Swiss Suicide Sarcophagi

From Premier Christian News comes this report of a new death machine for people who want to die.

Switzerland’s medical review board announced the legalisation of the Sarco Suicide Pods this week. The machine allows a user to lie down and activate the process themselves within a matter of minutes.

Sarco pods - short for sarcophagus - allow a person to control their death inside the pod by quickly reducing internal oxygen levels. Nitrogen fills the 3D-printed device, quickly bringing oxygen down from 21 per cent to only 1 per cent in about 30 seconds.

Dr. Philip Nitschke, the developer of the pods and founder of Exit International, a pro-euthanasia group, told SwissInfo.ch the machines can be “towed anywhere for the death” and one of the most “positive” features of the capsules is that they can be transported to an “idyllic outdoor settings.”

“The person will get into the capsule and lie down. It’s very comfortable.” explains Dr. Philip Nitschke. After death, the pod can be used as a coffin.

“Barring any unforeseen difficulties, we hope to be ready to make Sarco available for use in Switzerland next year.”

It even has a clear window for the claustrophobic. Friends and family can look on as you breathe your last.

                                                                            (Reuters)

If they double as coffins, shouldn't they be biodegradable?

Blessed Christmas!

 While I had planned a quiet Christmas Day at home under my rock, Pewsterspouse had other plans for today so we are busy cleaning and cooking for a few neighboring rock dwellers. So far we have a menu consisting of turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole, spinach Maria, rolls, cherry pie, and ambrosia (oranges, coconut, raisins, and cherries). 

I guess Pewsterspouse's idea is more in the Christmas spirit than mine, so I will give my consent to the plan and do my part by vacuuming and picking up my clutter.

In lieu of a Sunday post, this is it.

Have a blessed Christmas everyone.

Anglican Church in Canada: Having a safe Winter Solstice around the labyrinth

With Covid-19 and its permutations floating around, I wondered how this would affect my annual review of winter solstice celebrations. While still an essentially pagan observation, many churches are holding services either "longest night" observances, memorial services, or concerts to try to draw the druids together for the evening.  Christ Church Cathedral Ottawa ("a diverse and vibrant parish that glorifies God and welcomes all people") takes the cake by having a service combining candles, music, a labyrinth, proof of vaccination, masks, photo ID, and no refreshments. Read for yourself. 

                                                              (From Ottawa Cathedral)

On this darkest night, come gather round the candlelit labyrinth as we await the returning light to the sounds of harpist Lucile Brais Hildesheim.

This in-person event begins at 7 and we invite you to arrive and be seated anytime after 6:40pm.

Enter by the Sparks Street door at 414 Sparks Street, Christ Church Cathedral Ottawa. In compliance with Ottawa Health protocols, proof of vaccination (or a medical exemption) and photo identification MUST be shown. Everyone will remain MASKED throughout the evening and no refreshments will be served.

Note that they will be awaiting "the returning light" and not Jesus. 

Add them to your prayer list.

 

The Mag

In this Sunday's reading from Luke 1:39-56, we hear about the virgin Mary's visit to Elizabeth, and we get Mary's magnificent prayer/song, The Magnificat, or as choristers affectionately call it, "The Mag".   

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’

 And Mary said,

‘My soul magnifies the Lord,

   and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,

 for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.

   Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

 for the Mighty One has done great things for me,

   and holy is his name.

 His mercy is for those who fear him

   from generation to generation.

 He has shown strength with his arm;

   he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,

   and lifted up the lowly;

 he has filled the hungry with good things,

   and sent the rich away empty.

 He has helped his servant Israel,

   in remembrance of his mercy,

 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,

   to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’

 And Mary remained with her for about three months and then returned to her home.

The "for ever" always give me goose pimples.

Here is  Thomas Tallis' (c.1505-1585) Mag, 

Intolerant Female Bishop Strikes Again!

 In July I reported on Birmingham Alabama's Cathedral Church of the Advent (A.K.A. The Advent) and how its conservative priest was forced out by his Episcopal bishop. The move left us wondering how long it would be before The Advent went down the tubes. Well, it looks like the bishop is aggressively moving her agenda forward by ordaining a  gay priest at The Advent as reported at Virtue Online,

"In what many will view as a complete break with its evangelical past and identity, progressive Episcopal Bishop Glenda S. Curry, led worshippers at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in ordaining a practicing homosexual to the priesthood in a highly attended, colorful, liturgical service."

"Jose Fernandez was one of four priests ordained at the formerly evangelical cathedral, while his 'husband' Kevin Fouts was one of his presenters. The Rev. Canon R. Craig Smalley, Interim Dean and Rector of Advent knew of the priest's sexual orientation and said nothing."

