 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
Letters from the Rectory 2003
FEBRUARY 2003 - CRISIS IN IRAQ
My dear friends
You may remember that in my letter in the last issue of our parish magazine (click here for December 2002 magazine) I
made passing reference to the need for peace in our world at Christmas time. It seems that now the world
stands on the brink of yet another conflict. Our politicians are talking to us of a ?just war?. We as Christians
need to be clear about one thing. War is sin. War separates us from our loving Father and it is something that
saddens his loving heart.
War will mean that innocent civilian people will be caused immense suffering - if our previous history has
taught us anything - we know that this has to be the case. Even in this age of strategic missiles the innocent
are hurt, and the militarists will talk of ?acceptable losses?. To God the single loss of life is unacceptable.
In the case of Iraq, no one can estimate with confidence the proportion of such suffering to the innocent.
Irrespective of individual views on the rights and wrongs of any proposed military action, it can be argued that
the time is opportune to re-examine the traditional principles of the just war.
Our bishops have met on the 14th January in Leeds to do just that and examine this current issue. They have
come to a number of conclusions.
They believe that the governments stated aim of disarming Iraq of her weapons of mass destruction would
best be done through the United Nations inspectors. To launch military action while there remains the
potential to secure a peaceful resolution would be ill judged and premature. The Bishops also felt that a
conclusive case has still to be made by our politicians in favour of military action against Iraq, and that the
connection between Al-Qaeda and Iraq or whether Iraq poses any international threat has still to be proved,
and therefore military action is morally unjustified. It urged that all nations should support the weapons
inspectors in their work and called on Iraq to be open in their dealings. It asked that proper attention is given
to the basic humanitarian needs of the Iraqi people, and that they are welcomed back in to the community of
nations after years of persecution under the Saddam Hussein Regime and after years of sanctions by other
nations of the world. It saw a connection between the crisis in the Middle East peace talks between Israel and
Palestine based on security and viability for the people of both nations. It noted that there exists currently in
our world a great deal of suspicious and insecurity and called on the government and media to refrain from
the use of language and expression which might be seen as using religion as an excuse for conflict and
contribute to extremist and exclusivist attitudes.
The final paragraph said this:-
?We in return will continue to work with other faith leaders, both here and overseas, to strengthen the bonds
of community relations and cohesions at this difficult time. We return to our dioceses determined in Christ to
call on all members of the Church of England to engage with people of faith to pray for the world and for
those entrusted with the grave responsibility of taking decisions which will have immense, widespread and
unpredictable consequences not only for Iraq and the Gulf region but for us all?.
I think you will agree that our bishops have taken a measured and responsible stance and that we should, all
of us, pray for peace in this region and for our world leaders.
You might like to use the following:-
Almighty Father,
whose will is to restore all things
in your beloved Son, the king of all:
govern the hearts and minds of those in authority,
and bring the families of the nations,
divided and torn apart by the ravages of sin,
to be subject to his just and gentle rule;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
O God, who would fold both heaven and earth in a single peace:
Let the design of thy great love
lighten upon the waste of our wraths and sorrows:
and give peace to thy Church,
peace among nations,
peace in our dwellings,
and peace in our hearts:
through thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.
With my love and prayers
Fr Stephen.
MARCH 2003 - THE BEGINNERS GUIDE TO LENT
It is often true that we learn more from books, guides and talks aimed at children than when we have more
complex information thrown at us. As Christians in a predominantly secular society we need to be sure of the
basis of our faith and clear about the practises we undertake as part of living out that faith. For some of us
our Confirmation preparation may be only a few months ago and for others more than half a century ago but
one element of Lent is that the Church invites us to revisit our preparation for initiation into the Christian Faith
(Baptism or Confirmation classes) as a discipline for renewing our commitment at Easter. In fact this ?faith
preparation? theme has been restored in the services and readings for Lent and parishes are encouraged to
prepare people for Baptism, First-Communion and Confirmation during the weeks of Lent ? as was the
custom of the early church.
So I would like briefly to revisit some of the themes and customs of Lent. What follows may be simplistic but I
hope not patronising!
1. Why Ash Wednesday?
Ashes are an ancient symbol of repentance (sackcloth and ashes). They also remind us of our mortality
("remember that you are dust") and so of the day when we will stand before God and be judged. This can be
linked easily to the death and resurrection theme of Baptism. To prepare well for the day we die, we must die
now to sin and rise to new life in Christ. Being marked with ashes at the beginning of Lent shows our
recognition of the need for deeper conversion of our lives during this season of renewal.
2. What are the official rules for Fasting and the Observance of Lent in the Church of England?
The days of fasting or abstinence are set out in the Book of Common Prayer and in Common worship. The 40
(week)days of Lent (particularly Ash Wednesday and Holy Week) ought specially to be observed. (Canon
B6.3) Fasting may be defined as considerably reducing the amount we eat and abstinence means abstaining
from meat or what may be considered luxury. The Eucharist has to be celebrated in a Parish Church on every
Sunday and principal Feast Day including Ash Wednesday and Maundy Thursday. (Canon B14.1) It is clear
that although the Canons of the Church of England encourage the observance of days of discipline and
self-denial, common sense should be followed for reasons of health!
3. Why do we give things up for Lent?
A friend of mine told me that he had urged his children to move beyond giving up chocolate to giving up some
habit of sin that was obvious in their lives. About halfway through Lent he asked the children how they were
doing with their Lenten promise. His eldest son had promised to give up fighting with his sister during Lent.
When his father asked him how it was going, the boy replied, "I'm doing pretty good, Dad?but I can't wait until
Easter!" That response shows that he had only partly understood the purpose of Lenten "giving up." Lent is
about conversion, turning our lives more completely over to Christ and his way of life. That always involves
giving up sin in some form. The goal is not just to abstain from sin for the duration of Lent but to root sin out
of our lives forever. Conversion means leaving behind an old way of living and acting in order to embrace new
life in Christ.
The popular idea of 'giving things up' in Lent, however inadequately it is often understood, has its liturgical
expression in the stark simplicty of Lenten worship. In part this is to express a spirit of penitence. But it is also
in order to provide striking contrast wlth the joyful celebration of Easter. This 'giving up' traditionally includes
the omission of the Gloria in Excelsis at the eucharist, the absence of flowers from the church, and the careful
selection of texts (for instance of hymns) to avoid the use of the word 'Alleluia' and similar expressions of joy
which will greet the resurrection on Easter Day. These are only examples of how a distinctive atmosphere can
be introduced into the worship of the season. Priest and people must aim at an austerity that is quite different
from dreariness.
There has also grown up a custom of 'veiling' crosses and statues. To obscure the cross in Lent and Holy
Week is misplaced, though the substitution of a simple wooden cross or crucifix for a more colourful or
expensive one might be an impressive symbol, and the removal of banners and veiling of statues could
enhance the atmosphere of Lent.
4. Why the Stations of the Cross?
This very old custom is not just limited to Lent. It is a good meditation for the whole of the Christian year.
However because of its concentration on the passion and death of Jesus it helps to draw us closer to his
suffering and so make connections with out own journey of faith. The Resurrection may not be clearly seen as
part of the traditional ?Stations? but we should see all our life ? its sin, suffering and sorrow ? in the glorious
light of Easter.
5. Why Palm Sunday?
As we near the end of Lent, we celebrate Palm Sunday. At the beginning of the service, we receive palms in
memory of Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. As a symbol of triumph, the palms point us toward Christ's
resurrection and might remind us of the saints in heaven "wearing white robes and holding palm branches in
their hands" (Rev 7:9). The white robes remind us of baptismal garments, and the palms suggest their
triumph over sin and death through the waters of Baptism.
6. What is the Triduum?
Lent comes to an end before the evening Eucharist of the Lord's Supper on Maundy Thursday. That service
begins the ?Triduum?, the great Three Days that celebrate the central mystery of our faith. Triduum rituals
invite us all to the most important and deepest baptismal renewal of the Christian year.
Washing of Feet: After the sermon on Maundy Thursday, we imitate our Lord in the washing of feet. This
ritual reminds us that our baptismal commitment means we are to be servants of one another. The word
Maundy comes from the Latin ?mandatum? meaning ?commandment? when Jesus gave us a new
commandment (John 13.34). Washing feet may seem strange to us but it reflects more the customs and
realities of living in dry dusty climates.
Veneration of the Cross: As part of our observance of Good Friday, we venerate the cross on which Christ
died. The veneration challenges us to be willing to accept the cross, too, for it is the only way to resurrection.
Through Baptism, we shared in Christ's death that we might come to new life. Every year we are called to
deepen our identification with his cross and resurrection.
Waters of Baptism: The centre of our celebration of the Easter Vigil is the celebration or renewal of Baptism.
As we share in the joy of this holy night, we are all called to renew our own baptismal promises, to live in the
joy of life in the Risen One. Lent comes to its fulfilment around the waters of the font.
These are just a few of the customs of Lent and Passiontide that the Church has developed over the
centuries. Whatever we undertake as part of our marking in Lent at home or in church must be done in a
spirit of both penitence and expectation. Let us pray for one another during this holy season so that we may
examine our lives and our faith with penitence and eagerness and look forward with joyful expectation to great
days of Easter.
with my love and prayers,
Fr Stephen
APRIL 2003
Annual Report - go to downloads page.
