At the beginning of last month, on National Poetry Day, I attended a workshop which was held in The Old School in the Churchyard and lead by Chester Cathedral’s Poet-in-Residence Julia McGuinness. There were about 15 of us present, from across the Diocese, and the theme of the workshop was “Making words count” and we were all encouraged to wander around the Churchyard, Church and Quiet Garden and to look carefully at and think about the things we saw, and then to see if we could write about them in new and different ways. I ended up writing a poem from the perspective of one of the many former upright or “table top” headstones which were laid flat in the 1960s to form part of the new Churchyard paths’ scheme. Thinking about the coming month though and the various celebrations and services, including of course All Saints and All Souls and Remembrance Sunday, our Poetry Day theme seems very appropriate and relevant – making words count. November’s festivals and services are amongst the most important in both Church and national calendars – from the simple yet incredibly poignant and powerful reading of names at both All Souls and Remembrance, to the short sentences and phrases on Remembrance Sunday with which we’re all so familiar, and which mean so much – “They shall grow not old........At the going down of the sun........we will remember them.” And as for the poetry, the opening lines of poems such as John McCrae’s “In Flanders Fields” say so very much and are incredibly evocative: “In Flanders fields the poppies blow, Between the crosses, row on row........” One of my favourite poets is Edward Thomas, who was killed on the opening day of the Battle of Arras in April, 1917 and whose poem “Roads” (written in 1916) contains this beautifully poignant verse: “Now all roads lead to France And heavy is the tread Of the living; but the dead Returning lightly dance:”Making words count is of course an ongoing task/responsibility for all of us and not just aspiring poets. We know how important our words can be, for good or for ill, and the Bible has quite a lot to say, in different ways, on this subject.Remembering and giving thanks for the sacrifice of so many people during past conflicts, as well as our own departed loved ones, is so important for all of us, and November affords us numerous opportunities to do this together as a worshipping community (as well as individually of course) and I look forward to welcoming everyone to the Church over the coming weeks.May God bless us all in this coming month.The Revd Alec Brown Vicar.
LM Montgomery once said “I am so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” I love Autumn – the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness. To see the leaves in the trees change into such a patchwork of colours gives me such incredible joy. This then leads to sadness when I see all the leaves on the ground reminding me of the hardship of letting go. Most of you know that Nathaniel has now started his degree in York and I found it incredibly hard to let go. From the moment he was born, as he grew up and moved onto other adventures, it has always been from the safety of the nest, within sight of the mother ship. He is beyond ready for this next stage in life, but I have found that I am not. The song, “Let it go” is from the hit film “Frozen” and I quite often quote “St Elsa” who is one of the main characters – I have beatified her. Children at school can, like many adults, hold grudges for years and I explain the concept of letting go and how that can lead to happier lives. If we enjoy the little ways we can make others happy then that can be the secret of being happy yourself. . In Ephesians it says “Make a clean break with all the cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.” So October is a good time to let go of negative things in our lives and enable God to come into our whole lives. Perhaps think about letting go of something this October or taking something up. Dave bought me Dr Michael Mosley`s book “Just one thing” How simple changes can transform your life. So far, I have bought a house plant, started eating more beetroot and am counting my blessings. Cold showers have not been attempted but I`m making a start.October is a great time in church – things happening but not in a manic way. We start with the end of creation tide and our annual pet blessing service and end with All Hallows Eve. It is a reflective time as we move into All Saints and All Souls when we reflect on those we see no longer. For those who listen to Radio 4, you may have heard the interview with Simon Boas, a 46 year old aid worker who received a terminal diagnosis. He wrote a couple of articles which went viral and so before his death he wrote a book called “A beginners guide to dying” It is an amazing book dealing with how he dealt with his impending death and it is incredibly positive. He writes about how talking about his death, preparing for it and accepting it – helped him enjoy life all the more. "I have developed my ability to prioritise important things, Love, kindness, meaning” He wrote how inordinately precious life is. He encourages people to talk about death not in a morbid but a practical way. October is also “Make a will month” – Solicitors will prepare simple wills in exchange for a charitable donation – 50% of Brits do not have a will – another thing to do in October – it lessens your life by not a single moment but is vital.All of us are in different seasons of life, all of which bring joys and challenges – when we enter new seasons there can be times of happiness, sadness and lament – but we know that God loves us through every season of his wonderful precious journey we call life.Love and blessings Christina
