1 Report on alternative therapies
(paras 19-21)

'We must be very careful about a number of therapies 
which are based in eastern religion or a concept of life force or energy 
which is ultimately an impersonal god, 
not the God revealed to us in Jesus Christ. ... not all spirituality is good. 

In the Church we need clearly to present Jesus 
and the wholeness and freedom which are ours in him. 

We need to be careful about terms such as 'faith healing'. 
In whom or what do we place our faith? 

Divine healing looks to God through faith in Jesus Christ -- 
his Son who died for us and our forgiveness 
and rose again victorious over the grave. 
Where should we place our trust, 
in God or in the supposed healing power of crystals and energy 
supposed to flow through us?

Every service of worship ... is a healing service 
in which people may experience the healing and redeeming grace of God.'

I would also add, and the Report in no way denies this
that it is a privilege for me to pray privately with people for their healing needs
and I encourage people to ask for prayer in a confidential setting.

2 An Underlying Theme of the Assembly

'Saving Private Ryan' is a film set 60 years ago in the Normandy invasion 
about the struggles of a troop of US soldiers to keep safe Private Ryan 
all of whose brothers have already died. They succeed but a great cost. 
At the end of the film, as Tom Hanks the hard bitten leader is dying, 
he charges Private Ryan 'Earn this'.
Not a bad picture of what it should mean to us 
that Jesus Christ has died in our place. 
He could say to us 'I have died to set you free. Earn this' 
only 'earn' is too heavy a word; 
what Jesus says is 'I have died to set you free. Live this' and 'love like this'
That is the hinge thought of the letter to the Ephesians
At 4.1 Paul urges live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 
At 5.2 he appeals with even more power 
'live a life of love, just as Christ loved us 
and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.'

Live this, love this, live a life of love on the pattern of Christ's love.
This is the theme of our new Moderator Dr Ken Newell.
We live out the freedom that Christ has won for us on the cross.
We welcome others because Jesus has welcomed us.
Some of you may remember Ken from his visit to us seven years ago.
(He is to return on first Sunday of October, so don't book a weekend away)

I can't give you a word for word report of everything that happened
but some impressions
One was the fresh, fragrant prayerful way in which Ken led us.
This was seen in how quite often he asked us to pause for prayer
and prayed simply, a man in touch with God and with the needs of people
Another was the controversy over his Opening Night invitation
to the Roman Catholic Archbishop Sean Brady.
This caused concern inside and outside the Presbyterian Church.

Officially the Presbyterian Church in Ireland
has very few links with the Roman Catholic church. 
There are a lot of differences between us
Even when you set aside feelings based on prejudice and suspicion 
let me just highlight one sincerely held difference, 
that of celebrating the Eucharist or Lord's Supper 
As well as a different understanding of what happens to the bread and wine 
or what they are taken to represent 
there is a different approach as to who may share in the sacrament. 
In the Catholic church this is restricted 
to those who are in membership of that denomination. 
In Presbyterian Church in Ireland and similar churches 
there is an open invitation 
limited only by the person being clear 
in his relationship with God and with other people
It is not unreasonable therefore for the Presbyterian Church in Ireland 
officially to have few links with the RC church. 
That is an honest representation of the relationship or distance in it.

But at the same time it is entirely right that there be close personal friendships 
between Presbyterians and Roman Catholics. 
Ken Newell has been has been pursuing such friendships for nearly 30 years 
and out of his existing friendship with Archbishop Brady 
he invited him as a personal guest to the opening night of the Assembly.
It is a situation of some tension but perhaps a creative tension, 
where as a church we say there is still considerable distance between us 
on some significant issues but we still want to show friendship and welcome.

Maybe it is a very fitting illustration for Ephesians 4. for living a life of love. 2-3:
'Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love
3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.'

This was a passage preached on at Prayers on Wednesday
by John Dickinson a minister from North Belfast
He spoke movingly of what he had learned from Ken Newell:
he used to argue with Ken trying to show him where he was wrong
but Ken had gently loved him and accepted him
until finally the Holy Spirit bored through his thick skull
and showed him the reality of v 2
John said that the unity of the Church 
depends on more than doctrinal agreement.
We need he said not a constitution over which we argue & fight 
but a connexion to life of God: 'he unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace'

He spoke of a young woman in his church from a very unchurched background
who had come to faith through an Alpha course
and had been with him at a conference where the leader had asked them
to hold out their hands and pray to receive what ever they needed from God.0
Over the lunch session following 
he said her feet hardly seemed to touch the ground, 
so blessed was she by what God was giving her at that moment.
John challenged us:
What is the posture we could adopt as a church 
by which we might receive the fulness of the Holy Spirit 
This was something Ken took up in his closing prayer.
He asked us to hold out our hands and each ask from God to receive
whatever we most needed
be it humility, gentleness patience love.

Few people have the privilege to spend time at the General Assembly
but I believe it is open to all of us to share that experience.
Let's pray with open hands
letting go of whatever we shouldn't be holding on to
and seeking from God what he may give us

HUMILITY do some of us think too much of ourselves?

GENTLENESS do we live as Christ lived on earth

PATIENCE do we give up too soon, must we have everything now?

LOVE can we accept and forgive others and receive god's love fr us in Jesus?

HEALING wholeness restoration

May you know how good and pleasant it is 
when brothers and sisters live together in unity
for there the Lord bestows his blessing
even life for ever more