Patience is a virtue and virtue is a grace and if you have all of these then you have a pretty face. I have no idea where this rhyme comes from or even if there is any more to it, but right now it explains a lot. No pretty face just a frowny face and no grace. Why? I hear you ask. Simply because I have very little patience when waiting for things especially when it is for myself! If I am waiting with someone else or praying for them for something to happen, I have all the patience in the world. I have a great ministry of presence, which simply means sitting and being present in the moment and waiting, but not for myself. When I must wait, I get frustrated. When people tell me it will be in God’s time, I get frustrated. When people say that God is teaching me patience, what I would like to say to them is unprintable! The polite version is I have waited long enough, it is time that God opened the door for me. So that I can begin a new life and Ministry somewhere, anywhere. Please do not think that I want to rush away from you all because I don’t. I have waited patiently on God for so long that to get to this point of almost being in my own parish and yet not quite there is frustrating as it is for many of my peers who are also waiting for the right position to become available. When I was signed off by the Bishop in January it was with the expectation that I would be getting ready to move by now, God seems to have other ideas and I wish he would share them with me or at least give me a time scale to work with! It isn’t just me who is waiting, it is my husband and family as well. Fortunately, my husband works in an industry where his skills are transferable to any geographical area, I can only begin to imagine the stress that waiting causes for those whose spouses have to give notice to their employers and then find a new job. So, we are blessed in that respect. Then there are family members who are waiting to know where Mum/Grandma is going to be living and when can they come to stay. Plans are put on hold, just in case that elusive parish becomes available and with only a small window of opportunity to apply. Dare we book that ten-day holiday in the Caribbean (a delayed 25th wedding anniversary gift to ourselves), and what happens if the ideal role comes and goes whilst we are away?Every time the church times arrives, I open the pages praying that this will be the week when a vacancy calls to me, then there is a sense of disappointment when there is nothing suitable. The same happens when I search diocesan websites and find nothing, After, the anticipation, there is a sense of loss and a feeling that clearly everyone got it wrong, and I should not be a minister! Then begins the half-hearted look for a secular role, that I will never take because the conviction within me and the assurance of others that God has called me to this life is so strong that it cannot be wrong, and this is what keeps me going as I continue my search.When I begin to lose hope, I am reminded in Romans 12: v 2... Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so you may discern what is the will of God. This passage spoke powerfully to me when I was preparing to go forward for discernment to confirm that my calling was indeed from God and not just my own thinking and it continues to sustain me now, in fact the whole of chapter 12 is worth reading prayerfully when we are struggling to know where we fit in. There are many books that I read, too many to mention, but all about people who have struggled to wait on God. It is good to know that I am not the only one who gets angry and shouts at God, who weeps with the frustration and hurt that waiting can bring. After I have finished with the self-pity, I remember the hope that the resurrection brings, the hope that there is something for each one of us so I sit and wait just as the disciples did because I know that the eventual gift that I receive will be far greater than I probably deserve.I am going to finish now with the words from 'I the Lord the Sea and Sky' that I use a lot in my time of waiting: Here I am Lord, Is it I lord? I have heard you calling in the night. I will go Lord if you lead me, I will hold your people in my heart. He called, I answered, and now I am ready to go wherever he leads, so if he could just get a move on that would be great!Ashley
“Will You Come and Follow Me…..?” This is the first line of a wonderful hymn composed by John Bell (of the Christian community based at the Abbey on the Scottish island of Iona), as seen in its first verse: Will you come and follow me if I but call your name? Will you go where you don’t know, and never be the same? Will you let my love be shown, will you let my name be known, will you let my life be grown in you, and you in me? Throughout his earthly ministry, Jesus had a naturally invitational approach with everyone he met, from the very first fishermen he invited to ‘come and follow him’ to each one of us, here and now in our 21st century lives! That personal invitation especially includes journeying with Jesus through Holy Week (10th – 17th April), and our churches in Alrewas, Fradley and Wychnor most warmly welcome you and your family to join in with the various special services and activities hosted by each one (details available in each church’s section in this edition of Parish News)….. Come and experience the first day