| from the rectory ARCHIVES / |
FEBRUARY 2007
Dear Friends
I am conscious that I am writing this only a day after taking down the Christmas decorations and having just celebrated the
Epiphany. I am also aware that the crib is still set up in church and that we have St Agnes Day and Candlemass to celebrate
before this article is published! But February brings with it Ash Wednesday and the solemn season of Lent.
It seems difficult to think about suitable Lenten disciplines and rules when I am struggling even to put my new year resolutions in
to place. Why do we make life so difficult, expecting so much from ourselves? Today I had timetabled a visit to the gym and, being
squeezed out by other things, I haven’t been. No great surprise but I find myself disappointed because I have let myself down. Of
course one answer is to try harder next time (tomorrow? next week?). But the real benefit comes from having more realistic
expectations in the first place by making more manageable and achievable goals.
As it is with yearly resolutions, so it is with Lent. Over the years the interpretation of Lenten discipline has changed quite
significantly and they may be a danger (only may be) of us over-doing the activity or discipline and forgetting what Lent is really for.
The Church of England’s new Lenten worship material has this introduction:
‘Lent may originally have followed Epiphany, just as Jesus’ sojourn in the wilderness followed immediately on his baptism, but it
soon became firmly attached to Easter, as the principal occasion for baptism and for the reconciliation of those who had been
excluded from the church’s fellowship for apostasy or serious faults. This history explains the characteristic notes of Lent – self-
examination, penitence, self-denial, study, and preparation for Easter, to which almsgiving has traditionally been added. As the
candidates for baptism were instructed in Christian faith, and as penitents prepared themselves, through fasting and penance, to
be readmitted to communion, the whole Christian community was invited to join them in the process of study and repentance,
whose extension over forty days would remind them of the forty days that Jesus spent in the wilderness, being tested by Satan.’
So this connection with baptismal candidates is at the heart of the Lenten preparation. And our own discipline, our individual
response to this Lenten call should bear in mind our baptismal calling. Whatever we choose to give up, take on, rethink, or review
should be done for the deepening of our baptismal promises and the realignment of our own spiritual life with that of the Church.
The initiation of new believers and the reconciliation of the excluded are both patterns for our own Lenten journey.
A Lenten discipline which takes these spiritual factors into account may not be glamorous or popular. But they are a lot more
useful in the long term than setting ourselves material targets and unattainable goals which leave us disappointed and irritable.
Whatever you choose this Lent I pray that your journey with Christ through the wilderness will bring us all back in to the embrace of
the Church of which he is the risen Lord.
with my love and prayers
Stephen
MARCH 2007
The pain of trying to live the gospel
No one ever said it would be easy following the way of Christ. Jesus himself on a few occasions warns those that choose to
follow him that it will make them unpopular, controversial and at times faced with almost impossibly hard choices. But despite
these warning from our Lord himself, and despite a church history littered with debate, conflict and tension, many Christians try to
see their life of faith as a walk with God which is gentle, meek and mild. As a goal, as an aim, as an ideal this is perfect.
Christianity should lead humanity in to a gentle, meek and loving relationship with itself and with God. But to achieve this spiritual
bliss and simplicity we are required at times to make difficult choices and speak out in such ways which challenge not only the
world around us, but also ourselves.
Challenging the world through actions, petitions, and decisions is sometimes a bit easier than the act of challenging ourselves.
Lent of course gives us the perfect opportunity to do just this. To challenge ourselves by requiring of ourselves a more radical
application of the gospel and being willing at times to do things which, for the sake of the Gospel, may actually make us
unpopular or controversial.
Why do I mention this? Well earlier this year with the Amnesty greeting card campaign in church the Mission & Action group
possibly mis-read the mind of the congregation. We produced information on how to write to British prisoners held in
Guantanamo Bay on charges of terrorism. I think I am right in saying that not one letter was sent by the congregation and I was
told that many people had been offended by the choice of prisoner. Looking back now I can see the potent mix of emotions that
this must bring in to the Christian mind. The reality of life in the Guantanamo detention centre is that the American authorities are
treating prisoners there in ways which are clearly illegal in terms of international law. Basic human rights are being violated by the
American government. The rest of the world looking on agrees – our own UK government has spoken against the camps
existence. But there is little outcry from people because we are reminded of what these prisoners may have done, what they may
have plotted and what their minds are capable of. So we let it go from our own consciousness and continue with life. It is too
difficult an emotion for us to cope with and the essential Christian, and in fact essential human instinct to treat all people with a
basic dignity is ignored. How hard it is to apply the teaching of Christ, the message of the Gospel to people who revolt us at such
a deep level. The pain of trying to live the Gospel…
There is no easy answer. There is no easy way. Christ outlines such strong tensions in his teachings and warns his disciples
that following the way of the Gospel requires deep personal sacrifice. There are so many topical examples of this tension
between our faith and our feelings.
Last month a sign was put up on a church in Australia saying ‘Jesus loves Osama’. The basic message is of course true. There
is a place in the heart of God for the soul of every human being. But the gut feeling on seeing this sign is one of disgust that such
a notice is inappropriate and too sharp. I think the sign ought to be more sensitively positioned or explained but I do believe that
we can not choose when to apply the Gospel message and when not to. The pain of trying to live the Gospel…
We pray and long for peace and we become angry and frustrated by the race to obtain nuclear powers by Iran or North Korea and
yet our government is in the process of agreeing to spend £20 billion on our very own weapon of mass destruction for Britain by
replacing the Trident system – despite signing an agreement against this nearly 40 years ago! Arguments of defence and
deterrent are compelling but they still do not absolve us from the sins of hypocrisy and war. Dare to imagine the message to the
world if we said no - if we said we would not replace our nuclear weapons? That we would invest £20 billion in peace, justice and
harmony between nations? Yes, the risks are huge, our vulnerability would be exposed, but the statement to humanity would be
immense. Although some Christians seem capable of justifying war it seems to me that they are on very dodgy ground. Peace,
and peace at almost any price, is central to the Gospel. The pain of trying to live the Gospel…
But the pain of this Gospel love can be overcome and can be expressed in the most amazing ways. In recent times the most
remarkable example of such deep love and radical Christianity was expressed by the mother of murdered school boy Andrew
Walker when she forgave his killers. At the time, Gee Walker said “Why live a life sentence? Hate killed my son, so why should I be
a victim too? Unforgiveness makes you a victim and why should I be a victim? Anthony spent his life forgiving. His life stood for
peace, love and forgiveness and I brought them up that way. I have to practice what I preach. I don't feel any bitterness towards
them really, truly, all I feel is... I feel sad for the family."