MAY 2003 - THE POWER OF EASTER
Dear friends
I am writing this letter on the Wednesday afternoon of Holy Week. It is a beautiful afternoon ? the sun is hotter
than it often is in summer, the roads either side of the Rectory are bustling with activity ? road workers,
tree-fellers, mechanics at the garage, children playing in the street, and of course the usual group hanging
round the church gardens! The whole area is bustling with activity ? the life of our community is being played
out 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
It doesn?t seem like Holy Week somehow. The world seems somehow oblivious to the great three days of the
Christian faith which are about to unfold. In the busy-ness of life around me I am reminded that for most
people in our locality this weekend is just like any other ? only it?s longer! There are two extra days ? bank
holidays ? to fill with shopping, playing and money-spending activities. The only bearing Easter will have on
many people is the commercial eggs, cards and days off. The world has changed so much in the last century
that even the greatest of Christian festivals has no real religious meaning to huge portions of our community.
It can feel at times that we as Christians are fighting a loosing battle in terms of evangelism or church
attendance. I read recently that the Decade of Evangelism (1990-2000) actually saw a 25% drop in church
attendance! Should we feel depressed? Are we loosing the life we once knew?
Well by the time you read this Holy Week and Easter Sunday will be over but judging by the last few weeks at
St Agnes I am confident that this year?s celebration of Our Lord?s death and resurrection will be a time of joy
and great festivity. There seem to be no signs of decay or loss in our church life. We are fortunate to be in a
position of relative strength as a local church. This year Lent has been a season of very deep spiritual
renewal for our congregation. Unfortunately the Thursday evening study groups have been poorly attended
but everything else has been excellent. Attendance at Sunday morning Parish Eucharist has been constantly
high, Wednesday morning Eucharist and study groups have been very well attended ? a sign that we are not
one-day a week Christians but people who need our faith every day of our life. The numbers at Stations of
the Cross on Sunday evenings have been up as well ? between 15 and 25. So on the ?worship scale? our
parish has a solid foundation to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord during this Easter season.
Then we have our church building. It has been good to see how well it has been used and cared for over the
past few months. The two cleaning parties ? inside and out ? made the building look so welcoming for anyone
who came. Thank you again to everyone who worked so hard ? I hope we can keep it up. The sign a well kept
building gives to our community is beyond measure. I am sure that those who have walked through the
grounds or entered the church must have noticed that this is a living place of worship. Together with this
cleaning work we now have three excellent new notice boards and signs ? advertising and proclaiming our
presence in this part of Longsight. I mentioned in my parish report at the Annual Church Meeting that I hoped
that our church would be a beacon of hope, a spiritual powerhouse. Grand words and phrases perhaps! but I
do believe that our presence is not un-noticed in this area and with our continued work and prayer we can do
yet more to bring God?s word to our community.
We are fortunate to live in such a mixed cultural environment. One of my hopes is for increased links with
people of other faiths in this area and I want to try this year to start a dialogue with other local faith groups so
we can enrich and enliven one another with our different faith journeys and stories.
So our church stands as a sign. Whilst the secular world around us may celebrate Easter with bank holidays
and chocolate eggs we continue the rich and living tradition of the Risen Christ. Our building already
witnesses to this faith, but during this Easter season we can concentrate on ourselves. During Lent we have
prepared ourselves spiritually and opened our lives up to God?s searching power. In Easter it is our duty ?
and our joy ? to live out the truth of the Resurrection.
For Christians the Resurrection must saturate every part of our lives. All that we do, say or think must be
seen in the light of Christ?s saving power ? a power to restore, a power to heal, a power to forgive ? and
above all a power to celebrate the fullness of life which Easter promises. For some of us this will be made
complicated by the difficult circumstances of life and for others it will be easy to express a joyful faith. We are
to support one another, build one another up as St Paul urges us in his letters.
Easter reminds us that no matter how dark or gloomy the situation, no matter how desperate all may seen we
are cherished and treasured by our loving God. We are held tightly in his loving arms. His promise to us in
Christ Jesus is that he will never leave us or fail us, his strength endures for ever.
So the world may not see a real Easter, but by God?s grace we can feel the power of Easter at work in our
lives. It is this power and peace of the risen Christ we as a church are now called to share with our world.
With my love and prayers
Fr Stephen
JUNE 2003 - CHRISTIAN IDENTITY
I have always found reading a difficult thing. Either I have a short memory or an inability to pick up the plot of
a book but rarely, I confess, have I ever finished a novel. So I tend to stick to factual books ? biographies,
guides, or commentaries where it is not always necessary to remember the previous chapter in order to
understand the next! Last month I spent a week in Rome and despite walking for what seemed miles around
the 900 or so churches in the great city I actually managed to finish a book. ?The English: a portrait of a
people? by Jeremy Paxman was a fabulous book to read. It is a funny and informative look at the English ?
not at ?England?, nor at ?British-ness? ? but what it means or has meant to be English. I have never really
seen myself as English (which by birth I am) ? I tried to be adamantly Welsh when I was in north Wales, I have
often described myself as British and have on more than one occasion termed myself European (much to the
horror of many of my friends!) Identity is a strange thing ? something we all desperately want to seek and,
when we have found, cling to. It helps us to define who we are ? where we have come from and perhaps may
shape where we would like to be going to.
Being fairly pro-Europe I always enjoy visiting continental Europe on holiday ? Spain, France and this time
Italy. Although the culture and languages may be different ? it never seems too distant from what I feel I am as
a British-European. I seem to feel at home with a definite European identity. What this is I do not know ?
perhaps it is just imaginary on my part and not that real.
Wandering through Rome from church to church (which seems to be the inevitable part of a holiday in Rome)
I was struck by the way I felt a part of the Christian heritage which is so evident in the Eternal City. Although
my religious identity is not Roman Catholic, I have always had a strong sense of being a catholic Christian in
the true sense of the word ? universality, commonality, crossing boundaries of time or place. I feel most
comfortable in the Anglican family of the catholic church of Christ but when in Rome I felt that the
denominational divisions which so mar the Church today meant little to me and had no effect. This is ironic.
Surely in Rome of all places I would have felt more keenly the barriers that still divide the Anglican and Roman
traditions? In the light of recent statements from the Vatican reaffirming their stance on Anglican Eucharistic
theology I thought I would still feel an ?outsider?.
But no. My identity as a Christian surpasses the divisions of church labels. The bond between me and the
thousands of other pilgrim-tourists in the churches of Rome was our common Baptism into Christ Jesus, our
common love and devotion to our Lord. The churches of Rome were just like the churches of home. The
signs of our faith were all there to proclaim one Baptism, one Faith, one Lord: the altar for the celebration of
the eucharist or mass, the cross of Christ honoured in every church, the great Easter candle standing proud
in the midst of the building, the stories of saints told in statues and windows. All these things are our common
Christian heritage ? they are our identity as followers of Christ.
The ecumenical record of the Roman Catholic Church is far from good. But reading the latest reports on the
Church of England?s proposed covenant with the Methodist Church it would seem that Anglicans too have a
lot to learn about what is meant by unity in Christ. The peculiarities of each separate denomination must
never be obstacles in our path to unity. They must be celebrated as proud traditions but never obscure our
common identity in Christ. Visiting other churches should always remind us of our common calling ? our
identity ? and not our divisions.
In his book, Jeremy Paxman makes interesting comments about the Church of England. ?Most of the time in
the cities and suburbs, where most of the English people live, the Church of England is almost absent. There
are Anglican vicars heroically toiling in poverty stricken inner-city slums, helping people with their benefit
claims, running soup kitchens and drop-in centres for the elderly or unemployed. But they are working as
social workers ? on half the pay. Their lives are witnesses to a faith, but it is one they are embarrassed to
proclaim, for fear it ?gets in the way? of their work.?
I think this is a rather extreme view. There can be no doubt that the good work carried on by many urban
parishes is ?social work? but I am convinced that this springs from a deep Gospel-driven energy to follow
Christ?s commands in serving the people. It is sad that maybe many people see only the work of the church
and not the message that inspires and directs it. Perhaps the time has come for us to be less shy about
proclaiming our faith. We need to make sure we are not embarrassed (as Paxman puts it) by our faith in
Christ.
Yes we provide many services as a church to people in need ? in time of sickness, death, poverty and
difficulty ? but we must be clear that it is our faith in Jesus which sets this work apart as ?ministry? not just as
a cheap voluntary social service. Pentecost ? the coming of the Holy Spirit ? focuses our attention on the
work of the Spirit in the Church today. If we pray for the Holy Spirit to be with us in our Christian communities
then we can truly be aware of our identity as Christians. It is this faith and active presence of the Holy Spirit
which defines our ministry to other people.
Identity is important ? it tells us who we are and inspires where we will go. Throughout the diversity of the
Christian presence in the world ? a diversity of denominations, traditions, ministry, services and outreach ? we
must never let go of our common identity in Christ. It is his body into which we are baptised, his Risen Spirit
that empowers our work, his love which unites us in our common task. As we celebrate Pentecost let us pray
that God will pour down his Holy Spirit on all Christians so that we may be so sure of our own identity as
Christians that others seek to identify with Christ our Risen Lord.
With my love and prayers
Fr Stephen
JULY 2003 - 'ORDINARY' TIME ?
The church season of ordinary time is upon us. The Sundays after Trinity are called ?ordinary? in that they
have no one connected theme like say Easter or Advent. But ordinary sounds so low key after the solemnity
and festivity of Lent and Easter. How are we to use this time?
Lent, Holy week and Easter were celebrated with great devotion once again at St Agnes ? congregations
were large and the commitment was high. However it is fair to say that the last few weeks since Easter have
seen a small reduction in numbers. This is fairly standard for the time of year but it perhaps can also spur us
on to think about our church attendance. Ordinary time may suggest a less important focus to the church?s
year but that would be a big mistake. It is precisely during these ordinary Sundays that the true importance of
the resurrection and the power of the gospel is worked out and proclaimed. The season of ?after trinity?
provides us with a steady 4 months to build up our faith and commitment.
