PASTORAL MESSAGE

Pastoral Message for January
from Steve Judd - one of our Elders

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Dear friends,

This is traditionally a time of change.  People make resolutions to live a better life or put behind them things they want to leave behind.  As I write this, the roads are jammed with people going places, travelling to or from friends and family, visiting the shops, or going to a sports game.  And the pavements in my village were busy with people enjoying a beautiful Winter day and “walking off” the Christmas feast.

Unfortunately, not all change is welcome.  Many people who once shared Christmas dinner with family now eat alone.  Houses which were once filled with joy and laughter at this time are now quiet, except for the babbling of the TV in the corner.  And in the news we see so many people whose lives have been turned upside down by conflict and disaster.

And what of God in all this?  This year we study Matthew’s Gospel, and this starts with his version of the Nativity story.  Much of what we normally see in a Nativity play actually comes from Luke, but Matthew gives us the Wise Men, who accidentally tipped off Herod by enquiring about the new-born King.  So Joseph, Mary and Jesus had to flee for their lives to escape the atrocity Herod committed after they had gone.

So for those for whom Christmas has not been a happy time, the Bible tells us that God knows, for his first encounter with the world as a baby was not that great, either.  We may celebrate a “warm and cuddly” Christmas, but that was far from the truth.

In the coming months, we shall follow Jesus from humble birth and hardship, through many years of anonymity, to the hard road of preaching and of healing others, ending with the cruel death on a Cross. But to us this also speaks of the God who is with us in the bad times of life as much as the good, truly “Emmanuel” – God with us. And this means that, whatever the year may bring, I shall walk it with my Lord as we will be going nowhere he has not already been.

May God be also your constant companion in the year ahead.
 

Steve Judd

 

We are sorry to have to say that Penny has now been "signed off" work until the end of January.

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We continue to pray for Penny’s healing and for those helping her to deal with this situation as they work together to help Penny resume her ministry to us and the Methodist Church.

If you need a minister during this time, please contact Revd John Hughes, who is providing ministerial oversight.

His email is:   john.hughes@methodist.org.uk

For all other pastoral matters, please see one of our Pastoral Team, whose names are posted in the Church Vestibule.