The Most Important New Year’s Resolution to Make…..and KEEP!IF you are thinking of making a New Year’s resolution BUT you are unsure of which one to make, may I warmly commend to you a thought-provoking and challenging reflection from Bishop Mervyn Stockwood, which offers an interpretation of the 13th chapter of Paul’s First Letter to the Christians in Corinth, on how God’s people should be:Though we have services in modern English,and lots of new Eucharistic prayers, and have special Family Services;and although we have a passion for organisationand create sub-committee after sub-committee,and computerise at length and tackle long agendas of business,and raise all kinds of new money,but have not love, we gain nothing.And although we can boast a nice churchwith nice people and useful modern plant with a hall and family room,but have not love, we gain nothing.Love that is genuine is shown by how we get on with people:love accepts people as they are,love answers needs with no strings attached;love shares to the point of giving all;love is happy to see its possessions spoilt in the Lord’s Service.Love that is genuine helps us to acknowledge our own shortcomings,helps us to see the other person as they could be in Christ,spurs us to pray persistently for this to happen,urges us to be ready and able to explain the way of salvation.Love never ends. As for church services, they will pass away;as for administration, it will cease.Be they ever so wonderful – eventually buildings will pass away.BUT GOD’S CONCERNS, shown in sharing with those in need,and the message of Christ, WILL NEVER, EVER PASS AWAY.In this life, there are three enduring qualities – faith, hope, and love.BUT THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE! In this New Year of 2023, may the true living of GOD’S LOVE IN YOUR LIFE be the one resolution you make AND FULFILL, in order to experience a truly blessed New Year both for yourself and others!With every blessing for you and yours this New Year, Vicar John
‘Remembering’ is much more than a ‘nice thing to do’….as human beings, it is a vital activity throughout our lives which helps us to be more fully aware and appreciative of our identity, our story and our value, as individuals, as a local community, and as a nation and world ! When I have the privilege of visiting older members of our benefice – whether in their own home, or a local medical facility or care home - the phrase ‘I remember when…’ gets mentioned, followed by a wealth of past experiences and events which remain meaningful to them, and indeed brings these life-shaping moments once more into our present lives, reminding us of who we are, ‘whose’ we are, and that our history and identity matter deeply. When we are in the presence of family or friends who sadly suffer from the devastating effects of dementia, and are increasingly deprived of the ability to remember, it is a powerful reminder of how tragic it is to lose this key function of our centre of meaning and being. Each autumn, we as individuals and as village communities are offered special opportunities to engage in a ‘season of corporate remembering’, which I remind us of in this column, and warmly invite you and your loved ones to participate in as you are able: As previously mentioned in last month’s edition of Parish News, on Sunday 30th October, 3:00 pm at All Saints Church Alrewas, we shall be holding the Annual All Souls Service Commemorating the Faithful Departed . This service is, first and foremost, for every person in the communities of Alrewas, Fradley and Wychnor who, during the past twelve months, has lost a loved one and has had to deal with the challenges of grief and bereavement; at the same time, this service warmly welcomes each and every person who would like to come and remember afresh the lives of their loved ones who are no longer with us, and to recall and take comfort once more in the promises of God, whose life and love are stronger than death itself. One of the most touching and special moments of this whole service is when the names of the faithful departed are respectfully read aloud, giving each of us the opportunity to remember their continuing presence in God’s perpetual care. On the 5th November, local community celebrations of ‘Bonfire Night’ help us remember as a nation the successful foiling of the terrorist plotting of Guy Fawkes (amongst others) to overthrow the King and Parliament in 1605, and the vital importance of our democracy and freedom – which can be far too easily taken for granted!On Sunday 13th November, we come together in each of our three communities to commemorate Remembrance Sunday, as we take time to remember and give thanks for all who have served our country in the cause of peace and justice, and especially to recall, with genuine appreciation, those whose lives were lost in the fight for freedom (details of local church services are listed within this edition of Parish News). We also are invited to join the British Legion in their annual Poppy Appeal; the poppies hand-made by disabled British veterans and purchased by us, help remember and support the daily needs of thousands of service personnel who, for our freedom, suffered permanent disabilities requiring life-long assistance in nursing and care homes, run and funded solely by the British Legion.And…not just this autumn, but in each and every day of our lives, may we remember and give thanks – with our lips and in our attitude and actions - for the numerous blessings we receive from God, the source of our being and value! Your Vicar and friend, John Allan
Capturing the Full Spirit of Harvest ThanksgivingBelieve it or not, once again it’s “that time of year” when we celebrate Harvest Thanksgiving in our churches, schools and communities!I chose the title of my article because of two particularly insightful - and memorable - phrases given to me by a Rabbi friend in the United States, which I hope will equally enable you to celebrate this most meaningfully…..Cultivate an ‘Attitude of Gratitude’What a fantastic phrase that is….reminding us that all of life is a gift, graciously given us by the creator of the universe and the author of life itself - the one the Holy Bible calls GOD!Harvest celebrations are a natural occasion to remember and to give true thanks for the provision of food which we enjoy (and, perhaps far too often, take for granted) every single day throughout the year, ultimately made possible through the gracious, on-going creative power of God who gives seeds to sow, sun and rain for growth, and the gifts of intelligence and creativity endowed to humankind to produce the plentiful types and quantities of food upon which the world depends for the provision of its ‘daily bread’. It is indeed right and proper to express our profound gratitude, first and foremost, to the Lord of heaven and earth, who blesses us with everything we need for life, health and fulfilment!However, our attitude of gratitude also needs to include others whose daily efforts (perhaps unseen, or unnoticed) contribute significantly to God’s on-going work in and through us and his created order…..all those who farm and work the land…..