June ServicesPlease click link for poster of June 2024 services(filename Church_Services_June_2024)Click here to view - Old Hills Malvern Diary for a calendar of services looking further ahead.
June 2024 Pastoral Letter Dear Friends, Towards the end of John’s gospel there is a long section known as Jesus’ ‘final discourse’. It is a deep section of text with Jesus explaining what life is going to be like in the future without his actual bodily presence. You might have heard it read and preached at Pentecost last month. There will be times of deep sadness which will be overtaken by feelings of deep joy. At the time though, it must have seemed almost impossible that the disciples could feel joyful in the difficult circumstances of the present, and in the future when they were warned of difficulties and persecution. This joy came from the transforming power of the gift of the Spirit that gave the disciples a joy that could not be suppressed. The present times we live in may not seem so joyful or certain, perhaps. Or do we face a God given opportunity? How can we each possibly deal with the calamity of global warming, how will our vote in General election (remember to register for a postal vote of you are going to be away on the 4th July 2024) make a difference to those in need, and what about the clarion call for peace in our world? If we let all of these issues get to us, we may feel a sense of despondency if we are not careful. How do you respond? How would you define or describe your own spiritual lives in Christ? I tried discussing that with the children at Callow End last month. It is a challenging topic but does boil down to some basic ways of living, loving in faith and hope. Jesus invites us to participate with him in doing his work until we are called into eternity with him. That participation is to be undertaken in good times or bad just like the first disciples and is intended to be an experience of joy no matter what the circumstances. This is of course a lot easier said than done, but joy is a gift of the Holy Spirit. That joy can grow and flourish when we attach ourselves to Jesus as part of the vine that he spoke of in John’s gospel (John 15.5), and our joy, he promises, will ultimately be complete in him (John 15.11). How can this be that Jesus gives us a joy that cannot be taken away? We often confuse happiness with joy. Our joy may come when we complete a seemingly endless task with which we have had to persevere and struggle, or when someone does something that makes us feel special. That joy is heightened when we know something good has been given to us by the God of the universe and the whole of creation. Somehow, we are known so personally. I am blessed to feel that way by ministering in these five villages, four churches, three schools, two care homes as one benefice of faith hope and loved. I see acts of loving kindness - do you? We do have some good things to look out for over the summer. We have weddings (including two at Guarlford) and more baptisms, visiting history groups interested in our church history - a visit from Historic England at Powick. We also will gather to commemorate the D-Day landings 80 years on with a service at the war memorial at Callow End. If this letter gets to you on time, go join in and support the Madresfield Village fete at Madresfield Court – and support the church stall too. Later this month, we will be looking at our churches’ environmental footprint, burden and legacy. We might feel that it has nothing to do with us, but we all have a place in God’s creation for a purpose and we must all strive to do our best to honour, respect and protect it. And in our prayer life, too, we join in Christ’s intercession for the world, praying for others that their joy may be complete whatever struggles they face now. Jesus promised his disciples his joy would be in them and would be complete. So too, the Old Testament prophet Nehemiah said, ‘it is the joy of the Lord who is our strength.’ (Nehemiah 8.10) . Every blessing ……Rev Gary
Vicar’s Pastoral Letter - May 2024 Racing across the World … Benefice… Churches Dear Friends, Summer is almost upon us again – but perhaps the weather is not helping us get into the mood. At the end of this month, my family and I will go to Pembrokeshire to a spot that is indeed very special to us. The phone/Gmail will be turned off. I hope that you are able to think about the refreshment that comes from holidays at some point this year. Many of you of a certain vintage like holidays a lot - perhaps that’s why I haven’t seen you in church for a while! Maybe you worshipped in a church whilst you were away? What did you learn from their welcome, ministry and worship? Can we learn a few lessons from your travels? Are you watching Race Across the World on TV at the moment? I think it’s an interesting idea of travelling without flying, within a limited budget and no internet or mobile phone. Just a map, opportunity to travel with a companion and may be work with them and a wallet of local currency. I wonder if the producers got their inspiration from The Acts of The Apostles? As you journey through Eastertide, our Biblical journey is a cruise through the various exploits and challenges faced by the developing church. And it most certainly was a Race Across the World. Seen through the lens of some of the earliest travel writers (the apostles and deacons), we learn such a lot about being prepared and ready, being resilient and up for a challenge. Peter was a great traveller and he most certainly clocked up the miles considering the numerous journeys he took to spread the gospel. Most of his journeys were far from comfortable. He even got ship-wrecked in Malta. Indeed, I think he endured three ship wrecks on his travels. The reception he got at many of the places where he visited could hardly be described as an ‘all-inclusive leisure holiday.’ He was beaten, stoned and got imprisoned at some of them. None of these stopped him. He persevered with his mission. He tried to finish the race. He knew whom he believed in and was convinced that He is able to guard what he had entrusted to him until the end. The task God has given to each and every one of us can hardly be described as an ‘All-inclusive holiday’ at times. There are days we will feel tired, despondent and even sorry for ourselves because we think the load of life, or even within our churches, is becoming too heavy. Our Annual Meetings will be taking place this month. How many will stand up to take on the roles we need covering to carry our churches forward on their journey? How many old stalwarts on our church committees will call it a day and stand down for very good reasons? Are we seeing anyone new coming to the fore, or are we in recycling mode? There is a phrase called multitasking in Management but perhaps the church takes this to the extreme. With some many challenges out there, not least safeguarding and domestic abuse training and the imminent need to register our PCCs with the Charity Commission, it is mightily easy to all want to give it a break and take a holiday instead. Jesus says, ‘His yoke is easy and the load He will put on us is light.’ (Mathew 11:30). Our load only becomes heavy when we stop looking at the divine power of Jesus and focus on our physical strength. What’s more, He has left us with a Helper, the Holy Spirit, to guide and guard us - and we celebrate that fact this month too - first through the Ascension and then Pentecost. Do not grow weary running the race. Stay in the race if you can but if you have to pull up, don’t feel ashamed. Call on Him daily to grant you the strength and wisdom to keep up His good work, may be in surprising or just other ways. ‘He will sustain you to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (1Corinthians18) God bless - Rev Gary
An Easter Celebrity!As we journey through March, there is so much going on. After a dark, dismal, and wet winter, the mornings and evenings are getting lighter, and the spring flowers are blooming! Yes, that ring of Daffs and crocuses are on the vicarage lawn all too soon.Our Lenten journey is underway - thank you to those that are journeying through Lent with me and especially those exploring faith through the Lenten study. Sadly, there will not be a Daffodil Sunday on Mothering Sunday because of the weather, but there will be Palm Sunday to look forward to - with our Benefice procession in Madresfield, and this year, two Priests will work together to herald the start of Passiontide.Very soon, we will have Easter upon us. If I asked, during a sermon slot, who is the most famous person "out there” at the moment, who would you say? Go on, check through your newspapers, flick through the daytime TV or radio stations, look online. Who is: out there" right now? Who was out there last year, but hasn't been seen since?We increasingly live in a 'celebrity culture'. Everyone wants their fifteen minutes of fame; notability or even notoriety will do. Social media, magazines, newspapers, and television game shows all have their tame or not so tame celebrity to call upon. A celebrity culture is very enticing and the public acclamation we afford to others is very revealing. It says something about what we value - image, money, recognition, youth, power. More than that, it says something about human identity, about who we think we are, and who we would like to be.The word ‘celebrity’ comes from the Latin root, 'celebrem' which has connotations with both 'fame' and 'being thronged'. And if you read the gospel accounts of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on the day we have come to know as Palm Sunday, you might easily imagine that Jesus was a sort of first century celebrity: "The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, 'Hosanna!' 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!' 'Blessed is the King of Israel!'.The ‘Feast' was the Passover when over 2 million people gathered in Jerusalem and this great crowd, fuelled by reports of the raising of Lazarus, heard Jesus was coming and so they acclaimed Him as their King, the one who would lead the rebellion against the Roman occupation of their land. Consequently, the crowd were full of nationalistic and messianic fervour. However, He came not on a warhorse but on a donkey; to defeat not the Romans but the power of sin and death. This was to fulfil what had been foretold hundreds of years earlier by a prophet; “called Zechariah: “Do not be afraid, O daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming seated on a donkey’s colt.”; a King who would proclaim peace to the nations and whose rule will extend to the ends of the earth. Thus, Jesus’ triumphal entry showed that His Kingship was non-military. He would be crowned upon a cross of sacrifice through which He will achieve freedom for His worldwide subjects who put their faith in Him. He is the King of peace through whom we can have peace with God, but to achieve this He needed to ride on in lowly pomp to die. I sometimes wonder how many of those who cried ‘Hosanna’ on Palm Sunday cried, ‘Crucify’ on Good Friday?You see, Jesus knew He was about to die, despite the acclamation He received. He knew that the crowd would soon be shouting ‘crucify him!.’ However, Jesus’ death was not to be a tragedy, but rather a triumph. For by going the way of the cross, by His supreme act of obedience unto death, He first had to endure the suffering before the glory, the cross before the crown, and all that that entailed – the pain, the humiliation, the false accusation, the agony, and the burden of bearing the sins of the whole world. He endured all of this for you and for me - He perished so that we don’t have to - hence, the day we remember His death is GOOD FRIDAY and why Jesus is GOOD NEWS for sharing. A new life for all of us. Life from Death, light overcoming the darkness.Scratch the surface beneath the other modern-day icons of Easter - no, not the celebrities this time - I mean the chocolate eggs and bunnies, Easter wreaths and gardens, and you still unearth something quite profound about the need we have for new life. Eggs and bunnies both represent new life which is exactly what Easter signifies for all Christians. Recently online I saw a post featuring a sign from a forest in Central America that said, “Here in this rainforest there is no death, only life in transition.” This notice was speaking of the endless cycle of death and rebirth in the natural world. That same line might have been written by a theologian because what the resurrection of Jesus tells us is exactly the same message for human beings. It is a universally applied quality owned by us all simply by being part of the same created order as that rainforest. “In him was life and that life was the light of all men” as it says in John’s Gospel Turn on a light in the middle of the night, or light a candle in a darkened church to see what I mean – light is greater than darkness – good is greater than evil – and life is stronger than death.Easter is the greatest ever story of hope! Despite what is going on in the world, and perhaps in our own lives right now, the message of triumph of life over death, light over darkness, love over hatred, peace over anxiety, and joy over grief remains unchanged. So let us celebrate His victorious resurrection and all that it means to be ransomed, healed, restored, and forgiven!With every blessing for a great Easter Feast - Rev Gary
