from the rectory 2008
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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
February 2008
Making kindness a habit
No sooner have we taken the Christmas decorations and crib down than we are starting to prepare for Lent. This year Easter is earlier than it has
been for a long time. In fact it is earlier than it has been since 1913 and it will not come again so early during this century. So this means that we
rush from the epiphany season and our recovery from the excesses of Christmas and straight into the discipline of Lent.
Last year we followed the Love Life Live Lent project with a different task for each of the days of Lent from Ash Wednesday through to Easter
Sunday. The project started in the Diocese of Birmingham during 2006 and last year went ‘national’ throughout the Church of England. This year it
comes back in a new, second version and has the theme of being a good neighbour.
Again the daily suggestions are small tasks that can make a big difference. They shouldn’t take up more time or money and therefore they become
part of every day life during our Lenten journey. The idea is then that we carry on with such small acts of kindness after the season is over. Giving
things up for Lent may still form an important spiritual part of our discipline and can be a useful reminder of the starkness of the season – especially
when it is followed by the feasting and celebration of Easter and the return of whatever it was we forfeited. But taking on the challenges of these
small daily suggestions can also have a remarkable affect on our spiritual life. Making kindness a habit is a gift to the world in itself!
The Love Life Live Lent project has also proved a popular way of bringing non-church people back into the life of the church. Perhaps you could
share the idea or the booklet with other members of your family, friends or work colleagues?
Whatever you choose to do for Lent, may God grant us strength of will and the comfort of his Holy Spirit.
With my love and prayers,
Stephen.
March 2008
Peace perfect peace
It seems the word ‘peace’ is becoming more and more important at the moment. I am writing this only a few days before Peace Week begins in
south Manchester and our church is opened up as a space for peace amidst the sometimes un-peaceful life of our local community. Last month in
this magazine an article appeared that detailed the vision of the PCC for the future use of our building and grounds towards the fulfilment of the
text over our church door, ‘In this place will I give peace.’ I am conscious as I write this letter that this month’s magazine covers the celebration of
the festival of Easter. To me Easter has always been associated with the thoughts of peace.
It is Peace with which the risen Christ greets the apostles, disciples and others who see him after his resurrection. Peace be with you is the opening
line of the resurrection appearances. After the violence, suffering and uncertainty of the passion and crucifixion, at last Christ confidently greets the
new world with his message of peace.
Peace is not just the absence of war or the absence of noise. It is, as the Hebrew word, Shalom, reminds us a much deeper feeling of contentment,
wholeness, healing and satisfaction. It is not surprising then that Christ having accomplished all things and having been through all things now delivers
this perfect peace as a gift to the whole human race.
If peace is at the heart of the Easter message then surely it is at the heart of the Christian faith? So therefore all the things we see as central to our
faith are founded on peace – and especially the perfection of peace that the power of the Risen Christ can instil in us. For faith is about peace –
peace with God. Hope is about peace – peace about our futures. Love is about peace – peace with one another. But again, the peace that faith in
the risen Christ brings is not just an absence of doubt, fear or pain, it is a deeper knowledge that the peace of God can penetrate deep within us to
make us whole, heal us and bring us hope.
So let us celebrate the Easter mystery with joyful hearts and minds knowing that it is not just an empty reminder of a past event but a deep
entering into the mysterious, glorious and triumphant reality that Christ Jesus is alive and his gift of peace is his gift to us.
‘In this place will I give peace.’
Peace be with you,
Stephen
April 2008
You are what you eat.
Those of you who came to the Maundy Thursday evening mass will remember that I used these words as part of my sermon. You will of course
recognise them as the title of a programme on Channel 4 about, well, the food we eat and its affect on our bodies. I was aware that it makes for a
rather easy and perhaps simplistic theme for a sermon but perhaps through my letter this month I can develop the thought.
When we receive the Holy Sacrament we hear the words, ‘the body of Christ’ and ‘the blood of Christ’. The Church teaches us that the bread and
wine of the Eucharist, taken, blessed and shared in Christ’s name and according to his command is indeed the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus
Christ. The Prayer Book teaches us that when we eat and drink these holy mysteries, in the presence of the divine majesty, we are made ‘very
members incorporate in the mystical body’ of Christ. Beautiful and powerful words proclaiming that we, as Christ’s faithful Church, are His body.
We are the body of Christ.
Now there are of course two ways of talking about bodies: firstly we think of body as flesh and blood, the physical frame of life, and secondly we
think of corporate bodies – groupings, relationships of people or groups, bound together to create a larger organisation. In this way we can think
of the Parochial Church Council as a governing body of the parish, or perhaps Offsted as the ‘body’ that regulates education and schools.
I mention these differences specifically because we must not allow ourselves to think of the church as a ‘body’ in just these terms. We are not
merely an organisation, an institution, a club, or a ‘body’ set up to coordinate the work of the Christian faith. In that sense the Church is not a
religious institution at all. For we are nearer to the first understanding of the word ‘body’ than the second. That is we are a living body. We are
flesh and blood. We live in Christ and Christ lives in us. No empty shell, no hollow organisation, but the body of Christ, living by the power of his
Spirit and making Christ known in the world. The Church is the body of the risen Christ.
