Dear Friends,

In a shorter letter this week I want to note that Bishop Melvin and Mrs. Ela Williams arrived yesterday on schedule and were met at the airport here. It was so good to see them after the lifting of  the recent travelling restrictions. I suspect they may have had a long drive to their airport before boarding the plane, but they did not look over-tired at all. I hope they found things as they would wish when they got to their destination in West Bay. They are temporarily out of touch until they get their Cayman communications sorted out, so I may not hear from them for a day or two. 

The Collect for the Twentieth Sunday after Trinity is

“All things that may hurt us” seems to covers a whole lot of things! I suspect that the the thought may be of serious spiritual or bodily damage, rather than, say, the minor hurts of some inconvenience. From such serious bodily and spiritual damage we pray in faith that our great and merciful God may rescue us, so that we may be “ready both in body and soul’. We may note however that such readiness is understood to have a major purposea; not, merely, that of our ease, but that we “may cheerfully accomplish those things that thou wouldest have done; through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

I think that this English phrasing of former times is easy to misunderstand, where we read “those things that thou wouldest have done’. It does not at all refer to the things that the Almighty God to whom we pray “would have done" (had He been in our place). It is referring to those things that He wills us to get done, through a cheerful accomplishment.

For directions about the services this Sunday the 30th October 2022, the 20th Sunday after Trinity, please see the website www.TruthWithLanguage.com .  

Bishop Mel will lead the service and provide the message.

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

+ Nicholas