An inclusive worshipping community of the Church of England in New Marston, Oxford
Right from the start of this pandemic we have seen tensions between those who have simply done what they have been told by the authorities (politicians, doctors, scientists) and those who have resisted (conspiracies, fake news, or it's just a sniffle...).
Catholic Bishop Mark Seitz did something unusual.
There was a sign that read “Black Lives Matter”.
With faces masked, eyes closed, each holding white rose, 12 priests from the Diocese of El Paso knelt in silence.
For 8 minutes and 46 seconds.
The same amount of time a police officer knelt on the neck of George Floyd, who later died in custody.
Happy Easter everyone! Passover, Easter and now Ramadan have all been seriously curtailed by the current lockdown - the three most important festivals of three major world religions have needed to adapt and for the most part have done so brilliantly. And one tool which everyone has now discovered is the joy of linking up 'face to face' via video conferencing.
To avoid plagiarism and breach of copyright the Pope's words have been slightly altered without loss of meaning.
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FIRST STATION
Jesus is condemned to death
We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you
Because by your holy Cross, you have redeemed the world
Some people seem to think our current state of 'lockdown' is really holiday time. The warm sunshine recently has been welcome but has enticed many out of doors to visit popular beauty spots. The Government has had to point out that visiting Mount Snowdon or the Lake District are not included in their idea of 'essential' trips out of doors. So, the 'stay home' message is now being enforced by the Police who have recently granted powers to fine and arrest the persistent offender.
Once again just as you get a grip on things the goal posts are shifted...but honestly after seeing crowds of people out over the weekend this clamp down was inevitable. Life did just get simpler in a way: church is off and out of bounds! But that's only the building of course - church is very much still on but the question is how to turn the fellowship into a physical reality whilst we are separated from one another. This experience may highlight something of what life was like for the Christians in the earliest centuries.
Every pm a statement from the PM - and a corresponding shift in plans...
Sunday morning we struggled a bit. What with strict hygiene and distance rules in place, changes to our usual ritual practices. no physical contact at the Greeting of Peace and no shared Chalice it felt a bit odd. Some of our number were staying away, already keeping their distance - all for good reasons. It felt like this might well be the end of Sundays as we have known them...
Some thoughts about the current state-of-affairs from the Churchwarden