Much of our national press has started to designate July the 19th as ‘Freedom Day.’ Whilst the actual day when lockdown restrictions might finally be lifted might be pushed back slightly, the success of the vaccination program, the reductions in hospital admissions and the relatively low rates of deaths from Covid in recent days are all leading to the general assumption that fifteen months of incarceration, in one form or another, might finally be coming to an end.The notion of freedom from captivity is a deep-rooted theme in the biblical narrative. We have the story of the Exodus when the people of God experience a miraculous liberation from the oppression and slavery suffered at the hands of their Egyptian oppressors, and begin their journey to freedom in the promised land.We also have Christ’s Nazareth declaration at the beginning of his ministry, when he uses a passagefrom the prophet Isaiah to define his mission, stating that he has come to proclaim, ‘release to the captives and to let the oppressed go free.’ (Luke 4:18)The same themes of slavery and freedom are picked up by those championing the abolition of slavery and the ending of discrimination during the 19th and 20th Century. Note Dr Martin Luther King’s famous speech of his vision of the future, ‘I have seen the promised land’ and his somewhat prophetic insight into the fact that he himself might not enter it.There are of course many parallels with the predicament we find ourselves in. Perhaps the one most difficult to bear is the fact that not everyone who started this journey will finish it with us. There will be some notable absences from our company. Loved ones who will be sorely missed, for whom the journey was too far and too taxing.As we emerge from the pandemic, there will no doubt be a mixture of emotions; sorrow, regrets, loneliness, and perhaps even anger at what appears to be an unjust outcome or an avoidable cost. There will also no doubt be relief, perhaps even joy, that ‘normality,’ however that might be defined, is finally returning. Relationships can now be re-established, family and friends meet and even give the occasional hug! Hopefully, we will emerge as more compassionate, more understanding individuals, more appreciative of those we may have taken for granted. Perhaps more able to re-evaluate the things that really matter in life, and those that we can hold more loosely in future.The promise of Jesus is that he has come to bring to us life in all its fulness. As we pick up our lives again after such a long time of what we might consider to be a captivity and an oppression, may we find not only an abundant life -but also the author and sustainer of all life - God himself.
‘Tossed by the Waves’When medieval artists and icon painters of the Eastern Christian tradition portrayed Jesus about to be baptised by John the Baptist, they often portrayed all sorts of strange and menacing sea creatures in the waters in which Jesus stood. This symbolised that, in accepting baptism, Jesus was acting in solidarity with the human condition, not least what threatens us.The Jewish people of Jesus’s time would have understood the negative associations with water implied in these images. Apart from those who fished for their living, Jesus’s Jewish contemporaries were not seafarers, unlike their Phoenician neighbours. They had no great love for the sea. This is reflected in the Hebrew scriptures. In the Book of Jonah the sea is presented as violent, tossing a boat about as though it were a mere toy; and with the monster whale within the watery deep. The Red Sea consumed the Egyptians chasing after the Israelites in their exodus from slaveryin Egypt. And God punished humanity by covering the earth with a great flood, leaving only Noah, his family, and the creatures in the ark.Yet if the waters are presented as menacing, powerful, and destructive, they are also understood as being under thepower of God. After all, the primeval waters mentioned in Genesis owe their existence to God. And, as Jonah’s fellow passengers discovered, just as God can unleash a great sea storm, so He can bring it to an end. All these different elements (and more) are to be found in this Sunday’s Gospel reading (Mark: 4: 35-41) about Jesus calming the storm at the Sea of Galilee. Here too the waters are capable of unleashing ferocious destructive power. Indeed, the Sea of Galilee is notorious for its storms that can come with little warning.Although Jesus had already performed many miracles and exorcisms, that Jesus was now showing control over the wind and sea – rebuking the wind and commanding the sea to be still, no less! – suggests something altogether greater about Jesus than being simply a holy man and wonder-worker like some of the prophets of the past. After all, it is God and God alone who controls the waters (and the wind). So the question of the disciples, ‘Who this this, that even wind and sea obey him?’ signals a dawning upon them of the extent of Jesus’s special nature, what the followers of Christ would come in time to recognise as his divinity.Of course, present in this Gospel passage is not only the question of the recognition of who Jesus really is, but the question of faith, trusting in the Lord. It’s not simply because Jesus says to his disciples: ‘Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?’ It is also because the image of a storm-tossed boat lends itself so easily as a symbol of the turbulence that can afflict any of us. It is at such difficult times when trust in God is especially important but can be most tested.The Gospels do not deny that life can be very tough. Things might go well, but with little warning change like a sudden storm on the sea: a relationship that seemed robust breaks down, an unwelcome diagnosis arrives out of the blue, a job that seemed secure is lost, and so on. Life can impinge upon us so forcefully that even if we have great faith, we are nonetheless tossed about like a boat in a mighty storm.Trusting in God is not a kind of existential anaesthetic. If the story of Jesus in the Gospels ended with the narrative of Jesus whose trust in the Father was so complete that he was able to asleep calmly on the storm-swept boat, then we might be tempted to think of trust in God solely in these terms. But the Gospels continue and they tell us of a saviour who wept, who sweated blood, and who died in agony. As the images of Jesus’s baptism remind us, he entered the waters of the human condition. He knew what is it to be rejected, hurt, and afraid.All the same, today’s Gospel with Jesus asleep in the boat does tell us something important about what it is to have faith in the midst of great difficulties. That is, even though when we trust in God we can still feel greatly the pain and fear due to what life can throw at us; yet, even if sometimes falteringly, there can also be an awareness that in the midst of it all some part of us is like Jesus sleeping untroubled in the boat during the storm: an underlying consolation of knowing that despite everything we are ultimately in God’s hands.This Sunday’s Gospel reading, not only encourages us to trust in God, especially when life is hard. This is perhaps its most obvious message. But, seen in the context of the whole Gospel narrative, it also gives us an insight into the nature of what it is to have trust in God when suffering travails; and thus can help us to recognise the presence within us of faith in God even when such faith is small and flickering, and when we feel tossed about, hurt, rejected, and afraid.With my prayers and very best wishesFr Nick
