LETTER FROM THE VICARAGE

 

“I have come that you may have life, in all its fullness”

My Dear Friends,

(well you soon will be, so why hang around)

That quote is, of course, not me speaking, but it comes from John 10:10.  But it is at the heart of my understanding of the gospel, and it is without doubt what I will be encouraging us all to do in the weeks, months and years ahead.  Live life to the full.

It will be different for all of us, and for those outside the faith it may mean very different things than it does to those who are on a spiritual journey, but however we understand it, we can’t get away from the fact that Jesus’ message is such a positive one.  Always loving, always forgiving, and always seeing the very best in every situation.  And encouraging us to be pro-active in all our dealings. “Do to others as you would want them to do to you.”

It is with all this in mind that I sometimes struggle with the way the church allows herself to be perceived.  It is quite easy to find people who see Christianity as a controlling force: you can’t do this, that or the other.  Or to see the church squabbling with itself about issues that are hardly important compared with the great sense of mission that I believe should be in our hearts.  And what about all this guilt! The church talks about sin so much, that many people never get to embrace the great liberation that comes with forgiveness, because the assumption is that we are sinning all the time, and therefore constantly in need of repentance.

Interestingly, that is not what I find in the gospels.  I discover a friend, a companion whose love for me (and you) is constant and unconditional.  He shows me how to live by setting a pattern that brings sheer joy to all those who strive to try it.  The gospel for me is not about original sin, but Original Blessing, and all which that means.

So, how do we live life to the full?  I believe it is about doing what Jesus called us to do. And it takes a long time. We are called to love God, with all our heart and mind and soul and strength.  And to love our neighbours as ourselves.  Well my friends that is our homework for the next few years.

Loving God: knowing him, but immersing ourselves in the great stories of scripture.  Reading our Bibles out loud, and imagining ourselves in the stories, and allowing the meaning to get right into our skin.  Accepting the fact that the opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty.  We don’t know all there is to know, and the heart of our belief is mystery, and that is what makes it so exciting.  Getting to think the unthinkable: Gospel thoughts.  Yes we can forgive those who we believed were beyond forgiveness.  Yes we can respond to the call to go to the very places we never dreamt of going.  Yes we can do God’s will, and if we try really hard, we can even discern it in our own lives.

But perhaps the best way we are able to Love God is through our worship.  For two thousand years have found no better way than to break bread together, and with faith comes a genuine sense of awe and wonder.  “The Lord is here” we proclaim.  He has invited us to share in his feast.  What better way to show our love, than to accept that invitation, and take part knowing that the source of all things will come and dwell in our hearts.

He makes the dumb speak, the deaf to hear, the lame walk and the blind to see.  Both literally, and metaphorically.  He brings release to captives and freedom to all who are bound.  He encourages us to live life in all its fullness, and when we do there is joy in heaven, and in our hearts.

And what about loving our neighbour.  The Benedictines have it right.  They remind us to treat everyone as though they were Christ Himself, and so we should.  We all came from God, and we have more than a spark of that divine nature within us.  And if you would welcome Christ with open arms, then that is what we do to each other.  (Having said that, obviously safety issues apply when we are encountering strangers, but I am sure you get the point).

So, it is about loving one another, valuing, honouring, respecting and trusting.  It is never our place to judge. It is never our place to gossip, and it is always right for us to remember that “Love keeps no score of wrongs.” (1 Cor. 13)

And so, my little flowers, we begin our time together.  I am so looking forward to getting to know you all, and falling in love every day.  I am so keen to hear your stories, and learn from your journeys, and where I can to share in your lives.

Jesus’ great new commandment is that we love one another, and for my part I will try to do that to the best of my ability.

May God fill your heart with all his blessings,

Fr. Marcus.

 

ALL HALLOWS, WOOLBEDING

Sadly our month has been marred by the death of David Sharp.

His funeral was held on the 24^th August in a church bursting at the seams.  Despite importing sixty extra chairs which were slotted into every nook and cranny, including the vestry and all round the altar, people were still standing outside both the porch and the chancel door.  It was a tribute to a marvellous member of our congregation.  An obituary is printed elsewhere.

David was the senior member of those powerful cycling elite the Woolbeding Wheelers, and this year his absence was keenly felt.  The Ride and Stride event of the Sussex Historic Churches Trust took place on 8^th September.  In the past the team has covered most of the churches in West Sussex, but this year we confined ourselves to the Rother Valley, and the churches that David loved so much.  We picked up the six sites in Midhurst in short order before visiting Easebourne, followed by home base and then on to Stedham, including an illegal and tricky descent of the steep path to Stedham Mill.  The threat of stinging nettles on the bridleway to Iping forced us past Rother Hill.  Then on to the delightful Chithurst and warlike Trotton; (the Lords Camoy seem to have fought in all the major battles of Plantagenet times) and then to lonely Terwick in its lupin field and Rogate with its magnificent bell tower.  Then there was a long haul south to Harting.  Ah, the magnificence of the spread that awaits one at the Congregational church!  SS Mary and Gabriel plied us with apples, and then on to Elsted where there were yet more biscuits.

Our lunch stop was hardly necessary from a nutritional point of view, but England is at its best when seated in the sunshine with a pint of ale to hand, overlooking the North scarp of the Downs from the garden of Three Horseshoes.  Refreshed we sped on past the two ruins at Treyford. (“to lose one church may be a misfortune, but to lose two sounds like carelessness”) and so to Didling’s shepherds church, thence to heavy towered Bepton and on to Cocking.  The morning had been cool but now the heat of the afternoon burned strongly on our backs as we toiled on the slopes of the narrow lane to Heyshott.  From Heyshott we made use of a footpath that took us directly to Dunford house and its little sanctuary.  A struggle uphill brought us finally to West Lavington, now under threat of closure; a tragedy, as surely the resting place of Richard Cobden should be a national memorial.  There are few more beautiful places to cycle than the back lanes of the Rother Valley, and few more attractive buildings than our little parish churches.

Special thanks go to all those who manned the church during the day.  Nine people spent an hour each in the church to welcome our twenty nine visitors.  Thank you for your gift of time. Also, very many thanks to our sponsors who have given so generously, not only this year, but also in previous years.  It is unlikely that we will reach the totals of the last two years, but we should achieve our twelve year average of £500.

Diary

7^th October       8am   Holy Communion

21^st October     8am    Holy Communion

4^th November   8am    Holy Communion