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THOUGHTS FROM THE VICARAGE

How are you looking forward to the New Year?

With anticipation or dread? Excitement or resignation? Enthusiasm or depression? Funny how we often place such significance on a New Year and earnestly make resolutions to change; be healthier, fitter, kinder, work harder, give up old habits, or whatever - the list is as endless as human aspirations I reckon. Embroilled as we are in times of economic crisis, we could be forgiven perhaps for facing the New Year with some trepidation and not a little fear.

I came across a recipe someone sent me - my apologies for not knowing its source - that got me thinking about feelings and expectations about the beginnings of a New Year.

Take 12 fine, full-grown months, see that these are thoroughly free from all old memories of bitterness, rancour, hate and jealousy; cleanse them completely from every clinging spite, pick off all specks of pettiness and littleness.

Ensure that these months are freed from all the past and cut them into 30 or equal parts. This batch will keep for just one year. Do not attempt to make up the whole batch at once but prepare one day at a time as follows:

Into each day put 12 parts of faith, 11 of patience, ten of courage, nine of work, eight of hope, seven of fidelity, six of liberality, five of kindness, four of rest, three of prayer, two of meditation, and one well selected resolution.

Vigourously add in teaspoonful of good spirits, a dash of fun, a pinch of folly, a sprinkling of play, and a heaped cupful of good humour.

Mix well and cook thoroughly in an honest heat; garnish with a few smiles and add a sprig of joy; then serve with quietness, unselfishness, and cheerfulness.

What got me thinking were the measures with which this 'recipe' had been divided up - and the 'ingredients'.

Would you put your faith top of the list? Would fidelity come 7th for you, and liberty 6th? Are there some others that are not featured that you would want to put in?

Going on, a day at a time, whatever may be ahead. It's not a bad idea to make resolutions to be better, healthier, etc., etc. but it doesn't require the start of a New Year to do that, just the start of a New Day.

I don't know about you, but I find it really helpful to spend time each morning with God - telling Him about my hopes, my fears and my expectations of the day ahead asking him to be with me in all of it, helping me to be the best that I can be whatever the day may bring.

A very happy New Year to you all.

Rev'd Chris Musser

PRAYER REQUEST

A special form is now available on this website for anyone who would like prayers to be said in Church for someone who is ill or suffering. Simply follow this link: Prayer Request. The same form may be used to contact Revd Chris if you are unwell and unable to come to Church to receive Communion, or if you know someone who would like to receive Communion at home. Alternatively, of course, please use the prayer request cards available in the church.

December's Thoughts

Peace on Earth, goodwill to all men.

'Tell me the weight of a snowflake', a robin asked a dove. 'Nothing more than nothing', came the answer. 'In that case, I must tell you a marvellous story', the robin said. 'I sat on the branch of a fir tree and it began to snow. Since I didn't have anything better to do, I counted the snowflakes settling on the twigs and needles of my branch. I counted 3,741,952, then when the 3,741,953rd dropped onto the branch - nothing more than nothing, as you say - the branch broke off'. Having said that, the robin flew away. The dove, since Noah's time an authority on the matter, thought about the story for a while, and finally said to herself.

Perhaps there is only one person's voice lacking for peace to come to the world'.

Adapted from the New Fables by Kurt Kauter

Christmas, perhaps more than any other time of the year, is when we especially think of, and pray for peace. Which, when we look around at our world, can seem little more than a pipe dream at times.

Yet, as Kurt's little story illustrates, each one makes a difference. Every individual living in peace; promoting justice and working for equality, adds up.

We all have responsibility to work for peace and justice in our own little corner of the world - in our families and friendships; with our neighbours and in our communities. We might not have the power to make an immediate difference in Afghanistan, Syria, the Holy Land, Africa; or in the corridors of power or boardrooms in the Western world, but each and every one of us can make a difference.

Is there someone you need to make peace with? Perhaps now is a good time to do that. Is there a wrong you know of that you could speak up about? Maybe you shouldn't leave it any longer.

If we all do our bit, maybe one day, that extra voice will be the last one needed to bring about that which the angels sang about all those centuries ago, and that which Jesus was born to bring: Peace on Earth, goodwill to all people. A peaceful and joyous Christmas to you all.

