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Technology - blessing or trial

4/30/2020

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Studio - Dining room - Computer - Mic - etc
Our YouTube studio
So how do you like the St Andrew's
Whitchurch YouTube studio?
Ok. Its our dining room with: our dining table, lights, microphone, webcam, computer and green-screen.
​The latter is behind the view point of the picture-taker. It enables us to do the backgrounds of the Lady Chapel and so on.
This new technology has enabled us to hold morning prayer each day, hold staff meetings and other meetings. It has enabled us to live-stream Thursday Holy Communion on YouTube. And also Sunday morning worship.
So, is this technology a blessing or is it a trial?

Blessing

  • More of us attend morning prayer.
  • Thursday Communion
    attendance is up. We even have someone from the USA connecting in. (10 today)
  • Sunday attendance is up. Last Sunday we had 26.
  • We are all pulling together and supporting each other.
 

Trial

  • Putting these services online is always a white-knuckle ride.
    E.g. This morning a simple software update left us with no microphone. Fixed in about five minutes. But high stress!
  • The learning curve for all of us has been extraordinary.
  • It has not been cheap!
  • We never feel in complete control. We are at the mercy of: the broadband link; hardware; software; human error; etc; etc.
There we have the pros and cons.
The advantages are obvious. It feels as if this lockdown and the crisis have actually prompted a spurt of growth for our church. I am delighted at how people are pulling together. Particularly how so many of us are eager to do our bit and care for each other.
As for the disadvantages. Is it really a trial or is it a learning experience. We will surely keep on using some of these new skills that we are learning. After lockdown ends, we may decide to keep streaming some services.
But even more important is the spiritual lessons we are learning. Ok I am learning. Just before going live this morning I received a prophetic word from one of our team saying:
Prayers for you this morning as you lead God's people, may you rest in his strength.
What an amazing word "in season".  
When I realised the sound was not working and quickly discovered that the updated software was misbehaving ... it would have been easy to panic. But by God's grace, I was able to keep calm and work through it. We were able to get things working in about five minutes. So we got online and celebrated Holy Communion. And God added the Icing. We then had ten people join in.
God is good!
Let's all keep on counting our blessings and placing our trust in the Lord. He is able. And in his strength, so are we.
Stay Safe
With every blessing

Handwritten name Sean
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Maundy Thursday

4/9/2020

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Here we are. It's Maundy Thursday. This morning, we joined together in communion by the miracle of the internet and Youtube.
I was pleased to see that seven computers joined our service live. And each computer may have had more than one person watching/taking part.
Yet, it is still not the same as meeting in person and being able to greet each other, do foot-washing and receive Holy Communion in person.
Crown of thorns with a huge nail
Crown of Thorns
So today, as we count our blessings and wistfully think of what we are missing, perhaps it is a good time to step back and tune into the bigger picture. Tonight / tomorrow we remember and reflect on Jesus suffering and death. Today's passion reading reminded us of the details.
The first thing I particularly noticed today is how Jesus was denied anything close to justice. This is very close to my heart and I will expand this a little in this blog.
Then the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.” And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.” But they were urgent, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place.”​
The religious authorities quite simply were out to get Jesus. They started out by telling Pilot that Jesus was a terrorist; an insurgent. Yet they were unable to prove their case. They were missing one tiny little thing. The slightest shred of evidence.
Pilot realising that this deputation was going to give him trouble, tried to fob the problem off on Herod.Familiar Civil Service trick? "It's another department..."
Even Herod, who was far more dissolute that Pilot, could not find evidence to punish Jesus. So Herod sent him back.

​Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people. And after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him. Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him. I will therefore punish and release him.”

