Hello Friends,

Have not really had the opportunity to write a letter for the parish news before, hence my first letter, please be kind to me!

I consider it an honour and a privilege to be able to write this, I just hope I can do it justice.

The last few weeks have been difficult to understand and process for us all. Suffice to say we are secure in the knowledge that God is a God of Love.

I was given a little ray of hope in this awful time, the birth of my second granddaughter this year, I am truly blessed.

We are called to ‘love our enemies’, love those who want to harm or hurt us. As Stephen was stoned to death he said, ’Forgive them for they do not know what they do’. These are also the words that Jesus said, on the cross at Calvary.

Love will conquer all, loving acts shown by our community, coming together as one with many acts of kindness.

Reading CS Lewis ‘The Four Loves’, he talks of affectionate love or ‘storge’, affectionate love that ignores barriers of age, sex, class and education. Ignoring barriers of species, love between dog and man and even between dog and cat.

So, we too can show the affectionate love towards each other.

Wherever we are on our journey of restoration and recovery we can lean into scripture, Psalm 139 is a psalm of Love, ‘You know everything I’m going to say before I start the first sentence, I look behind me and you are there ‘.

In Jeremiah 29.13 ‘I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.’

I always see this time of year as the year ‘growing ancient’, Autumn approaching, and the years’ harvest gathered in. A beautiful time of year heralding ‘peace’ as the growing spell slows, fruit, vegetables slow in their growing, leaves start to fall from the trees, pesky spiders and other critters of the outside try to seek refuge in our homes.

A time, maybe to reflect and take comfort in the long days slowly diminishing and time to snuggle in our homes. I have celebrated the long-awaited arrival of grandchildren, not one, but two little girls, such blessings and bringing immeasurable love, fun and laughter, my beacons of hope in our crazy world.

A blessing from Ephesians:

“May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it, and may you be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” (Ephesians 3:16, NLT).

Remember too that if you are struggling, the clergy, readers and wardens are here to help in any way that they can.

Yours in Christ,