As many of you will know, I wrote and spoke last month about the terrible events in Southport at the end of July, and I am sure that we have all been holding Alice, Elsie and Bebe, their grieving families and the whole community in our thoughts and prayers. Only a few days before the attacks in Southport we had held Leavers’ Services at St Mark’s Church in Antrobus and Great Budworth Church, where we had said goodbye to the Year 6 pupils and had wished them well for their ongoing journeys in secondary school and life – how very sad that those three young girls from Southport have been so cruelly denied this and countless other opportunities and adventures in their lives. After one of my addresses I was reminded though of the wonderful ways in which communities had come together after the mindless anti-immigrant protests and rioting in a number of towns and cities across the country, and of course His Majesty King Charles spoke about this to the nation at the beginning of August. Mosques and other buildings being repaired, fundraising taking place for all sorts of things – sending really positive messages about, amongst other things, the important role of social media as opposed to the negativity of the protests and riots – and local people speaking out on behalf of their communities and distancing themselves absolutely from the far right protests and rioting. In one of my addresses I quoted St Paul who, in his letter to some of the earliest believers in Ephesus (modern day Turkey) encouraged them to “.....put away falsehood.....and speak the truth to our neighbours, for we are members of one another” and asked them to ensure that “...no evil talk came out of their mouths.” To these wise words we might add “...or from our smart phones....!” As sisters and brothers in Christ we draw our strength from our Christian faith, but we know that in our diverse and pluralistic society others draw their strength from different sources and, like those who have been speaking on behalf of their communities in Southport and elsewhere, we should honour and respect them, notwithstanding our differences. This has, I think, been amply demonstrated across the country in these last few weeks. This month we will be welcoming new children to our schools in both Antrobus and Great Budworth, and giving thanks to God for the harvest and the work of our farming communities, who have had to deal with such difficult weather over the last year (see Paul Gerrard’s commentaries for the view from the farm gate as it were). As we do so, let us not forget all those across our world who are suffering and let us commit ourselves afresh to the pursuit of justice, peace and reconciliation, taking comfort even in the darkest of times from Jesus’ reassurance to us: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you.” May God bless each one of us in this coming month. The Revd Alec Brown.
Dear friends, I am no Alistair Cooke but this is a letter from America. This is being written in Memphis, half way through a 3 week holiday. Dave, Nat and I have visited Boston, stayed with friends in Connecticut before spending 5 days in New Orleans. We are now on our road trip, travelling to Chicago via Memphis, Nashville and St. Louis. We are visiting as many music spots as we can and yesterday were blown away touring Sun Studios, realising you were standing in space previously occupied by the likes of Elvis, Bb King and U2. In New Orleans we were there at the same time as the ECLA Youth Gathering. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America can trace their roots to the mid 17th Century when early Lutherans came to America settling in the Virgin Islands and then New York. It was incredible seeing so many young people. Each group had their own t shirt so you could see which part of the states they came from. The theme of their conference was “created to be” and the verse was taken from Psalm 139.14. “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made” One of my favourite T-shirts had these words on the back ” We are created to be brave, authentic, transformed, disruptive and disciples” It got me thinking as to what we would have on our T-shirts? What are we created to be? On the Thursday before we left New Orleans, we serendipitously got off the tram outside the episcopal cathedral of New Orleans, just before a service, we joined some locals for their service of Holy Communion and it just made me realise how special it is, this worldwide Anglican Communion, that we can be so far away and use liturgy that is so familiar. After the service, we were shown around the cathedral. There is a wooden cathedra, ( a chair used by the bishop) which was made by slaves on a local plantation. Due to its history, it would have been easy to hide it away, but Michael Curry, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopalian church uses it for every ordination and confirmation. He is not hiding the past nor denying that there are still issues with racism but the simple act of him sitting in it and speaking at every opportunity about loving our neighbour whoever they are, shows hope. ”Let us build a house where love can dwell and all can safely live, a place where saints and children tell how hearts learn to forgive, here the love of Christ shall end divisions. all are welcome” he wrote. This morning we are worshipping at Memphis Episcopalian Cathedral and you will be in our prayers. As they say in Memphis. “ The Lord be with y’all “ Christina x