…..those who help manufacture,transport, and sell the food products we rely upon and enjoy daily…..….and let’s not forget to extend our ‘attitude of gratitude’ to encompass the splendid efforts of those who cook and serve food for those in their household, too!!“Thanks-giving by Thanks-living”This second phrase offered by my Rabbi friend powerfully reminds us that our ‘attitude of gratitude’ needs to be reflected not only in our mind and by our lips, but also in the ways we live our lives serving God’s loving purposes and helping those in need around us to experience that love at their point of real need….The current ‘cost of living crisis’ is causing serious anxiety in a growing number of households - even in our own locality - about being able to afford feeding their family members due to rapidly increasing pressure on household budgets.Local foodbanks - including our own which serves Lichfield and surrounding area - are presently overwhelmed with record numbers of people needing to rely on the generosity of their neighbours in order to make ends meet and feed their families. If you are in a position to help provide vitally needed food for those who are really struggling at the present time, this is a truly wonderful way to express our thanksgiving to God this Harvest-time by generously sharing his gracious provision with those in need around us - that’s a very powerful example of ‘thanksgiving by thanks-living’!Our churches serving the village communities of Alrewas, Fradley and Wychnor warmly invite and welcome you and your family to join in the various Harvest worship services, community events and opportunities for ‘thanks-living’ which are highlighted in this edition of the Parish News during October…Together, let’s sincerely express our gratitude to God with our lips AND our lives! With every blessing, Vicar John
Eleven days ago, along with 9 others, I swore an oath of allegiance to Queen Elizabeth II as part of the Reader licensing service in Lichfield Cathedral. This wasn’t something peculiar to the Church of England – many people in public office are required to do the same. Yet it seemed to me to have a double significance, for not only was the Queen our sovereign, to whom we owe allegiance, but she was also the head of the church to which we were being licensed. And for the Queen, this wasn’t just an empty job title. Throughout her life she held a strong and genuine Christian faith. In her first Christmas broadcast in 1952, as she prepared for her accession to the throne after the death of her father, she asked her listeners to: 'Pray for me … that God may give me wisdom and strength to carry out the solemn promises I shall be making, and that I may faithfully serve Him and you, all the days of my life.’ When she became Queen, Elizabeth was automatically given the role of defender of the faith and supreme governor of the Church of England - a responsibility she took very seriously. In 1970, she became the first sovereign to inaugurate and address the church’s General Synod in person, a practice she continued every five years. Alongside her official role as head of the Church of England, the Queen held a deep personal faith in Jesus Christ which she expressed in her Christmas broadcast in December 2000 in the words: ‘For me the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life.’ The Queen had a living, active faith in a living God; the God who came “to serve and not to be served”. She has been described as the most famous person on the planet, yet she lived out her life of duty and service with true humility. Her personal faith was evident in all that she did. She worked for peace and reconciliation –her visit to the Republic of Ireland in 2011 was described by the Irish President as a "very special pilgrimage of reconciliation". During the visit, the Queen laid a wreath in Dublin's Garden of Remembrance - a park dedicated to Irish people who fought against British rule. At the time she said: ‘Forgiveness lies at the heart of the Christian faith. It can heal broken families, it can restore friendships and it can reconcile divided communities. It is in forgiveness that we feel the power of God’s love.’ The following year, during an event at a Belfast theatre, she came face to face with former IRA commander Martin McGuinness, whose organisation had been responsible for the murder of the Queen’s second cousin, Lord Mountbatten, in 1979. It was a short encounter, lasting only a few seconds, but the handshake that ensued went a long way to cementing the peace process in Northern Ireland. As Britain changed and became more culturally diverse, the Queen adapted to the changes. In 2012, while celebrating her Diamond Jubilee, she attended a multi-faith reception at Lambeth Palace, meeting the leaders of different faiths in this country, including Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, and Hinduism. At this event, the Queen highlighted the work of religious groups of all faiths commending them for having (and I quote) “… a proud track record of helping those in the greatest need, including the sick, the elderly, the lonely and the disadvantaged. They remind us of the responsibilities we have beyond ourselves.” As well as her duties as a monarch, Elizabeth was also a much-loved wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother with a strong belief in the values of family life. The deep love and respect her family have for her is seen in the many tributes that they have paid to her over the years - and indeed on her death. And for many of us, Elizabeth II was the only monarch we had ever known. She has been an ever-constant in our lives. But the constant in her life was her faith in Jesus Christ, which she described as the “anchor” in her life. Throughout her long life, Christ’s example and teaching have been seen acted out in her dutiful and faithful life. It seems that her prayer from the start of her reign had been answered. God did, indeed, save the Queen.