In this weeks Church Times the cartoon shows the Vicar of St Gargoyle?s replacing the church notice board
service times with a poster reading, ?Worshippers wanted, no experience necessary, apply within?. The
caption underneath reads, ?Anything was worth a try!? I don?t think we have cause to worry unduly but it is
easy during the summer months of warm weather and holidays to let things slip ? and often regular
attendance can be the first to go. Of course sometimes it is not possible to attend every Sunday service or
every weekday Eucharist but if we really believe as Christians that our worship together ? as a parish
community ? strengthens us for the weekly task then it would be foolish of us to become laid-back about our
prayer life.
We are used to disciplining ourselves in Lent and perhaps Advent but how about making a commitment in
?ordinary? time? A commitment to attend an extra service ? Wednesday Eucharist? Saints day? Daily
evening prayer? There is lots going on ? see the Calendar page.
Jesus was all for dragging them in off the streets! (Matthew 22.1-10) Perhaps that is a bit drastic but our duty
of worship and service never ends and our need to attract people to worship is as important as ever.
?Ordinary? time does not mean ?unimportant time?. It is more about our ongoing and sustained commitment
to the worship of Almighty God.
I wish you all a happy and joyful Summer, with my love and prayers,
Stephen
What?s in a name?
Vicar, Rector, Priest-in-charge? The church has a whole stack of names which are used to address clerics
but so often titles are misused and names used in correctly. Here is a quick guide to the three orders of
ministry and the names used in the Anglican Church.
When someone is ordained in the Church of England they are made a DEACON first of all. A deacon is a
minister ordained to assist a priest, to proclaim the gospel, to visit and work with the poor and the sick. He or
she spends the first year of ministry as a deacon before being ordained as a PRIEST. A priest is a man or
woman ordained by the church to celebrate the Eucharist, pronounce absolution and blessing in God?s name
and to continue in the ministries associated with a deacon. The BISHOP is the chief pastor of the church in his
diocese; he is the representative of the universal Church in his diocese, the link between his flock and the
rest of the Church. Only a bishop can ordain other deacons, priests and bishops, and in the Church of
England only a bishop can confirm.
After someone is ordained as a deacon he or she serves as an assistant CURATE ? that is an assistant to
the parish priest. This is often seen as period of apprenticeship and although in some parishes Curates may
have particular areas of concern or particular churches they have no distinct leadership of a parish. After one
year the Curate is ordained as a priest and performs all the functions as any priest would. After a few years
as a Curate, the Curate usually becomes the parish priest of his or her own parish.
The parish priest may be called one of three distinct titles. A priest who is an incumbent is called a RECTOR
or a VICAR. An incumbent has the freehold of a parish and cannot normally be removed from office except in
extreme circumstances. The incumbent is called a RECTOR or VICAR depending on the historic tradition of
the parish. Anciently Rectors had greater authority and often in previous centuries received tithes from
neighbouring parishes. A Vicar was a more ordinary incumbent. Nowadays there is no distinction and Rectors
and Vicars have the same rights and duties. However the slight difference can still be seen in the titles of
team ministries where a Team Rector is in effect the leader of a group of Team Vicars.
Sometimes a benefice/parish may be suspended for pastoral reasons. This is often the case where boundary
changes are likely (as in the case of our parish) or where there is the possibility of a parish being grouped
with another parish or parishes. In this case it may be necessary for the bishop to change the licence of the
priest and so a freehold is not granted. The parish priest is then called a PRIEST-IN-CHARGE. He or she has
all the duties and standing of a Rector or Vicar but can be removed from post if necessary. Because of the
changing nature of ministry and the state of the church many more parishes are falling into this category. In
Heaton deanery for example 7 out of the 11 parishes have been suspended. Although this system allows for
flexibility it has also taken security away from parish clergy and there have been cases where priests have
had their priest-in-charge contract ended with no guaranteed post for them to go to.
There are many more terms ? Area Dean, Archdeacon, Dean, Provost, Canon, Prebendary etc. I will write
something about these another time.
If you want to ask a question about something to do with church life please let me know and I will try to answer
it. Stephen.
AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2003 - What do we make of it all?
The reservations that many people had before the war on Iraq started seemed only to intensify as the war
went on. Now months after it is all supposedly over we are beginning to see and hear of a catalogue of
consequences left behind after most of the official war fighting is over.
As I write this I am aware that I am not quite sure what I am trying to say! That may sound weak or pointless
but I hope I can try to explain the feeling that is in my mind. To do this let me list a few things which have
disturbed me.
One of the most dreadful consequence of the whole crisis must be the death of Dr Kelly ? the source of the
controversial report by the BBC. Time will tell us more when the inquiry has been completed but putting aside
the BBC-government battle there are serious and disturbing facts which have to be faced. Whatever the truth
about the dossiers, the interviews and the 45 minute claim about Saddam?s weapons we must never forget
that due to a web of un-truths, deceptions and spin one man who worked hard for the Ministry of Defence
took his life ? a scapegoat, or a victim of a system set up purely for the justification of war. I believe that war is
rarely ? if ever ? justified. The Christian message is quite clear on this. But the power wielding and arrogance
of certain nations ? or more correctly some leaders of those nations ? have resulted in innocent victims ?
Iraqis, service men and women and now Dr Kelly. The evil of Saddam?s Iraqi regime needed to be confronted
and dealt with ? no one would deny that, but the result of the war is a mess of violence, deceit, instability in
the Gulf and an ever growing lack of trust between people and nations.
On top of this we now have the deaths of Saddam?s two sons. Again the part they played in the evil regime
cannot be denied but the grotesque way in which their bodies have been exhibited ? almost as trophies ?
leaves a feeling of disgust in my head. And the display of their bodies was on a Friday ? the Islamic holy day
of prayer. The insensitivity of all this is incredible. Because of the lack of trust that most people in Iraq have of
the imposed American regime it is doubtful that even this blunt display of the two bodies will convince the Iraqi
people.
These bodies had a price of $15 million on them, Saddam himself it is said has a $20 million reward pegged
on him. Again I understand the need for these men to be caught, controlled, brought to justice or whatever,
but deep within me I am disturbed by the idea of governments paying money for the ?wanted: dead or alive?
type of hunt.
In a world so broken and torn like ours, where evil is perpetrated by individuals, organisations and nations of
course we must deal with it. We must use all the power we can muster to bring about peace, justice and
reconciliation. We cannot stand idly by. But the price that has been paid over the last year or so since War on
Terror was invented has been a loss of some fundamental human (and Christian) basics. The loss of dignity,
respect, truth, integrity and rational justice. The so called war on terror was created to defend these qualities
and yet as I said above I feel disturbed and shocked by the events that continue to unfold.
Of course the Iraq situation is just the most prominent example, but it is found elsewhere all over the world ?
Liberia, Sierra Leone, Kashmir, Northern Ireland, Palestine and Israel ?
I said I was not quite sure what I am trying to say. I suppose it is this. That even though hatred, conflict and
war is a sad reality in our world we need more than ever to hold on to our basic (and I believe they are just
that ? BASIC) Christian qualities which every human being has as a right. The right to dignity, honesty,
respect and justice is not just a human-made right, I believe it is a right given by God himself. If we believe
and preach that we are truly children of God made in his image we have a duty to constantly treat all human
beings with the Godly dignity that God expects from us.
Even in the grossest atrocities of war and evil God requires us to remain in his presence, to seek his answers,
to promote his message and to love one another.
?Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.? A difficult commandment even in peace time!
but our prayers and love must reach out to all people and as the events of post war Iraq unfold we are going
to be challenged more than ever when we try to keep this commandment of our Lord.
And so we pray for peace, justice and reconciliation. We pray for an end to the evil tyranny that has been
known and is still known in many parts of our world. But no matter how hard it is (and Jesus himself told us it
would never be easy) we are to search and search our hearts to find ways of never letting evil overcome
good. In other words, respect, dignity, honesty, truth and justice must prevail in the Christian life no mater how
impossible or disturbing the events of our time may be.
As Christ?s people in this place may I encourage you in your prayers for peace. I thank God for your
commitment and faith in remembering our troubled world in your prayers, and I pray that God will grant you a
vision of his unconditional love so that you may be a sign of hope and a source of inspiration to those who
need Christ?s message.
With my love and prayers,
Stephen
October 2003 - Who are we? Where are we? What?s in a name?
As of the 1st of October we are now in the Deanery of Ardwick and the new parish boundaries have been put
in place. Basically this means that our northern parish boundary is the line of Dickenson Road and Stanley
Grove. This does not make much difference to most people who worship at St Agnes ? the boundaries are
only strictly important for those getting married as generally it is only possible to get married in the parish
church of the parish in which you live. For those of you who live in the parts of the old parish now in St
Luke?s, St Chrysostom?s or Emmanuel Gorton nothing need change ? even though strictly speaking you are
now in a different parish we hope that you will continue to worship and feel a part of St Agnes. The new
boundaries mean that the three parishes of St Luke Longsight, St Chrysostom Victoria Park and our own all
join in the centre of the Longsight shopping area. As clergy, Peter, Ian and myself have committed ourselves
to working together as best we can ? especially in the central area. It is our hope that our three churches and
congregations will over time come together ? not as an official team ? but in a spirit of cooperation and
fellowship to strengthen our ministry in Longsight. A detailed map of the changes to the boundaries is
available in church.
Please continue to pray for our parish ? its congregation and all who live in it.
