The Revd Writes… Not everyone enjoys the right to vote in a general election. Those who live in totalitarian states, ruled by autocratic leaders, often dream of the privilege of being able to be involved in a democratic process. For such a cause thousands of people protest the world over and more than a few end up sacrificing their lives. It reminds us who live in the United Kingdom that the freedom to vote is a freedom not to be taken for granted. No political process is perfect and our own is found wanting at times. Cynicism that whatever the outcome of an election will result in little or no change, can be dispiriting. This is not helped by candidates who resort to bad-mouthing their opponents in an attempt to catch a cheap headline, often in the hopes of holding on to a closely contested seat. Such poor behaviour only confuses and mystifies an electorate who must then work doubly hard to disentangle claims denigrating an individual’s character from party policy. Good debate puts before the people clear options about what different political parties stand for and articulates a strategy for the future. It is on this basis that people express their voting preference. To serve as a Member of Parliament is always an honour and brings with it significant responsibilities. Those who vote place into the hands of those duly elected the task of forming a government and running the country. We entrust the future of our jobs, our homes, and our families into their care. We equally entrust to them our hopes and fears, anxieties and dreams on the understanding that they will do their best to serve the common good. To want to be an MP is to know from the outset that this is a vocation. A vocation to serve. MPs of course are human beings and being human means that they sometimes fail. There may be cause for concern in personal relationships and the ability to work successfully with colleagues. As in all areas of life, relationships can and do break down resulting in serious consequences. At other times poor judgement in a policy area may result in failure. MPs are not superhuman. It is a tough and stressful job as recent studies of MPs’ well-being and work-life balance have brought to light. Yet it is a worthwhile profession, and our country cannot function without them. This month a new parliament will be convened. There will be many new MPs taking their seats for the very first time. It is our privilege to have elected them to be there. We pray they will serve with humility and safeguard the trust we have placed in them. ‘Lord God of truth, grant to our King and his government, and all members of parliament the guidance of your Spirit and the comfort of your grace.’ God Bless Mark
The Revd Writes… Early in the morning of June 6th, 1944, General Dwight Eisenhower addressed thousands of troops gathered at Cheesefoot Head, a natural amphitheatre just outside Winchester in Hampshire. He told them that the eyes of the world were upon them and that the hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere would be marching with them. He was brutally honest with those standing silently in front of him. “Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped, and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely.” Months of meticulous planning had gone into this day. Eisenhower affirmed those who within hours would be at the forefront of defeating the evil of Nazism. He told them that he had every confidence in their courage and their devotion to duty. He wished them, “Good luck. And let us all beseech the blessing of almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.” Eisenhower had ensured that 175 000 copies of his speech were printed in pamphlet form and distributed to every member of the Allied Forces. It became one of the notable speeches of the War. Thus began D-Day (Day-Day), a term we still use to emphasise a final deadline. Closer to home, across the Beane Valley, some will have heard the broadcast on BBC radio that morning that the Allies were landing on the beaches of Northern France. By lunchtime, every heart in every home would be filled with hope and fear in equal measure. For those who had already lost a loved one, the dread that yet more young men would not be returning home. At the end of WWII, across the Valley, twenty families were left grieving the loss of a husband, father, or boyfriend. Benington lost ten men, Walkern five, Cottered three and, Ardeley two. Those who grieved their dead withstood the worst of the cost of war. Yet no home was left untouched by the sacrifice that the war demanded. Courage, camaraderie, community, and sheer dogged determination meant that each day was a victory in terms of survival, both physically and mentally. This year is the 80th Anniversary of D-Day and is being widely commemorated, including across our own village communities. It is important to remember that this is a commemoration and not a celebration. VE Day celebrations will take place next year! For now, D-Day focuses on those brave men and women, who responded to the call of Eisenhower, Montgomery, and others for one last great push against the evils of the Nazi regime. In every house, in every village and hamlet across the Valley, people held their breath, hugged each other, said their prayers, and asked God’s blessing on those whom they knew they may never see again. Faith in God and faith in each other sustained and triumphed. D-Day proved to be the turning point that the military campaign needed. Amidst the ensuing commemorations, as we reflect on all that D-Day meant and continues to mean for us as a nation, we pray for more D-Days, in the conflict in Ukraine and Gaza, and in all parts of our world that presently rages at war. God Bless Mark
