Good morning on this first Saturday of March. Last week I wrote about the current state of affairs in many of the countries in the Middle East and Northern Africa. With mounting protests and anti-government sentiment fueling the demonstrations, many dictatorial regimes are in imminent danger of being overthrown as happened in Egypt. The ultimate question is what kind of government will replace these autocratic regimes? Will they have a philosophy and purpose of global jihad similar to al-Qaeda, the radical Islam group which sees national boundaries as obstacles to their cause of installing radical Islam governments who will practice their form of religious practice and strict adherence to Islamic law in government in every nation? Will we have Islamic governments similar to the radical Islamic regimes in Iran, Palestine under Hamas, or Lebanon under Hezbollah, or more moderate and secular governments such as Turkey? There is also the threat that the new governments of these nations will be gradually transformed from secular governments into Islamic states. As of now there are still many questions but few answers.
Tomorrow's sermon will focus on the life transforming experiences of the prophet Ezekiel and their application to our lives today. I hope you will be able to be there.
Mel Brown