Newsletter – August 2019

From the Vicar

Dearly beloved in Christ,
We live in a society that is moving very fast. Things which were manufactured or produced yesterday seem obsolete today. Our lives are moving forward rapidly. However, it is important to slow down to, as this gives time for reflection. Japanese theologian Kosuke Koyama once wrote a book Three mile an hour God, which contains several devotions. Through several of these devotions, he aims to communicate that God moves at a slow pace, and that human beings need to slow down and spend time in silence, reflection, and deep thinking to live a true spiritual life. In Psalm 46:10, it says, “Be still, and know that I am God…” Our Syriac heritage and Eastern Christian tradition follow biblical principles in stressing the importance of prayer & meditation. We need to learn to slow down and spend time thinking about our relationship with God. Our busy lives sometimes bring us
away from spiritual affairs, but just as the Psalmist says, we need to slow down, and meditate. As we are a faith
community, this is essential. I pray that through meditation and silence, we will grow together spiritually and in
our walk with God.