Page 12 - Moravian Messenger November 2019

From the Sanctuary
On 5th November (or the Saturday closest to that date), once it gets dark, father and I will partake in our annual trek to the bottom of the garden with some spiritual nourishment (and hopefully some 'growth in grace') in one hand, and some sparklers and matches in the other hand. Once seated, we will wait for the annual firework display in the local park to begin. It is always spectacular, and we get a wonderful viewing of it from our garden.
It is interesting to realise that Guy Fawkes day is actually a celebration (or commemoration) of an historical event in 1605, when a group of Catholic nobles attempted the overthrow of the Protestant King, James I, by attempting to blow-up the House of Lords when the monarch was on a visit there. Barrels of gunpowder were stockpiled secretly in an under-croft beneath Westminster Palace, and if it weren't for a tip-off to the authorities, England could now be a Catholic country (with potentially anti-abortion laws and less same-sex toleration than there is now). Guy Fawkes was scapegoated and 'hung' for the offence, although many others were involved in the attempted assignation. His 'infamy' remains to this day as a community event, and as a charity fundraiser in many places.
These days, apart from enjoying the spectacle of fireworks and bonfires, we wonder what all the fuss was about, historically, between Catholics and Protestants. Indeed, the Retired Ministers' Retreat
last year, which I organised and hosted, was held in a Catholic Retreat House, where Catholic Priests and Moravian Ministers inter-mingled peacefully in the breaktimes. It did cross my mind, 'what would our ancestors have thought of it?'; because the Moravian Church came into being as a result of rebelling and breaking away from the Catholic Church, through the teachings of Jan Hus. Our ancestors were persecuted and almost driven to extinction by the Catholic Church in the thirty years war (1618-1648). How things, thankfully, have changed!
Although some doctrinal and worship differences remain between our two Christian denominations, our Priests and Ministers can co-exist in harmony and mutual respect - with not a gunpowder plot in sight. It is amazing how faith has the capacity to heal rifts and differences (as well as to cause them, sadly, at times). However, it did make me smile as I left, because when we had vacated the base-room we had used during the week, I saw a group of 'them' enter it with incense, and perform a ritual of chant, bells and smells. My fantasy was that they were exorcising the room of our protestant presence after its use - which probably isn't actually what they were doing. May we live our faith in such a way that love, peace and harmony can reign within, and between, us - even when there is difference. Br Peter Gubi,
Dukinfield
Notice
Message from the Provincial Board
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings in the name of our Chief Elder, Jesus Christ.
Over the last few years much has been made in the media and the congregations of the British Province about the United Kingdom’s political decision to leave the European Union, and as the PEC, we write to you to convey our thoughts.
We imagine that members of the Province will hold a spectrum of different views on Brexit but we affirm our love and commitment to each other and our Lord. The Ground of the Unity says, “The Church of Jesus Christ, despite all the distinctions between male and female, poor and rich and people of different ethnic origin, is one in the Lord. The Unitas Fratrum recognizes no distinction between those who are one in the Lord Jesus. We are called to testify that God in Jesus Christ brings His people out of every ethnic origin and language into one body, pardons sinners beneath the Cross and brings them together. We oppose any discrimination in our midst because of ethnic origin, sex or
social standing, and we regard it as a commandment of the Lord to bear public witness to this and to demonstrate by word and deed that we are brothers and sisters in Christ.”
This affirmation in the Ground of the Unity applies to our relationships with all the provinces, and particularly, at this time, to the Czech Province, Czech Mission Province and the European Continental Province.
Unity does not mean that we must agree with each other on all matters. However, we are called to live out our Christian lives with faith, hope and love in fellowship with the Holy Spirit and each other. We continually strive to be of service and witness to our Lord and Saviour in an ever-changing world.
Yours in Christ’s Service,
Sr Roberta Hoey (Chair, PEC), Sr Zoe Taylor Br Paul Holdsworth, Br David Howarth Br Mark Kernohan, Br Livingstone Thompson
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