I heard someone on the radio today, arguing that we need a break from the Coronavirus restrictions, so why can’t they all be relaxed for Christmas? After all, she said, during the First World War British and German soldiers agreed the so-called Christmas Truce and managed to sing carols together and play football… Of course the answer was swiftly given - it was people who could take the decision not to shoot at each other or to fire shells and drop bombs; we can’t ask the virus to stop making us sick or killing us.
From which I think we can learn two things. First, we can’t expect any quick way out of the pandemic. This is a virus which is highly infectious; most of those infected may only suffer mild symptoms but the seriousness for a minority combined with exponential growth in infection rates could easily overwhelm the NHS, filling intensive care beds and taking hundreds of thousands of lives. There may be hopes for a vaccine - but it will take time even if it’s possible. And how long will it take to produce and administer it? We have a flu vaccine already and the Government wants to vaccinate everyone over the age of 50 - but when I rang my health centre to ask when I as a 64 year old would get it, the answer was that the supplies just weren’t there; hopefully November or December! So what hope for any Covid-19 vaccine? That’s why we have to keep people as safe as possible from the virus. We can’t keep All Saints and All Souls-tide as we normally would. We can’t have public Acts of Remembrance at village war memorials. It’s highly unlikely that we will have Christmas as we would wish - if there’s no congregational singing allowed in church now and a continuing need for social distancing, how might we expect to get over 300 people into church for a Christingle with carol-singing?
Of course we will still celebrate Christmas. Christ’s coming among us is a reality. It can’t be denied - Jesus is born, God’s love come among us in human flesh. It’s how we will celebrate that may be different - but still so essential. And this leads to the second thing to recognise… Viruses are not open to human reason, but we can make peace with our neighbours - we just need the will. When will we learn?
Martin Jackson
From the November issue of our Parish Magazine - find it via this link
A “trailer” for Sunday’s celebration of St. Luke the Evangelist.
We’ll be in church and online - meanwhile a quick look at how we depict the man in question.
The diaries of most clergy this year tell a story of postponed or cancelled Baptisms and Marriages. Many simply could not be performed during the period of the strictest Lockdown. And even now no more than 15 are allowed in a wedding party and Baptisms taking place outside regular congregational worship are limited to six - with a further restriction to one household in this area. More can attend a Baptism when it's planned to take place in a bigger service - but numbers are still going to be much limited as we have to fit in the regular congregation with social distancing and reduced capacity.
So it's great when we manage to make the arrangements! Most recently we celebrated the Baptism of Arthur Reid at St. Cuthbert's Church. Just Arthur, his parent and his big brother present - but family friends and godparents (by proxy) able to look in via the video filmed by his Dad.
A reminder of what is at the heart of our Baptismal faith: the desire to follow in the way of Christ; to be open to God's love; to be ready to affirm that faith. This was a real celebration. We look forward to welcoming Arthur into our wider congregation in due course. But here and now God's love is real, however small the service in which we celebrate it.
As I write, we find ourselves having to live with ever more restrictions as to what we can do, and who we can (and can’t) meet - and where… I hope people understand why it’s necessary for the moment to curtail some of our freedoms. But there’s no denying the pain and frustration this causes along the way. People who mourn a loved one but can have only 30 people at the most at the funeral - rather fewer if the church (like St. John’s) is smaller, and still fewer again at the Crematorium. Weddings which can accommodate only 15 - including the bride and groom. And now Baptisms may only be attended by six people (including the one to be baptised) - and in this area those attending must all be members of the same household or support bubble.
I’m making or have made arrangements for parishioners in all three categories. These are not the circumstances we would wish for. Where we celebrate (and we will celebrate) a small wedding, I hope that couples will come back when numbers can be greater, and they can bring in more family and friends to share the blessing. Where only a few can gather at the font - even without godparents - I hope they will come back later for the one who is baptised to be welcomed into the wider congregation with all the guests they want. And it may be that funerals with limited numbers will be followed in due course with services of thanksgiving.
But what I have found moving is the recognition again of what truly remains at the heart of our meeting in sadness and in joy - even with so many missing: to commend a departed loved one to the love and mercy of God; to say, this is truly what I want for my child who is recognised in baptism as a loved child of God; to know that marriage to this person is my calling - and that is true whatever life may throw at us!
“That’s the shortest ordination I’ve ever been to,” I said to the Bishop after Phil’s ordination as Deacon. It was sad that so few could attend (though the video is online for all to see). But the service spoke all the more clearly of the calling of those who were ordained. And made me still more thankful for the grace I have found in my calling.
Martin Jackson
More pictures from the Ordination of our new Deacon, the Revd. Phil Carter...
