WHAT'S INSIDE A
Place to Begin |
Hallo again to all. Amidst the sorrows, wars, tragedies, and darkness of this old world, there is something reassuring about the everyday sorts of Anglican web sites that come into our mailbox. The work of the church goes on, in parishes, Sunday Schools, diocesan outreach efforts, individual goodnesses -- the light constantly pushes back the darkness. Alleluia, alleluia, even at the grave we make our song. In Hong Kong, the Diocese of Eastern Kowloon is online, as is one of its parishes, St Stephen (whose site is in Chinese only). From the States come several new parish sites: we particularly liked visiting Christ Church, Raleigh, North Carolina and St James, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. We were amused by the good work of the Three Cantors of Huron, a trio (natch!) of baritones singing on behalf of good works in the Diocese of Huron, in Canada. We also played far too long on this site that allows you to explore the varieties of change ringing. Durham Cathedral is online, officially, as is a virtual tour of that most impressive edifice looming over the city. We also welcome another unofficial page for Exeter Cathedral. Most of the world's news this week is about killing, violence, and hate. It is so heavily covered in the secular press that we hardly bother to mention it. But sometimes a global news story has an Anglican slant, and we try to find it for you. What separates Anglican news from ordinary news is that those who write about it and those who read about it are committed Christians whose spiritual home is rooted in the British Isles. "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." In our churches, and here on the Internet, we gather in his name. That verse is Matthew 18:20, and if you look backwards one verse to Matthew 18:19, you will see that it says "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven." We've heard many people say lately that this seems to be the problem with us Anglicans: there aren't two of us on earth who agree about anything to ask for. Oh, but there are, and via this online world we can find one another, and share one another's witness. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. To see a real-life example of how the light can be separated from the darkness, see the News Centre entry for 27 April 1999. Sometimes the madness of our world and the sanctity of our church collide. This week's News Centre links you to the story of the Anglican priest in Canada whose child was killed at school with a gun, in a copycat crime. Every child's life is precious; what makes this one worth reporting in Anglicans Online is that the bond we feel with the grieving father, sad priest, is a bond of shared faith as well as shared humanity, and his words reach us more easily. If you still can't see the light for the darkness, go back and read the card that Cynthia made that we normally publish every Christmas, but which sometimes recently I feel a need to pull out and cling to. We'll see you next week.
Last
updated: 2 May 1999 |