Remembering, remembering...................November is such a month for the business of remembering, as well this year as looking forward, with the season of Advent beginning on the last Sunday of the month. Amid bonfires and firework displays we look back to 1605 and the failed gunpowder plot in celebrations across the country, and we also celebrate and give thanks for the lives of countless Christian saints and martyrs who have inspired and encouraged Christians, including ourselves, down through the centuries. Most poignantly of course we remember and give thanks for our loved ones at All Souls Tide, lighting candles at the annual Commemoration Service and offering prayers of comfort and hope. This service brings many people together, including those whose loved ones have died during the past year but also many from previous years. And then, a week later on Remembrance Sunday, we commemorate and remember the fallen from the two World Wars of the 20th Century, as well as more recent conflicts. Gathering outside the Church Lych Gate and listening to the names being read out, and then the Last Post and the Reveille being played, is such an incredibly powerful and emotional experience. More than a century after the end of the First World War we can only hope and pray that this very poignant and moving part of our local and national life continues into the future. Thinking about remembering, I am struck by two moments/events/aspects which took place during the lifetime of Jesus. The first was at the Last Supper when Jesus broke the bread and poured the wine and invited the disciples, and us today, to “do this in remembrance of me” and the second came from the lips of one of the two thieves crucified alongside Jesus: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom”. Jesus’ response is equally striking: “Truly I tell you, this day you will be with me in paradise”. All in all there is so very much to remember and give thanks for in this coming month, and may we all be touched and blessed in some way as we remember, but also as we move forward, in faith, hope and love. The Revd Alec Brown.
October can be a beautiful month. The leaves begin to turn, the evenings draw in, and there is a sense of the seasons changing around us. But this year, I suspect that many of us come to October carrying rather a lot in our hearts. We look at the world and see so much uncertainty. There are wars and conflicts, people displaced from their homes, political tensions and divisions, and worries about what the future might hold. “Doom scrolling” can lead to deep anxiety. It can sometimes feel as though there is very little that we can do about any of it. And closer to home, we have also known sadness within our own parish community. In recent weeks and months we have said farewell to people who have been part of our lives and our community. Each death leaves an empty place, and each person is remembered in their own particular way. At such times it is perfectly natural to ask where God is. The Christian answer is not that God promises us a life without sadness, uncertainty or loss. The Bible is far too honest about life for that. Instead, again and again, it tells us that God is with us in the midst of it. We see it in the Psalms, where people cry out to God in fear and grief. We see it in the life of Jesus, who himself knew friendship, sorrow, suffering and death. And we see it in the resurrection, which tells us that death and darkness do not have the final word. Recently, I went to see the poet Lemn Sissay at the Storyhouse in Chester. He has written a book of 4 line poems called “Let the Light pour in” If you know anything of Lemn`s story, he has experienced great periods of darkness in his life. This is one of the poems, “How do you do it?” said the night, “How do you wake up and shine?” “I keep it simple,” said the light, “One day at a time.” I love the simplicity of those words. One day at a time. Perhaps that is sometimes all we are asked to do. We don't have to solve all the problems of the world today. We don't have to know exactly what the future will bring. We don't even have to feel hopeful all the time. Sometimes we simply need to get through today — trusting that God is there with us. And then tomorrow, we take another step. There is something deeply Christian about that. Jesus tells us not to worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will have enough trouble of its own. That isn't a denial of the difficulties of life. It is an invitation to trust God with the day that is in front of us. As we enter October, therefore, perhaps we can hold on to that simple thought: God is with us. We may not know what the next few months will bring. But we don't face them alone. The God who has been faithful to generations before us is faithful still. So perhaps, when we feel overwhelmed by everything that is happening in the world and closer to home, we can come back to something simple. One day at a time. One prayer at a time. One act of kindness at a time. One step at a time. And, in all of it, trusting the words of Jesus: “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” It is also worth remembering, especially when life feels demanding, that looking after ourselves is not selfish. Sometimes we are so concerned about family, friends, neighbours and the wider world that we forget that we too need rest and care. Jesus himself took time away from the crowds to pray and be still. We needn't feel guilty about doing the same. A walk, a quiet cup of tea, time with a friend, a good night's sleep, prayer, music, laughter, or simply doing nothing for a while can all be ways of receiving God's gift of rest. We cannot carry everything, and we were never meant to. Sometimes the most faithful thing we can do is to pause, breathe, and allow God to hold what we cannot. With love, prayers and blessings Christina
