Lord, because being compassed with infirmities we oftentimes sin and ask for pardon: Help us to forgive as we would be forgiven; neither mentioning old offences committed against us, nor dwelling upon them in thought, nor being influenced by them in heart; but loving our brother freely, as thou freely lovest us; for Christ’s sake.
Early Morning Tracks. 7°C and a very strong breeze. Rabbits. pic.twitter.com/BDoifjCHos
— Yorkshire Wolds Weather (@WeatherWolds) February 6, 2022
The LORD reigns; he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed, he is girded with strength. Yea, the world is established; it shall never be moved; thy throne is established from of old; thou art from everlasting.
–Psalm 93:1-2
Male bullfinch at North Cave Wetlands. #ThePhotoHour #TwitterNatureCommunity #wildlifephotography #nature #birds pic.twitter.com/AvZfIAhvug
— Rodshelf (@rodshelf) February 6, 2022
Of course there is a lot of division across many parts of American society. But for evangelicals, who have dedicated their lives to Jesus, the problem is deeper. Christians are supposed to believe in the spiritual unity of the church. While differing over politics and other secondary matters, they are in theory supposed to be unified by their shared first love — as brothers and sisters in Christ. Their common devotion is supposed to bring out the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
“We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord,” say the opening lines of a famous Christian song commonly known as “By Our Love.” In its chorus it proclaims, “And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love.” The world envisioned by that song seems very far away right now. The bitter recriminations have caused some believers to wonder if the whole religion is a crock.
Russell Moore resigned from his leadership position in the Southern Baptist Convention last spring over the denomination’s resistance to addressing the racism and sexual abuse scandals in its ranks. He tells me that every day he has conversations with Christians who are losing their faith because of what they see in their churches. He made a haunting point last summer when I saw him speak in New York State at a conference at a Bruderhof community, which has roots in the Anabaptist tradition. “We now see young evangelicals walking away from evangelicalism not because they do not believe what the church teaches,” he said, “but because they believe that the church itself does not believe what the church teaches.”
The proximate cause of all this disruption is Trump. But that is not the deepest cause. Trump is merely the embodiment of many of the raw wounds that already existed in parts of the white evangelical world: misogyny, racism, racial obliviousness, celebrity worship, resentment and the willingness to sacrifice principle for power.
Worth reading and reflecting, by @nytdavidbrooks with @KSPrior, @DavidAFrench, et al. “The Dissenters Trying to Save Evangelicalism From Itself” https://t.co/GDhkPG4Cvo
— Dr. Michael J. Svigel (@Svigel) February 5, 2022
A former Bishop of Chester, Dr Peter Forster, was received into the Roman Catholic Church last year, it was confirmed this week.
The news follows the reception of Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, a former Bishop of Rochester, into the RC Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, and the resignation of the Bishop of Ebbsfleet, the Rt Revd Jonathan Goodall, to be received into the RC Church….
Dr Forster retired as Bishop in September 2019, aged 69, after more than 22 years in post…. Concerns about his handling of safeguarding matters had been raised, and, before his retirement, he delegated all safeguarding responsibilities to the Suffragan Bishop of Birkenhead at that time, the Rt Revd Keith Sinclair….
Dr Forster and his wife have moved to a house in Scotland, which has been under construction for several years. It is understood that he was received in Scotland.
Another one!
Former Bishop of Chester received into Roman Catholic Church https://t.co/vGUh5ayLAT— Fr David Palmer (@FrDavidPalmer) February 4, 2022
O God our Father, who art the source of strength to all thy saints, and who didst bring the holy martyrs of Japan through the suffering of the cross to the joys of life eternal: Grant that we, being encouraged by their example, may hold fast the faith that we profess, even unto death; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
5 Feb 1597 – The 26 Martyrs of Japan are crucified at Nagasaki. This group of early Japanese converts, and their missionary ministers, were executed as Christianity was seen as a threat to Japanese society. #OTD #History #Japan #Nagasaki pic.twitter.com/b14yHD9doK
— PKL Living History (@gaelhistory) February 5, 2022
Grant us, O God, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what you would have us do, that the spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices; that in your light we may see light, and in your path may not stumble; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Not a bad start to the day here in Glastonbury. pic.twitter.com/RX7AE1AOL7
— Michelle Cowbourne (@Glastomichelle) February 5, 2022
For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and a voice whose words made the hearers entreat that no further messages be spoken to them. For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to a judge who is God of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks more graciously than the blood of Abel. See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less shall we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. His voice then shook the earth; but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of what is shaken, as of what has been made, in order that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.
