Dear Friends

What’s in a word? I have recently been trying to find a non-alcoholic drink that I like (other than a cup of tea obviously) and have a hit upon Thatcher 0% which is rather good (other non-alcoholic ciders are available). Imagine my surprise when I arrived at Sainsbury’s checkout to discover that I had to have my age verified. Do you have to be over 18 to buy non-alcoholic cider?! By a similar token, when I was on holiday in Barmouth, Fran and I saw a sign for a Medieval house and decided to go and investigate. We discovered a quaint round house built in the 1800s as a lock up to house the drunkards of Barmouth overnight, one cell for a man and one for a woman. I found myself frantically googling to check whether my understanding of the word ‘Medieval’ was awry. However, while scholars seem to disagree about the exact dating of the Medieval period, none has it any later than 1500. Perhaps the Middle Ages arrived in Wales 300 years later than everywhere else!

Meanwhile, the word of God is absolutely reliable, and its guidance depended upon at all times. “The word of our God stands forever” Isaiah 40.

Rev Greg Smith

Rector of Pontesbury and Stiperstones