Vicars Letter January 2010Last modified on 2010-01-31 16:44:33 GMT. 0 comments. Top. Dear Friends, Sylvia and I would like to thank you all for your Christmas good wishes, both verbally expressed and via the many cards we received. We are sorry not to have responded with cards to everyone but, what with getting ready for the family and the many things to attend and organise at church, it was simply not possible to do. New Year is not a particularly significant moment for the Christian faith as it has been for some religions. For the latter the turn of the year was perhaps coupled with the idea of new life as the days started to grow longer again. For us, however, our festival of new life is Easter, the day when Christ rose from the dead. Quite a lot of people still keep up the habit making New Year Resolutions though. I’d be interested to hear whether any of you have ever found doing this to be either useful or lasting. Maybe I am just incapable of applying myself, but I don’t think I have ever kept such a resolution in my life! One that often recurs, for example, is to learn German, something I would dearly like to do, but whatever the effort in January, by February it has all run into the sand. To make sure the same thing doesn’t happen within our Christian life, I think there are one or two principles which may help us to keep growing as believers. The first is to set oneself an achievable target. It might be limited in scope – read a few verses of the bible daily, rather than aiming to read the whole thing by January 31st. Or it could be limited in time, for example trying to attend a study course just five sessions in length. A second and very helpful hint is to do whatever it is with someone else. Our Lord didn’t choose one disciple, but a group of twelve. Finally, do or take part in something with a quick pay off. What I mean by that is, think about what you enjoy already as a Christian. Is it worship in a congregation? Praying quietly in an empty church? Saying your prayers at home? Reading the bible with a study guide? Whatever it is, do a little more of it. If a bit did you good, more will be even better. I wonder if I could turn the same principles to good account with my German?! I was amazed at the response to the Christingle Service last month. There was an extremely heavy basket full of envelopes and cash for the Children’s Society and a huge pile of presents for disadvantaged children helped by the NSPCC. Many thanks to Wendy for her hard work beforehand, to the school for making the Christingle and encouraging so many pupils to come, and to Melanie for dealing with the admin afterwards. A couple of church festivals catch my eye this month. We don’t finish with Christmas until January 6th which is Epiphany, or the visit of the wise men (though we celebrate it on Sunday 3rd). They came from a far country so, traditionally, this festival is linked to the fact that Christianity is a universal faith, open to all. It is unlike Judaism is this, which – at least for more orthodox Jews – is passed down through the matrilineal line by heredity, which makes it closed. The Conversion of St Paul on January 25th underscores this, as he was the Apostle of the Gentiles. I am delighted that our congregations, despite the fact that they are village churches, both make it obvious to visitors that they too are open to newcomers. Closing the mental doors is death for a church; opening those doors is the way to life. Richard |
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