What I learnt from walking 1000km

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The Camino Journey
Praying together using prayers a millennium old
General Synod discussions

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Last year at this time I had just completed walking 1,000 km on the Camino pilgrimage in the North of Spain. I have blogged about this - and (as you see below) I will be talking about this. You are invited.

I'm pleased with the interest in the associated facebook liturgy page - it now has over 12,000 likes.

As always there are lots of resources on the regularly-updated Liturgy website that can help us individually and in our communities. Let us also pray for each other.

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Rev. Bosco Peters

The Camino Journey

If you are in Christchurch, do come to our talk on the Camino. On Thursday, 23 June, at 7:30pm, my wife, Helen, and I will talk about our 1,000 km walk last year on the Camino for 40 days along the North of Spain. There will be refreshments & you will be homeward bound by 9ish.

The talk is in the Chapman Room (bottom floor of the new post-quakes building), Christ's College (Rolleston Ave, Christchurch). The evening has the walk; what we might all learn from this; chance to ask questions and discuss; and images...

This will also be the launch of the new Centre for Ethics and Spirituality.

Do let others know about this - I hope local churches, for example, might let people know also.

Ancient Collects Reworked

It is great, week by week, to explore prayers that we have been praying for well over a thousand years. Here's the prayer for Sunday and the week following:

Let us pray (in silence) [that we praise, reverence, and serve God]

pause

Lord,
may we always love and revere your Holy Name,
for you never fail to help and guide those you establish firmly in your love;
through Jesus Christ, our Saviour
who is alive with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.

And here is my commentary on that prayer.

General Synod Te Hinota Whanui

The recent meeting of General Synod Te Hinota Whanui made a number of decisions - several of them to do with worship (click the link to see a reflection).

The primary focus of the meeting was blessing committed same-sex couples. A change to the Constitution, it seems to me, means that a bishop can now allow blessing committed same-sex couples in communities that ask for this permission (click the link to read more about this).

In the process of the discussions, I discovered that the Church may be treating homosexuals quite differently to the way it acts in relation to heterosexuals. The Church may not have followed the appropriate procedure to allow marriage of divorcees, for example. I produced an open letter to our church leaders and look forward to a response from General Synod Standing Committee (and any other church leaders).

Celebrating Eucharist is a free online guidebook to contemporary worship with resources you can use or adapt. It can also be used in discussion groups as well as individual reflection.

The Online Chapel is also a place to go for prayer, reflection, or just to light a digital candle.

Please pray for all who are part of the community around this website. And know there are people committed to praying for you.

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