I have had a bad habit for most of my adult life of storing the necklaces that I wear most often in a small tray. My carelessness means that I can pick one up only to get a cluster hanging together, entangled. Either I stop and sort them out, untangling the mess with patience or impatience, or I ignore it and wear another one, only to come back later to the same problem or a broken chain. It seems to me life is rather like that too! Plain sailing for a while, working well and then along come stumbling blocks that eventually need to be tackled and untangled to move forwards again, or we find ourselves suffering from the pain of broken connections from which we need to try to recover. Consciously or subconsciously, January seems to be the time when many of us think to tackle the perceived existing stumbling blocks of our life, perhaps making resolutions or coming to a specific decision which we will act on during the year. After Christmas the church celebrates the glorious news of God’s son coming to earth – known as Epiphany. The season gives us chance to reflect on the significance of the birth of Jesus and to look at our journey onwards. Included at this time is the story of the Wise Men who followed a star to seek Jesus, bringing gifts signifying his future – gold for a great king; frankincense for a holy man; and myrrh for death. They journeyed in faith and with hope for the ushering in of a new era of God’s work on earth. But they had stumbling blocks to overcome – finding Jesus and encountering King Herod who wanted Jesus dead for a start! They had to find resilience to tackle the everyday reality without being put off from their overall aim. They kept going in faith. Their reward was to come into the presence of Jesus with their gifts, to experience the joy of discovering their saviour and to travel onwards to spread the good news of his arrival. However tangled we feel things are for us this January we can follow the Wise Men’s example and travel in faith, building up our resilience by acknowledging God’s present of love and hope and remembering we do not journey alone. God is there waiting to hear us and support us now and in the future. Happy New Year Stephanie Goodwin UAP Reader
2022 Area Letter for December from one of the Area Staff Team; How quickly time moves on! The last Area Letter I wrote, was in February, right at the end of the Christmas season as we celebrated Candlemas. Yet here we are in this Advent Season, preparing for another Christmas! It is Autumn going on Winter, with long days of darkness, of chill and of putting on thicker clothes and coats to keep us warm. The central heating is on and fires lit to cheer us! But who doesn’t like taking a walk, kicking the fallen leaves, underfoot!? However, I don’t like these dark chilly deary days, much preferring the long warm days of summer light and colour. In the darkness of this season, we can become a little gloomy in ourselves too. Gloomy not just because of the dark dreary days, but also because of what’s happening both in our own lives and in the world; of all the events taking place and of the precarious economic outlook, making us think of what we can or cannot afford, especially in this season of excess. We cannot but be affected by circumstances, both near and far. These can test our resolve and our faith. Of course, all this is nothing new; with the exception of climate change, much of what is happening around the world has happened before in one way or another. All these things can be a real distraction for us making our Advent preparations and celebrating once again the coming of God into his world on that first Christmas Day. It can be difficult to reconcile all this, with what’s going on. Thankfully God knows what he is doing! It is no mistake that God comes to be with us, in the form of a helpless poor baby. The scriptures describe him as Emmanuel (God with us) who comes at the darkest time of the year. It is this helpless baby, who came to bring light, life, healing and wholeness to all the dark places of the world and to our lives. It is precisely because of this, that in whatever circumstance we may find ourselves, we can and should rejoice in God’s wonderful gift to us in his Son Jesus Christ. Christmas is a time to remember, to give thanks, as well as to give and to receive, and to celebrate in the most special and precious ways with those we love and those around us. We are called to be that light shining for Christ. To be that special gift to all whom we meet. I do like that Christmas is a celebration of the ‘Light of the World’ coming among us, to be with us, to experience what we experience, bringing hope for today and tomorrow; God’s love shining in the darkness. Yes, it is a season of excess, but rather than material excess, it is a celebration of an excess of love, freely given to all who put their trust in Jesus, the light of the world. May He be your light, your love, joy, peace and your hope as you journey on. Blessings and peace Charles Rev Charles Dale, minister with PTO across the Area.
