Hertingfordbury Parish News: September 2002
Clergy Letter
Dear Friends, They say you cannot teach an old dog new tricks. Well may be they (whoever they are) are right, but I believe that we are never too old to learn, and should never be too proud as to whom we learn from. For instance, did you know that there are over 2000 species of Moth in the UK? I didn't, to me a moth was always one of those annoying little creatures that hit the light at night or seem to come straight at you when you are reading in bed and the window is open; also to my uneducated eye they were always grey or brown, Now I know better; one night in August a moth trap was set up at the bottom of our garden. In the morning I was amazed to find 16 different species of moth; they were not all brown or grey either. There were mottled ones, ones with beautiful coloured underwings, some were tiny (these are called micro moths), others like the Large Yellow Underwing were large, the sort that go bang against the window. Who taught me this? Two of my grandchildren aged 7 and 5. 1 am now the proud owner of a book to help me identify any others that t come into contact with. 'What on earth is she rambling on about?' I hear those of you who are stilt with me ask. Its quite simple really; I was totally (in my ignorance) unaware of the existence of the variety of Moth species not only in this country but the world over, oh yes I knew there were others somewhere but I hadn't appreciated the many differences in colour, shape and size. It took me a while to come to grasp the simple truth that the human race is exactly the same. We come in many shapes, colours, Races and Creeds, and not everyone appreciates our individuality, our right to speak or have a way of life that may be different to our neighbours. In our increasing multi-cultural society, we have to protect what we believe in; at the moment Christianity is under attack, it is being undermined by those who either do not understand or have no wish to be involved. The latter is a human right and I have no argument with that. However I do believe that we should fight for what we believe in and have the right to protect and value our Christian Heritage. Our friends of other faiths must be allowed their privacy but not be allowed to override the centuries of Christian tradition that has been the Rock of our Nation. Like the moths, in many ways we are similar but if we are observed closely there are differences and it is these differences that must be respected not forced on or forced from the lives of the children God created to care for His earth. Our Lord Jesus died for US, we must in His name be tolerant and prayerful that one day the whole of Clod's creation will come together in a united love and peace. That Peace that passes all understanding and is ours for the asking. I'm the owner of a book on moths, I am also the very proud owner of a well thumbed and much read book, it is called the Holy Bible, I can thoroughly recommend it for first time reading or a refresher; to dip into; to gain comfort and to offer comfort. A whole library between two covers; it won't give all the answers; it might even make you ask questions. Perhaps old dogs can learn new tricks given the right encouragement!!' With love and Blessings Rev'd RosemaryPlease 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.