The Vicar's December 2011 Letter

VICAR’S LETTER DECEMBER 2011

GOD OF SURPRISES

As Christmas approaches I had expected to be energized by the experience of a 30 day retreat at the Ignatian Spirituality Centre in North Wales. Instead a smashed elbow and cracked pelvis have dominated my life (and that of Claire) for several months. So God presented me with the “retreat” I hadn’t planned. There’s lots to reflect on. Centrally, I have faced what happens when our personal clock runs too fast and we forget to live in God’s time. What will it be like for me to live – in the next stage of my ministry at St Mary’s – as encourager and mentor of all who are now taking forward our share in God’s mission in this place?

BLESSED

Christian faith is rooted in the gift of God’s love. “God gave us his only son”. God loves and forgives us endlessly hoping for our response of love and gratitude and works of love. God inspires us to bless others by our generosity. God’s very Spirit is in the gift. I experienced this through Claire, Marion and Michael Oakes immediately after the accident and many parishioners since. And also through the paramedics, surgeons and staff on ward 9.

If I didn’t know it before, I do now, how much I am loved by so many people – phone calls, texts, e mails, cards, visits, car journeys to the hospital and lots of food, wine and from the wardens an excellent single malt. Thank you for all of that. I have felt very humbled and appreciative. The staff and wardens need our very special thanks for not just holding everyone together but taking forward all the projects and ideas for Advent, Christmas and Lent, as well as day to day matters and relationships. It’s a sign of how much we have absorbed the understanding of God’s trinitarian life as we serve one another dynamically.

I think we all would want especially to thank Eileen, our associate priest for the noble way in which she has led the community at this time. With her particular blend of imagination, discernment and generosity I have seen her holding the reins with just the right amount of authority. And I know how she has protected me from stuff when my mind was fully focussed on bodily recovery. Thank you Eileen!

FOLLOWING OUR CALL

A key element in Ignatian spirituality is the question, “What is my deepest desire?” If we have a clear answer we shall know why on life’s journey we sometimes feel encouraged and sometimes discouraged. As we begin to think of the journey of Mary and Joseph towards Bethlehem, I want to reflect on the next phase of St Mary’s corporate life as we look into 2012. There will be several pilgrimages to build our faith. Ruth Blake, William Walker and Bryan Morgan are taking the lead in a Pledging Scheme to facilitate further Building Development fundraising. The Duchess of Northumberland has kindly agreed to preside on the evening of June 28^th when we draw this to a close and look forward to seeing the next phase of our church refurbishment.

All of this is great and important but our deepest desire needs to be to experience God and know Jesus as a personal friend. Church exists to communicate the message of Jesus Christ so that others hear it, believe it and themselves become communicators of Good News.

HOW TO CONNECT?

We tend to think life is tough for churches at the present time but every age has its challenge. In the sixteenth century Ignatius was successful in communicating God’s love in a world of colossal change. The institutional church faced many challenges, Luther had been excommunicated for his views, Columbus had discovered the New World, Magellan had circumnavigated the globe, the world was opening up and the church seemed to be breaking up. Sounds familiar?

I’ve had so many conversations during my time of immobility, with visitors who care passionately about these things. In the early 21^st century we know what its like to face colossal change but we are guardians of a future not our own; the work we do now will provide the basis for the world of our children and theirs. And how do we who profess faith and participate in the church begin to connect with our neighbours so that we can communicate the Gospel?

In every age and place the church’s task remains constant even though the context varies:

To be an apostolic community is:

1. to be those sent out to carry on the work of Jesus

2. to believe in abundance, not scarcity
3. to take risks and trust that God will provide all we need
4. to know that the power of the Holy Spirit is fully alive and present in our ministry and to expect grace to give energy to our work
5. and to know that God will use us for the building of the Kingdom.

This year’s Advent events and Crib Service give us opportunity to draw into worship and conversation many who live in our neighbourhood. For those in work, with a mortgage and young children, life is filled with activity. The question for our church community is not how we can “get them to come to church”. Remember the work of missionary Vincent Donovan, summarized by a student as:

        Do not try to get them back to where they were.

        Do not try to get to get them to where you are.

        Would you have the courage to go with them to a place where

        neither you nor they have ever been before?

As we go into 2012 it’s time to love our whole neighbourhood and its people enough to use every ounce of imagination to help them know God’s persistent love and to walk with them long enough to help them find a way of following their own call.

With deepest thanks and best wishes for Christmas and the New Year – from me and all the staff team

Your parish priest

Robin