Area Letter from one of the Area Staff Team – November 2022 Dear friends, Every year in November, the village in which I lived as a child, held a firework party on the community playing fields. We would all wrap up warm in woolly hats, scarves and mittens (I remember it being much colder back then!) and drink tomato soup from polystyrene cups. Then, we would watch the huge bonfire and feel its heat before the highlight of the night, the firework display. In reality, I’m sure the rockets and roman candles weren’t very impressive, but they were enough to spark in me a lifelong love of fireworks and bonfire night. I have been to many 5th November firework displays since but none quite compares to the live, silent, extravaganza of whizzes and bangs on the breakfast Radio Two program of the late, wonderful, Sir Terry Wogan. Perhaps you remember it too? He would describe passionately every sparkle, flash and tumbling cascade of colour going through his head. In an article for the Telegraph in 2011 reflecting on the shows Wogan commented “There were begrudgers who complained about the lack of parking and toilet facilities, and burnt-out fireworks on the carpet around the radio, but I like to think that there are some who remember, with a sigh, the solace of fireworks on the wireless”. Funny, the things we remember! The Christian faith is a “remembering” faith. Every week as we break bread and drink wine together we follow Jesus instruction to “do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19) We remember that God has made himself near to us. And in November we add to our remembering. From All Saints Day (1st Nov) to the first Sunday of Advent (27th Nov) we look back over our history as Christians and as a country and reflect on the lessons the past can teach us. We are inspired by the lives of the saints and humbled by the sacrifice of those who gave their lives that we might be free. More specifically, our annual “Remembering Services” this year sneaking into some churches on October 30th may give us the space to bring our memories of those we love that have died, to God. In the longer hours of darkness and in the absence of the sun’s warmth we have a place to stop, light a candle, wrap up warm and remember. Our Remembrance Day Sunday services on November 13th might also hold more poignancy this year as we remember back to the pageantry displayed by our Armed Services during our late Queen’s funeral parades. Remembering is so important and what better way than to remember with others. God our Father As we remember those who have gone before us this November Give us the comfort of knowing that they have gone only as far as you and you are very near. Amen Yours, Jules Rev Jules Walker, Interim Team Vicar, Uttoxeter Area of Parishes.
Area Letter from one of the Area Staff Team – October 2022Dear friends As you read this letter you will be celebrating, or are about to celebrate harvest, a time of thanksgiving to God for his abundant generosity in supplying us with food for sustenance and thought and also in the midst of preparing for All souls and remembrance services. As I write this letter the world is still recovering from the shock of the death of our Queen Elizabeth. As I listened to the many words that are being spoken about her the simple words that our new King, Charles 111, said at the end of his first proclamation strongly stood out from the rest. He said, simply, “Thank you.” With those two simple words he expressed everything that the people of this country and the world were trying to say about the Queen. All too often we put together lengthy treatises listing all and everything we can think of and all it needs at the end of the day is a simple thank you. As we celebrate our harvest this year we perhaps need to look at the simple thank you as a way of bringing before God our thanks for all that he has provided us with over the last year. The many blessings we do not always recognise or accept as gifts from God. We are very aware of the rapid rises in our cost of living, our basic needs are now getting to be a luxury but still in the midst of all this turmoil God is still sending blessings. How these blessings play out or how we will recognise them I am not sure as yet but I am sure in time it will all become clear for as Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians “ now we see in a mirror dimly, but then we will see face to face (1 Corr 13: 12.). I feel that in this mixed up time of grief, remembrance and thanksgiving we may find the path that God is calling us to tread to serve not just him but his people as well.I will finish with Psalm 126 and a prayer.When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,Then were we like those who dream.Then was our mouth filled with laughterAnd our tongue with songs of joy.Then said they among the nations,‘the Lord has indeed done great things for them.’The Lord has indeed done great things for us,And therefore we rejoiced.Restore again our fortunes, O Lord,As the river beds of the desert.Those who sow in tearsShall reap with songs of joy.Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed,Will come back with shouts of joy, Bearing their sheaves with them.Lord as you send rain and flowers even to the wilderness,Renew us by your Holy Spirit,Help us to sow good seed in time of adversityAnd live to rejoice in your good harvest of all creation;Through Jesus Christ our LordAmen.All God’s blessingsChrisRev’d Chris Brown Uttoxeter Area of Parishes