The cost of embodying the Gospel like this is immense, the pain is immense. But it is necessary.
I write these thoughts deliberately. I do not claim to have found an easy way to justify my actions and my prayers, or even an easy
way to reconcile my faith with my feelings on such emotive issues as these. I struggle with these tensions and challenges and I
know that often I fail to understand the radical, sacrificial example of love which Christ shows us through his Gospel. But Lent
lends me time – spiritual time – to rediscover this sacrificial, radical generosity which pours from the love of God. It gives me time
to rediscover God’s painful, sacrificial and intimate involvement with the world. It gives me time as I look towards the ultimate
sacrifice of the Cross to look upon Christ’s body and see such perfect love and to pray, to pray, long and yearn, that my life may be
transformed by such love and such sacrifice.
And so through the pain of living the Gospel I pray that its reality may be made known in the world and that the life of humanity may
be forever changed by the sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ. The pain of trying to live the Gospel is the means of changing the
world.
With every blessing for a fruitful Lent,
with my love, Stephen
APRIL 2007
The power of God
If you believe there is no God then it is natural that you believe that we exist by accident or for some other
reason. If you think we exist by accident – or by chance even – then surely after death there is nothing. An
accident that creates life in such a materialistic way is not likely to be able to deal with any sense of afterlife.
Death will be death.
If you still don’t believe in God but believe in our creation being because of ‘some other’ reason then perhaps an
afterlife is possible. The other reason, the other energy that created us might also be able to create an afterlife
for us. But – why would that energy, that creative thing want to keep part of us alive after our natural life had
finished in death?
But if we believe that we are created, not by chance or by another reason, but by God, then we now have some
hope.
We have hope because we now have a relationship with the creative power behind us. We aren’t just chance
objects or creatures in some sort of power game but we are God’s creation. God has created us with a purpose
for a purpose, with a reason for a reason. And then we see that death cannot, and will not, be the end. Why
would God create us otherwise?
And because God has created us, breathed life into us and given us such a glimpse of his beauty and power, it
is clear he wants us (longs for us) to continue in this relationship with him after our mortal bodies have gone.
And so he gives us the gift of eternal life in his presence. Now, it may be that we are not good enough to
experience this life on our own merits and we need a saviour, Jesus Christ, to regain this gift for us. Or it may be
that we messed up this opportunity and gift of eternal life by our sinfulness and that we need a redeemer, Jesus
Christ, to win this gift for us. Or it may be that we are so foolishly human that we need an advocate and pioneer,
Jesus Christ, to show the way to this gift for us.
Or is it all these things and more? Yes Jesus Christ, who suffered, died and rose again is our saviour, our
redeemer and our advocate but he is still much more! We must remember that this saviour, this redeemer, this
advocate is not just favoured by God as his anointed and his servant, but he is also the only Son: God’s only
Son. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. The cost, the enormity and the passion of this
act is the real sign that this Easter story – the Resurrection – is a gift to us because we are all God’s children.
There is no way that accidental or creative powers would go to all this love to save us. No. We are saved and
raised to new life by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ because it is his nature.
Thanks be to God for his great act of love. His resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead has given us true life
here on earth and an even greater hope of life in heaven. Alleluia!
with my love and best wishes for a joyful Easter season,
Stephen
MAY 2007
The Lord is here!
On Maundy Thursday we followed the celebration of the Eucharist with a solemn vigil in front of the Blessed
Sacrament until midnight. The church was left in candlelight with the Sacrament surrounded by flickering flames,
beautiful lily buds and a lingering smell of incense. As the night drew on and the darkness fell into the night the
church became more and more beautiful in its dignity, its solemnity and in its prayerful stillness.
This Maundy Thursday Watch is, I believe, one of the most moving moments of the liturgical year. It is a privilege
to sit in the church - the church which is usually so busy with people, music and words – and simply rest in the
presence of God on a night when everything seems so mixed up. For on Maundy Thursday we are only hours
away from the last moments of Christ’s death and burial and yet we are newly empowered by the celebration of
the single most important meal of love, the Last Supper and Christ’s institution of the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
It is an incredibly loaded evening which fills me with an immense sense of God’s abiding presence, not just in the
world, or even in my life, but most especially his presence in our church community. For on that evening I was
aware of all the comings and goings of the week, the day and the evening. The congregation members who had
come and gone through the church doors – for worship, for prayer, for cleaning, for flower arranging, for
whatever purpose they came. I remembered those drawn to the church building outside for its shelter – the kids
who congregate under the porch lights; the lads who cycle through the grounds. And with all these comings and
goings the church remains. The church building – symbolic of Christ himself - remains, steadfast and firm in the
busy life of this part of Longsight, and Christ dwells within.
And then on the evening itself during the Watch I also watched. I noticed the various people who came to Christ
in his sacrament to pay their devotion and respect. How could I know what prayers, thoughts and concerns went
through their minds? And yet I felt a calm sense of peace that through all these comings and goings – the arrival
and entrance of people in, out and through the building - Christ himself waits to receive his people. He remains
in his peaceful beauty and stillness, unchanging and yet deeply truly welcoming of all those who come to gaze
on him whether they gaze on him through the Sacrament, gaze on the church building as his symbolic presence
or just spend time in the grounds of his House.
We often worry about the sort of life that goes on in and around our churches. But we needn’t worry that it
detracts from its reverence. God chooses to dwell in the most difficult of places – the stable, the wilderness and
the cross. How much more delighted he must surely be then to dwell with us here in Longsight in the church
which, at the heart of this community, speaks of the joy of his glorious resurrection.
Christ is risen! Alleluia! And he is alive here in Longsight, amongst us, his people. Alleluia!
With my love and prayers in these days of Easter
Stephen
June 2007
Church: spiritual cash machine?
In the Guardian magazine a few weeks ago, Guy Browning, in his excellent and funny column ‘How to be a …’
focussed on being a Christian. He wrote that prayer is like a ‘one-to-one session with God and Jesus’ that works
in two ways: ‘first, it gives you some quiet time to get your life in perspective; second, it allows you to refocus on
the core message of Christianity, which is love. And love, as everyone knows, is the answer.’
He then moves on to say that for some, churches are ‘a meeting point for prayer’ and that churches are ‘places
that are dedicated to God and act as spiritual cash machines where one can check one’s balance and make
withdrawals of forgiveness as necessary.’
Even in this humorous article, what a wonderful image of the church as a place providing just the things that
people need for a healthy spiritual and emotional life.