Rev'd Chris Musser

 

September's Thoughts

I can’t be flippant, or light-hearted, or amusing this month
– there are too many difficult things and situations lying heavy on too many people’s hearts for that. As I write this we are approaching the 10th anniversary of the agony of loss of life and suffering that occurred with the destruction of the twin towers in New York; that act of dreadful terrorism and hatred that ‘changed the world’ as many commentators state.

Did it? Humankind has wrought many evils of suffering on one another since time began it seems to me; and individuals have to struggle with deepest agony each and every day. ‘9/11’ as it has become known, was undoubtedly a single act of the most horrific barbarism that rocked the world, but I am in no way diminishing that when I say that every day someone has to somehow survive terrible suffering and anguish. Many people in Africa are suffering agonising hardship and loss from the effects of famine and drought; acts of war and terrorism daily rob people of life, and their families the joy of their presence, and in our village just this year, several families have had to struggle with the heartbreaking loss of a loved one.

As a Christian priest, one of the questions I dread the most is: ‘How can there be a loving God when He allows such things to happen?’ – or any number of variations on that theme. I dread it because I don’t have any easy answers to such a huge question. All I can say is that God, in his amazing acts of creating, allowed free will, choice and continuing change and evolution to be an integral part of this amazing universe; He allowed it to be what it will be, with all the variables and developments that will happen when creatures that are allowed to choose do just that.

Inevitably that evolving and changing; growing and choosing will involve loss and pain as well as growth, joy and celebration. As a person who believes in a loving God, I trust that He is ever present with us; helping us to make the right choices and overcome the difficulties.

As a Christian, I know that the way God helps us with all of that was to send his Son Jesus to try and show us the full potential of the wonder of possibility that is inherent in human existence, and to be our companion along the way; present in the good times, but most especially present with us in those agonising times of loss and hardship, because he himself suffered through persecution and death on the cross.

And that it didn’t end there. Because of Jesus, suffering and death do not have the last word. 3 days later Jesus rose from the tomb and told us that there is more to life than we can see and know; there is another realm for us when our earthly life is over; a life of eternal peace and rest in the kingdom of heaven.

Theologians and philosophers have struggled for centuries with the problem of pain and suffering; I can’t pretend that I have the answer any more than they can.

But I pray that, whatever difficulties or heartache you may be experiencing now, you may be comforted by the knowledge of a loving God, and the help of friends and loved ones around you.

Rev’d Chris

 

Give us this day…

…the latest i-device, grotesquely violent computer game, annual bonus, more food than we can healthily eat…whatever it is that we want, never mind need, we can buy online or in a shop. And if we really are talking about our “daily bread”, if we’ve bought too much because we just can’t resist the latest buy-one-get-one-free offer and it’s past its sell-by, use-by or best-before date we simply throw it away. Some of us can of course say that we’re doing our bit for the environment, because here in Guildford we have a facility for recycling food waste. All well and good, but every year, we in the UK throw away – yes, throw away – 30% of the food we buy (figure quoted by a recent ITV survey); the monthly cost to the average household is about £50 (source: www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/about_food_waste).

Makes you think, doesn’t it? As this piece is being written many thousands of desperate, starving people in East Africa are somehow having to walk many miles in a – sometimes quite literally – last-gasp attempt to reach the refugee camps being set up by Christian and other charities in an endeavour somehow to keep them alive in the wake of the worst drought for 60 years. Not just fed the very barest of essentials – kept alive.

Of course we can – and many of us do – make our contributions to the numerous charities that work so hard to make a difference. But I wonder how many of us click the mouse or sign the cheque to make our payment and then get back to our nice comfortable lives, duty done, consciences duly eased. I also wonder how many of us actually stop to think how we would feel if we really didn’t know where our next meagre meal or drink of clean water were coming from, or where we would be laying our heads to sleep.

There are, of course, many people in our own affluent western society who, albeit in a much less dramatic way, also suffer and struggle to find a crust to eat or something other than cardboard boxes to keep themselves warm at night. Jesus made absolutely no social distinctions when it came to healing people; all they had to “do” was show faith. And he also made it abundantly clear that God will provide: Jesus fed four thousand with “seven loaves and a few small fish” (Matthew 15: 34-37), and then five thousand with “five loaves of bread and two fish” (Luke 9: 13-17). Probably not a great comfort for the starving thousands in East Africa, but with our support Christian Aid and other faith-based and secular charities are all doing everything they can to relieve the suffering.

