Easter 2022

‘He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it.’ Colossians 2:15

Dear friends,

As I have been praying and preparing for Holy Week and Easter in recent weeks, this verse from Paul’s letter to the Colossians has particularly resonated with me. On Palm Sunday I was leading worship at Hutton Rudby and reflecting on something which clearly happened but isn’t referred to directly in any of the gospels. Some days before Jesus enters Jerusalem from the east down the Mount of Olives, Pilate has entered the city from the west. Festival time was always a time when the occupying Romans were on high alert: Pilate was in town to keep order. The contrast between these two processions could not be starker. Nick Page puts it in the following way:

‘Two processions, then. One from the east, tumbling down the Mount of Olives, wild with cheering and rich with messianic symbolism. The other coming from the west, but just as symbolic: gleaming armour and burnished leather, cavalrymen on horseback and the imperial eagle leading the way. From the west comes the kingdom of the world; from the east comes the kingdom of God’ (The Wrong Messiah, p.227)

Page goes on to describe Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem as a ‘…politically charged act, a two fingered salute to the empire, the world and the Gentile ways of power’. We cannot help but be acutely aware of the destructive power of militarism in our world today not just in the Ukraine but in many other places of conflict. Power and its misuse, of course, is not just a political issue: it has social, economic, community and psychological forms.

Paul’s choice of image then in describing the cross in these terms is both deliberate and thought provoking. Victorious Roman generals would parade the captives of war in chains through the city. It was a form of ridicule and humiliation entirely in character with an oppressive regime. It is perverse forms of power, political and religious, which send Jesus to execution, to the humiliation of the cross. Yet just at the hour at which they seem to have won, Paul claims, the table is turned. It is now these forces, indeed all the powers of evil, which are humiliated, relativised and ridiculed like a defeated army.

This is a bold claim. What sense can we make of it? It’s interesting to note that the idea of Christ defeating the powers and principalities on the cross –the Christus Victor – was the most important way of conceiving the meaning of the cross in the early Church. I think about this in three different ways. First, I view the cross as having revelatory power. Amongst other things this means that the cross makes clear the forces that are ranged against God in our world and which are still active today. We cannot ignore the parallels between the misuses of power and the use of violence that sends Jesus to the cross with the experience of the world today. We have a duty to name and expose these abuses wherever we see them. Secondly, I sense that there is something here about the resisting power of mockery, satire and ridicule. It’s interesting isn’t it that those who misuse power find it difficult to accept being mocked. It undermines their power and also reminds them of their mortality – it is interesting to note at this juncture the role of the Holy Fool in the Orthodox tradition who is able to speak truth to power in a way in which others are not. Thirdly though, none of this makes sense without the resurrection. Christ is Victor simply because he is the risen one. It is this which turns a cross of disgrace into a demonstration of the power of God. It demonstrates that ultimately there is a power which is greater than the powers of death which stalk our world. It is the resurrection which ultimately relativises any other claim to power and authority in the world.

I pray that Christ, risen from the grave, might be your light, life and hope as you journey through Holy Week and Easter.

Yours in Christ,

Richard Andrew

District Chair

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

In the near future, we are re-establishing a weekly Communion service in St Peter’s Chapel here at Auckland Castle.

This will be taking place at 11.15am on Wednesdays. I have arranged with The Auckland Project that those attending the service will be able to do so without having to pay for admission (the ticket barrier will be moved from the entrance to the castle to the entrance to the first of the rooms) and will also be able to access the Castle café afterwards to purchase refreshments, without going through the whole of the castle. The plan is for the first services to be on Wednesday 13^th and 20^th April. There will then be a break (due to other commitments that I have) before they resume on Wednesday 18^th May, and should then be each week.

While the service will, of course, have to be a Church of England one, folk of all Christian traditions (and none) are more than welcome to join us.

I look forward to being able to welcome you and your people to this service.
Many thanks, all good wishes and every blessing,

Chris Knights

The Revd Dr Chris Knights

Chaplain to the Bishop of Durham

The overwhelming response to the Government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme shows clear support amongst the public for helping those seeking sanctuary. Methodist churches and members around the UK stand ready to open their homes and lives to Ukrainians who desperately need our friendship and solidarity.

The scheme also demonstrates that when called for, the Government can find resources and commit to helping people in need. We are grateful that the Government has listened to the widespread calls for them to act and to begin to open routes by which Ukrainians can come to the UK for safety.

