with realities with vigorous argument, but even in these cases, there still needs to be an element of dialogue. At some point, the various sides do need to listen to each other, no matter how forcibly they press their own point of view. This morning (Friday 7th March) I heard “Thought for the Day”, in which the Rev Giles Fraser spoke convincingly about the importance of good argument. However strongly we feel about our own position, we gain if we allow ourselves to be challenged. It may be that as a result of that, we hold our views even more firmly, but at least we know that we have tested our position and have greater confidence that it is correct. Of course, there is also the possibility that we may modify our views after being challenged. As a vicar, I am aware that the Bible is often a book of contradictions; its writers frequently disagree. It’s readers are the richer for this as they weigh the arguments. In open argument, truth is the winner.