–Hebrews 12:18-29
Morning all. Enjoy the weekend
St Sunday Crag across Ullswater pic.twitter.com/iyegZQA5s5
— Johnny (@FlockofGhosts) February 5, 2022
The Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine’s Luhansk and Donetsk regions were once the engines of the country’s economy and dominated its politics.
They produced its richest man, billionaire industrialist Rinat Akhmetov, as well as former President Viktor Yanukovych, ousted by the street protests that triggered the Russian invasion in 2014.
Since then, however, the two areas—now nominally independent “people’s republics” inside the larger regions of Luhansk and Donetsk—have turned into impoverished, depopulated enclaves that increasingly rely on Russian subsidies to survive. As much as half the prewar population of 3.8 million has left, for the rest of Ukraine, more prosperous Russia or Europe. Those who remain are disproportionately retirees, members of the security services and people simply too poor to move. Current economic output has shrunk to roughly 30% of the level before the Russian invasion, economists estimate.
As Russian President Vladimir Putin is massing more than 100,000 troops for a possible broader invasion of Ukraine, the developments in Donetsk and Luhansk show what many fear could happen to the rest of the country if he were to carry that out. The dismal record of Russian rule is one reason so many Ukrainian citizens, including Russian-speakers, are ready to take up arms so that their hometowns won’t meet the same fate.
“We don’t want to live in such a zombie zone, in some kind of Somalia.” My @WSJ report from Donbas on life in Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine — and on why Ukrainians (including Russian-speakers) in the rest of the country don’t want the same fate. https://t.co/1Go1tVKIPx
— Yaroslav Trofimov (@yarotrof) February 4, 2022
Following the memorial event, Responsible Investor magazine contacted unresponsive companies named, during the event, resulting in further disclosure about tailings from ArcelorMittal. The Church of England Pensions Board has called on the company to publish its support of the global industry standard, and continue to make relevant disclosures for their facilities.
The event marked the third anniversary of the Brumadinho disaster. During the event the Church of England Pensions Board together with the United Nations Environment Programme provided an update on the implementation of the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM).
The £3.5/$4.7 billion Church of England Pensions Board, which set up and leads the 100 strong coalition of investors representing USD $20 trillion under management that form the Investor Mining and Tailings Safety Initiative, also announced that they will vote against the chairs of company boards at companies in which they invest that have not confirmed their intention to implement the Industry Standard.
University of Delaware engineers have demonstrated a way to effectively capture 99% of carbon dioxide from air using a novel electrochemical system powered by hydrogen.
It is a significant advance for carbon dioxide capture and could bring more environmentally friendly fuel cells closer to market.
The research team, led by UD Professor Yushan Yan, reported their method in Nature Energy on Thursday, February 3.
University of Delaware (UD) engineers have demonstrated a way to effectively capture 99% of carbon dioxide from air using a novel electrochemical system powered by hydrogen.https://t.co/FHzPkiEcDh
— Ahsan Butt احسن بٹ (@ahsanbutt) February 4, 2022
Funding set aside to regenerate 20 towns and cities outlined in the Government White Paper Levelling Up, “barely begins to address the chronic under-investment of recent decades”, the Bishop of Sheffield, Dr Pete Wilcox, has warned.
The White Paper, published on Wednesday, consists of 12 “national missions” to be achieved by 2030, including missions to close gaps in wealth, employment, education, training, 5G broadband, homeownership, and life expectancy in the UK — particularly between the north and south of England. It also pledges to reduce homicide and serious violence in the worst-affected areas, and offer a “London-style” devolution deal to every part of England which requests one, supported by the £2.6-billion UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which is to be decentralised to local leaders.
One of the central proposals is to “restore local pride” in 20 towns and cities, beginning with Wolverhampton and Sheffield, with “King’s Cross-style” regeneration projects. To fund this, from April, £1.5 billion of the £1.8 million announced in the October Budget to bring 1500 hectares of brownfield land into use will be redirected towards the north and the Midlands.
In November, Wolverhampton and Sheffield were respectively promised £20 million and £37 million towards the scheme; a further £28 million was allocated to the West Midlands Combined Authority, and £13 million for the South Yorkshire Combined Authority on Sunday.