of HolyWeek – Palm Sunday (10th April) – as Jesus’ triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem is retold in story, movement and symbol (with palm crosses for all) …enter into the awe and wonder of the crowds which celebrated Jesus as King, but had no idea what that might mean for their own lives……what might it mean for ours? On Maundy Thursday (14th April), join us at All Saints Alrewas as we gather from all three villages to enter into the experience of Jesus’ ‘last supper’ with his disciples, and Jesus blows his disciples’ minds as he reveals completely unexpected insights into God’s presence and power in their lives….and ours too! This moving Communion Service will include symbolic ‘handwashing’ for those who wish to partake as we remember Jesus being betrayed by one of his very own and his disciples abandoning him out of fear for their own lives, from 9pm to 12ama ‘Night Watch’ will continue in All Saints, with opportunity for candle-lit personal meditation and occasional readings – you are warmly invited to ‘drop in’ and stay for however long you wish, as we prepare for the world-changing events the next day… On Good Friday (15th April), you are invited to participate in a variety of services and activities which help us to experience the awesome depth and costliness of God’s love for our world, and for each one of us personally, as the events leading to Jesus’ death are retold in story, song, activities and experiences for all ages…… Following an eerily quiet ‘Holy Saturday’ as the painful reality of Jesus’ death sinks in, we sincerely hope everyone will join in our churches’ joy-filled celebration of our Lord’s Resurrection on EASTER SUNDAY as we celebrate the life-changing victory of God’s love! We sincerely hope you will accept this personal invitation to join in the wonder of Holy Week and experience afresh the amazing presence and power of God to make all things new…. including me and you, and our lives now and eternally! With every blessing, Vicar John
Our Lenten Journey…. Believe it or not, it’s time for yet another Lenten journey to begin – a journey which lasts for forty days until Easter (excluding Sundays, which continue to be celebrations of Jesus resurrection!), and which invites each of us to make personal time and space to explore our relationship with God, and deepen our personal faith in his wonderful presence and promises. The journey begins on Ash Wednesday, 2nd March, when everyone from Alrewas, Fradley and Wychnor is welcome to All Saints Church Alrewas for a special Holy Communion with Ashing service at 7:30pm, giving us an opportunity to reflect upon our lifespan on planet Earth and what it means to truly depend upon and trust God as the source of our life and love. We hope you will also join in a special and important journey of reflecting, sharing and discovery in this year’s Lent Discussion Group, which will be using video resources from the Church of England’s Living in Love and Faith course.Being hosted at St. Stephen’s Church Fradley for all three of our churches, from 7:00 to 8:30pm on Wednesdays beginning the 16th March and concluding on Wednesday 13th April, this part of our Lenten journey invites us to listen and share, learn about and reflect upon what it means to be human, exploring Christian teaching and Christians’ experiences about identity and relationship, sexuality, marriage, and the ways in which ‘living in love and faith’ find expression in people’s lives. Each session will include hearing people’s stories (including specially prepared video interviews), Bible exploration, discussion and prayer – along with free refreshments and fellowship time! This part of our Lenten journey will be greatly enriched with YOUR PARTICIPATION, which is sincerely valued – PLEASE DO JOIN IN, SHARING YOUR THOUGHTS AND VIEWS, QUESTIONS AND HOPES as we learn with and from one another! Finally, but importantly…….how might you personally choose to ‘journey with Jesus’ more intentionally this Lenten season? There are a variety of ‘spiritual practices’ associated with Lent which you might choose to embrace.... ……taking time to honestly speak to, and deeply listen to God in PRAYER – for the needs of those you know, for healing and hope, for peace in our nations, for those who don’t believe anyone thinks they’re worthwhile praying for…….……re-discovering what God is trying to tell us through the amazing ‘gathered library’ of 66 books which we commonly call the Bible – discerning the powerful presence, and precious promises of God through ancient truths which help us live our lives more meaningfully in the challenging present…… …….perhaps choosing to ‘give up’ something during the 40 day ‘Lenten fast’ which you enjoy very much (excluding Sundays, as noted earlier), as a way of personally appreciating Jesus’ own human experience of temptation and suffering in order to stay true to God’s sacrificial, loving purposes for his world….……or, perhaps instead of ‘giving up something’ you enjoy, you decide to take up an additional way of serving others….helping out the Lichfield Foodbank; visiting a lonely neighbour; providing transport for someone in need of getting somewhere…….. Our Lenten Journey will, of course, continue with special events for Holy Week and Easter from April 10th to 17th…..but more about that in the April Magazine! With every blessing for the journey, Vicar John