But whereas we who go to church understand the value of this ‘spiritual cash machine’ our problem is convincing
those who don’t go to church that they might benefit from the services we offer. There is a large group of people
who are quite tuned in to spiritual things – or at least open to the possibility of spiritual things. There are large
groups of people – the majority of people – who are definitely good people, people of good-will. So what barriers
prevent these good, spiritual people from discovering the pastoral, spiritual and prayerful services of the church?
There are many answers to that question. There are cultural reasons, language reasons, symbolic reasons.
There are family and historical reasons. There are bad memories, laziness, apathy. But one thing is certain and
that is that these ‘reasons’ don’t always lie with ‘them’. They are just as much the problem and fault of the
churches as they are individuals.
Even the most active and friendly churches can get stale, and the most successful of services or groups needs
to be aware of its shortcomings as well as its achievement.
And so the PCC has over the past year or so been looking at parish life in some detail (some of this was part of
last year’s Archdeacon’s Visitation, other work has focussed around a video and discussion of Fresh
Expressions – a movement of renewal within the Church of England). During the March PCC this year members
worked through a series of questions asking about church life: our worship, pastoral care, mission and
community involvement. The responses that came from that meeting are now being analysed by our Deanery
Development Worker, Christian Tiede, who will help us over the next few months and guide us towards the
future. There will be an important session of PCC members on Saturday 14th July when Christian will lead us in
this work.
We will need to be honest and realistic about what we are doing in the parish of St Agnes’ if we are to fulfil our
duty as a church to be a place of spiritual benefit in our community.
Please keep the new PCC and the whole ministry of this parish in your prayers.
Thank you,
Fr Stephen
July 2007
An age old question…
Something a bit different this month: Intinction – the act of dipping the consecrated Bread in to the chalice rather
than receiving the precious Blood directly from the chalice. The practice has been around for years. Centuries.
And not without its problems!
Originally the bread and the chalice were received directly into the communicants’ hands but then by the 7th
century fears about the Sacrament being dropped or being stolen for misuse meant that it was common to place
the bread directly into the mouth of the communicant. Fears about spilling the wine led to the chalice being
withheld from communicants too. At this point it was common for intinction to happen – the bread dipped in to
the chalice by the priest and then placed on the tongue. Even intinction like this was banned then reintroduced
and then banned again! By the reformation communicants were only receiving the bread.
It was the Reformers who restored the wine to everyone – either by the sharing of the common cup or by
individual glasses as seen in some protestant chapels. But interestingly just over 100 years ago fears arose
over whether it was hygienic to share a common cup. Tests, experiments and surveys were carried out and it
was agreed that there was some risk of germs being carried but that it was so slight that it would be negligible.
But in some places intinction became popular and is now common in some churches.
The reason for me writing this is that the subject came up during the June PCC meeting and so I thought I would
find out the latest thoughts on it. In 1997 a survey was done which showed that fewer germs were transferred by
intinction then by sharing the common cup, but there were still some traces. And of course in a church like ours
where some people intinct and some people share, even intinction can never be 100% guaranteed as you are
still ‘dipping’ in to a shared cup.
But please let us take this all with common sense! We already live in a world where adverts are constantly
scaring us about new germs, viruses and health problems. We need to be real about this. The truth is this:
a wiped metal chalice makes it extremely hard for any germs to survive
the alcohol of the communion wine makes it difficult for most germs to survive
you get more germs from a handshake than from kissing – so obviously, then, from sharing a cup
in the survey carried out in 1997 even those who received communion EVERY DAY from a common
chalice suffered no more illness than those who didn’t (in fact people with children were more likely to be ill!)
There are of course many reasons why intinction may still be preferred by some: during an illness like a cold it
seems ‘decent’ to not share the cup, and for those with weakened immune systems, or for people susceptible to
infection it may be preferable for them to intinct. For others it may simply be a tradition with which they are most
comfortable.
For the Anglican, sharing the common cup is at the heart of our Eucharistic theology; this is after all
Communion, a communion as much with the body of Christ around us (our fellow Christians) as it is with our
Lord himself.
May the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, protect us, cleanse us and bless us!
with my love and prayers
Stephen
August/September 2007
Easy to pray?
By the time you will read this the parish retreat will be over and done but as I write I am preparing to go away
with 12 others for a 48 hour retreat in West Yorkshire to the Sisters of the Cross and Passion at Ilkley. This has
been a great response for our first parish retreat and perhaps next year, with more advance warning, more
people may be able to join us.
The theme of our retreat is ‘Easy to Love’ and is based on a book written a number of years ago by Brother
Roger Castle from the Community of the Resurrection at Mirfield. I remember reading the book about 15 years
ago and being encouraged by its simple suggestions of how to pray, or more importantly, helping me
understand that prayer was easier than I thought and worried about!
But for many of us prayer can be a struggle. First we need to find the time or perhaps the will to pray. Then
there is the stillness needed to know we are in God’s presence. There is the chaos of the world around us, the
life we lead, the concerns and practicalities of daily living. All these can hinder prayer until we are comfortable
with transforming them in to our aid to prayer, our entrance into the prayer and heart of God.
I realise though that over the years I had become less childlike with my prayers and just a little bit too adult.
What do I mean? Well my relationship with God through prayer had become a little bit formalised, a bit distanced
and at times a bit too nice. By this I mean that I felt I was saying and praying the right words, I was presenting to
God the right feelings and delivering them with what I thought was the correct level of reverence and worship. I
was able to acknowledge and recall sin and weakness before him without problem but I think now, looking back, I
had done so with a reserve and with deliberate distance so that my experience of his love, forgiveness and
mercy could be received nicely, quietly and with adult-like maturity.
But how things change! And it is ironic and so perfectly understandable that as I get older and further away from
my childhood years I should find more and more that I rejoice in being more childlike in my relationship with God.
In prayer – as in worship and adoration – I am beginning to rediscover the importance of awe, surprise,
amazement and directness when I consider the God who has created and redeemed me and who continues to
give me life. These childlike qualities – awe, surprise and amazement – can re-energise an intimate relationship
with God because acknowledging our dependence on him and letting ourselves go running back to his loving
arms helps us to be freed up in prayer to say all those things to God that as adults we may be nervous to voice.
How can we ever worry about words and thoughts before God when he already knows the secrets of our hearts
and just longs for us to cry them out to him? With childlike awe, surprise and amazement we can encounter this
God of immense love in new and bold ways.
But you may notice I left out one word in repeating that list. Directness. I still struggle with directness before God.
