February 2023 – Christchurch United Church

Minister’s Message – February 26, 2023

February 28, 2023

On the evening of February 5^th 2020 the cruise liner “Diamond Princess” dropped anchor outside the port of Yokohama in Japan. There were 3,700 passengers and crew aboard the ship but no-one was allowed to leave. That was because of one elderly Chinese passenger: he had joined the cruise on January 25^th and left at Hong Kong with a cough. Now news came back that the gentleman had tested positive for the Covid-Sars-19 virus. The Japanese authorities were worried and, following World Health Organisation protocols, placed the ship under quarantine for 14 days. But in the intervening period the ship had docked in a number of places and the usual onboard social life had continued without restrictions.

Minister's Message

Minister’s Message – February 19, 2023

February 21, 2023

The moment in “The Wizard of Oz” when Dorothy steps out of her cabin into Oz must be one of the most memorable sequences in movie history – and it must have been very difficult to achieve with the technical resources available at the time. What, of course, really “makes” it is the transition from the dreary sepia of Kansas to the glorious Technicolor of Oz – no wonder Dorothy was filled with wonder and amazement. I’m sure that audiences were, too!

Minister's Message

Minister’s Message – February 12, 2023

February 15, 2023

I wonder if you’ve ever come across the word “thoughtcrime”? If you haven’t, let me tell you that it was coined by George Orwell for his famous book “1984”, a suggestion of what a repressive regime like Stalin’s in Russia might look like if it came to Britain. “Thoughtcrime” was one of many words that were part of “newspeak” – a heavily edited and highly political form of English which sounded rather like the old-fashioned language used in telegrams. In “newspeak” complicated ideas were reduced to short statements which sounded clear but in fact deliberately concealed truth and misled their hearers.

Coffee and Chat Afternoons

Macmillan Coffee Afternoon

February 7, 2023September 18, 2023

Please join us at our Macmillan Coffee Afternoon on Tuesday, September 26th^t at 2.00pm. A warm welcome to everyone to enjoy a cuppa, cake and fellowship. Donations in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.

Minister's Message

Minister’s Message – February 5, 2023

February 7, 2023

Jesus often got into trouble for law-breaking. No, he wasn’t caught breaking into someone’s house, he didn’t ‘innocently’ (ahem) avoid paying his income tax, he wasn’t pulled over for driving a chariot at 60 mph in a 30 mph zone, he didn’t get into a drunken brawl outside the Nazareth pub at closing time … in fact we might suppose that he was a model citizen. But he was still a law-breaker because he made a point of mingling and eating with folk who society thought were beyond the pale, unashamedly touching sick people who were deemed to be unclean, and repeatedly doing (and, even worse, encouraging his disciples) to do acts which were classified as “work” on the Sabbath day of rest. He even tried to rewrite the legal traditions that had evolved over the centuries, with his words, “You have heard it said … but I say to you”. Clearly Jesus was a dangerous radical hellbent on ditching the rules and regulations which governed everyday life. As far as the lawyers were concerned, his teaching would leave ordinary people confused or even rebellious and simply couldn’t be tolerated.

Month: <span>February 2023</span>

Minister’s Message – February 26, 2023

Minister’s Message – February 19, 2023

Minister’s Message – February 12, 2023

Macmillan Coffee Afternoon

Minister’s Message – February 5, 2023