A few months ago I wrote a piece for the Magazine on the occasion of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, and now we are all getting over and coming to terms with the death of our longest serving monarch, her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and the accession to the throne of her son, King Charles III. It has been an incredible period in our nation’s, and the world’s, history and one which none of us will ever be able to forget I shouldn’t think. We have, no doubt, all been watching the unfolding events following the Queen’s death – the journey from Scotland to London, the lying in state in Westminster Hall and, of course, the State Funeral in Westminster Abbey and the final resting place of her late Majesty in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. It has been quite a journey, and an incredible story. I was struck especially by the dignity and simplicity of the short ceremony which preceded the lying in state in Westminster Hall, and also by the State Funeral in the Abbey – and the very poignant, and admirably brief, sermon by the Archbishop of Canterbury! The images also of the hundreds of thousands of people lining the streets to pay their respects has I’m sure made an impact on people all across the world. During these last few weeks we have been reminded on numerous occasions that behind the pomp and the ceremony and the sheer pageantry of it all there is a grieving family, mourning the death of a mother, grandmother and great grandmother. This is of course very true, and so I was especially pleased when, during his short sermon in Westminster Abbey on the occasion of the State Funeral, the Archbishop of Canterbury referred very directly to the many families across the nation, and indeed the world, who were themselves mourning the loss of loved ones at the same time as were members of the Royal Family. For the few days before and after the State Funeral we were, in this Parish, dealing with four weddings and a funeral, all of which were terribly important in the lives of hundreds and hundreds of people, and all of which went ahead, to the great relief of all those concerned. I have no doubt whatsoever that this is exactly what her late Majesty the Queen would have wanted, and it was a joy and a privilege, albeit a very sad one in the case of the funeral, for myself and Christina to have conducted these services, which were very much appreciated by all concerned. And so, as the reign of King Charles III begins – a new chapter in our history – let us commit ourselves afresh to the example set for all of us by his late Mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in loving service and joyful commitment in faith, giving thanks to God, who was her, and is our, rock. God save our gracious King, Long live our noble King, God save the King. Amen. The Revd Alec Brown.
Dear friends, Writing about time, Albert Einstein wrote, “There certainly seems less of it about than there used to be.” Quite often people comment that as they get older, time seems to fly by. For me, I don`t think helps working in a school. The Christmas term always eems long and then after that we hurtle to the summer holidays. It feels like one minute ago I was looking at the long summer holiday and now I am back at school. Having seasons and celebrations in the Church Year also makes things pass more quickly, one minute we are celebrating Lammas, then it`s harvest, we say Farewell to the Year 6 children and then have our back to school service. Next thing it`s Advent then it`s Christmas! I only have to look at Nathaniel to see how fast time is passing. One minute we were dropping him at Antrobus School for his first day and now we are looking at Universities. I am having to prepare myself for him leaving home, which quite honestly I am in complete denial about. Time is so precious that we need to treasure each moment – as the great Abba song says “ Slipping though my fingers all the time, I try to capture every minute. Sometimes I wish that I could freeze the picture and save it from the funny tricks of time” How often do we wish we could freeze the picture? Quite often we read of the rising star who rockets to celebrity and then crashes and burns – having gained everything the world holds dear, fame, money fast cars, they have found it empty and meaningless. I was reading the Book of Ecclesiastes the other day. It is only 12 chapters long and it speaks directly to that person. It starts by saying that everything is meaningless, wisdom is meaningless, pleasures are meaningless, toil is meaningless. It is a great book to read if you want to find some meaning in life. It is thought that Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes and at the end he writes “Fear God and keep his commandments-for this is our whole duty.” Wise advice indeed. If you don`t want to read all 12 chapters, just read Chapter 3, which you will no doubt recognise. There is a time for everything, A time to be born and a time to die, A time to plant and a time to uproot, A time to kill and a time to heal A time to tear down and a time to build A time to weep and a time to laugh A time to mourn and a time to dance A time to embrace and a time to refrain A time to search and a time to give up A time to keep and a time to throw A time to tear and a time to mend A time to be silent and a time to speak Quite often we need to know when we need to do those things. When should we speak, when should we stay silent? When should we keep, when should we throw away? All of us are in different times in our lives, different seasons, we may be dreading the next time or season or are looking forward to embracing it. Whatever time of life we are in, whatever season, however we are feeling, we have one guarantee and that is that God is right next to us. With love Christina