The Advent's interim Dean and Rector and the vestry claim to have been unaware that a partnered gay priest was to be ordained, 

"Second, none of the clergy, staff, wardens, or vestry knew anything about those who were being ordained. The ordination was a Diocesan event that was vetted and planned by the Diocese, but was held at the Advent because of its role as the Cathedral of the Diocese."

Look, you already know that you are dealing with a progressive bishop who is after your flock. You need to check everything she does or end up with having a stunt like this pulled on you. 

"Third, this incident has revealed systemic failures at the Advent and the Diocese in how we interact together as the Cathedral. The Diocese failed to inform the Advent of this issue even though the Bishop had agreed that the Advent would not be asked to participate in, sponsor, or otherwise be seen to endorse an event that was incompatible with a traditional view of Scripture, or do anything that would assert, suggest, or imply that the Advent approved, condoned, or authorized such theological expressions. Although we are disappointed in and deeply grieved by the Diocese’s failure to communicate this issue to the Advent, as leaders of this parish we must also recognize that we should have done more to investigate this issue on our end."

 I strongly advise people at The Advent to think about their options and come to a decision to either stay and fight or to shake the dust from their feet. There must be no more deals with the devil.

 

 

Flipping Zephaniah

This Sunday, the lectionary presents the second half of the third chapter of Zephaniah. 

Zephaniah 3:14-20

14 Sing aloud, O daughter Zion;

   shout, O Israel!

Rejoice and exult with all your heart,

   O daughter Jerusalem!

15 The Lord has taken away the judgements against you,

   he has turned away your enemies.

The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;

   you shall fear disaster no more.

16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:

Do not fear, O Zion;

   do not let your hands grow weak.

17 The Lord, your God, is in your midst,

   a warrior who gives victory;

he will rejoice over you with gladness,

   he will renew you* in his love;

he will exult over you with loud singing

18   as on a day of festival.*

I will remove disaster from you,*

   so that you will not bear reproach for it.

19 I will deal with all your oppressors

   at that time.

And I will save the lame

   and gather the outcast,

and I will change their shame into praise

   and renown in all the earth.

20 At that time I will bring you home,

   at the time when I gather you;

for I will make you renowned and praised

   among all the peoples of the earth,

when I restore your fortunes

   before your eyes, says the Lord.

It is always a good thing to read what has been omitted from the Sunday lessons. Usually the Revised Common Lectionary omits verses that suggest judgement or imprecatory verses, and that is the case here when we flip back to verses 1-13,

1 Woe to the city of oppressors,

    rebellious and defiled!

2 She obeys no one,

    she accepts no correction.

She does not trust in the Lord,

    she does not draw near to her God.

3 Her officials within her

    are roaring lions;

her rulers are evening wolves,

    who leave nothing for the morning.

4 Her prophets are unprincipled;

    they are treacherous people.

Her priests profane the sanctuary

    and do violence to the law.

5 The Lord within her is righteous;

    he does no wrong.

Morning by morning he dispenses his justice,

    and every new day he does not fail,

    yet the unrighteous know no shame.

6 “I have destroyed nations;

    their strongholds are demolished.

I have left their streets deserted,

    with no one passing through.

Their cities are laid waste;

    they are deserted and empty.

7 Of Jerusalem I thought,

    ‘Surely you will fear me

    and accept correction!’

Then her place of refuge[a] would not be destroyed,

    nor all my punishments come upon[b] her.

But they were still eager

    to act corruptly in all they did.

8 Therefore wait for me,”

    declares the Lord,

    “for the day I will stand up to testify.

I have decided to assemble the nations,

    to gather the kingdoms

and to pour out my wrath on them—

    all my fierce anger.

The whole world will be consumed

    by the fire of my jealous anger.

9 “Then I will purify the lips of the peoples,

    that all of them may call on the name of the Lord

    and serve him shoulder to shoulder.

10 From beyond the rivers of Cush

    my worshipers, my scattered people,

    will bring me offerings.

11 On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame

    for all the wrongs you have done to me,

because I will remove from you

    your arrogant boasters.

Never again will you be haughty

    on my holy hill.

12 But I will leave within you

    the meek and humble.

The remnant of Israel

    will trust in the name of the Lord.

13 They will do no wrong;

    they will tell no lies.

A deceitful tongue

    will not be found in their mouths.

They will eat and lie down

    and no one will make them afraid.”

The words of the prophets may be written on the subway wall according to Simon and Garfunkle, but they are not written in the Sunday bulletins in many churches these days.

