From the Ministry team In August, Anne and I, together with Francis and Allie, went to the Keswick Convention in the Lake District for the first time, enjoying good teaching in the mornings and fell walking in the afternoons – a wholesome combination! Before the main talk, Anne and I went to lectures on Martin Luther, William Tyndale, John Wesley and George Whitfield, and Elizabeth Fry and I note that three of these are commemorated in the church’s calendar this month: William Tyndale, who translated much of the Bible into English, is celebrated on 6th October, the day of his death in 1536; Elizabeth Fry, who brought about significant prison reform, is remembered on 12th October, the day that she died in 1845; and Martin Luther (1483-1546), who spearheaded the Protestant Reformation, realising that the Bible teaches that people are justified by faith rather than works, is commemorated on 31st October, the anniversary of the day that he posted his ninety-five theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg in 1517. The main talk each day was on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, in the final chapter of which Paul exhorted them to ‘be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power’ and to ‘put on the full armour of God’: ‘the belt of truth’, ‘the breastplate of righteousness’, ‘feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace’, ‘the shield of faith’, ‘the helmet of salvation’ and ‘the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God’. The point was made that these are largely defensive items, helping one to stand firm against the schemes of Satan, in the knowledge that Jesus Christ has already won the victory. One other person who is celebrated this month is St Francis of Assisi, on 4th October, so I will conclude with his prayer: Lord, make us instruments of thy peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is discord, union; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; Where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love; through the love of thy Son, who died for us, Jesus Christ our Lord. Henry Stanford - Reader
FROM THE MINISTRY TEAM Some thoughts from 1Kings 19,9-18, and Matthew 4,22-33. I wonder if any of us have pondered, wondered which age did Elijah come from. There is little to show any characteristics of that age in our village, or the country where he lived, but his words in the bible have survived and are still as relevant for us today. What are you doing here? God said to Elijah. Elijah answered, ‘I am desperate, I’m the only one left.’ He was in a dark place. Most of his people had forsaken God to go their own way. Elijah didn’t respond to the noise of the wind, earthquake or fire. We might feel desperate if we are in a dark place. But our church buildings are not dark places. We can find peace in our minds, our hearts, we can feel the presence of a power that is not in the busyness which we have left behind from the past week or in the noises which constantly bombard us as we go about our lives. God didn’t give up with Elijah and Elijah did hear him when God spoke in the silence. Don’t forget there weren’t 21st century noises in the Iron Age but God can still ask in that sound of silence today, ‘What are you doing here? So, what are we doing? Using the word ‘What’ there is always a question about having to give attention to something. What is that place? What is really going on? What is the difference in our feelings as we get nearer to that place? What do we prepare, if we do in some way? What made us choose to go to that place? We have an expectation when we decide to do most things. We might decide by being inquisitive. I fancy going there. Something tells us to go. I would like to hear that music. We might not understand why we choose what we do, only that it is important that we do choose. Some of us choose, or are nudged by that still, small voice, to go to those historic buildings on a Sunday. So, what are we doing in that place? Some years ago, there was a phrase often repeated which meant a lot to many people. They were busy, stressed and living in a noisy world even then, they didn’t hear because there was little silence in their minds. But the phrase was and is still relevant. The phrase was, ‘Let Go, let God’. It still keeps echoing today. ‘Let Go, let God’. Next time we venture into the stillness and peace of a historic building, a house of God, or we need to feel his presence, just quietly ponder in our minds, ‘Let go, Let God’, and be a person listening to the voice of God in the depths of our being. We will then begin to know that we are loved by the greatest source of love. In our reading from Matthew’s Gospel when Jesus’ disciples, whom he loved, were in desperate need in a boat on a very stormy sea, he spoke to them the same as he can speak to us today in the silence of that still, small voice. Whatever our needs, we might feel we are in a dark place, his words are worth remembering wherever we are. ‘Don’t be afraid. Take courage. I am here.’ Judy Hailes - Reader