Can I really ask for a, b or c? I want to ask for so many things but reverence – or at least politeness – stops me
from being direct with God. How foolish I can be for Jesus himself tells us that we must ask of our Heavenly
Father those things which are needful. Our prayers and petitions do not fall on deaf ears but settle in the heart
of the God of love. God alone knows how they will be answered and dealt with – it is his mercy and his grace
which responds to our prayers in ways which we must learn to trust. But let us not stop asking, because just as
children will ask bluntly for what they want, so we, God’s children, must do the same. In childlike trust and with
confidence in his grace, let us run to God with our prayers as quickly as we would run to others.
The God who knows us and cares for us with an immense and perfect love is waiting to hear our prayer.
With love and my prayers,
Stephen
November 2007
Being a good neighbour
Last week I spent a day and an evening talking about some of the issues that arise from living in and ministering
a parish with a predominantly Muslim population. At the Deanery Synod I spoke to colleagues about the feelings
I have about my life and ministry here and how the local community shapes what we do as a parish. At a day
conference organised by the Diocese four of us from St Agnes took part in discussions and conversations about
the challenges that face the church in a multi-faith situation and ways in which we can find support and share
good practice with similar parishes.
These meetings and presentations stem from the Church of England’s national programme which is called
‘Presence and Engagement’ – a title which usefully summarises much about what it means to be a Christian
presence (and an established church presence) in a neighbourhood of people from a variety of faith traditions.
I do see the word ‘Presence’ as vitally important for us. At times it may feel hard work maintaining our physical
and spiritual presence in our community but it is also at the centre of our mission as a church. Yes the building
is a costly and heavy burden on our finances. My desktop around me has two faculty applications, electrical
quotes, heating quotes, health and safety reports and summaries of possible furniture changes to the
community hall! But this building is more than just a meeting place for our worship, more than just a club-house
for the few of us who gather. It must remain as a sign of God’s presence in our midst, his dwelling with us – the
very heart of the incarnation. God is with us.
I hope that the work the PCC is currently undertaking on the building – both in repairs and maintenance as well
as some exciting planning for future use and outreach with our Deanery Development worker – will send a
confident message to our community and the people of Longsight that we are staying here, we are choosing to
remain as a sign of God’s presence – now and for the future.
But presence is not enough and that is why the Church adds the word ‘engagement’. Just as God sent Jesus
and Jesus sent his Church so we have been chosen to go out into our community. Our presence here in
Longsight requires our engagement as well. I hope that our building (our physical presence) will become the
resource for our outreach and engagement and we can use it to meet the spiritual and social needs of our
neighbours.
To start this we need to open up the church – not just the Hall. We need to invite people to discover what and
who we are both as a building and as a parish family. This ‘opening up’ was identified by the PCC in 2006 as a
priority under the term ‘connections: with outsiders, with the community and with seekers’. This is the same as
engagement and will be an important part of our living, our dwelling, our presence in this community.
The forthcoming events and services of Christmas will offer us a number of opportunities of engagement. Next
year’s Lent course is around the theme of being neighbourly. Plans are already underway to invite members of
the Makki Mosque to visit our building and share with us – returning the invitation they gave us earlier this year.
All of this will be part of our engagement with those around us.
Presence and engagement go hand in hand. It is not enough to just be here. We also need to take our full part
in the life of the community.
with my love and prayers,
Stephen
December 2007/January 2008
Bethlehem in the land of Judah…
This morning I went in to St Agnes School to take the assembly for the early. I chose the theme of Advent and
showed them the church’s Advent candles and my own Advent calendar which, as I write, is still in its wrapper
waiting for December 1st. It is quite a traditional scene of Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus in a shelter
surrounded by the shepherds and wise men. I have to admit that it is quite childish (they are cartoon characters
rather than proper paintings!) but it is lovely and, once again, like every year my heart is warmed by the
thoughts of the coming Christmas season.
I find it easy to lose myself in the nativity scene. Partly this is because it is a nostalgic reminder of happy
childhood Christmases and partly because the glitter and glamour of the commercial Christmas encourages us
to create a winter wonderland of magic and dreams. But it may also be for another reason that I – like so many
other people – long to melt into that idyllic seasonal scene of the stable. Imagine if, like Narnia, we could open
the door of the Advent calendar and walk though into Bethlehem in the land of Judah.
What we would we find? Would it resemble the nice nativities of our calendars, cards and churches? Would we
hear the angels sing? the cattle lowing? Well we can only put together an idea of what the scene would have
been like in the cave where Mary and Joseph stayed that night and where the baby was born in his beautiful
simplicity. We do not know all the facts but we can know that it was far from the ideal place to for a woman to
have her child. Not only was that birth outside and miles from home but the baby was born into a world of
upheaval, domination and bigotry. It is all too easy at Christmas, when listening to the stories of Jesus’ birth, to
forget the political, civil and social conditions at that time in a country which was occupied by the Roman empire.
All was far from peaceful in the land surrounding that holy stable.
I don’t wish to remind you of these facts in order to shatter your childhood images of the nativity because even
amidst the turbulence of those times we have the most amazing, divine moment where God is made flesh, born
of a woman, perfect in his beauty and humanity. It is the ultimate vision of perfection: Emmanuel, God with us.
And this is what we need to cling to from the Christmas truth. That God is with us. Still with us. Ever with us.
Always with us. Not much has changed and the holy land remains divided and torn apart. Bethlehem remains
this Christmas separated from its neighbours by a huge dividing wall erected by the Israeli authorities
supposedly in the name of peace and the tension of the Middle Eastern situation spills out into the surrounding
region. Even with the peace talks in America which have begun this week it is certainly clear that all is not calm
and all is not bright.
This is the world in which we live and it is the reality of our situation. It is not something that we can ignore
because God himself does not ignore it. It is into such a difficult and broken world that Christ was born and God
chose to dwell with us as one of us. He was made flesh then and he is made flesh now. ‘Emmanuel: God with us’
is not a tale from history but a reality that we as the Church must proclaim faithfully to this and every generation.
We cannot go between two worlds, a world of violence and world of Christmas religion as if we were going
through a door on an Advent calendar. God has broken down that divide by choosing to be born as one of us.
Despite the gloomy view that the world around sometimes provides us with, we must not give up, because
thanks to the power of the incarnation, God is with us!
Welcome, all wonders in one sight!
Eternity shut in a span.
Summer in winter, day in night,
Heaven in earth, and God in man.
Great little one! whose all embracing birth
Lifts earth to heaven, stoops heav'n to earth.
