“To be free is to be in love, is to be in the truth of God. The one who loves because made free by the truth of God, is the most revolutionary person on earth.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1932.

Pastor Bonhoeffer in Germany, circa 1930s.

In Lent, which this year runs from Ash Wednesday on February 22 to Holy Saturday on April 7, Christians go on a journey of deepening reflection, prayer and discipline which leads them to the great festival of new life at Easter.

In this year’s Lent study course, devised by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland in partnership with BBC Radio, we are invited to think of this journey as leading towards the true freedom of living in love towards God and others, and what this freedom means for ourselves, our churches, our local communities and our world today.

The theme is taken from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German theologian executed in 1945 for his part in the resistance to Hitler, whose thoughts continue to challenge us on what it means to have faith and to be the church in a dangerous world. In 1944 while in prison he wrote a poem Stations on the Way to Freedom. The ‘stations’ he highlighted are: discipline, action, suffering and death.

The course does not involve studying Bonhoeffer as such but simply taking some cues from him, and each week asking what ‘freedom’ means for us in our context today. Bible studies will be an important part of the material.

• Full details and resources can be found at the CTBI website.

'Let Justice Prevail' by Hanna Cheriyan Varghese (1938-2009)

This year the World Day of Prayer is on Friday 2nd March and will focus on women in Malaysia with the theme Let Justice Prevail. Women account for nearly half of Malaysia’s population of 28.7 million. There are around 6.8 million non-Muslim women.

More and more women are working full time. Many of them have children and find it hard to balance the demands of their domestic and professional lives. And women who are full-time mothers can sometimes question their vocation. Whatever their circumstances, many face emotional pressure and need spiritual guidance.

Music, Powerpoint presentations, publicity materials and other resources are available on the World Day of Prayer Scotland website..

The Scottish Bible Society is supporting a multi-year Bible engagement and literacy project to help women to develop strong spiritual foundations and healthy families based on the teachings of God’s Word.

• Find out more at World Day of

Prayer Scotland and the Scottish Bible Society.

Here’s our run-down on what’s happening and where:

AIRDRIE
Service at 6.30 pm on Sunday 22nd at New Wellwynd Church.
Services at 12.30 pm as follows: Wednesday 18th, Salvation Army Citadel; Thursday 19th, St Paul & St John’s; Friday 20th, Flowerhill Church; Saturday 21st, St Columba’s; Monday 23d, The High Kirk; Tuesday 24th and Wednesday 25th to be arranged.

ALEXANDRIA (ACTiV)
Service at Alexandria Parish Church, 1 Lomond Road, Balloch, Alexandria G83 8SJ, on Sunday January 22 at 3pm.

CUMBERNAULD
Midday prayer followed by soup each day from Monday 23 to Friday 26 at Holy Name Episcopal Church, 15 Fleming Road, Cumbernauld G67 1LJ.

GLASGOW EAST END
Service at Victoria Church, Tollcross Road, Glasgow G32 8HD, on  Monday, 23 January at 7.30pm.

GLASGOW – POLLOKSHAWS CHURCHES TOGETHER
Service at St Mary Immaculate Church, 150 Shawhill Road, Glasgow G43 1SY, on  Sunday January 22 at 7pm.

A fan of Poland's national football team Photo: Clint McMahon/Flickr

Preparatory resources based on these reflections are already available in five languages on the website of the World Council of Churches (WCC).

The theme “We will all be changed by the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ” is based on the apostle Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor 15:51-58). It promises a transformation of human life, with all its apparent “triumph” and “defeat”, through the victory of Christ’s resurrection.

Traditionally celebrated between 18 and 25 January (in the northern hemisphere) or at Pentecost (in the southern hemisphere), the week of prayer mobilizes countless congregations and parishes around the world. During that week, Christians from different confessional families get together and – at least on that occasion – pray together in special ecumenical celebrations.

“Rivalry is a permanent feature not only in sport but also in political, business, cultural and even church life” says the introductory text for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2012.

Both football and Polish history, marked by military invasions and freedom struggles, have inspired the preparatory group to “spare a thought for the losers”, coming to the conclusion that “There is room for everyone in God’s plan of salvation.”

The production of the liturgical and biblical material for the week of prayer has been coordinated jointly since 1968 by the World Council of Churches (Faith and Order Commission) and the Roman Catholic Church (Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity).