However, whilst communities are united in offering support and protection to those fleeing an unimaginable situation, we remain concerned that this welcoming approach appears to be at odds with the Government’s response to refugees from other parts of the world.

Over the past few weeks, non-Ukrainian nationals fleeing the conflict have been treated with hostility across Europe. Many foreign students, refugees who have settled within Ukraine and others who have made Ukraine their home have struggled to find routes out of the conflict, and have instead faced discrimination and harsh treatment. All people fleeing Ukraine need to be offered safety, not only those holding a Ukrainian passport.

In the UK, this hostility is particularly demonstrated in the Nationality and Borders Bill currently going through Parliament.

With this Bill, the Government is continuing to pursue a hostile and unwelcoming approach towards some of the most vulnerable people in the world. The Bill will have a detrimental impact on many people seeking refuge, criminalising people with a legitimate claim to asylum, keeping families apart and undermining people’s right to refugee protection. The Bill currently presents no new safe routes by which refugees can reach the UK, leaving people fleeing conflict and persecution in places such as Yemen, Syria and Iran without options. At the same time as the Government asks us to open our homes to Ukrainian refugees, they are closing the door on refugees from around the world.

The Refugee Convention was established over 70 years ago in 1951, in the wake of war. Signatories to the convention committed that the way someone travelled to seek refugee protection should not matter, acknowledging that escaping conflict, oppression and persecution was the immediate priority. Despite the risk of war rising once again, the Nationality and Borders Bill directly undermines this principle.

As Christians, we are called to welcome the stranger, and to recognise God amongst them. We cannot abide any kind of discrimination which seeks to ignore or mar the image of God that all people bear. This Bill which judges a person’s legitimate claim to sanctuary based on how they arrive in the UK should not be tolerated. Just as the Government is right to make every effort to welcome people from Ukraine, we must ensure that this effort is made whenever necessary.

Any response to people fleeing conflict in Ukraine must now be applied across the board. We urge the Government to look carefully at the Nationality and Borders Bill, recognise this inconsistency, and take immediate action so that all who seek sanctuary are protected.

The President and Vice-President of the Conference
Revd Sonia Hicks and Barbara Easton

original post: https://www.methodist.org.uk/about-us/news/latest-news/all-news/presidential-statement-on-ukraine/

THE HOMES FOR UKRAINE SCHEME

The Government have established the Homes for Ukraine scheme, giving the chance for individuals within churches and communities to host a refugee or family from Ukraine.

The scheme is currently for individuals to sponsor a person seeking sanctuary to enable them to live in the UK. There will be a scheme for groups (including churches) to sponsor a person or family, which will be announced at a later date. We will publish details as soon as we have them.

To apply to be a host for the scheme, individuals must be able to offer a room in their home or to provide self-contained accommodation. They must be able to identify a Ukrainian national to sponsor and support their Visa application form.

Apply and get matched up – We encourage you to sign up through the scheme though Reset UK, who will match refugees seeking to come to the UK with hosts. Reset will provide training and support for hosts and refugees as they are matched.

Register with Homes for Ukraine here: www.homesforukraine.org.uk.

If you are approached by a refugee seeking assistance we recommend that you direct them to Homes for Ukraine, where they can register to be matched with a host.

You can find out more from the government information on the scheme at gov.uk/homes-for-ukraine.

See also: Homes for Ukraine scheme: frequently asked questions – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)  where you can subscribe to text updates from the government.

Share with others – Please promote Homes for Ukraine to individuals in your churches and community.

** Please let Rev John know if you can provide a home or any help, as local churches begin to coordinate assistance with different agencies **

Dear friends,

The picture at the head of this letter is entitled Wounded Angel painted by the Finnish painter Hugo Simberg in 1903. I came across it the other day when reading a prayer written by Eduard Khegay, the Methodist Bishop for Eurasia, an area which covers both Ukraine and Russia. His prayer is included below and I encourage you to use it as your own as I also encourage you to reflect on the painting in the light of current events. Khegay’s prayer imagines the impact of the war in Ukraine on different people and Christ alongside them weeping. The prayer acts as testimony not only to the tragic situation in Ukraine but also to many other areas of conflict and occupation throughout the world. In that respect I encourage you to pray for our colleague, John Howard, who is currently in Hebron acting as a Human Rights Observer.

