Rector’s Message for July 2024

May had brought us to Pentecost, which focused on the Apostles whose lives were transformed by the Holy Spirit. Before Christ went up to heaven, he had chosen his apostles to teach, to baptise, to absolve and to celebrate the Holy Eucharist. To do these things properly they had to waited for the Holy Spirit to come down upon them as Jesus had promised.

So, what about July? Well we have started on the long procession of Sundays after Trinity. The colour of the vestments is neutral green. The excitement and pageantry of the major festivals is over, and it seems a long time till next Advent, when the cycle of the Church’s year will start over again. We sometimes think of Trinity as a dull time. But it isn’t just a bank period which has never been filled in. This is a time when we try to assimilate the truths we have considered in the major festivals. When we try to work out in our day-to-day practice what the Christian faith should mean to us, and what God expects of us. The Trinity season is about rediscovering God’s kingdom and growing the Church to encourage all our parishes to flourish. The idea here is to equip and accompany the Churches and their clergy as they seek to rise to the challenge of growth. It is our faithful day to day unspectacular devotion which provides the truest indication of the reality of our faith in Christ Jesus.

Trinity is a time for making the effort to glimpse the infinite, to put into words the truth that is beyond words, for testing our picture of God, and understanding of God, to make sure it hasn’t narrowed. We pray that we will have a healthy and happy relationship with God, the universe, and with life. That God will help us to use our capacity for wonder, a respect for all created things, a respect for other people, and sensitivity to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Your Friend and Parish Priest

Father David