Resources for the week are available in English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish, and include: an introduction to the theme; a suggested ecumenical celebration which local churches are encouraged to adapt for their own particular liturgical, social and cultural contexts; biblical reflections and prayers for the “eight days”; and additional prayers from, and an overview of, the ecumenical situation in Poland.

• Full information and resources at the World Council of Churches and Churches Together in Britain and Ireland.

A major exhibition celebrating the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible is on show at the Mitchell Library in Glasgow until 14 January 2012.

An outcome of the Reformation, the King James Bible (known later as the ‘Authorized Version’) was first printed in 1611. For centuries this translation has had a powerful impact on Scotland, her people, her culture and her religious life and its legacy has been pervasive and enduring, influencing English speaking culture more than any other book.

This exhibition provides a unique opportunity to view together in one location:

• two different copies of the original 1611 edition of the King James Bible
• almost all of the pre-1611 English Bibles
• Medieval Latin Bibles produced by hand before the invention of printing
• the first published Greek text of the New Testament
• the first complete Scottish Gaelic  New Testament
• the original Rheims-Doaui Bible – the Roman Catholic rival version of the King James Bible
• post-1611 Bibles printed in Scotland

Faith in Throughcare at work

Mr McGeachie, a permanent deacon with the Archdiocese of Glasgow seconded to the project by the Scottish Prison Service, was joined by staff and volunteers to describe the organisation’s work in supporting people who are being released from prison to settle into more fulfilling lives in their families and communities.

An offshoot of Faith in Community Scotland guided by a panel of experts in the field, Faith in Throughcare aims to contribute to the Scottish Government’s target of a 2% reduction in re-offending in Scotland’s economically poorest communities by developing the capacity of local faith groups to provide support to ex-offenders and their families.

“It’s a real, practical example of ecumenism in action,” said Mr McGeachie. Its hub for implementation is the St Matthew Centre, attached to the local Scottish Episcopal church in Possilpark, reaching across the north of the city to Ruchazie.

“A host of local religious groups of several denominations are involved,” added Mr McGeachie. Participating partners include St Augustine’s Roman Catholic church and Springburn Salvation Army plus Church of Scotland parishes at Colston-Milton, Possilpark, Ruchazie and St Paul’s Provanmill.

Faith in Throughcare hopes to achieve these outcomes by 2015:

• 10 local faith groups develop their capacity and recognise their vocation to support offenders both in and out of prison
•  200 short-term offenders improve attitudes, self-confidence and behaviour thereby lessening the likelihood of re-offending
• 100 families of short-term offenders have decreased levels of stress and anxiety and increased levels of well-being and stability
• 100 volunteers increase confidence, skills and knowledge in working with vulnerable people
• 10 local communities have decreased levels of crime and increased sense of safety
• 20 voluntary/community agencies develop partnership approaches and increased access to offenders.

Cathcart Old parish church was packed with a congregation of more than 700 on Sunday September 11 for a memorial service to mark the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States in 2001.

Participants in the service included Lord Provost Bob Winter; Archbishop Mario Conti; Rev Sandra Black, Moderator of the Church of Scotland’s Glasgow Presbytery; Rev John Speirs, Moderator at the time of 9/11; Strathclyde Fire & Rescue chaplain Fr Jim Thomson; Fiona Brodie, representing the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities; Tom Harris MP; and MSPs Linda Fabiani and Annabel Goldie.

The service was organised by the Glasgow the Caring City. Its chief executive and minister of Cathcart Old, Rev Neil Galbraith said: “This was an act of thanksgiving, hope and remembrance, paying paying tribute to the 343 firefighters and 37 Port Authority Police Officers who lost their lives in New York.”

In 2001 Glasgow the Caring City provided immediate humanitarian support to New York for the victims of  9/11, building a powerful and valued partnership with with the heroes and firefighters of  New York City. The organisation has also provided holidays in Scotland to about 50 children who lost their fathers in the attacks.

From The Herald …

Ten years and 18 minutes after the first plane hit the Twin Towers, Glasgow paused to remember.

Hundreds of people filed into Cathcart Old Parish Church, past a police guard of honour, to take part in an “act of thanksgiving, hope and remembrance”.

Soldiers, firemen, sea cadets, children not even born in 2001, Christians, Jews, Sikhs, MPs, MSPs, councillors, Archbishop Mario Conti, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, and the American Consul General in Scotland all came.

