Better late...?

There's been little recent let-up in busy-ness in the parish - or other parts of my life... Hence the infrequency of posting here, and the lateness in the appearance of our Parish Magazine. But it's out now - you can read it online (and find a lot more about what's been keeping us so engaged) by clicking here.

Deanery Confirmation @ St. Cuthbert's

This evening we celebrated the Confirmation of 25 members of churches in Lanchester Deanery. Torrential rain didn't daunt any spirits, though apparently the church sprang three leaks in the course of the service - one  member of the congregation was seen to leave his seat to return with a bucket.

Sadly no picture of this. But here's the newly-confirmed group with the Bishop of Jarrow:

And this is our own Parish Group (including our youngest candidate - from St. John's):

Finally the Vicar dared trust someone with his camera to take this picture:



Sadly there are no pictures of the wonderful buffet which parishioners provided in the Hall - but it was a wonderful occasion, and many thanks are due to so many people who have worked terrifically hard all weekend!

Catching up #2 - St. Cuthbert's Summer Fair

Yesterday, Saturday 23rd June, didn't bring the best of weather for our Parish Summer Fair. Though it wasn't really any worse than any of the other Saturdays of June! Undaunted, stallholders set up all their wares in the Church Hall - with so many customers it was barely possible to move at times.

Teas proved as popular as ever at the crowded tables - and React Theatre Group provided entertainment sharing stage-space with the Tombola.

All in all a wonderfully successful afternoon enjoyed by all. Many thanks who worked so hard to such brilliant effect!

Catching up #1 - Olympic Strawberry Teas

The Olympic Flame came right through both our parishes of Benfieldside and Castleside on Saturday 16th June. The relay entered County Durham in Shotley Bridge, greeted by thousands of spectators - Shotley Bridge Village Trust's Blog has lots of pictures and videos of the event.

Runners took the flame right up through Blackhill. Strangely (?) it was then driven round Consett. But from there the runners took their turns again as the flame came down through The Grove and Moorside into Castleside, right past St. John's Church, where it turned up the road towards Rowley. So we were well-served by the opportunity to "Line the streets."

St. John's Church took the opportunity of gathering crowds to put on Strawberry Teas. No attempt at putting them on in the church garden - but the prospect of sitting down out of the wind and rain brought in lots of happy customers - and every tea was sold!

Olympic Anticipation and more...

"You can tell it's the first day back after the half-term holiday," said a deputy headteacher after I finished this morning's school assembly. For me it was certainly challenging as I tried to keep the interest of nearly a hundred 4 to 7 year olds - and I could only agree: "Well, I'm glad you've got them for the rest of the day!"

Perhaps it was the subject I took (fish and fishermen called to be disciples). As I drove to school I passed the notices which have appeared along the main roads of both my parishes warning us of severe delays and road closures next Saturday as the Olympic Torch Relay comes to County Durham. Maybe I should have talked about the Olympics - though I suspect I'd have had only about as much success in failing to quell the various hotspots of post-holiday conversation.

But certainly Olympic  anticipation is in the air. The Torch enters County Durham over the bridge into Shotley Bridge at 16.04 on Saturday 16th June - and then it's uphill through Blackhill to Consett. Leaving Consett the Torch is carried through The Grove, Moorside and Castleside then turning left at St. John's Church towards Rowley (there's a timing of 16.54 at Gill View, so presumably about 5p.m. at St. John's.). So I'm really pretty chuffed that it's going the full distance through both our parishes.

And both parishes are celebrating. In Shotley Bridge the Business and Community Partnership has activities and celebrations throughout the afternoon from 1p.m. - more  about this on the Village Trust's website and its poster. In Castleside the school has activities through the morning - and in the afternoon St. John's Church is offering Strawberry Teas from 2.30p.m. (another poster here).

Meanwhile the sermons section of this blog has been updated - and you can go direct to Rosie Junemann's sermon for yesterday by clicking here.

Not servants but friends

Every now and then it's good to find yourself stating what is, I hope the simple truth - the less dramatically put the better.

The whole of today's homily, preached at St. Cuthbert's and St. John's, can be found by clicking here - and this is an excerpt from the middle:

... There’s a deep truth in this story about how God relates to us. Left to ourselves we might find our lives have little direction. Who can we depend on? What sense do we make of life? What gives meaning to our existence? What can I do to make a difference to the way I live? So often we just can’t come up with the answers to these questions.

But the message of Christianity is that it is God who comes in to make the difference. Already he is watching out for us - watching over us… And in Jesus he comes to us to bring us to a new way of living and hope. When there is nothing we can do to help ourselves, it’s Jesus who comes to our aid. When we can’t earn a sense of well-being or wholeness - and our lives feel so incomplete - it’s Jesus who redeems us. He pays the way for us - with a love that takes him to the Cross. He doesn’t demand that we argue a case why he should take notice of us - he simply gives us his love… and dies for us.

He could require that we should be his servants - he could make a charge for his attention and care. But instead he calls us “friends.” As he tells the disciples in today’s Gospel reading:

You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer… but I have called you friends…

 

I wonder if we’re very good at taking this in? Perhaps it depends on how we treat our friends… And these days people can acquire Facebook friends by the hundred - until we might wonder, just who really is my friend? Or perhaps we simply don’t consider ourselves worthy to be counted as God’s friends.

The good news from Jesus is that we don’t need to be worthy. We can’t do anything to earn God’s friendship. We need only to be loved - to know God’s love...

The Last Words of Jesus...

It’s worth thinking about these words. And of course it depends which Gospel you look at. St. Mark’s Gospel doesn’t record any speech of Jesus following the Resurrection - at least if you follow the view of most scholars that the original end of his account is Mark 16, verse 8. St. Luke has two cracks at it - not only the last words of the Gospel which bears his name, but also his account of the Ascension   as we find it in the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. The gist here is that the disciples need to stay in Jerusalem, to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit - and to recognise that the Holy Spirit will empower them in the lives they are to lead as Christians. As we celebrate the Feasts of both the Ascension and Pentecost this month, it’s a vital reminder of how we should live - waiting on God, dependent on his power and ability to guide us.

St. John’s Gospel ends with a conversation and even a note of dispute. Here Jesus’ words are spoken not to any group of Christians or to a crowd, but to one man - the apostle Peter. But they are words that he speaks to anyone who wishes to be faithful in discipleship, “Follow me.”

Take a look at these “last words” - ask what they say to you.

I started reflecting on them myself because of the last words which St. Matthew’s Gospel records: Jesus’ assurance that he will be with his disciples “to the end of the age” - and an instruction: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit...” That seems to be a large part of my calling at present. We may not record any baptisms for this month of April in St. Cuthbert’s, but there were three baptisms on Easter Day in St. John’s - and more before the month’s end. And in May I’ve booked six baptisms in St. Cuthbert’s with more in St. John’s. We know that Baptism is something people want for their children. But - as people ask me - when will we see them again?

In Jesus’ last words baptising goes along with “teaching people to obey everything that I have commanded you.” I can only do my best in encouraging parents and godparents to take seriously the responsibilities they take on at Baptism. And all of us do well to reflect on what we see in Baptism. Something fundamental going to the core of our relationship with God - vows we renew at Easter and affirm in Confirmation. How can we live out the message of Baptism? - and share it with others so that they live it out with real meaning?

 

(From the May issue of St. Cuthbert's Parish Magazine - now available online)