Friends,
This is a challenging time for our Island.
We continue to see new cases of infection, in some cases arising from unknown sources. We pray for those of our community who are in hospital. And we mourn recent death, praying for the comfort of the bereaved.
Our period of lockdown continues, and it has now been extended to 31 March.
This means that our Day of Prayer and Preparation, planned for 27 March, will have to take place online. I do not want to cancel it, because I believe we need a time of Prayer and Preparation before moving into Holy Week. But it cannot go ahead in physical form. Equally, not every aspect of it can be reproduced online, and we will need to adjust the timings. So:
I invite you, and as many of your people as so wish, to join me on Zoom on the afternoon of Saturday, 27 March, 2.00 – 4.30 pm, for a time of Prayer, Study, Meditation, Discussion, and Reflection, in preparation for Holy Week and for our future.
The link for the Zoom meeting is here below:
Part of our theme will be spent looking at the questions which I shared at Diocesan Synod, and which are attached below. A Zoom link will be forthcoming, which I invite you to share with your people. I am aware that not everyone has access to this technology, which is a cause of sadness, but I hope that by continuing the discussion of these questions when lockdown ends we will be able to be as inclusive as possible.
I also ask Incumbents and Local Ministers, under Canon B14A, to suspend public worship on Sunday 28 March.
For the days of Holy Week (and potentially Easter, if lockdown needs to be continued further) I will be providing streamed worship / devotion / homily every day. More details will follow.
For now, I pray for us all as we continue in our life of prayer for our Island, for our Church and for our world, and in our ministry of pastoral care for one another.
In Christ,
+Peter
The Four Questions are:
1.‘What do you see (Do you see anything)?’ (Mark 8: 23)
2. ‘Who are you looking for?’ (John 18:4; again at John 20: 15; cf. John 1: 38)
3. ‘Do you love me more than these?’ (John 21: 15)
4. What is the Spirit saying to the Churches? (Revelation 2 and 3)
To answer these questions, we must pray for the gift of the Spirit.