You are what you eat because as those who eat and drink the body and blood of Christ, so we are the body of Christ. The Church is called to be
his body in the world. As we approach Pentecost and the celebration of the Spirit we remember that it is the Spirit of the Risen Christ that lives,
breathes and works through us.
Brothers and sisters, you are what you eat. You are the body of Christ.
Christ is risen! Alleluia!
Peace be with you,
Stephen
May 2008
Now for the real work
At the beginning of the year I, like many other people in the church, complained about Easter coming too early this year. ‘Not enough time
between Christmas and Lent.’ ‘Too early to think about Lenten disciplines.’ But now it’s all over I actually think it makes a nice change. Two reasons.
Firstly there is a feeling that Spring is here and Summer may come that little bit sooner than usual. The light nights, the occasional glimpses of sunny
weather and the plans in place for summer events just lighten the spirit earlier in the year than normal.
But secondly and most importantly it gives us a great long run through the year to be doing the work of Easter in the ordinary time of day to day
life. It is easy to consider the highpoints of the Church’s calendar such as Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter, as the highpoints of the Church’s
purpose. But they are not. They are the major feasts and seasons which resource us for the rest of the year.
Pentecost is the culmination of the Easter season. It celebrates the day when Christ sends his Spirit on us, the Church, to be his body in the world.
After his Ascension his risen presence in the world is not bodily but spiritual, and it is the Holy Spirit given to us that makes us, the Church, his
Body. In this sense it is not just the end of the Church’s systematic calendar but rather it is the beginning of our full life as Christ’s people in the
world.
Someone once described the words at the end of the Eucharist, ‘Go in peace to love and serve the Lord’ as a liturgical ‘kicking out’! There is no
need to stay in church – the praise and thanksgiving after receiving the sacrament is given best by going out into the world and getting on with being
Christ’s body in the world. I think Pentecost has the same affect: it is the kick start, the commission, the nudge, the energy, the big send off that
empowers us – filled with the Spirit – to go out and get on with things. The work is to be done. And the Church needs to learn that this work must
be done NOT within the Church but in the WORLD. The world is the true place for the Christian for it is the place that God has made and that
God gives us to live in. We do not come to hide within the Church. The Church exists for the world.
So I am glad now that Easter was early for it means that Pentecost has come early and we now have a long time before the liturgical demands of
Advent and Christmas to get on and do the work of God. Now the real work begins.
Peace and joy to you all.
Stephen
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
February 2008
Making kindness a habit
No sooner have we taken the Christmas decorations and crib down than we are starting to prepare for Lent. This year Easter is earlier than it has
been for a long time. In fact it is earlier than it has been since 1913 and it will not come again so early during this century. So this means that we
rush from the epiphany season and our recovery from the excesses of Christmas and straight into the discipline of Lent.
Last year we followed the Love Life Live Lent project with a different task for each of the days of Lent from Ash Wednesday through to Easter
Sunday. The project started in the Diocese of Birmingham during 2006 and last year went ‘national’ throughout the Church of England. This year it
comes back in a new, second version and has the theme of being a good neighbour.
Again the daily suggestions are small tasks that can make a big difference. They shouldn’t take up more time or money and therefore they become
part of every day life during our Lenten journey. The idea is then that we carry on with such small acts of kindness after the season is over. Giving
things up for Lent may still form an important spiritual part of our discipline and can be a useful reminder of the starkness of the season – especially
when it is followed by the feasting and celebration of Easter and the return of whatever it was we forfeited. But taking on the challenges of these
small daily suggestions can also have a remarkable affect on our spiritual life. Making kindness a habit is a gift to the world in itself!
The Love Life Live Lent project has also proved a popular way of bringing non-church people back into the life of the church. Perhaps you could
share the idea or the booklet with other members of your family, friends or work colleagues?
Whatever you choose to do for Lent, may God grant us strength of will and the comfort of his Holy Spirit.
With my love and prayers,
Stephen.
March 2008
Peace perfect peace
It seems the word ‘peace’ is becoming more and more important at the moment. I am writing this only a few days before Peace Week begins in
south Manchester and our church is opened up as a space for peace amidst the sometimes un-peaceful life of our local community. Last month in
this magazine an article appeared that detailed the vision of the PCC for the future use of our building and grounds towards the fulfilment of the
text over our church door, ‘In this place will I give peace.’ I am conscious as I write this letter that this month’s magazine covers the celebration of
the festival of Easter. To me Easter has always been associated with the thoughts of peace.
It is Peace with which the risen Christ greets the apostles, disciples and others who see him after his resurrection. Peace be with you is the opening
line of the resurrection appearances. After the violence, suffering and uncertainty of the passion and crucifixion, at last Christ confidently greets the
new world with his message of peace.
Peace is not just the absence of war or the absence of noise. It is, as the Hebrew word, Shalom, reminds us a much deeper feeling of contentment,
wholeness, healing and satisfaction. It is not surprising then that Christ having accomplished all things and having been through all things now delivers
this perfect peace as a gift to the whole human race.
