My Dear Friends,
I have not produced a Tuesday Offering for a while now. I thought that you would have had enough of me wittering on, so I gave you a break. I hope you enjoyed it.
But Lent starts tomorrow, and it was always my intention to share some thoughts with you during this Holy Season.
Added to that, the world has changed dramatically this last week, and all of us are wondering what we can do. Many of us are feeling frightened, bewildered, angry, frustrated, shocked, and some are questioning everything! Our Brothers and Sisters in Ukraine are on the receiving end of unbelievable and unjustified aggression. This is not OK, and our condemnation needs to be heard!
So, what can we do? We want to do something!
Our Bishops have been pro active, making their voices heard, and calling us to Pray. Of course we can all do that, and I am sure you are already.
Prayer is a big thing, and it can change the world, and it unties us across many divides. Here is what Bishop Robert wrote a few days ago
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The situation in Ukraine is very deeply troubling. President Putin is leading a completely unjustified and aggressive war against Ukraine, a war which many ordinary Russians deeply deplore. Leaders from many Christian churches, including the Ukrainian Orthodox (Russian Patriarchate) Church have condemned the invasion of Ukraine. Our hearts cry out for justice and peace. We are most especially concerned for the wellbeing of those in Ukraine who are directly affected by the war. This includes particularly the members of our own congregation of Christ Church, Kyiv. The Churchwarden there, Christina, messaged us this morning saying: ‘Please pray for us as we are standing here for our land and for our roots. The battle for Kyiv has begun; it is fierce and intensive. Pray for us.’
I am therefore inviting you to join an online gathering next Tuesday 1st March at 18:00 gmt/ 19:00 cet/ 20:00 Kyiv/ 21:00 Moscow: ‘Prayers across Europe for Peace in Ukraine’. The gathering is timed for the eve of a Day of Prayer called by Pope Francis. It will be led by me, with assistance from Canon Malcolm Rogers, our chaplain in Moscow and Area Dean for Russia and Ukraine.
In the face of military action, we can easily feel powerless and fearful. But one thing we can do is pray. We can pray in solidarity with those most affected. We can pray that God will yet overrule in the hearts and minds of those with power and authority. We can pray that the victims will be few and that the innocent will be protected. We can pray that peace will come through justice and not through the infliction of the will of a stronger party on a weaker.
In this prayer gathering, we will be joined by many people from Church of England churches in England. In addition, Archbishop Justin has drawn the event to the attention of the Anglican Primates from across the world.
So please do come if you can to share with many people from across Europe and beyond in praying for peace in Ukraine and in our continent.
The Zoom link for the service for you all is:
Prayers Across Europe for Peace in Ukraine
Mar 1, 2022 18:00 London, 19:00 cet, 20:00 Kyiv, 21:00 Moscow
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87643130158
Meeting ID: 876 4313 0158
Zoom space may be limited but the service will also be streamed on YouTube so please share the attached flyer and information about that with your congregations and friends. This is the YouTube Link YouTube Diocese in Europe Ukraine Service
Yours in Christ,
+Robert Gibraltar in Europe
So, please join us if you can, and if you feel moved to do so, take part in the day of Prayer and Fasting which Pope Francis has called for tomorrow, Ash Wednesday.
Christians believe that prayer can be efficacious. It certainly changes us, and it can definitely change the world, so please embrace these very positive initiatives.
It is also the case that Ukraine will need lots of support, and one thing we can do is financially be generous to them. Our Chaplaincy has already sent £1,000 from our funds, and there will be collection baskets in all of our Churches for the next few weeks. Please be generous, and Treasurers, please make sure that Dennis, our Chaplaincy Treasurer knows which money is given for Ukraine. We will send it via the Diocesan Account, so we know that every penny will get there.
But like you, I feel somehow that I would like to do more. If I was in the UK I would have joined the Demonstrations that were held in London and elsewhere. I shall look out for some here.
Since Russian forces officially invaded Ukraine on February 24th, dozens of protests have been held in cities across Spain including Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla, Zaragoza, León, Murcia, Logroño and Bilbao.
Joining with others shows solidarity against aggression, and strengthens the resolve of those who speak out.
I am pretty sure that most Russians are not in favour of this war, and many are speaking out against it. I have just read that 5,500 Russian protestors have been detained! I feel that I want to somehow support them. We will have to explore how best we can do that.
In the meantime, let’s do what we do best – Pray, and Pray again.
Bless you, Bless you, Bless you.
Almighty God,
from whom all thoughts of truth and peace proceed:
kindle, we pray, in the hearts of all, the true love of peace
and guide with your pure and peaceable wisdom
those who take counsel for the nations of the earth
that in tranquillity your kingdom may go forward,
till the earth is filled with the knowledge of your love;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
