Sabbath, coffee, and theology

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Today is of course Sunday, even though here its the start of the working week.

As usual, I prepared for Mass as always with my trusty wardens, Emmanuel and Repent, who prepared the table and made sure that everything was ready by 1030am for our service. 

I was, as always, ably assisted by Father Gabriel.

We had quite a number of visitors today. Some from the Netherlands, some from Myanmar, some from India, and some locals and Sudanese who I hadn't seen before.

My sermon went down well and afterwards we spent some time chatting over coffee outside about the theology. Their level of interest is inspiring and they really do listen.  I love the way that the questions come thick and fast! 

We spent some time on hope, love, and trust, and delved a little deeper into Paul.

I also went for coffee with the other half of the congregation in Granita, and we had a similar discussion. We even touched on the theme of Universal Salvation, among others.

I'd love to have more time to get deeper into the theology with them, but alas, this was my final Sunday service. This time next well, I'll be on a plane, Inshallah!

I also met with my friend Y, in whose home I had lunch yesterday. he spoke about the other church he attends in Goshen. It is a house church frequented mainly by Sudanese, and they have had to relocate recently following the closure of the disused hospital building they had been using.

He also talked about the problem of immigration which is impacting church numbers, and the continuing effect of the war at home on those seeking shelter. 

It is a really precarious situation for many.


On another note, I went to Granita for an early supper, as I have another early start in the morning. I'm off on a trip to El Alamein and I'm due to be picked up around 6am!

So, for a change I had a cheeseburger with fries. The food is fabulous, but they put paprika on the fries here. 

I do like it, in small doses, but at this point I'm hankering for a baked potato or some such!!



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