“While it is obviously great news for the people of South Yorkshire that Sheffield will benefit from ‘levelling up’ funding, the initially promised funding barely begins to address the chronic under-investment of recent decades" – @PeteWilcox1564https://t.co/WiUJPBEfFT
— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) February 2, 2022
The U.S. Hispanic population reached 62.1 million in 2020, an increase of 23% over the previous decade that outpaced the nation’s 7% overall population growth. At the county level, growth played out unevenly, which resulted in the continued geographic spread of Hispanics. Numerical growth of Hispanics was largest in counties that already had significant Hispanic populations, but the growth rate was largest in counties with smaller Hispanic populations, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of decennial census data from 1980 to 2020.
The Hispanic population grew by 50% or more from 2010 to 2020 in 517 of the 1,685 counties with 1,000 or more Hispanics in the 2020 census. The vast majority of these counties are not in what have historically been Hispanic population centers. Together, these counties have a Hispanic population of only 7.6 million. By contrast, the 20 counties with the largest numerical growth in population are home to more than a third of the nation’s Hispanics (22.2 million).
The U.S. Latino population has been shifting away from states with historically large Latino populations for decades, a trend that can be seen at the state level. As recently as 1990, 86% of Latinos lived in just nine states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York and Texas). Although the Latino population has grown in each of these states, their share of all U.S. Latinos had dropped to 73% by 2020. In New Mexico, the state’s 1 million Latinos are nearly half of the population (48%). Despite a large population share, New Mexico, which had the ninth-largest Latino population in 2010, dropped to 13th-largest in 2020, after being passed by Georgia, North Carolina, Washington and Pennsylvania.
US Latino population reached 62.1 M in 2020, a rise of 23% over previous decade.
That outpaced the nation’s 7% overall population growth.
LA County has highest Latino population in US: 4.8 Mhttps://t.co/7CRL2dQWmZ
— Margot Roosevelt (@margotroosevelt) February 3, 2022
O God, who by thy Spirit didst call Cornelius the Centurion to be the first Christian among the Gentiles: Grant to thy Church, we beseech thee, such a ready will to go where thou dost send and to do what thou dost command, that under thy guidance it may welcome all who turn to thee in love and faith, and proclaim the Gospel to all nations; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Gerbrand van den Eeckhout (19 August 1621 – 29 September 1674) was an Dutch painter.Vertumnus and Pomona Vision of Cornelius the Centurion.Walters 372492 pic.twitter.com/EKJUyTtH3I
— Yiannis Einstein-Ιωάννης Αρβανιτάκης (@yianniseinstein) August 26, 2021
Almighty God,
by whose grace alone we are accepted and called to your service:
strengthen us by your Holy Spirit
and make us worthy of our calling;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
Happy Friday 🤗
On this rainy Friday in Ely, I thought I would share a photo from one of last weeks bright sunny mornings.
The beautiful “Fish Trees” along the river Great Ouse. #HappyFriday #RandomActsofKindnessDay #PlayItForwardDay pic.twitter.com/soEaojURsZ— Veronica in the Fens 🧚🏼♀️ (@VeronicaJoPo) February 4, 2022
Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation which addresses you as sons?
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor lose courage when you are punished by him.
For the Lord disciplines him whom he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”
It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers to discipline us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time at their pleasure, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
–Hebrews 12:3-11
'Morning Glow', Bangor Pier From Nr Glyn Garth Court, Menai Bridge this am ☁️🌤 (taken on s21 ultra) @Ruth_ITV @DerekTheWeather @ItsYourWales @BBCWalesNews @BBCCountryfile @BBCCymruFyw @ITVWales @BangorWalesNews @nationaltrust #NorthWales @metoffice #ThePhotoHour #LoveAnglesey pic.twitter.com/wa4hq6Oy7j
— Marilyn E Williams (@madmaz2112) February 4, 2022
A teenager has become what is thought to be England’s youngest churchwarden.
Ben Jenkins was appointed during a recent service at St Nicolas in Stanningfield, Suffolk.
The 19-year-old said he wanted to “make a difference” to his local church and community.
The Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, the Right Reverend Martin Seeley, said it was “wonderful” to see younger people coming forward to serve their churches.
Mr Jenkins was elected to the office of churchwarden at the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich’s annual parochial church meeting in December.
