E News 22 April 2022
Well, it’s another long weekend in honour of ANZAC. The closest experience I had to do with war was in the United Kingdom in 1995. I had the privilege of being invited to preach the sermon at the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the United Nations on the 24th of October 1995. It was simultaneously broadcast on BBC radio. It was held at Nottingham Cathedral it was attended by clergy and people from around the UK. Interestingly enough I was the youngest of all the clergy gathered and one of only a handful of women, it was a real honour to be invited to preach. I think it was also a first time that Nottingham Cathedral had a woman priest preaching from their pulpit and a Pacific one at that. I did feel somewhat under qualified to do the honours as I had no experience of World War II or any of the conflicts that had taken place in Vietnam in the 1960’s. The only war I witnessed was on our families black and white television on the evening news.
My chosen text was Isaiah 65:25 (NIV) “The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says the Lord. I don’t have a copy of the script anymore, but I talked about what World War II looked like from a Pacific/Samoan perspective at the time with the stories my parents told me of growing up in Samoa during World War II. I also made reference to how the establishment of the United Nations intention was to work to maintain international peace and security, give humanitarian assistance to those in need, protect human rights and also provided an exegesis of the text. I took a small delegation from the Selly Oak School of Mission and World Christianity with me and got some positive feedback from my colleagues.
Anzac is our opportunity to reflect on those legendary men and women who fought and served our country and who today provide us with security and stability. I hope you manage to acknowledge the ANZAC’s on Monday and that you use this time to have a restful weekend. Fei
To view the full e-news click here: https://mailchi.mp/d7c1ba2fc55e/this-weeks-newsletter-from-st-andrews-on-the-terrace-8876937
