A New Commandment 

Jesus said “A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another”
John 13:34

We recently celebrated the Queen’s 70th Platinum Jubilee. This wonderful time was full of local and national celebrations including street parties and a fantastic concert from Buckingham Palace.

We celebrated the Queen’s devoted service to our nation and Commonwealth. Her Christian faith has been a source of strength and inspiration to her during the past 70 years. She appealed to all citizens of the UK and Commonwealth, including those who have a faith or no faith, to be united in serving one another to make our world peaceful and harmonious.

HTR has a long history of service to its community and many other communities across the world. We are ‘a church with an open door’ reaching out with God’s love to all members of our community, those of faith or not.

On 6th June we remembered the allied, seaborne invasion in 1944 that liberated Europe from Nazi rule. The toxic ‘might is right’ mantra has passed its use-by date. Human aggression manifestly causes more harm than good. We need to find a better way to live. The tragedies of wars and other destructive, predatory human behaviour are unsustainable in a world where weapons of mass destruction abound in the arsenals of our friends and foes alike.

Predator-prey relationships dominate food chains and ecosystems but they are toxic for human beings. Many relationships in the natural world are symbiotic, benefitting both the parties engaged in them. Jesus Christ founded a faith focused on the ultimate symbiosis, one based on love and care for fellow human beings. He showed us how to break out of the prison of self-destructive relationships and behaviour. Christians across the world need to show by example how to live life-enhancing lives instead of those based on aggression and destructive competition.