Stephen
In the July magazine I talked a little about some of the names used for ordained ministers in the Anglican
Church. This month I will mention a few more.
Every inch of soil of the United Kingdom is in a PARISH. A parish is the geographical area surrounding a
parish church. The minister(s) of a parish is known by different names (see July magazine). Parishes are
grouped together into a DEANERY which is co-ordinated by the Deanery Synod together with the Area Dean
and a lay Deanery chair. The AREA DEAN is responsible for representing both the clergy of the deanery to
the bishop?s staff and also the bishop?s staff to the clergy. It is a key role in the organisation of the diocese.
Groups of deaneries are brought together in an ARCHDEACONRY for which the ARCHDEACON is
responsible. An archdeacon is a senior cleric responsible to the bishop and shares pastoral, legal and
administrative tasks.
The DIOCESE is the main administrative area of the church. It is the area of which the BISHOP has oversight
and often roughly coincides with local county or borough boundaries. Because of the size and nature of
dioceses the Bishop may be assisted by other bishops known as AREA or SUFFRAGON BISHOPS. The
mother church of a diocese is called the cathedral where the bishop has his seat (in Latin cathedra). The
cathedral is staffed by the DEAN who is assisted by the CHAPTER. The cathedral chapter is made up of
CANONS ? each of whom has a special stall in the cathedral. In some cathedrals a senior canon may be
known as Prebendary, a title which comes from the prebend or money he received for the post in medieval
times.
Every diocese is part of a PROVINCE. The Church of England has two provinces ? Canterbury and York. The
chief bishop of the province is known as an ARCHBISHOP or metropolitan.
So St Agnes is the name of our Parish Church. Our parish title is The Parish of St Agnes, Birch-in-Rusholme
with St John with St Cyprian Longsight. We are in the Deanery of Ardwick in the Archdeaconry of Manchester
in the Diocese of Manchester in the Province of York.
Different positions in the church?s ordained ministry carry slightly different titles. Parish clergy are called the
Revd J Smith or Father J Smith. Our Archdeacon is the Venerable Alan Wolstencroft. The Dean of
Manchester Cathedral is the Very Revd Ken Riley. Our Area Bishop is the Right Reverend Stephen Lowe.
Our Diocesan Bishop is the Right Reverend Nigel McCulloch. The Archbishop of York is the Most Reverend
Dr David Hope.
November 2003 - Christ the King of all Creation
It is said so often these days that new media and greater ability to travel have led to a shrinking of our world.
We are as aware today of what is going on in central Africa, southern America and the Antarctic science
centres as we are of what is going on in our own city. We are as likely to visit another country as we are to
travel to the end of our own island of Britain. In One World Week we concentrate our thoughts on the fact that
as those who dwell on this planet we are interdependent, we need one another and the actions of just a few
can have drastic implications on the lives of millions of human beings thousands of miles away. The earth is
indeed small.
I am currently reading Bill Bryson?s new book, ?A Short History of Nearly Everything? in which he explains ?
for the ignorant like me ? what we now understand about the birth of the universe, the creation of earth and
the birth of life itself on this planet. On almost every page I have gasped in awe (and out loud!) at some of the
facts that he tells us: the incredible (and I mean totally incredible) size of the universe, the fact that the planet
Earth is just a minuscule spec in the vastness of space, that life?s beginning and continued existence is
dependant on an enormous amount of luck, coincidence and to a certain extent chaos. Or at least that is
chemically or biologically speaking. The awe which this book inspires ? the awe of how complex and how vast
the whole of creation is ? has shaken me to think again about the most basic of questions, ?why do I believe
in a God at all??
When the complexities of life and creation are laid out as chemical formulae, as a list of bizarre and enormous
forces it leads the reader to wonder how this all started. For what purpose does this creation exist? And what
is behind it all?
Some people who delve into the questions about creation end up doing away with God, pushing him to the
sidelines at least, or at worst, denying his existence altogether. I can begin to understand this. As one who
enjoyed studying chemistry I can follow and be amazed by the science, but I can only make any sense of this
if I hold onto God and acknowledge that it is His power, His glory, His complexity and most of all His love that
allows any of this fantastic universe to exist at all. Even if we take life, the earth, our solar system and indeed
the whole universe back into a single small mass of atoms (before any big bang) the fact remains: that small
piece of substance was created. No amount of fancy science can answer the question of why we exist. How
we exist, where we exist and what we exist as can be answered. But why?
This book has made my vision of God even bigger. It has made me realise that God is far bigger than
anything we can imagine, far more powerful, far more mysterious and far more outside the constraints of
human time and space. All this eternity and infinity hurts my head! I am only a human being and my small
brain cannot cope with the sheer scale and wonder of this. And yet my head stops hurting, my mind stops
being confused and my life becomes stable when I realise this one thing: that God in his might, power,
majesty, grandeur and sheer eternity has chosen to create me, love me and give his life for me through his
Son Jesus Christ.
I am reminded of two hymns which put this amazing fact of our faith into words.
?It is a thing most wonderful, almost too wonderful to be, that God?s own Son should come from heaven, and
die to save a child like me.? (W. How)
?I cannot tell how he whom angels worship should stoop to love the peoples of the earth.? (W Fullerton)
As we have realised during One World Week, the world is indeed small and human beings are indeed
brothers and sisters ? we cannot be cut off from one another. And for us as Christians this link is made clear
in the person of Jesus Christ - the Son of God who came to earth taking on our human flesh and dwelling
intimately with us.
This same Christ who died on the cross, this same man who walked about among us is now Christ our King,
and King of all time and space. As his people, subject to his rule, it is our duty and our delight to honour his
power and glory by uniting with the whole human race in serving one another.
The second hymn I quoted ends:
?but this I know, the skies will shrill with rapture, and myriad, myriad human voices sing, and earth to heav?n
and heav?n to earth; will answer: ?at last the saviour, Saviour of the world, is King!??
One world. One human race. One God who is Father of us all.
May Christ our eternal King bless you and keep you safe in the might of his Creation.
With my love and prayers
Stephen
DECEMBER 2003 - It?s that time again ?
I make no attempt to hide the fact that I find it difficult each year to find something new or different to say
about the main festivals of the Christian year. Whether it is Easter, Trinity or Christmas it remains difficult to
not say the same thing over again. In our particular parish context and now generally in the rest of the nation,
people are becoming more aware of the calendars and festivals of faiths other than Christianity. This can I
believe have an important and positive affect on how those outside communities of faith see Christmas.
In a country where a large number of people still identify themselves as Christians but the number of active ?
or church-going ? Christians is decreasing, the increased spotlight on other faiths and cultures may serve the
Church well in helping people to identify exactly what Christmas is really about. In a society of choice and
consumerism where many people have access to the celebration of not only traditional Christian festivals but
also Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish, Chinese and other cultural/religious festivals, the time may have arrived when
people may have to choose when their own celebration takes place.
In a single-faith situation it is understandable that even those outside that particular faith may still share in the
celebration. We have seen this most strongly perhaps in the way that even the most atheistic of people may
celebrate Christmas without any challenge to their integrity. As the profile of other religious events increases
we have seen vast numbers of people attending the Chinese New Year celebrations in the city centre
Chinatown and also the Diwali celebrations of the Hindu faith. As I am writing this Eid is just beginning and on
television the news reporters have just reported on the numbers of people attending Eid celebrations in
Rusholme.
Some people may fear that all this increased religious activity may lead to a diminishing of the traditional
Christmas as families share in the celebrations of their neighbours and local communities.
I believe this is a mistaken fear for two reasons.
Firstly, the renewed interest in the customs of other faiths can only add to the spiritual awareness of the
nation as a whole. The more religious festivals that are celebrated and attended, the more people are likely to
understand not only other people?s spirituality but perhaps question their own and start to seek out a greater
understanding of their own beliefs.
Secondly, anything which sets the Christians festival such as Christmas and Easter into a wider religious view
may possibly make people question why they have traditionally celebrated Christmas at all. The consumerist
and materialist drive behind the secular Christmas could perhaps dwindle as people choose to celebrate a
particular festival for the right reasons ? the reason of the faith behind it.
In a multi-faith and multi-cultural society the Church needs to be confident of its message and not fearful of
being excluded. We need to be joyful and confident in our celebration of the birth of Christ and not allow
ourselves to be over-taken by the secular Christmas rush.
We live in a world of lifestyle choice. Adverts, magazines, posters and most of the media try to convince us
that a certain lifestyle is just right for you or for me. The lifestyle choices range from music to fashion, cars to
holidays, and housing to entertainment. But the most important lifestyle choice that anyone ever makes is that
of their spiritual life. Faith is the most important lifestyle choice you will ever have to make because it will affect
everything you do ? your love, your life, your happiness, your hope, your dreams and your worldview.
I would hate to see religion as just another fashionable check-box in the lifestyle choice but I believe that as
more and more people think about the meanings behind the increased celebration of faith in this country so
our commitment to our own faith will strengthen and grow.
This Christmas we celebrate as Christians our belief that in the tiny weak and helpless baby of the manger,
God chose to take our human existence. God chose to share out earthly joys and sorrows. God chose to
save the world. God chose life.
In celebrating Christ?s birth this December as a parish we are proclaiming alongside others that we have
indeed made our choice of lifestyle. We have chosen faith. We have chosen God. We have chosen life.
God has chosen to give us the gift of life.
At Christmas God has chosen to share himself in the life of the baby Jesus.
In Jesus we have the gift of eternal life.
May God bless you this Christmas as we celebrate with great joy the festival of God?s explosion in to our lives.
