During Advent, in the run up to Christmas, we pray: ‘even so, come Lord Jesus’.Our prayer longs for the fulfilment of God’s promise that the risen Jesus will come again in glory and, at last, death shall have no more dominion, every tear shall be wiped away, sword will be turned into ploughshare, and, by God’s merciful judgement, every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.Our prayer also hopes, in the meantime, for the fulfilment of God’s promise that the risen Jesus will be with us always to the end of time. ‘Come, Lord Jesus’ is a prayer not just for the end of all things but for today. It is a prayer that remembers that Jesus first came to ordinary people in the midst of their everyday life.I’ve been having conversation, in the run up to Christmas, with people in Derby and Derbyshire whose everyday today echoes the ordinary lives of those in the first Christmas story. I’ve heard stories of sheep farming, chatted with a hotel owner, learnt about midwifery, talked to a broadcaster, met with an educator and listened to a child. (You can hear these Christmas Conversations through Advent via the diocesan website www.derby.anglican.org or my Bishop Libby Lane Facebook page).God chose to become part of everyday people’s ordinary lives when Jesus was born. Those we read about in the gospels weren’t particularly special people, weren’t especially good or religious, wouldn’t have made history except that God chose to share their lives. God chooses that still. And so, we glimpse heaven in the ordinary, as I did through my conversations.As I pray this Advent, in the run up to Christmas, ‘even so, come Lord Jesus’, I’m hoping to catch sight of God in the everyday lives of people around me, people like you – the ordinary people of Derby and Derbyshire. Not because we’re particularly special or especially good but because this is how God chooses to be known. And until the end, when Jesus comes in glory, we find the Kingdom of God among us.The Rt Revd Libby LaneBishop of Derby
Every day, my phone sends me a ‘memories’ montage or a ‘featured photo’ from my gallery and very often, in a moment’s pause in my day, I’ll look and be reminded of people, places and events some of which may have faded in my mind, and smile or ponder.November is, in many ways, a remembering month. Nationally, we pause on the 11th and again on Remembrance Sunday itself, and also on November 1st, All Saints Day, as we remember those who have walked the path of faith before us, some giants of the faith and others known to us personally. Many churches hold special services to remember the faithful departed at this time and that can bring a mixed bag of reaction in the midst of being helpful, especially if memory is jagged or bruised or grief is raw.November also marks the transition from autumn to winter, the blaze of colour turning to a soggy mush of decaying leaves and debris (that threaten to clog drains and gutters as the season changes), moving us to let go of summer and prepare for winter, psychologically and maybe with a hint of anxiety as we see how long we can go without putting the heating on and step into ever-shortening days.And yet we know that the seasonal cycle will repeat, sadly with greater variation as the climate changes, but spring will come again and so we, almost without realising it, set our hearts and minds to take stock, to remember and to draw strength from the certainties of life as we live with change.Some of the Old Testament psalms (poems) do just that and it’s a way of building hope for the future. Psalm 136 reminds us repeatedly as it remembers history, events and stories, of the deepest truth: God’s ‘steadfast love endures forever’. That line repeats at every verse, all 26 of them, driving home the fact.Remembering is usually far from straight-forward and it can be incredibly painful. But, as we remember and reflect, let’s take time to recognise and give thanks for the thread of God’s steadfast love for each and every one of us that weaves its way through our stories, individual and collective – a love that ‘bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, a love that never ends’. That’s the love that is the Kingdom of God, good news for all, that meets us in Jesus.May you be able to recognise and know that for yourself in this season of remembrance and on into the future.
Dear friends, Back in July my wife Pam and I visited Burundi for a week – this was a long planned visit during which we had the joy of catching up with our Burundian foster son, who lived with us when he was at University in Durham, and attending the blessing of his marriage in the beautiful shell of an unfinished church building in a village in Bubanza. Burundi is a small country of hills and valleys, not unlike Derbyshire in that respect. It is a beautiful country with a rich cultural heritage, but a traumatic recent history and persistent poverty on a scale not seen elsewhere.While we were there we were also able to follow up conversations at the LambethConference last year, where Bishop Eraste shared with us some of the diocese ofBujumbura’s journey, and its amazing work in mission and transformation amongst some of the world’s most deprived communities. Ben our foster son had also got us involved in a trust supporting Bujumbura Christian University, so we spent some time visiting students and staff there. We were struck by the huge demands on students training for mission and ministry in a context where resources are so limited and challenges are so great. They are responding to the call of God with real vision for the future of their country, for justice, for peace, and for economic sustainability.I owe it to my late Uncle Alastair, a former USPG missionary in North India, before he came home to be chaplain at Derby Royal Infirmary, that I have from childhood always been intrigued by what it means to be part of a world wide family in Jesus Christ. Apart from his own visits, a steady stream of ordinands, clergy, and bishops from Chota Nagpur used to come and stay in our home in Northumberland, making a huge impression on me. Later on unsurprisingly this led me to an overseas gap year, where in Kenya I found a church of all ages vibrant with faith, hope, and love in the context of their country’s all too slow emergence from extreme poverty. The wealth of their spiritual and cultural heritage has always had a huge impact on me.Returning from Burundi I am now more than ever convinced that belonging to a global church is an essential part of the good news we have in Jesus Christ. The fact that we belong together – with all our differences and different contexts, is no accident. Humanity is fragile - facing existential challenges fuelled by climate change, inequality, and persistent conflict. More than ever we need the grace and power of God working in all of us, working together globally to address our global challenges. Seeking God’s coming Kingdom – a world made new. I am delighted that Bishop Libby has chosen to make her Harvest Appeal for ‘Trees for Life Burundi’. This gives us an opportunity both to work in partnership on one of our diocesan priorities whilst also learning from the generous faith, courageous hope, and life-giving love so evident in our Burundian sisters and brothers. I am sure it will help us explore more and more what it is to be disciples of Jesus Christ together in today’s world – among the cities, hills, and valleys of Derbyshire as much as among the cities, hills and valleys of Burundi. Bishop Malcolm
