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Spirit of the Flame - 70 days following the Olympic Torch
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DAY 27

As the Olympic Torch drops south from Scotland to England, our nations remember the 30th anniversary of the end of the Falklands War. 

I remember seeing coverage of the conflict on television. Early attempts at text graphics flashed up on screen when something significant happened. It confirms in my mind that most conflicts in the world boil down to land ownership. That's our island. We want that territory, and we want you people out. The insanity and bigotry of jealousy, selfishness, and greed. 

The capital of the Falkland Islands is Stanley. Like the global tradition of twinning towns to foster international appreciation, Stanley is twinned with Whitby. Incidentally, my secretary told me today of the twin towns of "Dull" and "Boring". ((http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-18336146))

Whitby will be visited by the Olympic Torch within a few days. This ancient town has much history, the good and the gory. In the 7th century AD, the Synod of Whitby met. From my understanding, this was about two opposing methods of calculating Easter. 

The Ionan practice was based on the Jewish method of calculating the Passover (lunar), and seemingly celebrated on whatever day the resurrection fell on; much like people remember their birthday always on a given date.

The Roman practice used a different method of calculation (solar), and is coincidently often the first Sunday after Passover starts. That is my simplified version of the calculation! It's like saying I will remember my birthday on the first Tuesday in February when the sun rises after 7am!

((See this link for maybe the best and concise explanationhttp://www.britannica.com/blogs/2011/04/when-are-easter-passove/))

At the Synod of Whitby, it was concluded that the Roman calculation would be thereafter adopted. One of the arguments for this was that as the Roman church believed in apostolic succession since the apostle Peter, then if the Roman church says Easter will always be on a Sunday, this is authoritative. Forgive me if I am wrong, but I see parallels of the Roman church changing other dates, to Sunday too!

This discovery has made me ponder. Not just on the relevance of God's instruction to remember the seventh day, or even which day we might remember Jesus' resurrection, but the significance of asserting changes to any event of or instruction from God. 

I guess the more important lesson is not so much about tradition and changes, though they are marks of a true believer (Revelation 14:12), but of habits. What good is it if I turn away from wrong tradition, and practise correct Biblical instruction, but I have not made a habit of seeking the presence of God? I could be right in theory, but not right in the presence of God.

The 14th of June is the anniversary of the end of the 1982 Falkland Island conflict. Easter is the anniversary of the end of the cosmic spiritual war. Today is a daily anniversary for each of us in our continued quest to seek the presence of God.

-Pr Nathan Stickland

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