With love and prayers
Fr Stephen
News index
Current letter from the Rectory
Archived Pages
My dear friends
You may remember that in my letter in the last issue of our parish magazine (click here for December 2002 magazine) I
made passing reference to the need for peace in our world at Christmas time. It seems that now the world
stands on the brink of yet another conflict. Our politicians are talking to us of a ?just war?. We as Christians
need to be clear about one thing. War is sin. War separates us from our loving Father and it is something that
saddens his loving heart.
War will mean that innocent civilian people will be caused immense suffering - if our previous history has
taught us anything - we know that this has to be the case. Even in this age of strategic missiles the innocent
are hurt, and the militarists will talk of ?acceptable losses?. To God the single loss of life is unacceptable.
In the case of Iraq, no one can estimate with confidence the proportion of such suffering to the innocent.
Irrespective of individual views on the rights and wrongs of any proposed military action, it can be argued that
the time is opportune to re-examine the traditional principles of the just war.
Our bishops have met on the 14th January in Leeds to do just that and examine this current issue. They have
come to a number of conclusions.
They believe that the governments stated aim of disarming Iraq of her weapons of mass destruction would
best be done through the United Nations inspectors. To launch military action while there remains the
potential to secure a peaceful resolution would be ill judged and premature. The Bishops also felt that a
conclusive case has still to be made by our politicians in favour of military action against Iraq, and that the
connection between Al-Qaeda and Iraq or whether Iraq poses any international threat has still to be proved,
and therefore military action is morally unjustified. It urged that all nations should support the weapons
inspectors in their work and called on Iraq to be open in their dealings. It asked that proper attention is given
to the basic humanitarian needs of the Iraqi people, and that they are welcomed back in to the community of
nations after years of persecution under the Saddam Hussein Regime and after years of sanctions by other
nations of the world. It saw a connection between the crisis in the Middle East peace talks between Israel and
Palestine based on security and viability for the people of both nations. It noted that there exists currently in
our world a great deal of suspicious and insecurity and called on the government and media to refrain from
the use of language and expression which might be seen as using religion as an excuse for conflict and
contribute to extremist and exclusivist attitudes.
The final paragraph said this:-
?We in return will continue to work with other faith leaders, both here and overseas, to strengthen the bonds
of community relations and cohesions at this difficult time. We return to our dioceses determined in Christ to
call on all members of the Church of England to engage with people of faith to pray for the world and for
those entrusted with the grave responsibility of taking decisions which will have immense, widespread and
unpredictable consequences not only for Iraq and the Gulf region but for us all?.
I think you will agree that our bishops have taken a measured and responsible stance and that we should, all
of us, pray for peace in this region and for our world leaders.
You might like to use the following:-
Almighty Father,
whose will is to restore all things
in your beloved Son, the king of all:
govern the hearts and minds of those in authority,
and bring the families of the nations,
divided and torn apart by the ravages of sin,
to be subject to his just and gentle rule;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
O God, who would fold both heaven and earth in a single peace:
Let the design of thy great love
lighten upon the waste of our wraths and sorrows:
and give peace to thy Church,
peace among nations,
peace in our dwellings,
and peace in our hearts:
through thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.
With my love and prayers
Fr Stephen.
MARCH 2003 - THE BEGINNERS GUIDE TO LENT
It is often true that we learn more from books, guides and talks aimed at children than when we have more
complex information thrown at us. As Christians in a predominantly secular society we need to be sure of the
basis of our faith and clear about the practises we undertake as part of living out that faith. For some of us
our Confirmation preparation may be only a few months ago and for others more than half a century ago but
one element of Lent is that the Church invites us to revisit our preparation for initiation into the Christian Faith
(Baptism or Confirmation classes) as a discipline for renewing our commitment at Easter. In fact this ?faith
preparation? theme has been restored in the services and readings for Lent and parishes are encouraged to
prepare people for Baptism, First-Communion and Confirmation during the weeks of Lent ? as was the
custom of the early church.
So I would like briefly to revisit some of the themes and customs of Lent. What follows may be simplistic but I
hope not patronising!
1. Why Ash Wednesday?
Ashes are an ancient symbol of repentance (sackcloth and ashes). They also remind us of our mortality
("remember that you are dust") and so of the day when we will stand before God and be judged. This can be
linked easily to the death and resurrection theme of Baptism. To prepare well for the day we die, we must die
now to sin and rise to new life in Christ. Being marked with ashes at the beginning of Lent shows our
recognition of the need for deeper conversion of our lives during this season of renewal.
2. What are the official rules for Fasting and the Observance of Lent in the Church of England?
The days of fasting or abstinence are set out in the Book of Common Prayer and in Common worship. The 40
(week)days of Lent (particularly Ash Wednesday and Holy Week) ought specially to be observed. (Canon
B6.3) Fasting may be defined as considerably reducing the amount we eat and abstinence means abstaining
from meat or what may be considered luxury. The Eucharist has to be celebrated in a Parish Church on every
Sunday and principal Feast Day including Ash Wednesday and Maundy Thursday. (Canon B14.1) It is clear
that although the Canons of the Church of England encourage the observance of days of discipline and
self-denial, common sense should be followed for reasons of health!
3. Why do we give things up for Lent?
A friend of mine told me that he had urged his children to move beyond giving up chocolate to giving up some
habit of sin that was obvious in their lives. About halfway through Lent he asked the children how they were
doing with their Lenten promise. His eldest son had promised to give up fighting with his sister during Lent.
When his father asked him how it was going, the boy replied, "I'm doing pretty good, Dad?but I can't wait until
Easter!" That response shows that he had only partly understood the purpose of Lenten "giving up." Lent is
about conversion, turning our lives more completely over to Christ and his way of life. That always involves
giving up sin in some form. The goal is not just to abstain from sin for the duration of Lent but to root sin out
of our lives forever. Conversion means leaving behind an old way of living and acting in order to embrace new
life in Christ.
The popular idea of 'giving things up' in Lent, however inadequately it is often understood, has its liturgical
expression in the stark simplicty of Lenten worship. In part this is to express a spirit of penitence. But it is also
in order to provide striking contrast wlth the joyful celebration of Easter. This 'giving up' traditionally includes
the omission of the Gloria in Excelsis at the eucharist, the absence of flowers from the church, and the careful
selection of texts (for instance of hymns) to avoid the use of the word 'Alleluia' and similar expressions of joy
which will greet the resurrection on Easter Day. These are only examples of how a distinctive atmosphere can
be introduced into the worship of the season. Priest and people must aim at an austerity that is quite different
from dreariness.
There has also grown up a custom of 'veiling' crosses and statues. To obscure the cross in Lent and Holy
Week is misplaced, though the substitution of a simple wooden cross or crucifix for a more colourful or
expensive one might be an impressive symbol, and the removal of banners and veiling of statues could
enhance the atmosphere of Lent.
4. Why the Stations of the Cross?
This very old custom is not just limited to Lent. It is a good meditation for the whole of the Christian year.
However because of its concentration on the passion and death of Jesus it helps to draw us closer to his
suffering and so make connections with out own journey of faith. The Resurrection may not be clearly seen as
part of the traditional ?Stations? but we should see all our life ? its sin, suffering and sorrow ? in the glorious
light of Easter.
5. Why Palm Sunday?
As we near the end of Lent, we celebrate Palm Sunday. At the beginning of the service, we receive palms in
memory of Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. As a symbol of triumph, the palms point us toward Christ's
resurrection and might remind us of the saints in heaven "wearing white robes and holding palm branches in
their hands" (Rev 7:9). The white robes remind us of baptismal garments, and the palms suggest their
triumph over sin and death through the waters of Baptism.
6. What is the Triduum?
Lent comes to an end before the evening Eucharist of the Lord's Supper on Maundy Thursday. That service
begins the ?Triduum?, the great Three Days that celebrate the central mystery of our faith. Triduum rituals
invite us all to the most important and deepest baptismal renewal of the Christian year.
Washing of Feet: After the sermon on Maundy Thursday, we imitate our Lord in the washing of feet. This
ritual reminds us that our baptismal commitment means we are to be servants of one another. The word
Maundy comes from the Latin ?mandatum? meaning ?commandment? when Jesus gave us a new
commandment (John 13.34). Washing feet may seem strange to us but it reflects more the customs and
realities of living in dry dusty climates.
Veneration of the Cross: As part of our observance of Good Friday, we venerate the cross on which Christ
died. The veneration challenges us to be willing to accept the cross, too, for it is the only way to resurrection.
Through Baptism, we shared in Christ's death that we might come to new life. Every year we are called to
deepen our identification with his cross and resurrection.
Waters of Baptism: The centre of our celebration of the Easter Vigil is the celebration or renewal of Baptism.
As we share in the joy of this holy night, we are all called to renew our own baptismal promises, to live in the
joy of life in the Risen One. Lent comes to its fulfilment around the waters of the font.
These are just a few of the customs of Lent and Passiontide that the Church has developed over the
centuries. Whatever we undertake as part of our marking in Lent at home or in church must be done in a
spirit of both penitence and expectation. Let us pray for one another during this holy season so that we may
examine our lives and our faith with penitence and eagerness and look forward with joyful expectation to great
days of Easter.
with my love and prayers,
Fr Stephen
APRIL 2003
Annual Report - go to downloads page.