 

Finnish Bishop could face 2 years in prison for speaking the truth (about sex)

Things are getting bad in Finland. As Christianity Today reports, 

Rev Dr Juhana Pohjola, the Evangelical Lutheran Bishop in Finland, is facing trial in January for expressing traditional Christian teaching on human sexuality.

In April, Finland's Prosecutor General charged him and the Christian Democrat MP Dr Päivi Räsänen with "incitement against a group of people" over the 2004 publication of a booklet which described sex outside of heterosexual marriage, including homosexual practice, as sinful.

Dr Räsänen was charged as the author of the booklet, while Bishop Pohjola was charged as the publisher.

Dr Pohjola is Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland (ELMDF), a position to which he was elected earlier year.

He was ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, the State Church, in 1999, but increasing pressure in that body against orthodox Lutherans led to the formation of the ELMDF in 2013. In response, the State Church defrocked him in 2014. Today the ELMDF has more than 45 congregations and mission sites throughout Finland. 

I like this guy. Here is what he says, 

"We have nothing to be afraid of when we fear God more than men. In truth and in love we are called to confess Christ Jesus and publicly teach the faith of the Church. We should pray like the apostles that we 'continue to speak your word with all boldness!'" (Acts 4:29).

"We have to be ready to pay whatever the price is and be labelled by media as intolerant and lawless. We must defend our basic rights and use the freedom of expression we still have."

"Although we feel the cultural pressure and intimidation, our main focus as Christians is not to wage cultural war but to share the grace, life and hope we have in Christ Jesus."

Amen!

This isn't the first prosecution of this type as I reported 6 months ago. Again from Christianity Today, 

A Christian member of the Finnish Parliament is facing six years imprisonment for allegedly committing three crimes, including “hate speech,” for sharing her opinion on marriage and human sexuality on social media, on television and in a pamphlet.

The country’s chief prosecutor has brought three criminal charges against Finnish Member of Parliament and former Minister of the Interior, Päivi Räsänen, according to the Austria-based Christian legal group ADF International.

The politician, who is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and former chair of the Christian Democrats, has been under police investigation since June 2019 for publicly voicing her opinion on marriage and human sexuality in a 2004 pamphlet, for comments made on a 2018 TV show, and a tweet directed at her church leadership.

A medical doctor, mother of five and grandmother of six, Räsänen now faces two years in prison for each alleged crime, the group said.

I haven't seen the Finns going after Muslims yet. I guess the prosecutor is afraid of the repercussions. 

 

Timelines made straight

In this Sunday's reading from Luke 3:1-6, the saint straightens out the timeline for Jesus' ministry by providing us with the year of John the Baptist's proclamation,

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,

‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 

“Prepare the way of the Lord,

   make his paths straight.

Every valley shall be filled,

   and every mountain and hill shall be made low,

and the crooked shall be made straight,

   and the rough ways made smooth;

and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” ’

Handel chose those words for this part of his "Messiah" which our choral society will be performing today,

 

Nigerian Christian Horrors: U.S. State Department Removes "Concern" Label

Having abandoned Afghanistan, it appears that the United States' current administration cares not a hoot about the spread of Islamic terrorism as long as it does not touch our shores. 

 From the Family Research Council, 

These last several months, the gangs of Fulani, Boko Haram, and other armed militants have become even more brazen, torching entire villages and farms, ambushing, and killing innocent people in gory, unspeakable ways. Some locals, like Steven Kefas, waits by the phone, hoping it doesn't ring. Many nights, he's disappointed, as Kaduna leaders call -- under attack and desperate for help. After a couple of hours, he reaches out to assess the damage. By then, they're counting the bodies. Mostly women and children, he is told one late September night, "slaughtered like rams to be used for a barbecue."

The numbers, deep into 2021, are almost unfathomable -- the worst, many believe, it's ever been. Mass killings, the kind that used to be sporadic, are a national emergency now. One report estimated that as many as 8,000 Christians had been murdered in cold blood -- just between January and September. And yet, the Nigerian government does almost nothing -- and the Biden administration has decided to do even less.

That fact was driven home in a jarring fashion this week, when, in a move that rocked the international community, the president's State Department decided to drop Nigeria as a "country of particular concern." Nigeria, where more Christians are killed than anywhere else on the face of the planet, American leaders have suddenly decided to turn their backs and walk away. Most human rights groups, religious and non-religious, were aghast. The situation is the worst it's ever been, and it's deteriorating by the day. If America ignores what's happening there, it will only excuse Nigerian leaders who do the same. International pressure is one of the only weapons the world has to stop this slow-motion war.

As we have learned, Islamic terrorism eventually goes after everyone. 

We certainly need to be concerned about Nigeria. 

What in the world is the State Department thinking?