Suffolk churchwarden thought to be youngest in England https://t.co/SCuCBfu23H
— BBC Radio Suffolk (@BBCSuffolk) February 2, 2022
St John’s Church in Keswick in the Lake District made half a hectare of land next to its graveyard that was too stony and waterlogged for burials available to the town’s then newly-formed Community Housing Trust.
The land now has 11 three-bedroomed houses and the trust has gone on to build a further 30 homes in the town on other plots. The latest four – three, three-bedroomed houses and one two-bedroom house – were built on land provided by the Methodist Church on the site of a demolished church hall.
Around half the homes built by the trust are for shared ownership and the other half are let out at rents that are truly affordable in perpetuity – measured in relation to local earnings, not market rents.
Bill Bewley, the Chair of Keswick Community Housing Trust, believes that up to 200 people have been housed as a result of the trust’s work so far with further potential plots of land for housing being explored.
How a plot of unused church land helped families priced out of the housing markethttps://t.co/pwTlF8l8DC #Property #Housing #ChurchOfEngland #Keswick
— Estates IT® (@EstatesIT) February 3, 2022
For a small church, Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, has a surprising reach.
Most church members live in and around Downingtown, a small town about an hour west of Philadelphia. Some live as far away as Bermuda.
“But that’s one of the beauties that has come out of the pandemic,” Downingtown pastor Ivy Berry said. “We can meet in the sanctuary, but still maintain a worship presence via Zoom and on Facebook Live, so members who may not be able to travel to the sanctuary can still receive the same worship service.”
A report on churches and technology during the pandemic found that by offering online services, churches were able to expand their reach, often connecting with people outside their community or reconnecting with former members who had moved away. Even small congregations that had once struggled to reach outside the walls of the church were able to expand their reach, according to “When Pastors Put on the ‘Tech Hat,” a report from the Tech in Churches research project, led by Heidi Campbell, professor of communication at Texas A&M University.
“With the shift online, churches were shocked to discover the ways that an online service can become a wide-reaching net to whoever is interested in tuning in or watching,” according to researchers. “One pastor described this widening reach and shift as ‘shut-ins being no longer shut out.’”
One thing that is pretty clear – streaming worship services and other options for online spiritual interaction have been really important during COVID – and likely will be going forward. https://t.co/9Ife1mUfHn
— Bob Smietana (@bobsmietana) February 2, 2022
Holy God, who didst inspire the Dorchester chaplains to be models of steadfast sacrificial love in a tragic and terrifying time: Help us to follow their example, that their courageous ministry may inspire chaplains and all who serve, to recognize thy presence in the midst of peril; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who livest and reignest with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Four U.S. Army World War II chaplains died, linking arms, to save lives of American troops as S.S. Dorchester sank, tomorrow 1943. Here is an early U.S. postage stamp design: pic.twitter.com/Rif4nDb3PY
— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) February 3, 2022
When one of Anskar’s followers suggested to him that he could work miracles he replied, ” Were I worthy of such a favour from my God, I would ask that He would grant to me this one miracle, that by His grace He would make of me a good man.” No one can read the “Life” written by Rimbert his disciple and successor which, after being lost for five hundred years, was fortunately rediscovered, without feeling moved to thank God for the accomplishment of the miracle for which Anskar had prayed. He was a good man in the best and truest sense of the term. In the character presented to us by his biographer we have a singularly attractive combination of transparent humility, unflinching courage, complete self devotion, and unwavering belief in a loving and overruling providence. The claim to the title Apostle of the North, which was early made on his behalf, rests not upon the immediate outcome of his labours, but upon the inspiring example which he bequeathed to those who were moved to follow in his steps. For whilst the Missions which lie planted in Denmark and Sweden during the thirty-three years of his episcopate were interrupted after his death by the desolating raids of the Northmen, those by whom the work was restarted gratefully recognised him as their pioneer.