MAY 2003 - THE POWER OF EASTER
Dear friends
I am writing this letter on the Wednesday afternoon of Holy Week. It is a beautiful afternoon ? the sun is hotter
than it often is in summer, the roads either side of the Rectory are bustling with activity ? road workers,
tree-fellers, mechanics at the garage, children playing in the street, and of course the usual group hanging
round the church gardens! The whole area is bustling with activity ? the life of our community is being played
out 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
It doesn?t seem like Holy Week somehow. The world seems somehow oblivious to the great three days of the
Christian faith which are about to unfold. In the busy-ness of life around me I am reminded that for most
people in our locality this weekend is just like any other ? only it?s longer! There are two extra days ? bank
holidays ? to fill with shopping, playing and money-spending activities. The only bearing Easter will have on
many people is the commercial eggs, cards and days off. The world has changed so much in the last century
that even the greatest of Christian festivals has no real religious meaning to huge portions of our community.
It can feel at times that we as Christians are fighting a loosing battle in terms of evangelism or church
attendance. I read recently that the Decade of Evangelism (1990-2000) actually saw a 25% drop in church
attendance! Should we feel depressed? Are we loosing the life we once knew?
Well by the time you read this Holy Week and Easter Sunday will be over but judging by the last few weeks at
St Agnes I am confident that this year?s celebration of Our Lord?s death and resurrection will be a time of joy
and great festivity. There seem to be no signs of decay or loss in our church life. We are fortunate to be in a
position of relative strength as a local church. This year Lent has been a season of very deep spiritual
renewal for our congregation. Unfortunately the Thursday evening study groups have been poorly attended
but everything else has been excellent. Attendance at Sunday morning Parish Eucharist has been constantly
high, Wednesday morning Eucharist and study groups have been very well attended ? a sign that we are not
one-day a week Christians but people who need our faith every day of our life. The numbers at Stations of
the Cross on Sunday evenings have been up as well ? between 15 and 25. So on the ?worship scale? our
parish has a solid foundation to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord during this Easter season.
Then we have our church building. It has been good to see how well it has been used and cared for over the
past few months. The two cleaning parties ? inside and out ? made the building look so welcoming for anyone
who came. Thank you again to everyone who worked so hard ? I hope we can keep it up. The sign a well kept
building gives to our community is beyond measure. I am sure that those who have walked through the
grounds or entered the church must have noticed that this is a living place of worship. Together with this
cleaning work we now have three excellent new notice boards and signs ? advertising and proclaiming our
presence in this part of Longsight. I mentioned in my parish report at the Annual Church Meeting that I hoped
that our church would be a beacon of hope, a spiritual powerhouse. Grand words and phrases perhaps! but I
do believe that our presence is not un-noticed in this area and with our continued work and prayer we can do
yet more to bring God?s word to our community.
We are fortunate to live in such a mixed cultural environment. One of my hopes is for increased links with
people of other faiths in this area and I want to try this year to start a dialogue with other local faith groups so
we can enrich and enliven one another with our different faith journeys and stories.
So our church stands as a sign. Whilst the secular world around us may celebrate Easter with bank holidays
and chocolate eggs we continue the rich and living tradition of the Risen Christ. Our building already
witnesses to this faith, but during this Easter season we can concentrate on ourselves. During Lent we have
prepared ourselves spiritually and opened our lives up to God?s searching power. In Easter it is our duty ?
and our joy ? to live out the truth of the Resurrection.
For Christians the Resurrection must saturate every part of our lives. All that we do, say or think must be
seen in the light of Christ?s saving power ? a power to restore, a power to heal, a power to forgive ? and
above all a power to celebrate the fullness of life which Easter promises. For some of us this will be made
complicated by the difficult circumstances of life and for others it will be easy to express a joyful faith. We are
to support one another, build one another up as St Paul urges us in his letters.
Easter reminds us that no matter how dark or gloomy the situation, no matter how desperate all may seen we
are cherished and treasured by our loving God. We are held tightly in his loving arms. His promise to us in
Christ Jesus is that he will never leave us or fail us, his strength endures for ever.
So the world may not see a real Easter, but by God?s grace we can feel the power of Easter at work in our
lives. It is this power and peace of the risen Christ we as a church are now called to share with our world.
With my love and prayers
Fr Stephen
JUNE 2003 - CHRISTIAN IDENTITY
I have always found reading a difficult thing. Either I have a short memory or an inability to pick up the plot of
a book but rarely, I confess, have I ever finished a novel. So I tend to stick to factual books ? biographies,
guides, or commentaries where it is not always necessary to remember the previous chapter in order to
understand the next! Last month I spent a week in Rome and despite walking for what seemed miles around
the 900 or so churches in the great city I actually managed to finish a book. ?The English: a portrait of a
people? by Jeremy Paxman was a fabulous book to read. It is a funny and informative look at the English ?
not at ?England?, nor at ?British-ness? ? but what it means or has meant to be English. I have never really
seen myself as English (which by birth I am) ? I tried to be adamantly Welsh when I was in north Wales, I have
often described myself as British and have on more than one occasion termed myself European (much to the
horror of many of my friends!) Identity is a strange thing ? something we all desperately want to seek and,
when we have found, cling to. It helps us to define who we are ? where we have come from and perhaps may
shape where we would like to be going to.
Being fairly pro-Europe I always enjoy visiting continental Europe on holiday ? Spain, France and this time
Italy. Although the culture and languages may be different ? it never seems too distant from what I feel I am as
a British-European. I seem to feel at home with a definite European identity. What this is I do not know ?
perhaps it is just imaginary on my part and not that real.
Wandering through Rome from church to church (which seems to be the inevitable part of a holiday in Rome)
I was struck by the way I felt a part of the Christian heritage which is so evident in the Eternal City. Although
my religious identity is not Roman Catholic, I have always had a strong sense of being a catholic Christian in
the true sense of the word ? universality, commonality, crossing boundaries of time or place. I feel most
comfortable in the Anglican family of the catholic church of Christ but when in Rome I felt that the
denominational divisions which so mar the Church today meant little to me and had no effect. This is ironic.
Surely in Rome of all places I would have felt more keenly the barriers that still divide the Anglican and Roman
traditions? In the light of recent statements from the Vatican reaffirming their stance on Anglican Eucharistic
theology I thought I would still feel an ?outsider?.
But no. My identity as a Christian surpasses the divisions of church labels. The bond between me and the
thousands of other pilgrim-tourists in the churches of Rome was our common Baptism into Christ Jesus, our
common love and devotion to our Lord. The churches of Rome were just like the churches of home. The
signs of our faith were all there to proclaim one Baptism, one Faith, one Lord: the altar for the celebration of
the eucharist or mass, the cross of Christ honoured in every church, the great Easter candle standing proud
in the midst of the building, the stories of saints told in statues and windows. All these things are our common
Christian heritage ? they are our identity as followers of Christ.
The ecumenical record of the Roman Catholic Church is far from good. But reading the latest reports on the
Church of England?s proposed covenant with the Methodist Church it would seem that Anglicans too have a
lot to learn about what is meant by unity in Christ. The peculiarities of each separate denomination must
never be obstacles in our path to unity. They must be celebrated as proud traditions but never obscure our
common identity in Christ. Visiting other churches should always remind us of our common calling ? our
identity ? and not our divisions.
In his book, Jeremy Paxman makes interesting comments about the Church of England. ?Most of the time in
the cities and suburbs, where most of the English people live, the Church of England is almost absent. There
are Anglican vicars heroically toiling in poverty stricken inner-city slums, helping people with their benefit
claims, running soup kitchens and drop-in centres for the elderly or unemployed. But they are working as
social workers ? on half the pay. Their lives are witnesses to a faith, but it is one they are embarrassed to
proclaim, for fear it ?gets in the way? of their work.?
I think this is a rather extreme view. There can be no doubt that the good work carried on by many urban
parishes is ?social work? but I am convinced that this springs from a deep Gospel-driven energy to follow
Christ?s commands in serving the people. It is sad that maybe many people see only the work of the church
and not the message that inspires and directs it. Perhaps the time has come for us to be less shy about
proclaiming our faith. We need to make sure we are not embarrassed (as Paxman puts it) by our faith in
Christ.
Yes we provide many services as a church to people in need ? in time of sickness, death, poverty and
difficulty ? but we must be clear that it is our faith in Jesus which sets this work apart as ?ministry? not just as
a cheap voluntary social service. Pentecost ? the coming of the Holy Spirit ? focuses our attention on the
work of the Spirit in the Church today. If we pray for the Holy Spirit to be with us in our Christian communities
then we can truly be aware of our identity as Christians. It is this faith and active presence of the Holy Spirit
which defines our ministry to other people.
Identity is important ? it tells us who we are and inspires where we will go. Throughout the diversity of the
Christian presence in the world ? a diversity of denominations, traditions, ministry, services and outreach ? we
must never let go of our common identity in Christ. It is his body into which we are baptised, his Risen Spirit
that empowers our work, his love which unites us in our common task. As we celebrate Pentecost let us pray
that God will pour down his Holy Spirit on all Christians so that we may be so sure of our own identity as
Christians that others seek to identify with Christ our Risen Lord.
With my love and prayers
Fr Stephen
JULY 2003 - 'ORDINARY' TIME ?
The church season of ordinary time is upon us. The Sundays after Trinity are called ?ordinary? in that they
have no one connected theme like say Easter or Advent. But ordinary sounds so low key after the solemnity
and festivity of Lent and Easter. How are we to use this time?
Lent, Holy week and Easter were celebrated with great devotion once again at St Agnes ? congregations
were large and the commitment was high. However it is fair to say that the last few weeks since Easter have
seen a small reduction in numbers. This is fairly standard for the time of year but it perhaps can also spur us
on to think about our church attendance. Ordinary time may suggest a less important focus to the church?s
year but that would be a big mistake. It is precisely during these ordinary Sundays that the true importance of
the resurrection and the power of the gospel is worked out and proclaimed. The season of ?after trinity?
provides us with a steady 4 months to build up our faith and commitment.
