Letter from Fr.Marcus – October ‘08

My Dear Friends,

Well congratulations to me. On October 4^th I will have been in post here for one year, and I can’t tell you how quickly it has gone. I remember my first Sunday, we celebrated Harvest Festival, and I told a story about Jammie Dodgers (biscuits) and there were lots of children in church, and the place was packed, but nearly everyone was a stranger to me. It was quite a weird feeling, but also very reassuring, knowing that those strangers were soon to become friends.

We have done great things during our year together; we have got to know one another and get a flavour of how we tick, and done lots of laughing, learning and praying and I can truly say that Midhurst feels like home. I can take Woof for all sorts of walks in the woods and not get lost (although I did get lost looking for the Vicarage at Rogate this morning). I hope you are feeling at home with me.

By the time you read this we will have had ‘Back to Church Sunday’ and we will see how many people we have welcomed back or welcomed for the first time into our church. But whatever the figure, we still have a great deal to do. My task here is fairly simple: it is to love God, and love my neighbour (the same task that you have). I try to express my love for God by the way that I/we worship, and it is my prayer that our worship leads us to an experience of the Love and Presence of God. Sometimes that is very tangible and God seems very real; I have been trying to discern what makes that happen on some occasions more than others and I feel the answer is twofold. Firstly, my expectation, expressed by what I bring in my soul to the service; If I feel ‘right with God’ and in my life and actions I am trying to discern and do God’s will, then I believe I am more likely to feel his presence when we worship. If my mind is full of the baggage of my personal issues, or I am distracted by thoughts far away, then my mind wanders, and I miss that beautiful feeling that is to do with being in ‘Holy Communion’ with God. Maybe it is to do with our preparation. Being at worship when all is in order is so much more spiritually productive than those times when we seem to be ‘busy’ in church. Space and silence within our worship are great channels allowing the flow of God’s grace.

The second ingredient of holy worship is to do with our deepest attitude as we come. It is not about ‘going to church’ but much rather about ‘being church.’ Our beautiful church is not the building but the people, and they are very beautiful every one, because they (we) each have more than a spark of the divine in us. We are the Body of Christ in this place. We are the expressions of God’s love, and we do the loving and caring and forgiving and preaching and healing that Jesus talked about. What I believe is important is how we understand that. We are frail human beings, and we don’t know all the answers, but that does not stop God using us, You and Me, to make his presence felt in our church and community. God works through so many people, many of them the most unexpected, and it is our privilege to show his love to one another.

This leads me to part two of my task: Loving our neighbour. For me, it is all about relationships, and that is what I try to do. Find ways to build relationships with people, whoever they are, and then see what happens and look for opportunities to show Christian love. I have lost count (not that I was counting) of how many people I have met during the last year, but there have been more than I could ever remember. This is why I believe our music event in the Market Square for the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene, the birth of Samboogie, my work in schools and things like the holiday club are so important. They create the opportunities for diverse people to come together and bond. In all these things seeds are sown, and it is our glorious task to tend those seeds, and nurture these relationships. I ask you to pray for me as I go about these things.

So, one year on, a little older, a little wiser, a few more grey hairs, but having received countless blessings I look forward to many more years living amongst you, and together building the Kingdom of God in this place.

As ever, Fr. Marcus.