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,Recently, Sarah and I have been watching a film series called The Chosen. It contains a number of episodes retelling the accounts of Jesus’ life, which we find in the Gospels. One thing the series does really well is to bring the characters to life. Often when we read the biblical accounts, familiarity breeds complacency and we can think “oh that’s just Peter” or something like that. Watching The Chosen has reminded me that each of the disciples, that Jesus called to follow him, are ordinary human beings with lots going on in their lives. (If you are interested in watching, here is a link to the website where you can watch it for free! https://watch.angelstudios.com/thechosen). These first disciples must have been an interesting group to watch. There was Peter who always gets over excited and either says the wrong thing or does something foolish. There’s James and John who are also called the Sons of Thunder, probably because they have bad tempers. Then we can also throw into the mix, Simon the freedom fighter and Matthew the tax collector - who would have been natural enemies - Judas the thief, Thomas the doubter, the opinionated Nathaniel and these are just some of the twelve. We could also add to that list Nicodemus who is too scared to acknowledge his faith, Mary whose witness no one will believe and Martha who gets all her self-worth from working hard. As I said, this must have been an interesting group to watch and, no wonder, sometimes we get the impression that Jesus has to be quite stern with them. I wonder if any of these disciples’ foibles rings a bell with you? Perhaps you have a character trait which makes you think that God couldn’t use you. There is a common condition called Imposter Syndrome when a person thinks that at some point everyone will realise that they shouldn’t be doing the particular role of job they are in. I imagine the disciples often wondered why on earth Jesus picked them. Why didn’t he pick the scholars and religious leaders of the day? Why did he pick fishermen, tax collectors and men and women of questionable morals? These feelings can be dangerous because they stop us from being bold for Jesus.Our reading from 2 Corinthians contains a wonderful verse which speaks into our brokenness and inability to follow Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here! It’s not about who we are, but it’s about who he is. It’s about being in Christ that brings transformation to our lives. As the disciples spent time with Jesus, following and watching him, they gradually changed. They became more like their master and the old things which divided them and made them insecure, started to fade. In Jesus’ presence they found a safe place where they could learn to be obedient to his teaching. Therefore, as you read this verse remember that if you are in Christ, you are a new creation. The things that used to rule over you and stop you from following Jesus in a risky, exciting way no longer have the last word. Jesus is victorious and he is calling you to continue following him into more adventure and into more freedom. Ben Maynard (Curate)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,I’m writing to you at an unprecedented time in the life of the Church and of the nation, and it is at momentslike this that our faith and fellowship become even more important and relevant to us. Therefore, on behalf ofthe Ministry Team, I want to assure you of our continued prayer and presence at this difficult period of ourcorporate life. As you will be aware by now, all public worship within our church buildings has been suspendeduntil further notice on the advice of both our Archbishops and in line with government guidelines.Obviously physical contact will need to be kept to the absolute minimum to ensure the safety of everyone, butwe are working on ways to enable us to remain in touch and to serve the needs of one another during whatmight well be a very stressful and challenging time for all. The office will remain manned between the hours of9am to 1pm Monday to Friday but I ask you not to visit, as it will remain closed to the public. You can contactthe office on 01626 334357 or by emailing them on office@newtonabbotparishes.co.uk.He National Church is working with Dioceses and Parishes to offer support and their website has a wide rangeof resources that you might want to tap in to. Alongside these we will be endeavoring to produce some of ourown bespoke resources that are specifically targeted towards our congregations and local community.We are also exploring whether we might be able to live stream services on Sundays so that we can maintain asense of fellowship between all those who have access to the internet. I appreciate that this is not available toeveryone and we will be looking to keep in contact with those who do not have access to this by other means.Obviously, there will not be a ‘live’ congregation present, but we will seek to ensure that you experience aworship service that approximates as closely as possible to what you would be familiar with on any givenSunday.Other large meetings of congregation members including gatherings of the PCC, the Deanery and DiocesanSynods and the scheduled APCM will no longer take place. I will however be in regular contact with PCCmembers via email, so that any critical decisions regarding our financial and legal obligations and ourresponsibilities as employers can be made.As clergy we will be continuing our daily offices of Morning and Evening Prayer and, whilst St Mary’sWolborough, St Mary’s Abbotsbury and All Saints Highweek will be closed, St Paul’s Devon Square, StBartholomew’s Ogwell and St Luke’s Milber will be open for private prayer between the hours of 9am to 1pm.Please feel free to come to these churches to pray for yourself and others.I ask that you follow the government guidelines at this time, maintaining an appropriate distance from otherswho might be in the building and following relevant personal hygiene advice.Here is a prayer that you might wish to join others in saying at this time.Keep us, good Lord,under the shadow of your mercyin this time of uncertainty and distress.Sustain and support the anxious and fearful,and lift up all who are brought low;that we may rejoice in your comfortknowing that nothing can separate us from your lovein Christ Jesus our Lord.Amen.Every blessing,Patrick, Nick & Gareth.