In this weeks Church Times the cartoon shows the Vicar of St Gargoyle?s replacing the church notice board
service times with a poster reading, ?Worshippers wanted, no experience necessary, apply within?. The
caption underneath reads, ?Anything was worth a try!? I don?t think we have cause to worry unduly but it is
easy during the summer months of warm weather and holidays to let things slip ? and often regular
attendance can be the first to go. Of course sometimes it is not possible to attend every Sunday service or
every weekday Eucharist but if we really believe as Christians that our worship together ? as a parish
community ? strengthens us for the weekly task then it would be foolish of us to become laid-back about our
prayer life.
We are used to disciplining ourselves in Lent and perhaps Advent but how about making a commitment in
?ordinary? time? A commitment to attend an extra service ? Wednesday Eucharist? Saints day? Daily
evening prayer? There is lots going on ? see the Calendar page.
Jesus was all for dragging them in off the streets! (Matthew 22.1-10) Perhaps that is a bit drastic but our duty
of worship and service never ends and our need to attract people to worship is as important as ever.
?Ordinary? time does not mean ?unimportant time?. It is more about our ongoing and sustained commitment
to the worship of Almighty God.
I wish you all a happy and joyful Summer, with my love and prayers,
Stephen
What?s in a name?
Vicar, Rector, Priest-in-charge? The church has a whole stack of names which are used to address clerics
but so often titles are misused and names used in correctly. Here is a quick guide to the three orders of
ministry and the names used in the Anglican Church.
When someone is ordained in the Church of England they are made a DEACON first of all. A deacon is a
minister ordained to assist a priest, to proclaim the gospel, to visit and work with the poor and the sick. He or
she spends the first year of ministry as a deacon before being ordained as a PRIEST. A priest is a man or
woman ordained by the church to celebrate the Eucharist, pronounce absolution and blessing in God?s name
and to continue in the ministries associated with a deacon. The BISHOP is the chief pastor of the church in his
diocese; he is the representative of the universal Church in his diocese, the link between his flock and the
rest of the Church. Only a bishop can ordain other deacons, priests and bishops, and in the Church of
England only a bishop can confirm.
After someone is ordained as a deacon he or she serves as an assistant CURATE ? that is an assistant to
the parish priest. This is often seen as period of apprenticeship and although in some parishes Curates may
have particular areas of concern or particular churches they have no distinct leadership of a parish. After one
year the Curate is ordained as a priest and performs all the functions as any priest would. After a few years
as a Curate, the Curate usually becomes the parish priest of his or her own parish.
The parish priest may be called one of three distinct titles. A priest who is an incumbent is called a RECTOR
or a VICAR. An incumbent has the freehold of a parish and cannot normally be removed from office except in
extreme circumstances. The incumbent is called a RECTOR or VICAR depending on the historic tradition of
the parish. Anciently Rectors had greater authority and often in previous centuries received tithes from
neighbouring parishes. A Vicar was a more ordinary incumbent. Nowadays there is no distinction and Rectors
and Vicars have the same rights and duties. However the slight difference can still be seen in the titles of
team ministries where a Team Rector is in effect the leader of a group of Team Vicars.
Sometimes a benefice/parish may be suspended for pastoral reasons. This is often the case where boundary
changes are likely (as in the case of our parish) or where there is the possibility of a parish being grouped
with another parish or parishes. In this case it may be necessary for the bishop to change the licence of the
priest and so a freehold is not granted. The parish priest is then called a PRIEST-IN-CHARGE. He or she has
all the duties and standing of a Rector or Vicar but can be removed from post if necessary. Because of the
changing nature of ministry and the state of the church many more parishes are falling into this category. In
Heaton deanery for example 7 out of the 11 parishes have been suspended. Although this system allows for
flexibility it has also taken security away from parish clergy and there have been cases where priests have
had their priest-in-charge contract ended with no guaranteed post for them to go to.
There are many more terms ? Area Dean, Archdeacon, Dean, Provost, Canon, Prebendary etc. I will write
something about these another time.
If you want to ask a question about something to do with church life please let me know and I will try to answer
it. Stephen.
AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2003 - What do we make of it all?
The reservations that many people had before the war on Iraq started seemed only to intensify as the war
went on. Now months after it is all supposedly over we are beginning to see and hear of a catalogue of
consequences left behind after most of the official war fighting is over.
As I write this I am aware that I am not quite sure what I am trying to say! That may sound weak or pointless
but I hope I can try to explain the feeling that is in my mind. To do this let me list a few things which have
disturbed me.
One of the most dreadful consequence of the whole crisis must be the death of Dr Kelly ? the source of the
controversial report by the BBC. Time will tell us more when the inquiry has been completed but putting aside
the BBC-government battle there are serious and disturbing facts which have to be faced. Whatever the truth
about the dossiers, the interviews and the 45 minute claim about Saddam?s weapons we must never forget
that due to a web of un-truths, deceptions and spin one man who worked hard for the Ministry of Defence
took his life ? a scapegoat, or a victim of a system set up purely for the justification of war. I believe that war is
rarely ? if ever ? justified. The Christian message is quite clear on this. But the power wielding and arrogance
of certain nations ? or more correctly some leaders of those nations ? have resulted in innocent victims ?
Iraqis, service men and women and now Dr Kelly. The evil of Saddam?s Iraqi regime needed to be confronted
and dealt with ? no one would deny that, but the result of the war is a mess of violence, deceit, instability in
the Gulf and an ever growing lack of trust between people and nations.
On top of this we now have the deaths of Saddam?s two sons. Again the part they played in the evil regime
cannot be denied but the grotesque way in which their bodies have been exhibited ? almost as trophies ?
leaves a feeling of disgust in my head. And the display of their bodies was on a Friday ? the Islamic holy day
of prayer. The insensitivity of all this is incredible. Because of the lack of trust that most people in Iraq have of
the imposed American regime it is doubtful that even this blunt display of the two bodies will convince the Iraqi
people.
These bodies had a price of $15 million on them, Saddam himself it is said has a $20 million reward pegged
on him. Again I understand the need for these men to be caught, controlled, brought to justice or whatever,
but deep within me I am disturbed by the idea of governments paying money for the ?wanted: dead or alive?
type of hunt.
In a world so broken and torn like ours, where evil is perpetrated by individuals, organisations and nations of
course we must deal with it. We must use all the power we can muster to bring about peace, justice and
reconciliation. We cannot stand idly by. But the price that has been paid over the last year or so since War on
Terror was invented has been a loss of some fundamental human (and Christian) basics. The loss of dignity,
respect, truth, integrity and rational justice. The so called war on terror was created to defend these qualities
and yet as I said above I feel disturbed and shocked by the events that continue to unfold.
Of course the Iraq situation is just the most prominent example, but it is found elsewhere all over the world ?
Liberia, Sierra Leone, Kashmir, Northern Ireland, Palestine and Israel ?
I said I was not quite sure what I am trying to say. I suppose it is this. That even though hatred, conflict and
war is a sad reality in our world we need more than ever to hold on to our basic (and I believe they are just
that ? BASIC) Christian qualities which every human being has as a right. The right to dignity, honesty,
respect and justice is not just a human-made right, I believe it is a right given by God himself. If we believe
and preach that we are truly children of God made in his image we have a duty to constantly treat all human
beings with the Godly dignity that God expects from us.
Even in the grossest atrocities of war and evil God requires us to remain in his presence, to seek his answers,
to promote his message and to love one another.
?Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.? A difficult commandment even in peace time!
but our prayers and love must reach out to all people and as the events of post war Iraq unfold we are going
to be challenged more than ever when we try to keep this commandment of our Lord.
And so we pray for peace, justice and reconciliation. We pray for an end to the evil tyranny that has been
known and is still known in many parts of our world. But no matter how hard it is (and Jesus himself told us it
would never be easy) we are to search and search our hearts to find ways of never letting evil overcome
good. In other words, respect, dignity, honesty, truth and justice must prevail in the Christian life no mater how
impossible or disturbing the events of our time may be.
As Christ?s people in this place may I encourage you in your prayers for peace. I thank God for your
commitment and faith in remembering our troubled world in your prayers, and I pray that God will grant you a
vision of his unconditional love so that you may be a sign of hope and a source of inspiration to those who
need Christ?s message.
With my love and prayers,
Stephen
October 2003 - Who are we? Where are we? What?s in a name?
As of the 1st of October we are now in the Deanery of Ardwick and the new parish boundaries have been put
in place. Basically this means that our northern parish boundary is the line of Dickenson Road and Stanley
Grove. This does not make much difference to most people who worship at St Agnes ? the boundaries are
only strictly important for those getting married as generally it is only possible to get married in the parish
church of the parish in which you live. For those of you who live in the parts of the old parish now in St
Luke?s, St Chrysostom?s or Emmanuel Gorton nothing need change ? even though strictly speaking you are
now in a different parish we hope that you will continue to worship and feel a part of St Agnes. The new
boundaries mean that the three parishes of St Luke Longsight, St Chrysostom Victoria Park and our own all
join in the centre of the Longsight shopping area. As clergy, Peter, Ian and myself have committed ourselves
to working together as best we can ? especially in the central area. It is our hope that our three churches and
congregations will over time come together ? not as an official team ? but in a spirit of cooperation and
fellowship to strengthen our ministry in Longsight. A detailed map of the changes to the boundaries is
available in church.
Please continue to pray for our parish ? its congregation and all who live in it.
