Sorrow
Dear friends,
There is a wonderful hymn, which you may be familiar with, called Man of Sorrows. It talks of how we use that name for Jesus because of the suffering he endured and the pain he went through. But we are limited by our window into his life which our gospels provide. As an example, we know nothing of Joseph's death but we can assume he is not around by the time Jesus begins his ministry as he has no mention during the gospels. But yet he would have experienced the grief and sorrow which we all go through when we lose a loved one.
We often turn to our faith in dark times, however strong it may be at other times. We often look to God for comfort in sorrow but what we hear at times of suffering and sorrow are so often hollow words - "God has a plan." or "Your loved one is in a better place now." While those are true they can often rile up our inner anger against God when we hear them. If God really has a plan then why did it involve the breaking of hearts which happens when someone dies?!
If we use religion in terms of platitudes and simply as a comfort when life is hard then we will fall away from our faith. We will lose the depth of relationship which we can have with God if we will journey through all the seasons of life together. The Bible journeys through all the seasons of life - joy, sorrow, life, death, peace, war, anger, reconciliation - the list could go on. But we rarely take this as a whole journey. We look at parts of it; small snapshots of the journey. It would be like looking at one day in June and trying to use it to predict the weather for the whole year.
We must journey with God through all the seasons of life. Then we will truly be able to turn to God in times of sorrow. And yes it might mean getting angry with God or asking why it doesn't feel like God is there at that moment. But God promises not to leave us in that desert place if we will continue journeying together. We all go through times of grief and sorrow and we all move through them differently. I find it truly encouraging that Jesus himself has been through times of sorrow but also times of joy - God as a human has experienced our emotional rollercoaster that we call life.
We can turn to God with however we are feeling today and be honest. The Man of Sorrows may weep with us; the King of Kings may celebrate with us; the Prince of Peace may sit with us; the Wonderful Counsellor may talk with us. However we meet with God today, let's be honest about how we are feeling and journey through those feelings together. And as always, keep the faith.
August Services
30th July
10.30am - Parish Communion @ St. Mary the Virgin, Hurley
During August we have some different services in our churches. Do please join us as we celebrate the life of our parish in slightly different ways:
6th August - 10am @ St. John the Evangelist, Littlewick Green
Parish Communion - a gathering of everyone in our parish to share in our Communion together with some traditional hymns and familiar prayers.
13th August - 11:30am @ St. James-the-Less, Stubbings
Pimms and Hymns - an opportunity to sing some of our favourite songs, to hear a bit about them and to share in some Pimms! Please send us your hymn/song requests along with why you would like it.
20th August - 10am @ St. Mary the Virgin, Hurley
Riverside Service - We gather on the Riverside to worship in the great outdoors. Come and join with us to celebrate the beauty of our world as we join in Communion.
27th August - 10am @ St. John the Evangelist, Littlewick Green
Summer Communion - As we approach the Bank Holiday, we celebrate the Great British Summer with a Communion service in a slightly different way. Come along on 27th to find out more and to share in the feast together.
Walking Group
Monday 14th August is the next walking group. Please pop the date in your diaries and we will send further information nearer the time but it has been a great opportunity for those who are able to gather and share some fellowship together.
Can you help?
Do you play a musical instrument? I am hoping to put together a little band who could play for services across the parish - I am happy to be a part of it or just meet with you all and support in other ways! But initially it would be great to just meet with other musicians and play some hymns and songs together. Get in touch with me if you are interested.
Parish Coffee Morning
Please join us on Wednesday 2nd August from 10:30-12:00 as we gather together as a parish for our coffee morning. It is a great time of fellowship and sharing along with some good cakes and (hopefully) sunshine. Also, please note that there will not be a Parish Coffee Morning in September as we will be having our Harvest Lunch around that time, keep your eyes peeled for more details!
Morning Prayer
Please be aware we are not holding Morning Prayer during August. There will be prayer resources in church available for those who wish to use them, and the space, to connect in prayer with God.
Our churches are open for private prayer:
Littlewick Green – open every day 11am – 4pm
Hurley – open every day 8am – 4pm
Stubbings – open Monday to Friday 9am – 12 noon
Parish Office
Please get in touch with Claire via the office e-mail (office@burchettsgreenparish.org). She is there on Monday-Friday mornings and can be contacted on 01628 820077 as well. For anything which you need I can also be contacted on vicar@burchettsgreenparish.org and 01628 822974, - please note my day off is usually Tuesday.
Blessings to you all,
Tom