May God bless you this Christmas time and throughout the New Year.
with my love and prayers,
Stephen
Dear Friends
I am conscious that I am writing this only a day after taking down the Christmas decorations and having just celebrated the
Epiphany. I am also aware that the crib is still set up in church and that we have St Agnes Day and Candlemass to celebrate
before this article is published! But February brings with it Ash Wednesday and the solemn season of Lent.
It seems difficult to think about suitable Lenten disciplines and rules when I am struggling even to put my new year resolutions in
to place. Why do we make life so difficult, expecting so much from ourselves? Today I had timetabled a visit to the gym and, being
squeezed out by other things, I haven’t been. No great surprise but I find myself disappointed because I have let myself down. Of
course one answer is to try harder next time (tomorrow? next week?). But the real benefit comes from having more realistic
expectations in the first place by making more manageable and achievable goals.
As it is with yearly resolutions, so it is with Lent. Over the years the interpretation of Lenten discipline has changed quite
significantly and they may be a danger (only may be) of us over-doing the activity or discipline and forgetting what Lent is really for.
The Church of England’s new Lenten worship material has this introduction:
‘Lent may originally have followed Epiphany, just as Jesus’ sojourn in the wilderness followed immediately on his baptism, but it
soon became firmly attached to Easter, as the principal occasion for baptism and for the reconciliation of those who had been
excluded from the church’s fellowship for apostasy or serious faults. This history explains the characteristic notes of Lent – self-
examination, penitence, self-denial, study, and preparation for Easter, to which almsgiving has traditionally been added. As the
candidates for baptism were instructed in Christian faith, and as penitents prepared themselves, through fasting and penance, to
be readmitted to communion, the whole Christian community was invited to join them in the process of study and repentance,
whose extension over forty days would remind them of the forty days that Jesus spent in the wilderness, being tested by Satan.’
So this connection with baptismal candidates is at the heart of the Lenten preparation. And our own discipline, our individual
response to this Lenten call should bear in mind our baptismal calling. Whatever we choose to give up, take on, rethink, or review
should be done for the deepening of our baptismal promises and the realignment of our own spiritual life with that of the Church.
The initiation of new believers and the reconciliation of the excluded are both patterns for our own Lenten journey.
A Lenten discipline which takes these spiritual factors into account may not be glamorous or popular. But they are a lot more
useful in the long term than setting ourselves material targets and unattainable goals which leave us disappointed and irritable.
Whatever you choose this Lent I pray that your journey with Christ through the wilderness will bring us all back in to the embrace of
the Church of which he is the risen Lord.
with my love and prayers
Stephen
MARCH 2007
The pain of trying to live the gospel
No one ever said it would be easy following the way of Christ. Jesus himself on a few occasions warns those that choose to
follow him that it will make them unpopular, controversial and at times faced with almost impossibly hard choices. But despite
these warning from our Lord himself, and despite a church history littered with debate, conflict and tension, many Christians try to
see their life of faith as a walk with God which is gentle, meek and mild. As a goal, as an aim, as an ideal this is perfect.
Christianity should lead humanity in to a gentle, meek and loving relationship with itself and with God. But to achieve this spiritual
bliss and simplicity we are required at times to make difficult choices and speak out in such ways which challenge not only the
world around us, but also ourselves.
Challenging the world through actions, petitions, and decisions is sometimes a bit easier than the act of challenging ourselves.
Lent of course gives us the perfect opportunity to do just this. To challenge ourselves by requiring of ourselves a more radical
application of the gospel and being willing at times to do things which, for the sake of the Gospel, may actually make us
unpopular or controversial.
Why do I mention this? Well earlier this year with the Amnesty greeting card campaign in church the Mission & Action group
possibly mis-read the mind of the congregation. We produced information on how to write to British prisoners held in
Guantanamo Bay on charges of terrorism. I think I am right in saying that not one letter was sent by the congregation and I was
told that many people had been offended by the choice of prisoner. Looking back now I can see the potent mix of emotions that
this must bring in to the Christian mind. The reality of life in the Guantanamo detention centre is that the American authorities are
treating prisoners there in ways which are clearly illegal in terms of international law. Basic human rights are being violated by the
American government. The rest of the world looking on agrees – our own UK government has spoken against the camps
existence. But there is little outcry from people because we are reminded of what these prisoners may have done, what they may
have plotted and what their minds are capable of. So we let it go from our own consciousness and continue with life. It is too
difficult an emotion for us to cope with and the essential Christian, and in fact essential human instinct to treat all people with a
basic dignity is ignored. How hard it is to apply the teaching of Christ, the message of the Gospel to people who revolt us at such
a deep level. The pain of trying to live the Gospel…
There is no easy answer. There is no easy way. Christ outlines such strong tensions in his teachings and warns his disciples
that following the way of the Gospel requires deep personal sacrifice. There are so many topical examples of this tension
between our faith and our feelings.
Last month a sign was put up on a church in Australia saying ‘Jesus loves Osama’. The basic message is of course true. There
is a place in the heart of God for the soul of every human being. But the gut feeling on seeing this sign is one of disgust that such
a notice is inappropriate and too sharp. I think the sign ought to be more sensitively positioned or explained but I do believe that
we can not choose when to apply the Gospel message and when not to. The pain of trying to live the Gospel…
We pray and long for peace and we become angry and frustrated by the race to obtain nuclear powers by Iran or North Korea and
yet our government is in the process of agreeing to spend £20 billion on our very own weapon of mass destruction for Britain by
replacing the Trident system – despite signing an agreement against this nearly 40 years ago! Arguments of defence and
deterrent are compelling but they still do not absolve us from the sins of hypocrisy and war. Dare to imagine the message to the
world if we said no - if we said we would not replace our nuclear weapons? That we would invest £20 billion in peace, justice and
harmony between nations? Yes, the risks are huge, our vulnerability would be exposed, but the statement to humanity would be
immense. Although some Christians seem capable of justifying war it seems to me that they are on very dodgy ground. Peace,
and peace at almost any price, is central to the Gospel. The pain of trying to live the Gospel…
But the pain of this Gospel love can be overcome and can be expressed in the most amazing ways. In recent times the most
remarkable example of such deep love and radical Christianity was expressed by the mother of murdered school boy Andrew
Walker when she forgave his killers. At the time, Gee Walker said “Why live a life sentence? Hate killed my son, so why should I be
a victim too? Unforgiveness makes you a victim and why should I be a victim? Anthony spent his life forgiving. His life stood for
peace, love and forgiveness and I brought them up that way. I have to practice what I preach. I don't feel any bitterness towards
them really, truly, all I feel is... I feel sad for the family."