Stephen
In the July magazine I talked a little about some of the names used for ordained ministers in the Anglican
Church. This month I will mention a few more.
Every inch of soil of the United Kingdom is in a PARISH. A parish is the geographical area surrounding a
parish church. The minister(s) of a parish is known by different names (see July magazine). Parishes are
grouped together into a DEANERY which is co-ordinated by the Deanery Synod together with the Area Dean
and a lay Deanery chair. The AREA DEAN is responsible for representing both the clergy of the deanery to
the bishop?s staff and also the bishop?s staff to the clergy. It is a key role in the organisation of the diocese.
Groups of deaneries are brought together in an ARCHDEACONRY for which the ARCHDEACON is
responsible. An archdeacon is a senior cleric responsible to the bishop and shares pastoral, legal and
administrative tasks.
The DIOCESE is the main administrative area of the church. It is the area of which the BISHOP has oversight
and often roughly coincides with local county or borough boundaries. Because of the size and nature of
dioceses the Bishop may be assisted by other bishops known as AREA or SUFFRAGON BISHOPS. The
mother church of a diocese is called the cathedral where the bishop has his seat (in Latin cathedra). The
cathedral is staffed by the DEAN who is assisted by the CHAPTER. The cathedral chapter is made up of
CANONS ? each of whom has a special stall in the cathedral. In some cathedrals a senior canon may be
known as Prebendary, a title which comes from the prebend or money he received for the post in medieval
times.
Every diocese is part of a PROVINCE. The Church of England has two provinces ? Canterbury and York. The
chief bishop of the province is known as an ARCHBISHOP or metropolitan.
So St Agnes is the name of our Parish Church. Our parish title is The Parish of St Agnes, Birch-in-Rusholme
with St John with St Cyprian Longsight. We are in the Deanery of Ardwick in the Archdeaconry of Manchester
in the Diocese of Manchester in the Province of York.
Different positions in the church?s ordained ministry carry slightly different titles. Parish clergy are called the
Revd J Smith or Father J Smith. Our Archdeacon is the Venerable Alan Wolstencroft. The Dean of
Manchester Cathedral is the Very Revd Ken Riley. Our Area Bishop is the Right Reverend Stephen Lowe.
Our Diocesan Bishop is the Right Reverend Nigel McCulloch. The Archbishop of York is the Most Reverend
Dr David Hope.
November 2003 - Christ the King of all Creation
It is said so often these days that new media and greater ability to travel have led to a shrinking of our world.
We are as aware today of what is going on in central Africa, southern America and the Antarctic science
centres as we are of what is going on in our own city. We are as likely to visit another country as we are to
travel to the end of our own island of Britain. In One World Week we concentrate our thoughts on the fact that
as those who dwell on this planet we are interdependent, we need one another and the actions of just a few
can have drastic implications on the lives of millions of human beings thousands of miles away. The earth is
indeed small.
I am currently reading Bill Bryson?s new book, ?A Short History of Nearly Everything? in which he explains ?
for the ignorant like me ? what we now understand about the birth of the universe, the creation of earth and
the birth of life itself on this planet. On almost every page I have gasped in awe (and out loud!) at some of the
facts that he tells us: the incredible (and I mean totally incredible) size of the universe, the fact that the planet
Earth is just a minuscule spec in the vastness of space, that life?s beginning and continued existence is
dependant on an enormous amount of luck, coincidence and to a certain extent chaos. Or at least that is
chemically or biologically speaking. The awe which this book inspires ? the awe of how complex and how vast
the whole of creation is ? has shaken me to think again about the most basic of questions, ?why do I believe
in a God at all??
When the complexities of life and creation are laid out as chemical formulae, as a list of bizarre and enormous
forces it leads the reader to wonder how this all started. For what purpose does this creation exist? And what
is behind it all?
Some people who delve into the questions about creation end up doing away with God, pushing him to the
sidelines at least, or at worst, denying his existence altogether. I can begin to understand this. As one who
enjoyed studying chemistry I can follow and be amazed by the science, but I can only make any sense of this
if I hold onto God and acknowledge that it is His power, His glory, His complexity and most of all His love that
allows any of this fantastic universe to exist at all. Even if we take life, the earth, our solar system and indeed
the whole universe back into a single small mass of atoms (before any big bang) the fact remains: that small
piece of substance was created. No amount of fancy science can answer the question of why we exist. How
we exist, where we exist and what we exist as can be answered. But why?
This book has made my vision of God even bigger. It has made me realise that God is far bigger than
anything we can imagine, far more powerful, far more mysterious and far more outside the constraints of
human time and space. All this eternity and infinity hurts my head! I am only a human being and my small
brain cannot cope with the sheer scale and wonder of this. And yet my head stops hurting, my mind stops
being confused and my life becomes stable when I realise this one thing: that God in his might, power,
majesty, grandeur and sheer eternity has chosen to create me, love me and give his life for me through his
Son Jesus Christ.
I am reminded of two hymns which put this amazing fact of our faith into words.
?It is a thing most wonderful, almost too wonderful to be, that God?s own Son should come from heaven, and
die to save a child like me.? (W. How)
?I cannot tell how he whom angels worship should stoop to love the peoples of the earth.? (W Fullerton)
As we have realised during One World Week, the world is indeed small and human beings are indeed
brothers and sisters ? we cannot be cut off from one another. And for us as Christians this link is made clear
in the person of Jesus Christ - the Son of God who came to earth taking on our human flesh and dwelling
intimately with us.
This same Christ who died on the cross, this same man who walked about among us is now Christ our King,
and King of all time and space. As his people, subject to his rule, it is our duty and our delight to honour his
power and glory by uniting with the whole human race in serving one another.
The second hymn I quoted ends:
?but this I know, the skies will shrill with rapture, and myriad, myriad human voices sing, and earth to heav?n
and heav?n to earth; will answer: ?at last the saviour, Saviour of the world, is King!??
One world. One human race. One God who is Father of us all.
May Christ our eternal King bless you and keep you safe in the might of his Creation.
With my love and prayers
Stephen
DECEMBER 2003 - It?s that time again ?
I make no attempt to hide the fact that I find it difficult each year to find something new or different to say
about the main festivals of the Christian year. Whether it is Easter, Trinity or Christmas it remains difficult to
not say the same thing over again. In our particular parish context and now generally in the rest of the nation,
people are becoming more aware of the calendars and festivals of faiths other than Christianity. This can I
believe have an important and positive affect on how those outside communities of faith see Christmas.
In a country where a large number of people still identify themselves as Christians but the number of active ?
or church-going ? Christians is decreasing, the increased spotlight on other faiths and cultures may serve the
Church well in helping people to identify exactly what Christmas is really about. In a society of choice and
consumerism where many people have access to the celebration of not only traditional Christian festivals but
also Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish, Chinese and other cultural/religious festivals, the time may have arrived when
people may have to choose when their own celebration takes place.
In a single-faith situation it is understandable that even those outside that particular faith may still share in the
celebration. We have seen this most strongly perhaps in the way that even the most atheistic of people may
celebrate Christmas without any challenge to their integrity. As the profile of other religious events increases
we have seen vast numbers of people attending the Chinese New Year celebrations in the city centre
Chinatown and also the Diwali celebrations of the Hindu faith. As I am writing this Eid is just beginning and on
television the news reporters have just reported on the numbers of people attending Eid celebrations in
Rusholme.
Some people may fear that all this increased religious activity may lead to a diminishing of the traditional
Christmas as families share in the celebrations of their neighbours and local communities.
I believe this is a mistaken fear for two reasons.
Firstly, the renewed interest in the customs of other faiths can only add to the spiritual awareness of the
nation as a whole. The more religious festivals that are celebrated and attended, the more people are likely to
understand not only other people?s spirituality but perhaps question their own and start to seek out a greater
understanding of their own beliefs.
Secondly, anything which sets the Christians festival such as Christmas and Easter into a wider religious view
may possibly make people question why they have traditionally celebrated Christmas at all. The consumerist
and materialist drive behind the secular Christmas could perhaps dwindle as people choose to celebrate a
particular festival for the right reasons ? the reason of the faith behind it.
In a multi-faith and multi-cultural society the Church needs to be confident of its message and not fearful of
being excluded. We need to be joyful and confident in our celebration of the birth of Christ and not allow
ourselves to be over-taken by the secular Christmas rush.
We live in a world of lifestyle choice. Adverts, magazines, posters and most of the media try to convince us
that a certain lifestyle is just right for you or for me. The lifestyle choices range from music to fashion, cars to
holidays, and housing to entertainment. But the most important lifestyle choice that anyone ever makes is that
of their spiritual life. Faith is the most important lifestyle choice you will ever have to make because it will affect
everything you do ? your love, your life, your happiness, your hope, your dreams and your worldview.
I would hate to see religion as just another fashionable check-box in the lifestyle choice but I believe that as
more and more people think about the meanings behind the increased celebration of faith in this country so
our commitment to our own faith will strengthen and grow.
This Christmas we celebrate as Christians our belief that in the tiny weak and helpless baby of the manger,
God chose to take our human existence. God chose to share out earthly joys and sorrows. God chose to
save the world. God chose life.
In celebrating Christ?s birth this December as a parish we are proclaiming alongside others that we have
indeed made our choice of lifestyle. We have chosen faith. We have chosen God. We have chosen life.
God has chosen to give us the gift of life.
At Christmas God has chosen to share himself in the life of the baby Jesus.
In Jesus we have the gift of eternal life.
May God bless you this Christmas as we celebrate with great joy the festival of God?s explosion in to our lives.
With love and prayers
Fr Stephen
News index
Current letter from the Rectory
Archived Pages