This week our focus is on something I find incredibly difficult to do – rest. When we think of busyness and rest in a biblical context we often go to the story of Mary and Martha. Admittedly, I’m a bit of a ‘Martha’. While I think Martha gets a slightly bad wrap (she really was trying), it is clear that Mary had offered true hospitality in listening and discovered deep rest in sitting at the feet of Jesus. From the very beginning, God modelled rest and throughout the gospels Jesus models working from a place of rest and intimacy with his Father.Sometimes we can end up being so busy for the kingdom of God that we neglect to actually experience it ourselves. So, as we move through this summer holiday period, we would like to encourage our readers to slow down, rest and engage with titles such as Tony Horsfall’s Rhythms of Grace, The Art of Peace by David Cole (Brother Cassian) or Seven Sacred Spaces by George Lings. We recommend a number of fantastic titles this month so we encourage you to dive in and pursue true rest at the feet of Jesus. Tracey Jones of Living Faith
Following a debate, members backed a Private Member’s Motion (PMM) paying tribute to the ‘enormous and untiring’ efforts of health professionals working in palliative and end of life care. They called on the Government to guarantee adequate funding and resourcing of palliative care services to ensure the highest possible standards of care for all. Members further affirmed that the law on Assisted Suicide should remain unchanged.General Synod member Dr Simon Eyre, from the Diocese of Chichester, introducing the PMM, called for the Government to ensure adequate funding for hospices over the next decade.He said palliative care was currently ‘insufficiently comprehensive’ with only one palliative care consultant per 100,000 of the population.“Our response needs to be an honest one, that palliative care can fail to deliver its best at times but it should also be our logical conclusion that we need to seek ever improving excellence in palliative care services, through training, research and investment, rather that enacting new legislation on Assisted Suicide as a route out of the problem,” he told the Synod.Following a debate where members heard powerful personal testimonies, the Synod observed a period of prayer before voting. The full wording of the Private Member’s Motion is below:‘That this Synod: (a) appreciate the enormous and untiring efforts of health professionals, including healthcare chaplains, in constantly developing and maintaining the excellence of palliative and end of life care provision in this country; (b) call on Her Majesty’s Government to guarantee and expedite the adequate funding and resourcing of palliative care services within the NHS to ensure that the highest possible standards of care are achieved and made universally accessible; and(c) affirm that the current legislation in relation to Assisted Suicide referenced in Section 2 of the Suicide Act 1961 (and its application through the DPP guidelines) should remain unchanged.’The voting was 289 in favour, 25 against and 33 abstentions.
I first want to say thank you to Bishop Nick for a superb and magisterial opening speech with which I agree entirely – and therefore I shall cut back significantly on what I was going to say.Peacemaking, we need to remember, is one of the beatitudes. Peacemaking is of the character of God, which is why peacemakers are called God’s children. They are a chip off the old block.Peacemaking requires humility and sacrifice. We see this in Jesus setting his face towards Jerusalem. It needs confrontation, as he showed with those opposing him. It is the pattern for all humanity. At times peace-making is as hard as a diamond. At others it is the glory of the crucified God, the conquest of evil through self-emptying.Yesterday we saw both as we had the privilege at Lambeth Palace of a visit from Metropolitan Epiphaniy of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which was given autocephaly through a Tomos of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in 2019. It had been under the oversight of the Russian Orthodox Church since 1684.In addition to a previous online call I had with Patriarch Kirill and Metropolitan Hilarion in February, we are seeking opportunities to meet further with the Russian Orthodox Church, but that has not been possible to date.But yesterday over the course of three and a half hours of prayer and discussion we heard the most heart-breaking stories of atrocities against civilians and against Orthodox clergy in occupied territory.Yet amidst it all the Patriarch spoke of love for all, especially enemies.Of course, like all Ukrainians he feels passionately about the terrors and horrors visited on his country. The lies told and the remorseless fear and attack. But the passion is not showing itself in hatred. Nor is it showing itself in weakness, but in faith and determination and a plea for support for the Church in its humanitarian work - and for Ukraine.Let us give that support as a Church as best we can. Let us also be determined in seeking peace, and we are asking the Government to re-return the funding of the unit in the foreign office which has been so seriously cut back and was set up, at church-urging, three years ago to specialise in mediation and peace building.And let us also pray for and support our armed forces – (Bishop) Nick mentioned they were being cut back.And particularly pray for the chaplains the Armed Forces Synod is represented here.Thank you.
Our speaker at Cafe Church on Sunday is Clare Haddap, who is a licensed lay minister at Busbridge Church.Clare has been a popular visitor in the past and we're sure she will be thought-provoking mode this time, too. So come along and join us, and Clare, for breakfast, tea and coffee as well as a lovely service and some rousing hymns. We start at 10am.
