BCP, the Book of Common Prayer, that great standard of Anglican worship that I have never ever used or even experienced.

I have a challenge – I need to prepare a short act of worship for 10/15 minutes in Lent using this ‘wonderful’ resource.

mmmm – this is going to be interesting!

Something for certain wings of General Synod to think on this week.

I found this shockwave file which would be great for a background at an event.

I saw this piece of work Tom had done for school and find myself both proud and amazed.
Proud … just look at the centrality of that cross. Amazed … he’s going to be talking about this in front of his class. That shows far more courage than I could have done at the age of 12.

This morning I visited St Giles to watch Jenny, a colleague from SEITE, led a service.

I had a great time, not only was it good to visit another packed church reaching out to a whole community with all ages healthily represented it was also great to be able to watch a fellow ‘trainee’ lead a service.

Jen was ambitious in what she did and it all worked excellently, particuarly her creative intercessions using music between them.

I learned too that today is Candlemass, when we remember Simeon who, after seeing the Christ child, said he could now die. You can red the story in Luke chapter 2.

What am amazing outlook I thought. Simeon is saying:

‘I’ve seen Christ as a child, that’s enough for me, I’ve now seen evertything I need to – God, I’m ready to die!’

Today we remember the doubtless certainty of Simeon as he gazed upon Jesus.
Simeon just knows who this child is.
He does not have the benefit of the miracles that we know.
He would have no idea of the resurrection.
Is this what is emant by blind faith?

simply no need for words out of respect for my Welsh friends!

A busy weekend got off to a great start at CMS where Debbie James delivered some excellent training on culture for those involved in Mission In London.

I think everyone was challenged and caused to either start think or re-think how we can re-interpret our faith so that we speak in a language that those we are led to work with can understand our message.

One particular act of genius was when Debbie got us to play a game of Taboo. For those that don’t know this is a game where you have to describe something without being able to use certain words. An example might be ‘cream cracker’ without being able to use the words cheese, dry, eat, spread. Another could be ‘salvation’ without using the words cross, sin, Jesus, Son of God … and so on.

This was great as it showed in a concrete way the frustration of being able to share and hear when certain things are taken away from us. It’s an idea I’ going to be using – but I will always give credit to Debbie for it being her idea!

People left CMS feeling that the day had been incredibly valuable and had already started to think out loud about how to be culturally relevant in both language and thinking through what would be good news to those we work with.

The latest bulletin from Andrea at LCF:

RELIGIOUS HATRED BILL VICTORY!

What can we say but PRAISE GOD!! It was by his glory and grace that our months of prayer and petition were answered! On Tuesday night the government’s version of the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill was defeated, despite the government’s majority of 67MPs and the immense pressure exerted by the government to get people to vote for the Bill. It is only the second time in 9 years that Labour have lost a vote in the Commons. It was a vote which even the opposition MPs said could not be won. It is a vote which Christians knew, faithfully trusting in God’s sovereignty, could always be won.

It was on Tuesday at 7:45pm that the House of Commons voted against the government’s version of the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill. There were two votes held: in the first vote, the question was whether the RACIAL hatred laws would be changed, and the government was defeated by 10 votes. On the issue of the RELIGIOUS hatred laws, the government was defeated BY JUST ONE VOTE. Tony Blair voted in the first vote, but left before the second vote. That means it was the failure of the Prime Minister to vote which in human terms meant victory for those opposing the government’s Religious Hatred Bill.

The BBC news website described it as a ‘surprise defeat’, the London Metro and The Daily Mail described it as a ‘Shock defeat’, and in the Guardian, Labour minister Mr. Hain ‘admitted the government had been taken by surprise by the defeat.’

The upshot of the vote was that the Religious Hatred Bill was passed, but it was the House of Lords’ version of the Bill, not the Government’s version, that will become law. The Lords’ version was a dramatic improvement in the protection of the uninhibited freedom for Christians to preach the Gospel.

The Bill which will now become law will only allow someone to be prosecuted if:

1) the accused used threatening words or behaviour;

2) he intended to stir up religious hatred; and

3) the words or behaviour cannot be classed as an expression of criticism or dislike, or a discussion of, particular religions or the beliefs or practices of those religions.

