Dear Friends and Colleagues,

May I encourage those of you in Cayman who have a concern about the way laws are made to respond to the current Law Reform Commission consultation. The deadline date for the current Public Submission is Tuesday the 15th March. You probably cannot get it in by that date if you haven’t already started your response, but they do often give extra time for the public to make their responses.

You can view the Discussion Paper at www.lrc.gov.ky and you may need to see the Penal Code as well. This can be accessed from http://gazettes.gov.ky/portal/pls/portal/docs/1/12754629.PDF  If you didn’t have a copy of the Constitution you should have ?. Anyway that too is accessible at https://legislation.gov.ky/cms/legislation/constitution/current.html  .

It is important for believing Christians to be engaged in these matters. Our Cayman Islands Constitution is positive at its core towards Christian values, and we have only ourselves to blame if we allow secularistic assumptions to erode this most important feature, which I consider a significant amount of the Law Reform Commission work to be attempting to do. 

In respect of our tithing, may I also remind the congregation (since St. Mary's does not receive or account for any moneys) that we should be apportioning charitably from our own incomes on an individual and regular basis. Currently as you are aware the Barnabas Fund/Aid organisation is helping in Ukraine, as is Samaritan’s Purse. If you would like to use Barnabas Fund/Aid you can donate to them for our needy brothers and sisters in Ukraine through https://mailchi.mp/barnabasaid/urgent-appeal-for-donated-goods-for-ukraine-819529?e=5d4985fdb1 

The Collect for the Second Sunday in Lent is

Almighty God, who seest that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies, and inwardly in our souls; that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

and this is followed by the Ash Wednesday Collect.

The Lent 2 prayer encompasses the complementarities of the “outward” and the “inward” as well as of the “body” and the “soul”, and of “adversities which may happen to the Body” and “evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul”. Notably, there is no sense of condemnation of the “outward” or the “body”, and prayer is made not only about attacks upon the soul but also adversities which come against the body. The structure of the prayer therefore provides a correction for the kind of religiosity that over-spiritualises the Kingdom of God. We are reminded that God is the true Lord of the physical just as much as He is Lord of the spiritual. Neither “side” (as we see them) of our existence should be neglected. Did not our Lord spend considerable time in His ministry here in healing the bodies of the sick? Through prayer and the laying on of hands the healing of the sick continues to be an integral part of our ministry as Christian people as well. 

The ministry of the healing touch is important and as Christians we must strive, this Lent, to see it rightly restored among us.

For directions about the services this Sunday the 13th March 2022, the Second Sunday in Lent, please see the website www.TruthWithLanguage.com . 

In faith in the holy Name of our Lord Jesus, who will continue to provide guidance by the Holy Spirit to all His people.

+ Nicholas