Dear Friends,As I write this, we are fast approaching Easter. Our tendency is to rush over the difficult things that happened to Jesus in his last days, the grief that his mother and friends bore, and we run full pelt into the Resurrection. The tradition of attending church on Good Friday is left to a few faithful people, perhaps because the topic for that day is just too hard!We hardly ever talk about death except when someone we know is coming towards the end of life. Yet, death is an everyday fact of life, in nursing we believed that it is the final act of living. There have been various bits of research that have suggested that we have ‘professionalised’ death in this country, we have ‘forgotten’ how to accompany someone as they take their final breath. The result of this is that death happens behind closed doors or away in the hospital, those that are left behind in the community forget (perhaps, gladly so) that this is something that will one day happen to them. And rather than come to terms with the prospect that life is not forever, try and do everything they possibly can to prolong life.Don’t get me wrong, I am in full favour of improved medical techniques and interventions. But, as a human being, I, as do friends, family, colleagues need to understand that death happens at the end of life. Some lives are shorter than others for all sorts of reasons, some are longer though they wish it were not so. The life we have we must live.Good Friday reminds us that that there is good and evil in the world. Good Friday reminds us that we as human beings can do unspeakable things to others. Good Friday reminds us that we do not need to be afraid of death. Jesus tells us:““Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”At the time the disciples were confused by what Jesus was saying, but then came the resurrection, and gradually as they experienced Jesus in their lives again, they came to understand that heaven is a very real phenomena and that eternal life is only possible through belief in Jesus. They were no longer afraid of death.As we celebrate being an Easter people I pray that you too will experience new life in Jesus.Grace and peace, Revd Caroline
Dear Friends,As you read this we will be well and truly in the season of Lent. Lent is a funny season as many people have heard about giving up something as we enter into the Easter story, yet do not really understand why we do it. We associate Lent with fasting. In the Bible we are told that we might fast in order to try and get closer to God, it helps focus our hearts and minds as we allow other distractions to fall away. It is common practice to give up chocolate -especially for those who hate the stuff! Some choose to give up alcohol, or meat, others go without a meal one day each week, some will give up screen time or in particular their TV. It is incredible how much time you regain when you switch off the TV!As a Christian I have practiced fasting through Lent giving up an hour of sleep each day to start my day with prayer instead, I have indeed given up things like the TV, and meat. Rather than focusing on what I am missing I tend to focus on something more positive for example my time with God, and how I love my neighbour. The 40 days of kindness challenge recently released to our local schools pick up on this idea, that each day through Lent try do something extraordinarily kind. We are being selfless in the act yet practising what Jesus taught us exactly -love thy neighbour. Can you incorporate one selfless act each day into your daily schedule? It will involve sacrifice, thoughtfulness, love, and careful listening as you discover the needs of those around you. Through Lent we remember the passage that tells the story of how Jesus was flung into the desert by the Holy Spirit. We must remember this is not a punishment, it is an opportunity to grow and to understand God’s purposes within the world. This is what happened to Jesus. He was able to focus on God’s will and not give into the temptation to be relevant i.e. feeding the world, to be spectacular, as he resisted throwing himself off a high place, and to be powerful, by resisting the temptation to take control of the world. Jesus chose instead to follow his Fathers footsteps to humbly serve the world through love, mercy and grace. This Lent what will your focus be?Grace and peace, Rev'd Caroline
We will shortly be starting our Christmas countdown. For the year 2’s at both Westbury Leigh and Dilton Marsh schools they have had a head start! Each year, I invite the children in year 2 to invite Mary, Joseph and a donkey to have a sleep over at their home. The kit includes the story of the Nativity, and a journal. The children are invited to use their imaginations and to write a journal entry as if they might be Mary, Joseph or even the donkey. You can imagine how much the children enjoy this activity. I, too, enjoy sharing it with them and look forward to joining the children on the last day of term to see how they got on and the adventures that Mary and Joseph have been on. It sometimes feels a bit strange talking about Christmas just as we are in the season of remembering those whom have gone before us, whether that’s family members recently, those who have been killed in action or those who lived many years ago but were heroic in their faith. I am mindful that in todays culture we want everything fast whether that’s meals, washing, communications, commute times, coffee, we even want people to ‘get over their grief’ fast. Grief is an emotion that causes great sadness in ones’ life. It is not something that can be rushed. We experience grief for various reasons - it may be that we have lost our jobs, our security, our home, our dreams or even hope for the future. When things change we often feel grief even if we know that the change is for a good reason. When Joseph asked Mary to marry him, he would have been delighted when she said yes, you can perhaps, imagine his shock, confusion and grief when she told him she was going to have a baby (when he knew it wasn’t his!). Joseph was reassured through a dream, he developed the confidence to go ahead with the marriage and to bring Jesus up as his own. Joseph and Mary had a lot to deal with in Jesus’s early years, they had to escape from Israel as they feared persecution, they became refugees taking up residence in Egypt before being able to go back to their homeland. We do not know much about those particular years, but when we watch the plight of the refugees today we know that people, families have to find a way to survive it is not something they would choose to do. I think almost everyone would prefer the stability of family and friends around them as well as the security of home and work. When I went to visit the schools, I was challenged by one child in particular, he told me that he thought Santa was mean as not every child would receive a gift this Christmas. He is right to be cross about that! He is right to think about children who will not hear about God’s love brought to them through his Son Jesus. Perhaps as Christians we have become too much caught up in the hype of Christmas tinsel and parties and have forgotten how to be open, as Mary and Joseph were, to the love of God being born within. As we contemplate our preparations for Christmas Day perhaps you would like to include a 10 min break at midday and pray with me for the children and families that are caught up in dangerous situations and ask God to make his presence known to them (and to yourself), that they/we may experience his love like never before. What a perfect gift to give this Christmas, Grace and peace, Caroline From the registers Holy Trinity Church 5th Nov Brody Adam Aaron Williams Oakley Adam Aaron Williams
Please pray for the following:For all who are restricted by tyranny or the dominance of others.For those who are persecuted for their faith.For help for those who seek a safe passage away from oppression, poverty, war or disaster.For those in refugee camps and others who are homeless, lead them to settled lives.For those who have had to leave families, friends and homes behind. Help them in their loss and grief. Show them companionship.For guidance for all who care for the world’s poor, refugees and war-torn people.For the leaders of nations to be inspired to resolve the crisis of refugees and the displacement of people.Our community blessings this month are for the High Street and Scool Lane.