It is now hard to envisage a case where a Christian, preaching from the word of God in good faith and from good motives, would fall foul of this legislation.

As you will know, from the very start of this campaign, we have opposed the idea of the Religious Hatred Bill in any form. However, it is our view as lawyers, that the Bill that has been passed has so many safeguards and protections built in, that it will represent almost no threat to Christians preaching the word of God. We would still prefer that the law was removed from the statute books, but the victory last night in the Commons was real, and allays almost all the fears which we have talked about over the past months.

Below is set out the list of Labour MPs who resisted the enormous pressure put on them by the government, and voted against their own party’s version of the Bill. The list can also be found at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4668266.stm. It would be great if after all the campaigning letters criticising the government’s approach and asking for MPs support, as many people as possible could write to or e-mail these MPs to thanks them for their crucial votes. It would be great to thank them for voting based on principle and based on the need to protect freedom of expression.

Equally, the BBC webpage given above contains a list of ALL the MPs who voted to oppose the government’s version of the Bill, so please, check how your local MP voted and write to thank them if they opposed the government’s version. It seems likely that every single Liberal Democrat and Conservative MP voted against the government’s version. Those two parties went to great lengths to ensure the MPs were there to oppose the government, and whatever motivated them to do that, we should thank them because, (again in human terms) if they had not been so staunch, the government would have won. Additionally, it was absolutely crucial to the victory that the SNP and (I believe) Plaid Cymru decided to vote against the Bill. Please thank those MPs as well.

God Bless all of you for your prayers and lobbying on this issue. Thankyou for all the encouraging and supportive e-mails you have sent as well. The media may not recognise it, but the victory is God’s. Praise the Lord.

Here is the list of the 21 Labour MPs who voted against their government in the second vote.

Joe Benton, Bootle
Ronnie Campbell, Blyth Valley
Colin Challen, Morley & Rothwell
Frank Cook, Stockton North
Jeremy Corbyn, Islington North
Bill Etherington, Sunderland North
Mark Fisher, Stoke-on-Trent Central
Paul Flynn, Newport West
Ian Gibson, Norwich North
John Grogan, Selby
Kate Hoey, Vauxhall
Kelvin Hopkins, Luton North
Andrew MacKinlay, Thurrock
Robert Marshall-Andrews, Medway
John McDonnell, Hayes & Harlington
Gordon Prentice, Pendle
Geraldine Smith, Morecambe & Lunesdale
David Taylor, North West Leicestershire
Rudi Vis, Finchley & Golders Green
Robert Wareing, Liverpool, West Derby
Tony Wright, Cannock Chase

I’ve just got back from spending the night in Haverhill, looking at ‘how to do strategy’ with the trustees.

I realise that does not sound very exciting, but it was quite a good night. The people there were keen to see how they could further their mission in their area. I hope that tonight for them is the atart of something exciting!

3 hours of gritty, often tense, drama.

The film was not what I was expecting, and towrds the end I was willing it to end. That does not mean, however, that it was not a gret film. This was, but I was surprised at the almost knocking of the Israeli goverment that there was in the film. I think Spielberg was maybe trying to show that those in power had lost sight of their chosen-ness, of why they should be different. I wonder if he was trying to show the futility of the argument on both sides.

There was a poignant moment when opposing sides met each other in a ‘safe house’. I won’t share too much or you will moan at for me for messing up the plot – but this 10 or so minute scene showed both sides to be human, both sides to be searching for home, both sides passionate, both scared, both with loved ones, both fighting for their families. A little later in the film the same two people are ‘on mission’ and trying to gun each other down in the street.

This film is, I think, summed up in 2 quotes:

In the latter half of the fime, Robert says: ‘We are supposed to be righteous! I lose that, that’s my soul!’

Very near the beginning of the film Golda Meir (the Israeli PM) says ‘Forget peace for now. We have to show them we’re strong.’

two distinct outlooks, one of the people, one of government.

Go see the film – but as Johnny says – take food supplies for the marathon!