Like most of you, I’m sure, I began Lent with a heavy heart. It is never a season which we can dress up with cosy piety or easy platitudes but that seems even less possible this year. Nevertheless, as we journey through Lent towards the events of Holy Week and Easter, I am reminded that Jesus himself lived in a context of occupation and within a few decades of the crucifixion, Jerusalem itself would experience war, destruction and turmoil. The reality of the world’s experience today is echoed in the pages of the gospel story. But this is not an easy context in which to preach or to know what to say. Whilst we pray for peace, stand alongside others in solidarity, give as generously as we are able and look for signs of hope, we are also called to weep as Christ weeps.

Yours in Christ,

Richard Andrew

District Chair

A prayer by Eduard Khegay

Imagine an infant born in the Kiev subway and his exhausted mother seeking shelter from grenades.
Christ weeps next to them.

Imagine a lonely grandmother and her grandson in Luhansk who can’t sleep because of explosions and sirens.
Christ weeps at their side.

Imagine a Russian and a Ukrainian soldier looking at each other through the sight of a machine gun.
Christ weeps at their side.

Imagine the drivers queuing up at the Ukrainian-Polish border for three nights.
Christ weeps next to them.

Imagine that friends on Facebook are willing to “denazify” each other with their comments.
Christ weeps at their side.

Imagine the explosions near your house and the wounded in the east and west, in the south and north of Ukraine.
Christ weeps at their side.

Imagine hundreds of thousands of refugees from Ukraine in Europe and Russia.
Christ weeps at their side.

Imagine the coffins with 18-year-old boys who have just started life and their grieving mothers.
Christ weeps at their side.

Imagine if you were hugging all these people.
Christ embraces them with You…

Click the image below to go to the Facebook video of Olia sharing from Lviv, Western Ukraine.

How can we help Ukraine? – from Connexional website

We can pray, we can give and we can help those who come here as refugees – see all the information below

THE HOMES FOR UKRAINE SCHEME

The Government have established the Homes for Ukraine scheme, giving the chance for individuals within churches and communities to host a refugee or family from Ukraine.

The scheme is currently for individuals to sponsor a person seeking sanctuary to enable them to live in the UK. There will be a scheme for groups (including churches) to sponsor a person or family, which will be announced at a later date. We will publish details as soon as we have then.

To apply to be a host for the scheme, individuals must be able to offer a room in their home or to provide self-contained accommodation. They must be able to identify a Ukrainian national to sponsor and support their Visa application form.

We encourage you to sign up through the scheme though Reset UK, who will match refugees seeking to come to the UK with hosts. Reset will provide training and support for hosts and refugees as they are matched.

All We Can and the Methodist Church in Britain have launched an emergency appeal in response to events unfolding in Ukraine.

As communities face violence, upheaval, and the trauma of war, your urgent support is needed. Working together with the Global Relationships Team of the Methodist Church in Britain, donations will be used to support the response to the crisis happening in Ukraine, and ensure that critical humanitarian assistance is available to those who need it.

Please pray for the people of Ukraine today, and give all you can to the Ukraine Emergency Appeal. Your gift today will be used to meet emergency needs.

Prayer for peace in Ukraine

Holy and Gracious God
We pray for the people of Ukraine and the people of Russia;
for their countries and their leaders.
We pray for all those who are afraid;
that your everlasting arms hold them in this time of great fear.
We pray for all those who have the power over life and death;
that they will choose for all people life, and life in all its fullness.
We pray for those who choose war; that they will remember
that you direct your people to turn our swords into ploughshares and seek for peace.
We pray for leaders on the world stage;
that they are inspired by the wisdom and courage of Christ.
Above all, Lord, today we pray for peace for Ukraine.
And we ask this in the name of your blessed Son.
Lord have mercy.
Amen

• https://www.allwecan.org.uk/donate/ukraine/
• You can contact one of our friendly Supporter Care team by calling

+44 (0)20 7467 5132 or emailing info@allwecan.org.uk.

• If you wish, you can choose to donate over the phone or post cheques to All We Can, Ukraine Emergency Appeal, 25 Marylebone Road, London, NW1 5JR, UK.
• All We Can uses Stripe to securely and safely process payments.

If total donations exceed need, we will use them to respond to other emergencies. Image: Andriyko Podilnyk on Unsplash