Saint Michael’s Church
Serving God and Bishop’s Stortford since 673
Clergy Letter For July and August 2007
|
CLERGY LETTER FOR JULY/AUGUST 2007 |
|
The Vicar writes....
|
 . |
|
Pilgrimage to the Holy Land I am writing on the eve of our departure for the Holy Land. By the time you read this we will be back! It is ten years since a group of us from St Michael’s went there last, and as there were a number of requests that we should go again I contacted the Company and this Tour/Pilgrimage has been arranged. There are thirteen of us from St Michael’s in the party, one from Holy Trinity and nine others who are friends or relatives of people in the group. This is not quite the same as a holiday. Of course we will have the fascination of being in another country and of course there will be much to savour in the way of a different culture. But with all the seemingly intractable problems of the Middle East at the moment there will be an edge to what we are doing and we will be on pilgrimage as much as on holiday. It is the experience of many who go to the Holy Land that the sites are not just places of tourist interest. Personally I was afraid that that might be the case before I went there the first time. Extraordinarily the places we visit take on a deeper significance as one by one they are woven in to the story of Jesus. It is not possible at the distance of 2000 years to say that any one place is the exact spot where an event took place. But that is not important. What matters is that this is the land in which Jesus lived and died. These are the hills on which he looked and the horizons that bounded his experience. The fact that certain places have been linked with certain events in the story of Jesus since about the 4th century gives them a special quality of their own which deserves respect. Though much has changed much remains. The sense of holiness created by an atmosphere steeped in the prayers of fifteen hundred years cannot fail to impress the pilgrims. So the visits will be explained by a local guide and the opportunity will be given to pray, to read the Bible and to sing. To go on a pilgrimage is to open oneself up to the loving purpose of God once again and to follow where he leads. As we follow we hope to be changed. And then we in our turn share that story with others. Such is the Christian journey. As followers of Jesus we will journey with him through moments of joy and new beginnings, and equally remember with him his sorrow and death. From the manger in Bethlehem to the wilderness of the desert, and from the miracles in Galilee to the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem we will be drawn closer to the heart of the gospel and of our faith. I know we will all come back with our own stories and I hope we will be able to share them with you on our return. Find out how we fared later in this magazine. Toby Marchand. |
Office Address:
Saint Michael’s Church
Windhill
Bishops Stortford
Hertfordshire
CM23 2ND