To celebrate his feast day, the statue of St Anskar from our north aisle screen. @thevicsoc @dioceseoflondon #taylerson @gtomlin @richardfrank pic.twitter.com/SDe5tW175A
— StJohnsW14 (@StJohnsW14) February 3, 2022
Almighty and everlasting God, who didst send thy servant Anskar as an apostle to the people of Scandinavia, and dist enable him to lay a firm foundation for their conversion, though he did not see the results of his labors: Keep thy Church from discouragement in the day of small things, knowing that when thou hast begun a good work thou wilt bring it to a faithful conclusion; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Today the Church of England celebrates Anskar, Archbishop of Hamburg, Missionary in Denmark and Sweden, 865 https://t.co/yalGhThx5A
Image: Icon in the Church of St Cosmas und Damian (Barßel); Photo by Frank Vincentz, GDFL pic.twitter.com/tevx32gOpR
— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) February 3, 2022
Teach us, good Lord, to serve you as you deserve; to give and not to count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek for rest; to labour and not to seek for any reward, save that of knowing that we do your will; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Folly through the trees. A little hidden gem near Woodhouse Eaves, Leicestershire #Leicestershire #photography #ThePhotoHour pic.twitter.com/WTMCVQoCz3
— Vicki Belt (@Vicki_Belt) February 3, 2022
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
–Hebrews 12:1-2
Mornings like these ☀️#sunrise #fortyfoot pic.twitter.com/iU8PTpFpbu
— Jilly Mc Donough (@JillyMcDonough) February 3, 2022
Unlike English, which uses the word hope broadly, the French language uses two words that derive from the word espérer (to hope): espoir and espérance. Both can first refer to something hoped for. In this sense, the word espoir usually refers to an uncertain object; that is, someone who hopes for something in this way does not have the certainty that it will happen (“I hope the weather will be nice tomorrow”). On the other hand, espérance describes what, rightly or wrongly, is hoped for or expected with certainty. It often refers to a philosophical or eschatological object (“I hope in the goodness of human beings”; “I hope for the return of Jesus Christ”).
When we speak of espoir or espérance, we then have in mind different types of objects hoped for. This difference matters, because both terms also commonly refer to the state of mind that characterizes the hopeful. And this state of mind will be different precisely according to the object hoped for.
Having espoir for an uncertain yet better future in these difficult times may be a good thing, but it is not enough. Such hope can be disappointed and easily fade away when our wishes and expectations (our hopes) do not materialize.
The opposite is true with espérance, which is deeper than our desire and wish for an end to a crisis or a future without pain and suffering. To face the trials of life, we need peace and joy in our hearts that come from expecting certain happiness. This is what espérance is: a profound and stable disposition resulting from faith in the coming of what we expect. In this sense, it is similar in meaning to the English word hopefulness.
Unlike English, which uses the word "hope" broadly, French uses two words that derive from the word espérer (to hope): espoir and espérance.
A writer in Benin explores how these two words shape her theology. Read our French winning essay here: https://t.co/ssQk5nv4S4
— Christianity Today (@CTmagazine) January 31, 2022
We could, like the Methodist Church has recently done, simply extend our current practical incoherence into our teaching. We could move to a position where, as a church, we state that we uphold and support contradictory teachings. This would also fail to address either problem and appears to ignore Jesus’ stark warning later in Matthew (and also in Mark and Luke) that “if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand”.
We could, and should, through the LLF discernment process, make one more attempt to see whether we really can find some agreement as to what would be the rock on which we should be building, whether something that has not previously been recognised by the church as rock might nevertheless be a solid foundation we can all recognise as faithful to Jesus.
It may though be that, lamenting our lack of common mind, and renewing our commitment to keep seeking such a common mind, we have to begin to consider seriously what changes our collective double-mindedness renders necessary in how we structure our common life. How can we create sufficient space or distance to enable each view to find expression in an episcopal structure which has some form of agreed teaching that in turn authorises consistent practice and so has intellectual and moral integrity without generating the level of conflict now sadly so common? How can we allow each group of Anglicans to build on what they believe to be the rock and to avoid building on what they believe to be sand?
Because we are here dealing with competing and contradictory visions of faithfulness to Christ, of the holiness to which we are called in Christ, of our created human nature, and of the ground on which we are to build communities of disciples, this is a much greater challenge than that we have faced and struggled with in relation to women priests and bishops. And because our received ecclesial structures are those of episcopacy within a geographically ordered national church and a global Communion this is a much greater challenge than the ecclesial questions faced by the URC and Baptists and others with a different church structure. The sad history of Anglican provinces and the Anglican Communion over the last 20 years confirms how great a challenge it is. But it is a challenge which we must perhaps now face and, as far as possible, face and seek to resolve together, across our differences.