The cost of embodying the Gospel like this is immense, the pain is immense. But it is necessary.
I write these thoughts deliberately. I do not claim to have found an easy way to justify my actions and my prayers, or even an easy
way to reconcile my faith with my feelings on such emotive issues as these. I struggle with these tensions and challenges and I
know that often I fail to understand the radical, sacrificial example of love which Christ shows us through his Gospel. But Lent
lends me time – spiritual time – to rediscover this sacrificial, radical generosity which pours from the love of God. It gives me time
to rediscover God’s painful, sacrificial and intimate involvement with the world. It gives me time as I look towards the ultimate
sacrifice of the Cross to look upon Christ’s body and see such perfect love and to pray, to pray, long and yearn, that my life may be
transformed by such love and such sacrifice.
And so through the pain of living the Gospel I pray that its reality may be made known in the world and that the life of humanity may
be forever changed by the sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ. The pain of trying to live the Gospel is the means of changing the
world.
With every blessing for a fruitful Lent,
with my love, Stephen
APRIL 2007
The power of God
If you believe there is no God then it is natural that you believe that we exist by accident or for some other
reason. If you think we exist by accident – or by chance even – then surely after death there is nothing. An
accident that creates life in such a materialistic way is not likely to be able to deal with any sense of afterlife.
Death will be death.
If you still don’t believe in God but believe in our creation being because of ‘some other’ reason then perhaps an
afterlife is possible. The other reason, the other energy that created us might also be able to create an afterlife
for us. But – why would that energy, that creative thing want to keep part of us alive after our natural life had
finished in death?
But if we believe that we are created, not by chance or by another reason, but by God, then we now have some
hope.
We have hope because we now have a relationship with the creative power behind us. We aren’t just chance
objects or creatures in some sort of power game but we are God’s creation. God has created us with a purpose
for a purpose, with a reason for a reason. And then we see that death cannot, and will not, be the end. Why
would God create us otherwise?
And because God has created us, breathed life into us and given us such a glimpse of his beauty and power, it
is clear he wants us (longs for us) to continue in this relationship with him after our mortal bodies have gone.
And so he gives us the gift of eternal life in his presence. Now, it may be that we are not good enough to
experience this life on our own merits and we need a saviour, Jesus Christ, to regain this gift for us. Or it may be
that we messed up this opportunity and gift of eternal life by our sinfulness and that we need a redeemer, Jesus
Christ, to win this gift for us. Or it may be that we are so foolishly human that we need an advocate and pioneer,
Jesus Christ, to show the way to this gift for us.
Or is it all these things and more? Yes Jesus Christ, who suffered, died and rose again is our saviour, our
redeemer and our advocate but he is still much more! We must remember that this saviour, this redeemer, this
advocate is not just favoured by God as his anointed and his servant, but he is also the only Son: God’s only
Son. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. The cost, the enormity and the passion of this
act is the real sign that this Easter story – the Resurrection – is a gift to us because we are all God’s children.
There is no way that accidental or creative powers would go to all this love to save us. No. We are saved and
raised to new life by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ because it is his nature.
Thanks be to God for his great act of love. His resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead has given us true life
here on earth and an even greater hope of life in heaven. Alleluia!
with my love and best wishes for a joyful Easter season,
Stephen
MAY 2007
The Lord is here!
On Maundy Thursday we followed the celebration of the Eucharist with a solemn vigil in front of the Blessed
Sacrament until midnight. The church was left in candlelight with the Sacrament surrounded by flickering flames,
beautiful lily buds and a lingering smell of incense. As the night drew on and the darkness fell into the night the
church became more and more beautiful in its dignity, its solemnity and in its prayerful stillness.
This Maundy Thursday Watch is, I believe, one of the most moving moments of the liturgical year. It is a privilege
to sit in the church - the church which is usually so busy with people, music and words – and simply rest in the
presence of God on a night when everything seems so mixed up. For on Maundy Thursday we are only hours
away from the last moments of Christ’s death and burial and yet we are newly empowered by the celebration of
the single most important meal of love, the Last Supper and Christ’s institution of the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
It is an incredibly loaded evening which fills me with an immense sense of God’s abiding presence, not just in the
world, or even in my life, but most especially his presence in our church community. For on that evening I was
aware of all the comings and goings of the week, the day and the evening. The congregation members who had
come and gone through the church doors – for worship, for prayer, for cleaning, for flower arranging, for
whatever purpose they came. I remembered those drawn to the church building outside for its shelter – the kids
who congregate under the porch lights; the lads who cycle through the grounds. And with all these comings and
goings the church remains. The church building – symbolic of Christ himself - remains, steadfast and firm in the
busy life of this part of Longsight, and Christ dwells within.
And then on the evening itself during the Watch I also watched. I noticed the various people who came to Christ
in his sacrament to pay their devotion and respect. How could I know what prayers, thoughts and concerns went
through their minds? And yet I felt a calm sense of peace that through all these comings and goings – the arrival
and entrance of people in, out and through the building - Christ himself waits to receive his people. He remains
in his peaceful beauty and stillness, unchanging and yet deeply truly welcoming of all those who come to gaze
on him whether they gaze on him through the Sacrament, gaze on the church building as his symbolic presence
or just spend time in the grounds of his House.
We often worry about the sort of life that goes on in and around our churches. But we needn’t worry that it
detracts from its reverence. God chooses to dwell in the most difficult of places – the stable, the wilderness and
the cross. How much more delighted he must surely be then to dwell with us here in Longsight in the church
which, at the heart of this community, speaks of the joy of his glorious resurrection.
Christ is risen! Alleluia! And he is alive here in Longsight, amongst us, his people. Alleluia!
With my love and prayers in these days of Easter
Stephen
June 2007
Church: spiritual cash machine?
In the Guardian magazine a few weeks ago, Guy Browning, in his excellent and funny column ‘How to be a …’
focussed on being a Christian. He wrote that prayer is like a ‘one-to-one session with God and Jesus’ that works
in two ways: ‘first, it gives you some quiet time to get your life in perspective; second, it allows you to refocus on
the core message of Christianity, which is love. And love, as everyone knows, is the answer.’
He then moves on to say that for some, churches are ‘a meeting point for prayer’ and that churches are ‘places
that are dedicated to God and act as spiritual cash machines where one can check one’s balance and make
withdrawals of forgiveness as necessary.’
Even in this humorous article, what a wonderful image of the church as a place providing just the things that
people need for a healthy spiritual and emotional life.
