Hertingfordbury Parish News: October 2002
Clergy Letter
Dear Friends, Christmas comes but once a year! What a ridiculous expression; and yet it's uttered so often, usually prefixed by "Thank goodness...". When of course in actual fact everything only comes round once a year, except days and weeks and months and they of course occur daily weekly and monthly! How sad it is that we abuse the beauty of our language so often with trite meaningless comments like the one I began this letter with. I'm a touch on the old fashioned side myself, traditional to a point, NEVER wanting or accepting change for changes sake. Yet I hope with enough gumption to move on and to grow in order to be part of TODAY. I will argue my cause, (do not like to be proved wrong), but willing to concede that the other person has a right to their opinion and to voice it but not dictate a way that may suit them but not everyone. Being a Christian is exactly as I have described above. There are many ways to worship God though His Son Jesus Christ, one is to live a good and healthy life, another to do as you would be done by. Then there's the taking time to not only listen but to actually HEAR what another person is saying. There's the taking time to be quiet and getting lost in the moment and drawing strength from that situation. Of course there's always going to church as well, to be with other people who also want and need to be with others of like mind, or even to go into an empty church and be surrounded by the peace and the prayers that have been uttered by the thousands who have been there before you. Going to the church building at other times is good too. On our Patronal weekend many people came to St. Mary's to take part in or to look and listen to the video, the play reading, the photographs, paintings and the many other offerings of talent that were on display. It did not turn our House of Prayer into a den of iniquity, quite the opposite in fact., it showed it to be a living centre of our Parish, it was alive in a very different way, as it is when concerts take place there, it becomes the stage for displaying the variety of gifts that have been granted to people. To use the House of God in this way is to be encouraged, our beautiful building should not be allowed to stand empty and silent from Monday to Saturday, unless of course we believe that God only turns His attention to us between 8 am and 8.30 am and 9.30 am to 10.30 am Sunday mornings (not forgetting Evensong once a month!). I don't believe that and I'm certain those of you reading this don't either. The invitation is open to come and join in on Sundays and see where that leads you the rest of the week. Christmas, Easter, Birthdays etc. most certainly only come once a year, but the Love of God is minute by minute and His house is your house and the welcome never changes. Love and Blessings, Rev'd Rosemary.Please note: Although the Hertingfordbury Parish News is produced by St. Mary's PCC, the opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the PCC.