‘Can @churchofengland ever bridge its differences on #sexuality?’ Worth reading this article @goddardaj @Psephizo website. https://t.co/sN5PvPgGJZ
— Graham Kings (@GrahamRKings) February 2, 2022
America’s gross national debt topped $30 trillion for the first time on Tuesday, an ominous fiscal milestone that underscores the fragile nature of the country’s long-term economic health as it grapples with soaring prices and the prospect of higher interest rates.
The breach of that threshold, which was revealed in new Treasury Department figures, arrived years earlier than previously projected as a result of trillions in federal spending that the United States has deployed to combat the pandemic. That $5 trillion, which funded expanded jobless benefits, financial support for small businesses and stimulus payments, was financed with borrowed money.
The borrowing binge, which many economists viewed as necessary to help the United States recover from the pandemic, has left the nation with a debt burden so large that the government would need to spend an amount larger than America’s entire annual economy in order to pay it off.
Some economists contend that the nation’s large debt load is not unhealthy given that the economy is growing, interest rates are low and investors are still willing to buy U.S. Treasury securities, which gives them safe assets to help manage their financial risk. Those securities allow the government to borrow money relatively cheaply and use it to invest in the economy.
Breaking News: The U.S. national debt topped $30 trillion, years ahead of schedule, as pandemic spending fueled government borrowing. https://t.co/6yUwsPvi1P
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 1, 2022
St Paul’s Without the Walls has seen its evening service of choral music and traditional liturgy grow in popularity after introducing a home cooked meal.
The idea came to parishioner Michael Keeler-Walker following suggestions the service would be stopped.
He said: “We had Choral Evensong once a month, but often it was irregular and sometimes just dropped.
“Despite a choir of 18, often the only congregant would be the person doing the reading.
“So, we decided to go back to basics. It became regular, each month, focussing on good food, good fellowship, good preaching, and good music.”
. @churchofengland picks up on one of #PBS' success stories – Choral Evensong and a home cooked meal.https://t.co/VxR1T66wI4
— The Prayer Book Society (@prayerbook_soc) January 25, 2022
‘The blessed Mary offered her sacrifice to God with the child, as it was appointed in God’s law. It was so appointed in the old law, by God’s command, that those who could afford it should bring a lamb of one year old with their child, as an offering to God, and a pigeon or a turtle-dove. But if any woman were so poor that she could not obtain those things, then she should bring two young pigeons or two turtle-doves.
This smaller offering was offered for Christ, that is, the birds, which were the offerings of the poor. The Almighty Son of God was very mindful of our needs in all things; not only did he choose to become man for us, though he was God, but he also chose to become needy for us, though he was mighty, so that he might give us a portion in his kingdom and communion with his divinity. A lamb betokens innocence and the greater kind of goodness; but if we are so wretched that we cannot offer to God that greater goodness, then we should bring him two turtle-doves or two young pigeons; that is, a twofold burgeoning of awe and love. A person experiences this burgeoning in two ways: first, he dreads the torments of hell, and mourns for his sins; then afterwards he feels love to God, and he begins to murmur, and it seems to him too long a time until he shall be taken from the afflictions of this life, and brought to eternal rest.’
Today is Candlemas, festival of light, 'forðy on ðissum dæge wæs þæt soðe Leoht, Crist, geboren to þam temple' ('because on this day was the true Light, Christ, borne to the temple'). An Anglo-Saxon sermon for this ancient and beautiful feast: https://t.co/uKyXcVyvTw pic.twitter.com/7Dg2p32JC7
— Eleanor Parker (@ClerkofOxford) February 2, 2022
Almighty and everliving God, we humbly beseech thee that, as thy only-begotten Son was this day presented in the temple, so we may be presented unto thee with pure and clean hearts by the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
On #Candlemas, 2 Feb:
The Presentation in the Temple
c. 1390Made in Lower Austria
(Met Museum) pic.twitter.com/8a9cdsaOQ2
— John McCafferty (@jdmccafferty) February 2, 2022
Blessed Father, grant that our hearts might burn with a holy desire to know you as you are, and not as we want you to be, and open the eyes of our hearts that we may see you in your biblical fullness, the Holy, loving gracious God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, now and forever. Amen.
good morning all and a happy Wednesday to you ! #lancashire #goodmorning @ThePhotoHour @StormHour pic.twitter.com/tHy86xJCam
— David Oxtaby (@Disc_light) February 2, 2022