Vicar's View - from the latest Newsletter |
NEWS & VIEWS ..... |
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FROM THE VICAR….
At the end of January, in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (always 18th-25th Jan), Churches Together in Acocks Green shared a service of Unity at St Mary’s. Designed by German Christians, the service spoke of Christian divisions from German experience and used the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15 v 11-32) as its scripture. This year marks the 500 years since Martin Luther’s protests against the Church which triggered what we know as the Reformation and fractured the Church. Centuries later the Berlin Wall tragically divided a nation: Eastern from Western Germany. The German Churches played an important part in breaking down the Berlin Wall in 1989, one country again, but not without its imperfections, for any human attempts at unity are imperfect. Although the divisions between denominations may not be physical, there are still walls between us: divisive Pride, Isolation, Abuse of Power, Discrimination, Persecution, Lack of Love being only a few of them. Again, human attempts will fall short. Only God’s Love succeeds. In the scriptures, the Father’s Love saved both the prodigal and his proud brother. Only our Heavenly Father can save us from our churches’ dividing walls. He has completed this unity already through the forgiving, saving power of the Cross of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. In the service this was illustrated by the stones in the wall being turned around and rearranged into the shape of the Cross: a great reminder of the strength of our salvation. We need to lift high the Cross. For only God’s Love expressed in this way is powerful enough to unite us for ever. Fr. Andrew |
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