But whereas we who go to church understand the value of this ‘spiritual cash machine’ our problem is convincing
those who don’t go to church that they might benefit from the services we offer. There is a large group of people
who are quite tuned in to spiritual things – or at least open to the possibility of spiritual things. There are large
groups of people – the majority of people – who are definitely good people, people of good-will. So what barriers
prevent these good, spiritual people from discovering the pastoral, spiritual and prayerful services of the church?
There are many answers to that question. There are cultural reasons, language reasons, symbolic reasons.
There are family and historical reasons. There are bad memories, laziness, apathy. But one thing is certain and
that is that these ‘reasons’ don’t always lie with ‘them’. They are just as much the problem and fault of the
churches as they are individuals.
Even the most active and friendly churches can get stale, and the most successful of services or groups needs
to be aware of its shortcomings as well as its achievement.
And so the PCC has over the past year or so been looking at parish life in some detail (some of this was part of
last year’s Archdeacon’s Visitation, other work has focussed around a video and discussion of Fresh
Expressions – a movement of renewal within the Church of England). During the March PCC this year members
worked through a series of questions asking about church life: our worship, pastoral care, mission and
community involvement. The responses that came from that meeting are now being analysed by our Deanery
Development Worker, Christian Tiede, who will help us over the next few months and guide us towards the
future. There will be an important session of PCC members on Saturday 14th July when Christian will lead us in
this work.
We will need to be honest and realistic about what we are doing in the parish of St Agnes’ if we are to fulfil our
duty as a church to be a place of spiritual benefit in our community.
Please keep the new PCC and the whole ministry of this parish in your prayers.
Thank you,
Fr Stephen
July 2007
An age old question…
Something a bit different this month: Intinction – the act of dipping the consecrated Bread in to the chalice rather
than receiving the precious Blood directly from the chalice. The practice has been around for years. Centuries.
And not without its problems!
Originally the bread and the chalice were received directly into the communicants’ hands but then by the 7th
century fears about the Sacrament being dropped or being stolen for misuse meant that it was common to place
the bread directly into the mouth of the communicant. Fears about spilling the wine led to the chalice being
withheld from communicants too. At this point it was common for intinction to happen – the bread dipped in to
the chalice by the priest and then placed on the tongue. Even intinction like this was banned then reintroduced
and then banned again! By the reformation communicants were only receiving the bread.
It was the Reformers who restored the wine to everyone – either by the sharing of the common cup or by
individual glasses as seen in some protestant chapels. But interestingly just over 100 years ago fears arose
over whether it was hygienic to share a common cup. Tests, experiments and surveys were carried out and it
was agreed that there was some risk of germs being carried but that it was so slight that it would be negligible.
But in some places intinction became popular and is now common in some churches.
The reason for me writing this is that the subject came up during the June PCC meeting and so I thought I would
find out the latest thoughts on it. In 1997 a survey was done which showed that fewer germs were transferred by
intinction then by sharing the common cup, but there were still some traces. And of course in a church like ours
where some people intinct and some people share, even intinction can never be 100% guaranteed as you are
still ‘dipping’ in to a shared cup.
But please let us take this all with common sense! We already live in a world where adverts are constantly
scaring us about new germs, viruses and health problems. We need to be real about this. The truth is this:
a wiped metal chalice makes it extremely hard for any germs to survive
the alcohol of the communion wine makes it difficult for most germs to survive
you get more germs from a handshake than from kissing – so obviously, then, from sharing a cup
in the survey carried out in 1997 even those who received communion EVERY DAY from a common
chalice suffered no more illness than those who didn’t (in fact people with children were more likely to be ill!)
There are of course many reasons why intinction may still be preferred by some: during an illness like a cold it
seems ‘decent’ to not share the cup, and for those with weakened immune systems, or for people susceptible to
infection it may be preferable for them to intinct. For others it may simply be a tradition with which they are most
comfortable.
For the Anglican, sharing the common cup is at the heart of our Eucharistic theology; this is after all
Communion, a communion as much with the body of Christ around us (our fellow Christians) as it is with our
Lord himself.
May the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, protect us, cleanse us and bless us!
with my love and prayers
Stephen
August/September 2007
Easy to pray?
By the time you will read this the parish retreat will be over and done but as I write I am preparing to go away
with 12 others for a 48 hour retreat in West Yorkshire to the Sisters of the Cross and Passion at Ilkley. This has
been a great response for our first parish retreat and perhaps next year, with more advance warning, more
people may be able to join us.
The theme of our retreat is ‘Easy to Love’ and is based on a book written a number of years ago by Brother
Roger Castle from the Community of the Resurrection at Mirfield. I remember reading the book about 15 years
ago and being encouraged by its simple suggestions of how to pray, or more importantly, helping me
understand that prayer was easier than I thought and worried about!
But for many of us prayer can be a struggle. First we need to find the time or perhaps the will to pray. Then
there is the stillness needed to know we are in God’s presence. There is the chaos of the world around us, the
life we lead, the concerns and practicalities of daily living. All these can hinder prayer until we are comfortable
with transforming them in to our aid to prayer, our entrance into the prayer and heart of God.
I realise though that over the years I had become less childlike with my prayers and just a little bit too adult.
What do I mean? Well my relationship with God through prayer had become a little bit formalised, a bit distanced
and at times a bit too nice. By this I mean that I felt I was saying and praying the right words, I was presenting to
God the right feelings and delivering them with what I thought was the correct level of reverence and worship. I
was able to acknowledge and recall sin and weakness before him without problem but I think now, looking back, I
had done so with a reserve and with deliberate distance so that my experience of his love, forgiveness and
mercy could be received nicely, quietly and with adult-like maturity.
But how things change! And it is ironic and so perfectly understandable that as I get older and further away from
my childhood years I should find more and more that I rejoice in being more childlike in my relationship with God.
In prayer – as in worship and adoration – I am beginning to rediscover the importance of awe, surprise,
amazement and directness when I consider the God who has created and redeemed me and who continues to
give me life. These childlike qualities – awe, surprise and amazement – can re-energise an intimate relationship
with God because acknowledging our dependence on him and letting ourselves go running back to his loving
arms helps us to be freed up in prayer to say all those things to God that as adults we may be nervous to voice.
How can we ever worry about words and thoughts before God when he already knows the secrets of our hearts
and just longs for us to cry them out to him? With childlike awe, surprise and amazement we can encounter this
God of immense love in new and bold ways.
But you may notice I left out one word in repeating that list. Directness. I still struggle with directness before God.