If peace is at the heart of the Easter message then surely it is at the heart of the Christian faith? So therefore all the things we see as central to our
faith are founded on peace – and especially the perfection of peace that the power of the Risen Christ can instil in us. For faith is about peace –
peace with God. Hope is about peace – peace about our futures. Love is about peace – peace with one another. But again, the peace that faith in
the risen Christ brings is not just an absence of doubt, fear or pain, it is a deeper knowledge that the peace of God can penetrate deep within us to
make us whole, heal us and bring us hope.
So let us celebrate the Easter mystery with joyful hearts and minds knowing that it is not just an empty reminder of a past event but a deep
entering into the mysterious, glorious and triumphant reality that Christ Jesus is alive and his gift of peace is his gift to us.
‘In this place will I give peace.’
Peace be with you,
Stephen
April 2008
You are what you eat.
Those of you who came to the Maundy Thursday evening mass will remember that I used these words as part of my sermon. You will of course
recognise them as the title of a programme on Channel 4 about, well, the food we eat and its affect on our bodies. I was aware that it makes for a
rather easy and perhaps simplistic theme for a sermon but perhaps through my letter this month I can develop the thought.
When we receive the Holy Sacrament we hear the words, ‘the body of Christ’ and ‘the blood of Christ’. The Church teaches us that the bread and
wine of the Eucharist, taken, blessed and shared in Christ’s name and according to his command is indeed the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus
Christ. The Prayer Book teaches us that when we eat and drink these holy mysteries, in the presence of the divine majesty, we are made ‘very
members incorporate in the mystical body’ of Christ. Beautiful and powerful words proclaiming that we, as Christ’s faithful Church, are His body.
We are the body of Christ.
Now there are of course two ways of talking about bodies: firstly we think of body as flesh and blood, the physical frame of life, and secondly we
think of corporate bodies – groupings, relationships of people or groups, bound together to create a larger organisation. In this way we can think
of the Parochial Church Council as a governing body of the parish, or perhaps Offsted as the ‘body’ that regulates education and schools.
I mention these differences specifically because we must not allow ourselves to think of the church as a ‘body’ in just these terms. We are not
merely an organisation, an institution, a club, or a ‘body’ set up to coordinate the work of the Christian faith. In that sense the Church is not a
religious institution at all. For we are nearer to the first understanding of the word ‘body’ than the second. That is we are a living body. We are
flesh and blood. We live in Christ and Christ lives in us. No empty shell, no hollow organisation, but the body of Christ, living by the power of his
Spirit and making Christ known in the world. The Church is the body of the risen Christ.
You are what you eat because as those who eat and drink the body and blood of Christ, so we are the body of Christ. The Church is called to be
his body in the world. As we approach Pentecost and the celebration of the Spirit we remember that it is the Spirit of the Risen Christ that lives,
breathes and works through us.
Brothers and sisters, you are what you eat. You are the body of Christ.
Christ is risen! Alleluia!
Peace be with you,
Stephen
May 2008
Now for the real work
At the beginning of the year I, like many other people in the church, complained about Easter coming too early this year. ‘Not enough time
between Christmas and Lent.’ ‘Too early to think about Lenten disciplines.’ But now it’s all over I actually think it makes a nice change. Two reasons.
Firstly there is a feeling that Spring is here and Summer may come that little bit sooner than usual. The light nights, the occasional glimpses of sunny
weather and the plans in place for summer events just lighten the spirit earlier in the year than normal.
But secondly and most importantly it gives us a great long run through the year to be doing the work of Easter in the ordinary time of day to day
life. It is easy to consider the highpoints of the Church’s calendar such as Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter, as the highpoints of the Church’s
purpose. But they are not. They are the major feasts and seasons which resource us for the rest of the year.
Pentecost is the culmination of the Easter season. It celebrates the day when Christ sends his Spirit on us, the Church, to be his body in the world.
After his Ascension his risen presence in the world is not bodily but spiritual, and it is the Holy Spirit given to us that makes us, the Church, his
Body. In this sense it is not just the end of the Church’s systematic calendar but rather it is the beginning of our full life as Christ’s people in the
world.
Someone once described the words at the end of the Eucharist, ‘Go in peace to love and serve the Lord’ as a liturgical ‘kicking out’! There is no
need to stay in church – the praise and thanksgiving after receiving the sacrament is given best by going out into the world and getting on with being
Christ’s body in the world. I think Pentecost has the same affect: it is the kick start, the commission, the nudge, the energy, the big send off that
empowers us – filled with the Spirit – to go out and get on with things. The work is to be done. And the Church needs to learn that this work must
be done NOT within the Church but in the WORLD. The world is the true place for the Christian for it is the place that God has made and that
God gives us to live in. We do not come to hide within the Church. The Church exists for the world.
So I am glad now that Easter was early for it means that Pentecost has come early and we now have a long time before the liturgical demands of
Advent and Christmas to get on and do the work of God. Now the real work begins.
Peace and joy to you all.
Stephen