Dear friends I don't know if you have ever missed the boat? Have you ever got so wrapped up in things that you have missed out on something amazing? We live in a very busy, fast paced world. We are encouraged that whatever we are planning we need to hurry up. This time of year life gets busier and sometimes we forget what it is all about. Take the year 1809. The international scene was tumultuous. Napoleon was sweeping through Austria; blood was flowing freely. Nobody then cared about babies, but the world was overlooking some terribly significant births – William Gladstone, Alfred Tennyson, Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln. Similarly, everyone thought taxation was the big news when Jesus was born but a young Jewish woman cradled the biggest news of all. As we approach December 25th again, it gives us another opportunity to pause, and consider again the events of Christmas and the person whose birth we celebrate. There is someone who missed the boat on the first Christmas. In those days, Caesar Augustus decreed that all the world (or the known Roman Empire) should be taxed. At this point, Mary and Joseph began the trip to Bethlehem. They had to go to Bethlehem because that was where Joseph came from. They had to go home to pay the tax. So they arrived in Bethlehem, with the baby about ready to be born. Can you imagine the timing of this? You have the town of Bethlehem that is now crowded with people. Everyone is hustling and bustling, trying to get their taxes paid. Visiting families. In fact, by the time that Mary and Joseph arrive, there is no room in the inn.And this is where we meet the person who missed the boat - the innkeeper. The Bible doesn’t tell us anything about him at all. All we know is that there was no room in the inn. Mary and Joseph were relegated to the stable, to live among the camels, donkeys, horses, and their feeding troughs. They would have used their own robes and extra blankets to shield themselves from the cold.But let’s get back to the innkeeper. Can we really fault him? I mean, it wasn’t his fault that there was no room—he was just a business man. He did allow them to stay in the stable.And he never knew the significance of the baby inside Mary, how he wasn’t just another baby, but the actual son of God.The innkeeper was so close to the truth, yet so far away.Over 2000 years ago, a baby was born who changed the world. He was the perfect embodiment of love, both fully God and man, and he came that one night, born in a manger, because there was no room for him in the inn.So this Christmas remember the innkeeper. He missed Christmas in the hustle and bustle of what was going on - let's not make the same mistake.There is an unattributed poem about the inn keeper; it says“And how were men to know?There was a sign they say a heavenly lightResplendent, but I had no time for stars.”This Christmas make time for stars.Wishing you all a peaceful and blessed Christmas from all @ St Mary`s Christina
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.