Last month we held the annual Deanery Evensong Service at St Mary’s Chapel at Arley Hall – the first time we had been able to come together for the service and the b.y.o. picnic in the beautiful grounds beforehand since 2019 – and it was a wonderful service and so lovely to be able to gather again as members of the Deanery to worship together. It was also Ian Chesworth’s last service with us as the family prepare to leave for Malaysia, and Sarah Chesworth sang a beautiful anthem during the service. The guest preacher was the Vicar of Stockton Heath, The Revd Michael Ridley, and he preached in his inimitable style about, amongst other things, the importance of small things in our lives as Christians – how to get along with each other, how to be always hopeful, how to encourage one another and how to be Christ’s ambassadors in today’s society.Earlier that day, in the set readings, we had heard the story of Jesus’ visit to the home of Mary and Martha and of their different personalities and approaches – Martha busying herself with household chores and tasks and Mary sitting contentedly at Jesus’ feet and listening and imbibing the spiritual atmosphere. One can only hope that she later lent a hand to her sister Martha – but Jesus was making a point of course about the importance of prayer, of contemplation and of listening, rather than constantly busying ourselves with small, and sometimes unnecessary, tasks and jobs – which we’re all very good at!The extreme heat we experienced during part of July forced us all to rethink, at least in part, the way in which we go about our daily lives, and Jesus’ words to Mary and Martha, and his other and many teachings, should help us to reflect on our priorities as Christians and as members of communities, where we rub shoulders with all sorts of people in all sorts of conditions. Michael Ridley made the point on several occasions that small things matter – giving the example of mosquitos in your sleeping bag when out camping - but I’m sure we all know the truth of his point and how important those small things can be. I know I shall be reflecting, and acting hopefully, on his sermon pointers and I shall finish with the last re-ported words of one of my favourite Saints – Dewi Sant (St David) who reportedly said these words on his deathbed:“Lords, brethren, and sisters, be joyful and keep the faith and belief, and perform the small things which you have heard and seen with me, and I will go the road which our fathers have travelled. Be courageous whilst you are on the earth, for you will not any more see me in this world.” (Lives of the Cambro-British Saints).May God bless each one of us in the coming month, and especially in all the little things – y pethau bychain - of life.The Revd Alec Brown.
Dear friendsI waited anxiously for Dave to phone me. I had been feeling nervous all morning. Our house was being inspected by Cheshire West to see if it would be appropriate to house a family from Ukraine. The problem was the family had already moved in! Our house, built in 1814 would be described by an estate agent as “full of character!!” We had been asked to sponsor a lovely Ukrainian lady and her 12 year old daughter who had arrived in Northwich but the original placement was not working. Could we help? This was the Sunday, we met Ira and Liza on the Tuesday and they moved in on the Thursday. I was so anxious that our house was not good enough but I quickly realised that this was not important.What was important was the welcome, the acceptance and for them to feel safe and cared for. If we had waited until I felt our house was ready, then it probably would never have happened. The past six weeks have been amazing. Dmytro (husband and dad) joined us 3 weeks ago and I love our new extended family.The experience has made me reflect on so much, I read a great article on “scruffy hospitality” by Father Jack King an Anglican Priest from Knoxville USA he defined this as “Scruffy hospitality means you`re not waiting for everything in your house to be in order before you host and serve friends in your home. Scruffy hospitality means you hunger more for good conversation and serving a simple meal of what you have- not what you don`t have. “Authenticity is the key. Community is more important than tidiness. Making memories is more important that a 6 course Jamie Oliver extravaganza. In the last 2 years we have missed having that shared time round a table. Why not make up for lost time?“Hospitality ” writes Father Jack” is not a house inspection, it`s friendship” I know myself that worrying about how our house looks holds me back from issuing that invitation – perhaps even pride. Being hospitable is the desire to share God`s love with other people through practical action. It has been described as the Golden thread running through the Bible. Hebrews 13.2 is one of my favourite Bible verses “ Don`t forget to show hospitality to strangers for in doing so some have entertained angels without knowing it” Sometimes in life you just have to go for it – you may never feel ready – chatting to that person about faith, leading prayers in church, visiting someone who is sick – whatever you do, however you feel, God is right next to you.Love, prayers and blessingsChristina
