Dear friends,

My Aunty Joyce has recently died. She used to give a talk entitled “My Rebellious Childhood” which really sums her up. One of her earliest memories was waking up to the sound of crying. She had no idea that my grandma was pregnant, so the arrival of my dad was a surprise and not a welcome one.

She was told he had been found on the doorstep in a tomato box. She spent the rest of the day trying to find the box so she could leave it on someone else`s doorstep. One day she was feeding the swans with some friends, a girl was bending over the canal and my aunt could not resist putting her foot under the girls bottom and tipping her in. My grandfather dived in to save the girl and was awarded a medal for bravery!! In 1947, Northwich flooded. Aunty Joyce asked if she could go, my grandma said no, so she disobeyed and went anyway. All would have been fine, if her photo had not appeared on the front page of the Northwich Guardian. Aunty Joyce was never a rule follower. We are called to be obedient to God`s commands but like Aunty Joyce, we often don`t follow them – not just the 10 commandments but Jesus` command to love other people.

My Aunt had a difficult life, her only child died in infancy, my uncle died shortly after he retired, but in the sadness, she discovered joy. My uncle died in St Luke`s and for many years Aunty Joyce volunteered there on a Saturday morning helping the staff and the patients. She also found joy through travelling abroad on Pilgrimage to the Holy Land and to the churches St Paul visited.

Sometimes we are surprised by joy.

At the Summer Fair and BBQ, there was so much joy – to see people`s faces as the bears and other cuddly creatures were launched from the tower – for me too, the opportunity of holding a baby hedgehog, feeling its tiny heart beating and stroking the spines was balm to my bruised heart.

Sometimes we need to do activities that bring us joy, time with families, the cinema, the outdoors. A group of us had the joy of being at the Cheshire Show and explaining the wonders of Forest Church, the power of the outdoors to remedy our nature deficit disorders and to connect with God through the wonders of creation.

Joy is mentioned many times in the Bible and has different words in Greek and Hebrew with different meanings. Martin Lloyd Jones, a theologian and writer defined it as the “response and the reaction of the soul to a knowledge of Jesus” Joy can provide us with an inner peace that is not affected by outward circumstances. It does not mean we will never feel, express or experience pain and loss but we choose joy because of our hope in Christ.

Last month on 12th we celebrated Barnabus, he was known as an encourager and we can bring joy by being like him. This month we celebrate one of my favourite Saints, Mary Magdalene, the apostle to the apostles who showed such joy on encountering the risen Christ.

On 28th June, we celebrate St Irenaeus, an early church father who said that the “glory of God is a life fully lived” That is the day of my aunt`s funeral. At 89 she had lived fully ,experienced God`s amazing grace and had chosen joy

With love, prayers and blessings

Christina