“A very warm welcome to you all” has, I’m sure everyone would agree, taken on quite a different meaning over most of July and August as we, and countless others across the country and the world, have “basked” in unprecedented temperatures. More recently it has been a real pleasure to welcome people “on this lovely cool and wet morning/evening”! Later this month we will be celebrating our annual Harvest Festival, and we will be thinking about and praying for our farming community and everything they’ve had to go through over these last few months. We will give thanks for their resilience and determination, and will be praying for all those who, across our world, are being affected by climate change in its many and different manifestations. We are also thinking in this Parish, and across the whole Church of England, about the ways in which we can play our part in reducing the effects of climate change. To this end, and as part of Eco-Church, some members of the congregation attended a workshop in August about sustainability and Church flowers – a small thing perhaps but, in the words of a well known supermarket “every little helps”. God’s world is in our hands – we are the stewards of God’s creation, and this stewardship involves responsibilities and decision making which we are all only just beginning to grapple with seriously. “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow...........look at the birds of the air, who neither reap nor sow and yet are fed..........” asked Jesus of the crowds who came to listen to him on the mountainside beside the Sea of Galilee, and he asks the same of us today, 20 centuries later, as we consider our place and role and responsibilities within the natural world. And so as we gather across the country to give thanks this month, and next, for the work of the farming community we need also to reflect on our part in God’s creation, and to exercise wise and careful stewardship in all our dealings with the natural world – for our good but especially for the good of all those who will follow us. May God’s blessing be upon each and every one of us in this coming month. The Revd Alec Brown.
Dear friends,"Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while." (Mark 6:31) August has long been associated with holidays, lighter evenings, and a slightly slower pace of life. While not everyone is able to take time away, there is wisdom in recognising our God-given need for rest. In a world that often measures our worth by how busy we are, Jesus offers a different invitation: to pause, to breathe, and to be renewed in God's presence. Throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus withdrawing from the crowds to quiet places to pray. He knew that rest was not a luxury but a necessity. It was in those moments of stillness that he remained rooted in his Father's love and purpose. We, too, are invited to make space for God amid the demands of everyday life. Rest is more than simply stopping work. It is about allowing our minds, bodies, and spirits to be refreshed. Sometimes that may mean spending time with family or friends, reading a good book, sitting quietly with a cup of tea, or simply enjoying a few moments of peace without feeling guilty for doing "nothing." August also offers us the wonderful gift of God's creation. Whether we are walking through the countryside, tending a garden, sitting in a local park, or simply watching the changing skies from our window, nature has a remarkable way of drawing us closer to its Creator. The psalmist reminds us, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." (Psalm 19:1) There is joy to be found in paying attention to the small things: the song of a blackbird in the early morning, the scent of lavender in bloom, the laughter of children, the beauty of a sunset, or the quiet hum of bees among the flowers. These simple gifts remind us that God's grace surrounds us every day, often in ways we can easily overlook. We can find heaven in the ordinary. Perhaps this month we might challenge ourselves to slow down just enough to notice those moments of joy. They may not solve every problem or remove every worry, but they can gently remind us that we are deeply loved by the One who created this beautiful world and called it good. As summer unfolds, may we receive God's invitation to rest—not as an escape from life, but as a way of living it more fully. May we discover fresh hope in quiet moments, renewed strength for the days ahead, and grateful hearts that delight in the beauty of God's creation. May the peace of Christ be with you all this August, and may you find rest for your soul, joy in the ordinary, and renewed wonder in the world around you. With every blessing, Christina
