Thought for the Month of April
I have just been thinking about the ‘Messages’ given in the Services that I attended over Easter. Good Friday had a ‘time of reflection’ included in the Service when we thought of various aspects of Christ’s time on earth. Our Easter Sunday Services were very joyous and happy but one of the ‘Messages’ I heard pointed out just how many people today have never heard the Easter Message and have no idea who Christ was. I found that very distressing and ever since have been wondering if there is any way of our Chapel concentrating on ‘spreading the good news’ better.
We have been worrying about this for some time but as yet haven’t thought of anything that hasn’t been tried before. If you have a suggestion that we could try, please do get in touch.
I was horrified when I heard on the news that the Centre of London had completely obliterated Easter and replaced it by Ramadan. I realized that Sidiq Khan is a Muslim who of course doesn’t acknowledge Jesus Christ as our Saviour, but surely there must be many Christians in the Centre of London who like me are offended by his actions.
It has always been my belief that everybody is free to follow whatever Faith they choose, but to deliberately change the tradition of Easter in the Centre of London surely is wrong.
Having said this, I haven’t been to the centre of London to see for myself and am only commentating on what was reported on the National TV News. If that report was incorrect and Sidiq Khan did not ‘wipe out Easter’ then I apologise to him. However, from talking to lots of people I meet, I do know for a fact that more and more people not know about Jesus.
Jesus taught us to love our neighbours as ourselves, but how many of us actually do this? We have terrible wars going on in the world at the moment and I wonder when and how they will end. I am not taking sides with anybody but I just cannot understand how Vladimir Putin can send untrained men to fight against the Ukraine, killing innocent women and children, blowing to pieces their homes and infrastructure when Ukraine haven’t done anything against Russia except try to defend their own country.
Then we have unbelievable things happening in Gaza and Israel, again innocent people being made homeless, starved, orphaned, maimed and terrorized. What happened to ‘love our neighbours as ourselves’.
Please don’t misunderstand the above, I don’t have a political bone in my body, I have no wish to get involved in any arguments or disagreements whatsoever, but I just cannot see how anybody is going to gain out of what is happening. Surely only more hate can come out of the conflict.
Let us all remember those all important words that Jesus taught us; ‘Love our neighbours as ourselves!’