Dear Friends

I asked my six-year-old grandson last weekend whether he would be helping to change the nappies of his baby sister who is due to arrive next month. He laughed in derision but then said: “I will give her lots of cuddles”. There is little more endearing for a parent to see the love of their children for each other. Sadly, but entirely realistically, there is little of this in the Bible. Cain murdered Abel. Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery before announcing to their father that he was dead; that same father Jacob had stolen the birthright of his brother Esau. Meanwhile, in the New Testament, Peter bounds up to Jesus and demands to know how many more times he might have to forgive his brother, Andrew, confident that he must have long since reached the limit.

In the Church, we are encouraged to regard all Christians as our brothers and sisters and to bear love for them in the way Christ loved us. The Bible is under no illusions as to how hard this can be sometimes, but the Holy Spirit may be called upon to aid us. “The fruit of the Spirit is Love” (Galatians 5.22)

Revd. Greg Smith