Can I really ask for a, b or c? I want to ask for so many things but reverence – or at least politeness – stops me
from being direct with God. How foolish I can be for Jesus himself tells us that we must ask of our Heavenly
Father those things which are needful. Our prayers and petitions do not fall on deaf ears but settle in the heart
of the God of love. God alone knows how they will be answered and dealt with – it is his mercy and his grace
which responds to our prayers in ways which we must learn to trust. But let us not stop asking, because just as
children will ask bluntly for what they want, so we, God’s children, must do the same. In childlike trust and with
confidence in his grace, let us run to God with our prayers as quickly as we would run to others.
The God who knows us and cares for us with an immense and perfect love is waiting to hear our prayer.
With love and my prayers,
Stephen
November 2007
Being a good neighbour
Last week I spent a day and an evening talking about some of the issues that arise from living in and ministering
a parish with a predominantly Muslim population. At the Deanery Synod I spoke to colleagues about the feelings
I have about my life and ministry here and how the local community shapes what we do as a parish. At a day
conference organised by the Diocese four of us from St Agnes took part in discussions and conversations about
the challenges that face the church in a multi-faith situation and ways in which we can find support and share
good practice with similar parishes.
These meetings and presentations stem from the Church of England’s national programme which is called
‘Presence and Engagement’ – a title which usefully summarises much about what it means to be a Christian
presence (and an established church presence) in a neighbourhood of people from a variety of faith traditions.
I do see the word ‘Presence’ as vitally important for us. At times it may feel hard work maintaining our physical
and spiritual presence in our community but it is also at the centre of our mission as a church. Yes the building
is a costly and heavy burden on our finances. My desktop around me has two faculty applications, electrical
quotes, heating quotes, health and safety reports and summaries of possible furniture changes to the
community hall! But this building is more than just a meeting place for our worship, more than just a club-house
for the few of us who gather. It must remain as a sign of God’s presence in our midst, his dwelling with us – the
very heart of the incarnation. God is with us.
I hope that the work the PCC is currently undertaking on the building – both in repairs and maintenance as well
as some exciting planning for future use and outreach with our Deanery Development worker – will send a
confident message to our community and the people of Longsight that we are staying here, we are choosing to
remain as a sign of God’s presence – now and for the future.
But presence is not enough and that is why the Church adds the word ‘engagement’. Just as God sent Jesus
and Jesus sent his Church so we have been chosen to go out into our community. Our presence here in
Longsight requires our engagement as well. I hope that our building (our physical presence) will become the
resource for our outreach and engagement and we can use it to meet the spiritual and social needs of our
neighbours.
To start this we need to open up the church – not just the Hall. We need to invite people to discover what and
who we are both as a building and as a parish family. This ‘opening up’ was identified by the PCC in 2006 as a
priority under the term ‘connections: with outsiders, with the community and with seekers’. This is the same as
engagement and will be an important part of our living, our dwelling, our presence in this community.
The forthcoming events and services of Christmas will offer us a number of opportunities of engagement. Next
year’s Lent course is around the theme of being neighbourly. Plans are already underway to invite members of
the Makki Mosque to visit our building and share with us – returning the invitation they gave us earlier this year.
All of this will be part of our engagement with those around us.
Presence and engagement go hand in hand. It is not enough to just be here. We also need to take our full part
in the life of the community.
with my love and prayers,
Stephen
December 2007/January 2008
Bethlehem in the land of Judah…
This morning I went in to St Agnes School to take the assembly for the early. I chose the theme of Advent and
showed them the church’s Advent candles and my own Advent calendar which, as I write, is still in its wrapper
waiting for December 1st. It is quite a traditional scene of Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus in a shelter
surrounded by the shepherds and wise men. I have to admit that it is quite childish (they are cartoon characters
rather than proper paintings!) but it is lovely and, once again, like every year my heart is warmed by the
thoughts of the coming Christmas season.
I find it easy to lose myself in the nativity scene. Partly this is because it is a nostalgic reminder of happy
childhood Christmases and partly because the glitter and glamour of the commercial Christmas encourages us
to create a winter wonderland of magic and dreams. But it may also be for another reason that I – like so many
other people – long to melt into that idyllic seasonal scene of the stable. Imagine if, like Narnia, we could open
the door of the Advent calendar and walk though into Bethlehem in the land of Judah.
What we would we find? Would it resemble the nice nativities of our calendars, cards and churches? Would we
hear the angels sing? the cattle lowing? Well we can only put together an idea of what the scene would have
been like in the cave where Mary and Joseph stayed that night and where the baby was born in his beautiful
simplicity. We do not know all the facts but we can know that it was far from the ideal place to for a woman to
have her child. Not only was that birth outside and miles from home but the baby was born into a world of
upheaval, domination and bigotry. It is all too easy at Christmas, when listening to the stories of Jesus’ birth, to
forget the political, civil and social conditions at that time in a country which was occupied by the Roman empire.
All was far from peaceful in the land surrounding that holy stable.
I don’t wish to remind you of these facts in order to shatter your childhood images of the nativity because even
amidst the turbulence of those times we have the most amazing, divine moment where God is made flesh, born
of a woman, perfect in his beauty and humanity. It is the ultimate vision of perfection: Emmanuel, God with us.
And this is what we need to cling to from the Christmas truth. That God is with us. Still with us. Ever with us.
Always with us. Not much has changed and the holy land remains divided and torn apart. Bethlehem remains
this Christmas separated from its neighbours by a huge dividing wall erected by the Israeli authorities
supposedly in the name of peace and the tension of the Middle Eastern situation spills out into the surrounding
region. Even with the peace talks in America which have begun this week it is certainly clear that all is not calm
and all is not bright.
This is the world in which we live and it is the reality of our situation. It is not something that we can ignore
because God himself does not ignore it. It is into such a difficult and broken world that Christ was born and God
chose to dwell with us as one of us. He was made flesh then and he is made flesh now. ‘Emmanuel: God with us’
is not a tale from history but a reality that we as the Church must proclaim faithfully to this and every generation.
We cannot go between two worlds, a world of violence and world of Christmas religion as if we were going
through a door on an Advent calendar. God has broken down that divide by choosing to be born as one of us.
Despite the gloomy view that the world around sometimes provides us with, we must not give up, because
thanks to the power of the incarnation, God is with us!
Welcome, all wonders in one sight!
Eternity shut in a span.
Summer in winter, day in night,
Heaven in earth, and God in man.
Great little one! whose all embracing birth
Lifts earth to heaven, stoops heav'n to earth.
May God bless you this Christmas time and throughout the New Year.
with my love and prayers,
Stephen
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