Conservative leader Annabel Goldie read from Ecclesiastes and a young girl called Hannah sang the Mariah Carey song Hero. Everyone who spoke still seemed as shocked and disbelieving about what happened 10 years ago as if it had occurred just yesterday.

The attack on the Twin Towers, Archbishop Conti said, was “a crime of such magnitude that it will always be remembered for its inhumanity”. It was, added the Reverend John Spiers, “evil at its most evil”.

Victorious Scotland players with the World Cup trophy

Scotland were victorious at the homeless world cup in Paris where they beat Mexico 4-3 in the final. And three members of the successful team have worked through a programme with project workers at Salvation Army Lifehouses.

Ron Senior, Centre Manager at The Salvation Army’s William Hunter Lifehouse in Glasgow said: “This is a great result for Scotland but an even greater achievement for Barry, Willie and Robert, it has been standing room only at the centre as we all watched every nail biting match on the internet. The guys have shown real determination and have worked hard with project workers at the Salvation Army to rebuild their lives and get healthy. Football is a great sport and only one of the ways we encourage service users to get healthy, stay healthy and build their confidence to change their life.”

All service users are encouraged to develop healthy lifestyle, which is why the Salvation Army highly recommends those who like football get involved with Street Soccer. The Homeless World Cup is a unique, pioneering social enterprise which exists to end homelessness. It uses football to energise homeless people to change their own lives.

The Homeless World Cup operates through a network of over 70 national partners to support grass roots football programmes and social enterprise development. It works closely with Local Organizing Committees in host cities to run a world-class, annual, international football tournament, uniting teams of homeless people from around the globe.

The first Homeless World Cup annual football tournament took place in Graz in 2003 and welcomed 18 nations. Now it’s grown to include 64 teams from 53 countries -including 16 women’s teams, for the ninth edition that will take place between the 21st and the 28th of August at Champ de Mars, Paris, France.

Over 70% of players change their lives for the better: they build their self-esteem; come off drugs and alcohol; move into homes, jobs, education, training; repair relationships; become social entrepreneurs, coaches and players with pro or semi-pro football teams. The Homeless World Cup project involves over 50,000 homeless people throughout the year.

• Full story at the Salvation Army.

The Glasgow Passion 2011 is a new and modern interpretation of what is arguably the greatest story ever told – the story of Jesus. The play, which tells the story of the last week in Jesus’ life, will be performed in the heart of Glasgow – George Square – on 6^th October, 2011.

This story has been told in many different ways over the centuries and this fresh adaptation is written by award winning Scottish playwright Rob Drummond. It will be produced by Cutting Edge Theatre Productions, who have staged traditional versions in Edinburgh and Glasgow, and directed by Fraser MacLeod, current is the Associate Director of the Scottish Youth Theatre based in Glasgow.

The aims of the production are:

• To create a high quality modern production of the story of the last days in the life of Jesus Christ.
• To create a new community cast and crew who will work together towards the finished product but, in the process, will learn new dramatic skills.
• To enable the company to be involved in the creative process which can be exciting and significant as well as enjoyable.
• To give the audience an experience of Theatre rather than just being a spectator.
• To challenge and inspire the audience and participants alike.

There will be a schools performance during the day with the public performance at night.

Passion plays have been performed over the years all around the world. Theatre is a wonderful way of communicating and this production will use professional and community actors, singers and musicians. Visit the Glasgow Passion website if you are interested in being part of the team.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.
Full text: Matthew 28: 1-10

The sunrise on this morning of all mornings brings new life, new light, and new hope into the world.

Today is a day when you should feel like embracing the world. A day when your life is so brimming with love and hope and excitement that you cannot avoid hugging everyone you meet.

Have you ever felt so absolutely deliriously happy that people have doubted your sanity? It doesn’t happen very often but when it does you will remember that moment for a long, long time! Let today be such a day – Christ is Risen – He is risen indeed!

It’s so good
to have all your hopes realised
all your wishes
come true
all those wonderful dreams held for so long
come to fruition before your eyes!
You feel so alive
life is so real
you can almost feel the blood dancing round your veins.
Alleluia comes to your lips
not as a dry religious comment
but as a perfect expression of unfathomable joy
For Christ has been raised
Death has been turned on its head and life means more
than it ever did!
Alleluia!