January 6 – 'Weary traveller'

“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all [these things] must come to pass, but the end is not yet. - For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
But of that day and hour knoweth no [man], no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all [these things] must come to pass, but the end is not yet” - Matthew 24:6-7;36

"Unless it is really, really huge, please don't call me," Irish journalist Fergal Keane recently pleaded with his editors. Over the Christmas period he found himself still for the first time in months. Often to be seen and heard in the world's trouble spots, he tells the story with a unique combination of both head and heart. Most notable was his reporting of the 1990's Rwandan genocide. For 2015 his editors sent him to Paris, the Mediterranean and Aegean seas, Hong Kong, and Ukraine where he 'sheltered in trenches and basements as high explosive shells came flying into residential areas.'

Writing his op-ed column for the December 27^th Irish Sunday Independent, he describes himself as a 'weary traveller', reflecting how from the beginning of last year his phone flashed with 'alarming summonses'. As he contemplates the year ahead…

"I try hard not to succumb to pessimism or foreboding. I always take comfort from the limitless power of the human spirit to endure. After all, this year I also witnessed the victory of democratic forces in Burma… The peace process in Northern Ireland is troubled but did not collapse. World leaders reached a historic accord on climate change in Paris.

Yet I am more worried about the world now than I have ever been. I am haunted by the anticipation of catastrophe. I usually try to avoid drawing overarching conclusions based on disparate conflicts, but it is the mood of the times I find so deeply troubling… The defining feature of our age is fear and the rise of intolerance…" (http://www.independent.ie/opinion/comment/fergal-keanes-diary-haunted-by-anticipation-of-catastrophe-im-more-worried-than-i-have-ever-been-34315824.html)

Look no further than the banning of the Lord's Prayer film to support Keane's case. Deemed as unsuitable to be played in UK cinemas in the weeks up to Christmas, (The Lord's Prayer film go to: https://youtu.be/vlUXh4mx4gI) Guardian columnist and C of E vicar, Giles Fraser was having none of this nonsense:

"Apparently, the Jedi religion is fit for the big screen, but the Christian one is not… I'm sorry, but the whole thing stinks. If you are offended by the Lord's Prayer you are too easily offended. It's a 60-second ad, for goodness sake. Just munch on your popcorn and ignore it. For others, it might just offer a welcome reminder that, when it comes to places of worship, there are – even at this time of year – still alternatives to the great cathedrals of Westfield shopping centre. Or is the real problem that the religion of commerce will brook no theological opposition?" (Giles Fraser)

(http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/22/banning-lords-prayer-cinema-star-wars-christianity)

By definition, for the Adventist preacher it's a serious time....

(David Neal)

I could think of nothing more appropriate for our music today than “The Lord's Prayer” (LIVE)