The Revd Writes… As a child, in summer months, I remember going on long drives with my father and him occasionally having to pull over into a layby because visibility had become so poor as a result of insects being squashed against the windscreen. He would grumble about the plague of creepy crawlies and flying things that had meant us having to stop to wash the window because it was too unsafe to drive. I can still hear him telling me that of all the creatures on the planet the insects would outlive everything else. He believed they were indestructible. How wrong he was. Over the last twenty years, flying insects have declined by 60% in the UK. As an adult, I have never had to stop my car to clear the windscreen of dead flies. Overuse of pesticides and the loss of habitat has impacted heavily on the decline of insect life. We have yet to fully understand the consequences of climate change, but what we do know is that biodiversity is under threat and that what threatens biodiversity threatens all of us. Bugs matter. They matter because they are a primary link in helping everything else that grows to flourish. Put very simply, without bees and other insect pollinators our capacity to grow the variety of food that we do would seriously diminish. Christian teaching has always emphasised the importance of good stewardship. Almighty God has given the human race the capacity to take responsibility for good husbandry, ensuring that the planet is cared for in such a way as to be a blessing to everyone and all living things. The need to care for creation is now more than ever at the forefront of our thinking as we have come to appreciate the importance of each one of us striving to do our best to care for our planet home. Since the 1930s Britain has lost 97% of its wildflower meadows. In 2014 a UK charity that promotes wildflowers, plants and fungi, Plantlife came up with the idea of encouraging people to stop mowing their lawns throughout the month of May by way of helping to redress the balance. ‘No Mow May’ has now become a national movement with more than a million participants helping to give bees and butterflies some much-needed habitat space in backyards and front gardens. It’s a good cause that anyone with a garden can share in. Even leaving a small corner or the edges of a lawn uncut for four weeks can make a significant difference, providing a rich food source for insects. And what’s good for insects is good for us. You can find out more online at https://www.plantlife.org.uk/campaigns/nomowmay/ Bugs matter. Let’s do our best to look after them! God Bless Mark
Easter - Living in the Resurrection Now! As Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James and Salome approach the tomb of Jesus they are quite naturally preoccupied with death. They are intent on doing a very loving and caring thing, to anoint the body of the dead Jesus with spices, which will take away the smell of the decomposing body. The three women are of one mind, such is their love and devotion for Jesus who has so impacted upon their lives that they cannot tolerate the thought of his body being allowed to go untended in death. So, they approach the tomb. In itself, this is a brave thing to do. The crucifixion was a highly politicised event involving Pilate, the Roman Governor, and the Jewish Temple Authorities. Both had a say in the fateful outcome. Going to the tomb was to risk exposure and the possibility of an adverse reaction from others. Still, this was not at the forefront of the women’s minds, or at least there is no mention in the Gospel text. The focus is to do what one can, as an act of loving kindness, borne out of the strongest sense of loyalty, for a friend who has been brutally murdered. After all Pilate himself had declared, “This man has no case to answer.” What greets the women on arrival at the tomb is unexpected. Mark’s Gospel tells us, that a figure in white, angel-like, announces that Jesus has been raised from the dead. The tomb, the home of death and putrefying flesh has now become the place where new life and hope are born. The women flee the tomb and rush to tell Peter what they have seen, still trying to comprehend what the resurrection means and will mean, for future generations of believing Christians. To stare into the tomb and expect to see death is a common part of our own human experience. Here are but two examples from the world stage. I was shocked and even distressed to read that the Taliban government in Afghanistan is to reintroduce the stoning of women accused of committing adultery. Given the culture in Afghanistan, in which women are so poorly viewed, every woman in that land must now be terrified at the prospect of being put at such risk. It is but one example in these past few days in which ‘death’ has been given status above life. The appalling tragedy of Gaza and the plight of innocent Palestinians, not least children, who find themselves by an accident of history, living in the wrong place at the wrong time, is but another example in which death is being allowed to triumph over life. The crucifixion of Our Lord on Good Friday gives way to Resurrection on Easter Morning. This is our faith. This is the living tradition of our faith. We believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and we believe that we are called to live within this resurrection life in the here and now, recognising that within the human family, whatever our race, gender or sexual orientation, whether we are able-bodied or disabled, we are all children of God and that God calls us to fullness of life, wants all of us to live life fully. This is the joy of our faith. With the risen Jesus we can call God our Father and in doing so recognise our neighbour not just as friend but as brother and sister. Easter is the great celebration of the inclusivity of life to which God calls us. This faith we celebrate is a faith that is alive, very much alive, not dead. In our baptism vows and the creed we recite, we affirm our belief that life is stronger than death and that wherever death – the taking away of God-given life in all its fullness, the exploitation of the powerful of the powerless, of life being discriminated against and put down, such ‘death’ must be called out and condemned. Mary Magdalene takes her courage into her hands, and she ventures into the tomb – the place of death. Our Christian faith motivates us to do the same. Difficult and intractable ‘deathly’ problems, and I’ve listed but two and there are so many more, are not no-go areas when we know that such places need the transformation of God’s love. Our faith demands that we, in the trying times in which we live, stand up for life whenever and wherever death is being seen to triumph. We hold in our hearts and in our prayers the women of Afghanistan and the innocent victims of war in Gaza. Together, within the embrace of God’s love, we raise our voices and sing with our hearts, ‘This is our faith, our living faith.’ Alleluia Christ is risen. He is risen indeed.
