Marriage Mirth and MindfulnessÂ ðŸŒˆ

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Anglicans in New Zealand - divorce, marriage, and blessing committed same-sex couples
Resources for your spiritual life
Ideas for online mission and ministry
and just some fun

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Blessing Divorce and Marriage Equality

The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia may be unique in formally disallowing marriage of divorcees whilst allowing blessing of committed same-sex couples.

In the formularies (official teaching/doctrine) of this church, marriage is lifelong, and the practice, for the last half century, of marrying divorced heterosexuals in church has been done without any attempt to change the church's teaching.

Meanwhile, General Synod Te Hinota Whanui has changed the Church's Constitution to allow bishops to authorise services - including, it seems, blessing committed same-sex couples.

General Synod Standing Committee has written back in response to the open letter about this. Read more here.

Over 6 million people have now viewed this image which resulted from a short conversation with a friend and my reaction, "I can make that." It shows the power of social media - especially of having a facebook page.

Even those thinking about beginning blogging should consider having a facebook page instead. They take only a few minutes to set up, and a few minutes each day to maintain. Parishes that have followed my advice to change from a website to a facebook page have found this very fruitful.

Beyond facebook, those who want to keep connected with contemporary culture might consider other forms of social media such as the increasingly-popular Snapchat.

Making the image took only a few minutes. Here's that story.

ps. and, under the mirth section, then there's the Church of JC Capitalist

Thanks to all of you for your prayers for, encouragement of, and participation in the Liturgy website. Emails will continue to only be sent out from time to time.

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Rev. Bosco Peters

Mindfulness - Contemplative Practice

Mindfulness is in.

Christians, especially in the West, have been negligent about our Christian contemplative tradition - the (new)birthright of every person. The yearning is being answered by people turning to Buddhism, to mindfulness, and so on, totally unaware of this great Christian tradition.

Start here to read more about the great Christian tradition of contemplative practice.

There's so much more on the site to help with spiritual disciplines and practice:
Daily Prayer review
An online Chapel

Collects

Most weeks there is a collect of the week, and a commentary and reflection on this collect's history and application.

This week's collect:

Let us pray (in silence) [that what is good within us may flourish]

Pause

Faithful God,
source of all good,
graft in our hearts the love of your name,
and bind us more closely to you
so that you nourish the goodness you sow in us
and, by your watchful care,
you tend and guard the good you have nourished;
through Jesus Christ
who is alive with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.

This collect is prayed this week all around the world by Roman Catholics, Anglicans (Episcopalians) and others. We have been praying this prayer for at least 13 centuries, and you can find out more about it here.

The 40-minute talk introducing liturgy can be used in a worship committee or other group interested in thinking through principles for worship. Stop and start it for times of discussion. Where do you agree? How do you disagree? How can you apply ideas?

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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