Abiding in Truth

I've been doing it since I was a young man, so I've had a lot of experience.

I suppose you're all aware of the news, what's going on in the world today.

So all that's very much in the background and not to be ignored.

And also, here we are on the start of Easter.

as you've already been introduced to the fact that we've another Russian in the room, the week before Easter is normally in Russian called Terrible Week.

And, of course, it refers to the whole story of Christ.

leading up to today, Thursday, when he was judged, he was held up before the church council.

By the way, I hope none of you are anti-Christian, are you? You don't mind if I refer to the Christian story over this retreat? Because I know one has to be careful these days with what's said.

Today's the day Jesus had been condemned to death.

And a few years ago, I was lucky enough to go on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

And we were taken down into a pit.

literally a pit, which was apparently, so we were told, the dungeon in which Jesus spent his last night, knowing he was going to be crucified the next morning.

And it doesn't half make an impression what it did on me.

You think of all the horrors going on in the world today whether we bear them on our own hearts or not to some extent we're all affected aren't we and here we are facing crucifixion tomorrow so that also has been on my mind at the start of this retreat when we think of the our kinds of our own lives.