BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//achurchnearyou.com//eventfeed//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-WR-TIMEZONE:UTC
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Family Communion: 'taking a stand'.
DTSTART:20231022T090000Z
DTEND:20231022T101500Z
DTSTAMP:20260926T194434Z
UID:9668442023-10-22 09:00:00+00:00achurchnearyou
CATEGORIES:
DESCRIPTION:Family communion: celebrant the Rev. Marion Barber. \nFirst re
 ading: Daniel 1 (complete)       \nGospel: John 19.38-end\n\nThis fourth s
 ervice in our 'young people' series explores the challenges\, difficulties
  and rewards of standing up for one's beliefs\, as well as the difficult i
 ssue of how far and when it is right to compromise with those whose belief
 s differ from our own. Daniel\, and his companions Shadrach\, Meshach and 
 Abednego\, were high-status prisoners of Nebuchadnezzar\, king of Babylon:
  he treated them well\, and no doubt intended in due course to integrate t
 hem in his household and to make Israel a contented and settled part of hi
 s empire.\n\nThe Israelite youths\, however\, refused to eat the food or d
 rink the wine provided by Nebuchadnezzar. It isn't immediately obvious why
  not: possibly the food violated Jewish dietary rules\, or perhaps they fe
 lt that by accepting the king's hospitality in the form of food from his t
 able they would be placing themselves under an obligation to him.  In any 
 case\, they took a considerable risk: Nebuchadnezzar had behaved generousl
 y towards them\, and he could have taken their refusal  as an insult. In t
 he event\, both here and later in the Book of Daniel\, they established th
 e principle that a person can and should be able to serve the civil author
 ity without compromising their religious beliefs.\n\nIn our New Testament 
 reading\, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus take a stand which is in many 
 ways comparable to Daniel's. They are both clearly upper-class Pharisees\,
  and we may suppose that they were not only important figures in Jewish ci
 rcles but also well regarded by the occupying Romans. When they asked to b
 e allowed to take charge of the body of a man just put to death by crucifi
 xion\, they risked their reputation for respectability with the Romans\, t
 heir status in the Jewish community and\, probably\, lifelong friendships 
 with other Pharisees.\n\nThe painting above\, by Briton Riviere\, shows a 
 later event in Daniel's life where  he again refuses to compromise religio
 us principle and in consequence is thrown into a dungeon with hungry lions
 \, who refuse to attack him.
GEO:0.037423;51.469833
LOCATION:Kidbrooke\, St Nicholas
URL:https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/671/service-and-events/events/96
 6844/
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR