• Predictions 2023

    1. Generative artificial intelligence will become significantly disruptive of many sectors this year. Education practices will change quickly as a result of this but education will be but one of many areas of life to be affected.
    2. No progress for those seeking marriage equality in the Church of England. There will be a lot of talk about moving towards some form of official blessings for same-sex couples which would have the effect of thwarting those seeking actual equality, making it more difficult to achieve. Further division amongst pro-gay activists in the Church of England.
    3. Indyref 2 will not happen on 19 October 2023 as Nicola Sturgeon had hoped, which is a shame for those seeking to separate Scotland from the rest of the UK as the autumn will be the high water mark for the Indepedence movement. It will be downhill into the next General Election after that.
    4. Trump and Biden will both declare that they intend to run for the US presidency in 2024 and American politics will continue to be all about Donald Trump.
    5. Covid recovery remains bumpy, particularly through supply-chain problems due to mismanagement of Covid in China.
    6. No conclusive end to the war in Ukraine this year.
    7. Governments in Westminster and Holyrood will announce some kind of “new deal” for the National Heath Service.
    8. UK Government will not succeed in blocking Scottish Gender Recognition Reform.
    9. Liam McArthur’s bill in the Scottish Parliamant to allow doctors to participate in the killing of terminally ill patients will fail to receive parliamentary approval but will receive more support than similar proposals have before.
    10. Changes announced to the UK honours system, perhaps at the time of the Coronation, to remove references to empire. OBE becomes Order of British Excellence.

4 responses to “Sermon – 27 February 2005”

  1.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    Re: Sermon – 27 February 2005

    It is people like you who we should be electing as Bishops!
    People of faith, who have a kind, decent and honest heart.
    People of courage, who are prepared to speak out and stand firm against prejudices of all kinds.
    St Saviour's congregation are fortunate to have you, and have grown in faith because of you.
    The Scottish Episcopal Church is extremely fortunate to have you.
    The Anglican communion must also recognise how fortunate they are to have good Christian people like you!

    Jesus turns no o­ne away – we have no right to either

    I hope that you will continue to help us grow, in the faith that we all proclaim to have.

  2.  Avatar
    Kelvin

    Re: Sermon – 27 February 2005
    Exactly!

  3.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    Re: Sermon – 27 February 2005
    Our friend Skintbuthappy has put my thoughts perfectly so I have nothing as beautifully put to add other than in reply to this comment

    Jesus turns nobody away, why should we?

    That, in my opinion is the whole point. This is what we read all through the New Testament, this is what all the parables underline. No-one is excluded and we mere mortals have no right to do otherwise or indeed to make judgement.

  4. Ann Philp Avatar
    Ann Philp

    Recently I took a funeral at the local crem. It was of a cross gender woman much loved by all who knew her. The crem was full, many of them from the community of gay and cross gender folk locally. They had asked me to do it ( I had employed one of the mourners) The congregation–really hard up most of them,many had really limited education. I found myself wanting to weep…not for the dead. ..that was their job but because the church had lost them all. We don’t do God one of them had said. Why did they want me? I had been kind…
    They said, you know about God..you can talk to him. Yes I endured pop songs at odd places in the rite no hymns or psalms…but of course I prayed and of course I talked. There was only one message, God loves all of you…it is the only message…but where have we been? He eats with tax collectors and sinners, he mixed with all people showing equal love to all. What have we let happen?

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