St Andrew's, Curry Rivel

(April Curry Rivel News)

Looking for signs of life.

I love all the sunshine we have been having recently! I find myself looking for signs of spring as hungrily as I do when I stand in front of the fridge, looking for something to snack on before dinner. I love seeing the hedgerows and trees bursting with bright green, taking in the sweet smells of fresh growth and feeling the warmth on my skin.

All this hopeful looking for life makes me think back to my teaching days. We all thrive on encouragement, but children quickly see through empty compliments. I remember one young person I taught who called me out on this one day. The truth was empty compliments were as demotivating and insulting to his abilities as criticism. A good teacher can find genuine achievements to praise and commend, however small and seemingly insignificant they may appear. These can be the glimmers of hope that growth is possible, that success will come.

In the church calendar, we are in the season of Lent; reflection, prayer and simplification to humbly prepare ourselves for Easter. This year I am challenged to not wallow in my past failings, but to see glimmers of hope for change and life. Poet Gregory Orr puts it this way: “Not to make loss beautiful, but to make loss the place where beauty starts”. I think this is where my understanding of Easter lies.

The Christian hope is that life came out of Jesus’ death. That there is a hope that broken things can be mended, and reconciliation is possible. The Easter story, which recognises loss, invites us into the place where beauty starts.

On the subject of new seasons, my time as Curate here in the village has come to an end and I will be moving on after Easter. It is sad saying goodbye and we are grateful for the friendships we have made during our time here. I also pray, particularly for my kids, that their sadness in leaving will be a place where beauty starts too.

I leave a blessing from the Northumbria Community with you.

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you wherever he may send you.

May he guide you through the wilderness and protect you through the storm.

May he bring you home rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you.

May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

Rev Mark

(January Curry Rivel News)

Choosing not to enter the race.

I have started running again; it’s that time of year when we’re supposed to commit to being better versions of ourselves. How long will my New Year’s resolution last this year? I have one of those apps on my phone which tells me how well I’m doing. I saw a funny cartoon of two runners looking at their running apps and talking about how quickly they ran, what their heart rate was, and one asked the other if he enjoyed the run. The friend looked at his phone app, then answered, “it doesn’t’ say”!

Growth is one of the characteristics that defines all life. Improving at things can be one of life’s real joys, but I wonder if we let things get out of hand sometimes. The constant pressure to get a personal best in our recreation, to upgrade our tools and toys, and continually grow our work and businesses can put a huge amount of pressure on us. If we are not careful, we can get into an unhealthy competition with ourselves and those around us.

Some of the things which brings us the most joy are not things we can win at. I can’t get a personal best in reading to my daughter at bedtime, can I? Can I win at chuckling to a funny comment I overhear while eating ice cream by the river? What does success look like during coffee with a friend? Put like that, those questions seem bonkers, but why do I get that nagging feeling that I am not enough, or that I’m not winning at life?

Someone once said that the problem with the rat race is that even if you win, you’re still a rat! In St Paul’s letter to the Romans, he wrote “Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.”

I don’t for one minute believe that he was saying that everything around us is evil and that we need to become monks and nuns; but there are some unhelpful mindsets in our culture which I find exhausting and leave me feeling inadequate. Perhaps this year, I need to reframe my thinking. I need to reconsider which areas of life do I need to improve on, and which to be content with. If I choose to be good enough or not upgrade, I may find more capacity to be present with my work and play. I may also have more margins of time and money to spend on what really matters in life, like those I love.

And so, may we find we have enough for all our needs this year. May we also find greater peace and contentment, so that we can give our energy to what is really meaningful in life. May you have a very blessed year! Revd Mark

Scott’s Spot – August 2024 - Change

This was Rev Scott's last 'Spot'.

How do you cope with change? What ‘roots you’ when everything around seems uncertain or in turmoil?

As I write the General Election has just taken place and Sir Keir Starmer is now our prime minister. Change has come to our nation. We have a new PM, new government, many new MPs and a new approach to leadership. Regardless of your political affiliation, if you pray, will you do so for Sir Keir, his team and our MPs? As is always the case post-election our expectations are sky-high and their challenges, daunting. So as the Apostle Paul teaches, shall we honour his call that: ‘prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions…’ (1 Tim 2:1)? Their job is demanding, relentless, often thankless, and in our increasingly aggressive culture, one that needs much courage. They need wisdom, good council, stamina, and protection for themselves and their families – perhaps pause for a moment to pray for our new leaders right now.

Removal lorries will not only be visiting Downing Street. By the time this edition arrives, my family and I will have left the Rectory and private tenants moved in. Personal change, and change for our parishes, is also here. After eleven years as your Rector I shall be moving to Long Sutton to take up the part-time roll of Associate Minister for a new seven-parish Benefice that includes Curry Rivel, Fivehead and Swell. This new enlarged Benefice will also include the parishes of Langport/Huish, Drayton, Aller and High Ham, and together we shall be seeking to appoint a new Rector. So a change of role, change of home, change of Benefice, and further change to come as we work to appoint a new leader. And as I prepare to leave, I’d like to take the opportunity to express my thanks to those I’ve served alongside – those who have given so much in maintaining and developing our local Anglican churches both spiritually and architecturally. It has been a privilege to work alongside so many dedicated and sacrificial people, and to see some amazing personal growth. I look forward to continuing this partnership albeit with a different hat.

So in the ‘sea of change’ that I, my family, and our church families find ourselves, how can we face this with hope? Alongside the painful back-drop of international events that unsettle so many, how can Christians face down those potential visitors ‘despair’ and ‘fear’? Well I end this last ‘Scott’s Spot’ pointing to the same figure that I have tried to point to throughout. The figure who stands at the heart of every service I’ve taken; the figure who has sustained me through the challenges of Christian leadership amongst our increasingly secular society; the figure whose promise to “be with you always until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20) I have known personally;

and the figure who, in the face of change is wonderfully (Hebrews 13:8) ‘the same yesterday, today and forever’ – Jesus Christ.

In the beautiful hymn ‘Abide with me’ the writer puts it like this: ‘Change and decay in all around I see, O Thou who changest not, abide with me’ . My final prayer as your Rector therefore is that amongst this world of endless change, you may find enduring hope in the perfect love and unchanging promises of Christ.

Rev’d Scott.

St Andrew's, Curry Rivel

St Andrew's, Curry Rivel

Get in touch

St. Andrew's Church - Church Office

United Benefice Holy Communion, in Fivehead

United Benefice Holy Communion, in Fivehead

Recent publications in the Curry Rivel News and the Fivehead & Swell - Community Matters magazine.

St Andrew's, Curry Rivel

St Andrew's, Curry Rivel

Get in touch

St. Andrew's Church - Church Office

United Benefice Holy Communion, in Fivehead

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Recent publications in the Curry Rivel News and the Fivehead & Swell - Community Matters magazine.