So Jesus had been investigated by two legal authorities and the verdict was
"No case to answer".
Game over. Job's a good un! Right?
Even though Pilot fully believed Jesus innocence, he still ordered Jesus stripped and flogged before releasing him. He needed to appease the crowd. You have to keep the locals happy! Fair enough? 
NOT fair enough. A Roman flogging was not for the faint hearted. It was brutal. The reason that Roman law limited the flogging to 39 lashes was because quite a few victims died if it went on further. So Pilot's attempt to appease the chief priests and pharisees was far from token. Yet, evil was abroad that night.
​What evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him.” But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted. 
I will not dwell any further on Jesus passion. Today, I just want to remind us of two abuses that Jesus suffered in addition to the awful truth of His crucifixion. 
  1. The casual offhand way that he was handed over to a brutal flogging.
  2. The fact that he was brought up on trumped up charges. And worse, despite being exonerated, was still flogged and crucified.  
Believe me this second abuse is no small matter. 
So as we continue in this Coronavirus lockdown. As we chafe at not being able to flock to the beaches this bank-holiday. Let's reset our perspective.
Jesus went through all that he went through for you. And for me. Jesus love for us was so complete that He gave his own life for us. So let us give thanks this Easter season and bear our minor tribulations with a quiet dignity. 

God Bless
Stay Safe
Picture
1 Comment

Week 2 / Blog 2

4/2/2020

2 Comments

 
Room set up for video plus communion set.Whitchurch Online Church; broadcast centre.

1st Online Holy Communion
Hello again friends. I thought that I would begin today by showing you where I go to minister online. It is it set up here for this morning's Holy communion. If you missed it, you can view the recording on YouTube. 

https://youtu.be/z4k4slT6I9c

This morning's readings led us to think, more deeply, about the priesthood of Christ. 
The message, in just a few lines is this:​
  • In Old Testament times, the people of Israel needed to offer regular sacrifices to atone for their sins. But because of the seriousness of sin, humankind could not approach the presence of God. Therefore, God gave us the Levitical priesthood. The priest had to purify himself and wear the priestly robes. Then he could enter the Holy of Holies and offer sacrifice on behalf of the people.
  • When Jesus was born and died on the cross, he died for us. He acted as both High Priest and sacrifice. Because Jesus was utterly without sin, he was the perfect and ultimate sacrifice. His sacrifice was so successful that each and every one of us, who receives Jesus and believes, have been given the right to become adopted children of God.
    We can approach God with the familial name of "abba". The best translation of this would be "daddy".

What I did not say earlier was this. 
Today as we reflect on Corona Virus and the current lockdown, there is fear lurking just below the surface. This is understandable. There is real danger out there. We might pause to have compassion on those of our neighbours who do not have faith in Jesus Christ. Their world has just self-detonated.

But for the disciple of Jesus, we live in a different world. We have at least one foot in the Kingdom of God. We have the privilege of calling God "daddy". Like the child who is frightened of the dark, we know that daddy is there to comfort us.

Let me sign off by sharing a thought from Terry Waite.
Who was held hostage by ruthless Islamic militants.

Terry Waite, 1763 days as a hostage in appalling conditions.
He just told us all to stop complaining! 👏👏👏
Change your mindset he said, you're not STUCK at home,
you're SAFE at home ❤️ #TerryWaite
His advice:
  • Keep your own dignity - get out of your PJs!
  • Form a structure for the day
  • Be grateful for what you have - shelter, home, possessions
  • Read and be creative
God Bless
​Stay Safe

Handwritten word
2 Comments
    Picture

    Revd Sean Brassil.

    Vicar of Whitchurch

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St Andrew's Cottage, Church Hill, Whitchurch, Tavistock.  PL19 9ED       Email: [email protected]    Phone: 07479 437299

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Diocese of Exeter
Tavistock Area Christians Together
Shekinah Mission
  • Home
  • Church Life
    • Services
    • Prayer
    • Home Groups
    • Donate to St Andrews
    • APCCM 2021
    • APCCM 2020
  • I want to
    • ... arrange a baptism
    • ... arrange a wedding >
      • My Wedding Countdown
    • ... arrange a visit
    • ... arrange a funeral
  • Giving
  • Contact us
  • Safeguarding
  • Privacy Notice