From the Rectory

Dear All

This edition comes hot on the heels of our special stewardship publication, but it is by no means meant to supplant it! Indeed, our stewardship effort continues to be active until our parish lunch on the Feast of Christ the King, on 24th November. Between now and then, please do consider the content of our previous edition and I invite you to discern prayerfully how you might respond to it.

It makes sense to me that this stewardship effort coincides with our marking of a season of creation, for our concern for the earth is intimately connected to the care we exercise over the small parts of it for which we have responsibility – and that includes our church community and all its resources. As I said last time, our primary ‘resource’ is much more than some items to put to good use, but is nothing less than our very life, lived in the pattern of Christ’s way of self-giving love.

Gregory the Theologian said that a human being is like another universe. If we look within ourselves, we can see the entire world because every part of us comes from elsewhere. So, as a microcosm of the cosmos, we being our care for creation with out bodies, our own actions, our own thoughts, our own prayers and praises. And because everything is present within us, everything is connected to us. There is no separation between us and the whole of creation.

So there is no separation between us and the suffering of the world, whether that be caused by extremes of climate or by the heat of war. How, then, shall we express our connection with those who face violence every day? One response is to seek a partnership with an Anglican church in Palestine, and we are exploring that possibility.

And as we week to reduce the distance between those of us who live comfortably in our city and those whose lives are insecure, what partnerships might we make to extend the world of Monday lunches?

These questions might lead us to reconsider the way in which we give a proportion of our church income to good causes, suggesting a more active partnership that is sustained over time rather than one-off donations. Your thoughts on this would be very welcome.

With my prayers,
Fr John