Saint Michael’s Church
Serving God and Bishop’s Stortford
Clergy Letter For February 2010
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CLERGY LETTER FOR FEBRUARY 2010 |
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The Revd Derek Hinge writes....
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The last time I wrote the leader letter, I started with a chorus I had learned in my teens, and I am going to do the same this time! A chorus that gave me confidence and reminded me of an important truth went like this: But someone may ask, ‘if that is true, does it mean that when we pray, we change God’s mind?’ But what is God’s mind? According to Jesus, God’s mind, His will, is to have fellowship with his creation for ever. Prayer thus becomes the medium whereby we enter into communion with God; it is part of the scheme of creation. When we say that we experience answers to prayer, direct or indirect, immediate or deferred, what we are saying is that we have been in tune with the mind and will of God. We have responded to his ever present Spirit who pervades all that happens in our day to day lives, and points us in Godly directions. There is nothing more important that we do as Christians than to pray. How we pray can of course take all sorts of forms, and the season of Lent that begins this month, is an opportunity to try different ways of praying, as individuals or in a group, and then watch for the signs of change in us and in those around us. Through my letter box over Christmas came the monthly letter from the CARE (Christian Action Research and Education) Organisation that I have supported for many years. To quote their web site, they are a ‘mainstream Christian Charity providing resources and helping to bring Christian insight and experience to matters of public policy.’ The letter gave two examples of CARE’s activity; one to do with preventing the trafficking of, mainly, young girls for prostitution, and the other to do with protecting freedom of speech in certain clauses of government legislation. For now the details are not important, but what was heartening was the fact that people like you and me had been praying, communicating with MPs, and talking about these concerns with neighbours and friends. The result is that the relevant legislation had now a much more Christian ethos to it than would otherwise have been the case. All of this challenges us to be better informed about the issues that confront our MPs, especially those who are Christians, and to realise that our informed prayers can make a difference. Another of CARE’s concerns is, like the MU, the support of marriage and family life. The week leading up to 14th February is National Marriage Week, and the organisers are encouraging every married couple to take time out to watch a movie together. The suggestion is being promoted because so many couples do not take time to build their marriages by doing something together and investing in their relationships in fun ways. I cannot commend too highly the Marriage Course that several people in St Michael’s have done. This course is being run again from the beginning of March and details are available in church. One of the things we learnt when we did the Course was the value of ‘marriage time’ – maybe a couple of hours a week when we reflect on what has been happening to us, and try to focus on, amongst other things, what God is doing in our lives. Once again we need to pray for Marriage, and legislation that surrounds it, that it may continue to be upheld as good for society as a whole. And we need to pray for the marriages we are in or we know about, that the pressures on them may be faced with honesty, openness and perseverance. So here’s a question. Do you believe that prayer changes things? Remember it is not a matter of how many times you pray, or the quantity of words used; it is about the quality of your relationship with God and, through that relationship, bringing people and situations to Him to allow Him to reveal his will to them and to you. With my prayers for God’s rich blessing on you and your families, Derek
Prayer changes things; prayer changes things. They who pray shall mount up as on eagle’s wings. Prayer changes things; prayer changes things; Day by day then let us pray, For prayer changes things.
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Office Address:
Saint Michael’s Church
Windhill
Bishops Stortford
Hertfordshire
CM23 2ND