Food for thought, perhaps…

Gary Williamson

 

FROM YOUR PARISH PRIEST

Very much part of the glorious months of summer are the sounds of music – from open car windows but most notably perhaps from all those music festivals – Glastonbury, Isle of Wight, Reading, Guilfest, to name but a few.

I have quite eclectic musical tastes – from the pounding beat of some rock music, (the older ones of course – Led Zeppelin, Queen etc. 'proper' rock not this modern stuff they call rock!) – through pop and classical to great choral works.

Now I'm not a musician by any standards; I like to sing, but never learned to play an instrument, and don't know much about musical performance. Unlike a particular chap I heard about who attended a classical concert. When the orchestra started playing Tchaikovsky's 'Romeo & Juliet' overture, the woman seated next to him noticed tears begin to run down his cheeks. She turned and said to him gently,
'You must be an incurable romantic sir.'
'Not at all', the man spluttered, 'I am a musician!'

Well I might not know much about the technical side of musical performance, but I so enjoy listening to those who do, and I place great importance on the part music plays in worship. In Pirbright Church we are greatly blessed to have Brett accompany the hymns on most Sundays at our wonderful organ; and once a month, at our Family service, we have our new Church Band to play for us.

With my limited knowledge I wouldn't have thought that drums, percussion, violins, a flute, piano, oboe, bassoon, guitar and ukelele could combine to make such wonderful music to sing with – but they do! If you haven't yet heard them play, I hope that you will come and join us in worship on the 1st Sunday of the month soon and enjoy them as much as I do.

God gives us many different talents and skills, and surely the ability to make and enjoy music must be amongst the greatest gifts we have. Known as the universal language, I think music crosses all boundaries, cultures and generations. Many of the psalms urge us to praise God using song, instruments and dancing.

I came across this, written by a homeless man:
'To those who understand music, they know that music does not come from your mouth. The only reason that it comes out from there is that it has to get out from somewhere. Anyway, music is sung by your heart and your soul, and it is felt by all those who really understand and love it'.

Such wise words; music is sung by our hearts & souls and is felt. I like to think of God humming along with us on a Sunday morning – come and feel the music of God's praise with us too.

Have a wonderful summer.

Rev'd Chris

 

WONDERFUL LAND

On a couple of occasions in the recent past I have been asked to take something - anything - along with me to a meeting that meant a lot to me, then to talk about it and explain to others why it was so important.I thought for a while, and finally decided to take one of the first 45rpm single records - remember those? - that I had been given as a present. It was a record called "Wonderful Land", by the Shadows. When it came to my turn to talk about it, I explained that the title of the song made me think of what a truly wonderful and beautiful world we live in, and how very, very lucky we are to have been given what Genesis refers to as "dominion over the fish of the sea...birds of the air...cattle and over all the wild animals of the earth...".

God gave us this gift, and basically left us to it. But oh dear, what a mess we can and do make of it sometimes! Today we are confronted almost daily with images of the consequences of our mismanagement of the earth and its abundance - climate change, environmental pollution, starving children, crop failure precipitated by reckless overuse of land, species of living creatures facing extinction; the list is a long one. In April this year, particularly savage tornados ripped through the southern United States, killing hundreds and destroying homes. Unusually violent earthquakes and storms have hit New Zealand and Japan. In our own little bit of Britain we have just experienced the driest and probably one of the warmest Aprils since records began, and gardeners in particular were praying in their own way for the rain to come. April without showers? Whatever next!

Whatever next, indeed. But there are things that we can do, individually and collectively, to at least put things right. As well as simply giving money to charities like Christian Aid, Oxfam and others, we are increasingly encouraged to get personally involved: to do our bit to save, if not the whole planet, then at least the tiny part of it that is ours for the moment - recycling, conserving water, being less reliant on fossil fuels, and so on.Because of course we have to think about all those people who will come after us; not just our own children and grandchildren, but everyone's. God did indeed give us this beautiful world to live in. Let's show a bit of gratitude and look after it properly, as God would wish us to do.

Gary Williamson

 

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