Saint Michael’s Church
Serving God and Bishop’s Stortford
Clergy Letter For September 2009
|
CLERGY LETTER FOR SEPTEMBER 2009 |
|
The Revd Derek Hinge writes....
|
 |
|
One of the songs I learnt many years ago to a very upbeat, bouncy tune began with the words, ‘New, every morning it’s new, the love of God to me is wonderfully new …….’ During the year, church people have several opportunities to consider the theme of ‘new’. For instance, · in September each year, there is again an atmosphere of newness as a new term starts for children and young people in a new class or a new school or both. At the same time, our church programmes begin again after the summer break. · the church’s New Year begins on Advent Sunday, when we begin again to prepare for the coming of Jesus and the era of the ‘New’ Testament, · the calendar tells us that a ‘new’ year begins on January 1st when people often seek to make a conscious change to their lifestyle with the making of resolutions, which, alas are too often short lived! · at a more personal level, as birthdays come and go, we each reflect on the year that has passed and a new year that lies ahead. The word ‘new’ is almost by definition associated with the word ‘opportunity’. Whenever we have been given a present or we have bought something new, we know instinctively that we are being given an opportunity. (Even if we do not like what we have been given, it still provides an opportunity to pass it on to someone else who might enjoy it more!) We talk about it to our friends, share our enthusiasm and maybe that will spark them off to try something for themselves that they had not thought of before. Many of you will be reading this after a holiday break and perhaps you have been somewhere or tried something that was new to you. Already you will be sharing your experience with your friends, and maybe encouraging them to have a go! but this sort of newness soon declines. Memories fade, the novelty wears off, and the initial enthusiasm may not be sustained, but by that time, some other new experience has come along, and the cycle begins again. Newness in this sense is transient. So let’s return to that song with which I began. I am always impressed by the stories of people whose lives have been radically changed when they have discovered the truth of those words, ‘the love of God to me is wonderfully new.’ I remember when that truth first dawned on me. I had consciously been a Christian for about eight years and I was in my early twenties. My faith was growing and I was learning a lot; but I had the mistaken idea that my relationship with God depended on my response, my activity, my prayer life, my worship. Of course these things were important but they were not where my faith started. My faith started with God’s wonderful, undeserved initiative in loving me in the first place, in drawing me to him, in forgiving me, and in giving me gifts to serve him, including the gift of faith. Such love never fades. It is indeed ‘new every morning’. It never goes away or disappears as a distant memory. As the First letter of John puts it; ‘God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son. . .. .’ (Ch 4 vs. 9-10) It is no theoretical, theological nicety. It has implications on everyday life. God’s love is indeed new ‘every morning’. One of the chaplains at Lee Abbey many years ago always used to begin the breakfast grace with, ‘We thank you Lord for this new day. . .; his tone of voice oozed with opportunity and adventure as he said the word ‘new’. In other words, we can begin each day in the knowledge that yesterday’s slate is wiped clean; our sins are forgiven; guilt is a luxury we cannot afford to keep; his love draws us to do the same thing that it drew us to yesterday, namely ‘to love one another as I have loved you.’ We do not have to have regrets about what we did or did not do yesterday, what we did or did not achieve. With confidence we can begin each day by laying our diaries before God and pray that his love and his wisdom may use our humble offering to warm the hearts of others. At a deeper level, God‘s ‘new love’ each day means that we are never in a position of saying ‘I am not good enough’, or ‘I am a poor Christian’. What matters is that God loves you, and all you have to do is to enthuse in your own way about that wonderful gift. During this month the Diocese will take a new step forward as we shall welcome our new bishop, The Rt. Revd Alan Smith, (also a past member of the Lee Abbey Community), at his inauguration service in the Abbey on September 19th as the tenth Bishop of St Albans. So our front cover picture comes as a reminder to pray for Alan, especially, perhaps, that he may have a new sense of the Spirit at work in him as he enters the adventure and opportunity of his new ministry among us. With love and prayers, Derek
|
Office Address:
Saint Michael’s Church
Windhill
Bishops Stortford
Hertfordshire
CM23 2ND