At noon, a darkness came over the whole Land

"The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom." Mark 15 v38

The Church has been torn from top to bottom and again I stand in the ruins asking where is Christ? 

Five guiding principles on which our fragile community stood. Five principles written to show mutual love and mutual sacrifice, so that all may sit round the table and share in Christ's Holy sacrifice. 

As the Bishop of Dorking has said "Jesus calls us to get over ourselves". 

It is time to start looking to each other in friendship. It is tempting to start hurling back at those who hurl at us. To write in anger, pain or even revenge, but Christ calls us to look beyond ourselves and look towards the good of all our Church. We all, every single one of us will have variances in our understanding of theology and our Church, even if we broadly share an opinion. I have no desire to fight with you, anyone of you. I want today to say I want to "get over myself" share a Church with you. I want to forgive you, though it takes every ounce of patience I have to say it. I have been through the many reactions that I have had in similar situations:-
 Flight to the other Church,Anger,Disappointment, Acceptance to forgiveness. It is not easy, trust is earned and today we have taken a few steps back. My trust has been lost, my faith in walking together has been dashed. But this is bigger than you and me and bigger than those who started this whole sorry mess. We must not allow the Church to die, we are stronger for our differences and learn more from walking together than we do apart. 

We are all called to a ministry of incarnation, to reflect Christ in all we do and say. Recently, some the members of our Church have made a serious error in their behaviour. Again in the secular world we have not presented ourselves as a Christ like body. What hope have we of calling others to a life of love, tolerance and forgiveness if we can not even show it to each other. Tomorrow is a new day, maybe we can walk again in the footsteps of Christ by getting over ourselves. We must as a Church embody Christ in all we say and do, and this means putting ourselves round a table together and sharing in Christ's Holy Mysteries together. If we do not we lose far more than mutual flourishing, we lose our Church.

Tonight I pray for +North, the Diocese of Sheffield and all those who have been hurt and all those who have to deal with what must now follow. May the Lord have mercy on us all.