Friends
I got back off leave on Saturday to a week of excitement around children and young people. On Sunday, preaching at Burnham, we were blessed with three families, each coming in with their children and young folk, and since it’s not always easy to get everyone up and out on time on a Sunday morning, I had the rare but wonderful experience of what felt like more and more children walking up the aisle to take their seats through the first part of the service. We had a ball with six enthusiastic and knowledgeable budding theologians after several weeks with no children at all.
Then on Monday until Thursday, we were running a youth project at Windsor for 5 -11-year-olds and what great fun that was. 32 children came in every day to sing, dance and act from 10am to 3pm and I know that they would want to thank the team that made that happen: Elanor, Mark, Pat, Marion, Trixie, Jane, Ade, Pauline, Miles and of course, yours truly, who had an absolute blast putting on a show in four days. I had forgotten just how exhausting this age-group can be, but we had a lot of fun! In amidst all of this, there was also a wedding, a funeral, two meetings and a coffee morning. And they tell me August is a quiet month in the church!
It feels so busy and so modern, and yet so much is the same as it has always been. Parents have always brought children to church, or synagogue or to be blessed by the itinerant preacher who is prepared to tell off his followers for turning them away. There have always been weddings and funerals, meetings and gatherings (even if there hasn’t always been coffee!) In these difficult times, it is worth remembering that these price hikes and worries, concerns about global stability and trade, wars and rumours of wars are and have been since before the time of Jesus, the very stuff of life. Yet whether we lean on Genesis 50:21 when Joseph promises his family in a time of universal famine, “Do not fear. I will provide for you and your children” or on Isaiah 41:10 “Do not fear, I am with you; do not be afraid for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” or on Matthew 6:34 “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today” the one thing we know is that God loves us yesterday, today and tomorrow.
God bless,
Vicci