Dear Friends and Parishioners,
I am writing just a couple of days after Iran sent 300 drones and missiles to attack the country of Israel in response to Israel’s attack on its embassy in Syria. At the moment we are waiting to see if Israel will respond and risk the Middle East conflict developing and becoming even more serious.
Australia has just seen two attacks on civilian targets, Ukraine’s situation at war with Russia is not getting any better, and there are other places in the world where peace is a long way from people’s experience. The USA are facing a very divisive presidential election, and our own general election will almost certainly bring much change.
We are living in very troubling times at the moment, and many will be feeling nervous or concerned or even scared about what the future might hold. There doesn’t seem to be very much that we can do about the international situation, except, if you are a person of faith, to pray.
Meanwhile the church calendar continues to move on. Having celebrated Easter, we are looking forward on 19th May to the feast of Pentecost.
We remembered Jesus’ death on the cross and his glorious resurrection from the dead at Easter. but we mustn’t forget that the disciples were now in somewhat of a turmoil. Their master, with whom they had lived over the last 3 years, was gone, and they didn’t have him with them anymore. Although at the Last Supper he had promised them that a Helper (the Holy Spirit) would come to empower and equip them for the next steps, they really didn’t know what to expect or just what that might mean.
The day of Pentecost would come, and with it the Holy Spirit – 50 days after Easter. Jesus’ disciples were empowered and equipped to speak about him in ways that people would understand. They were also enabled by the same Holy Spirit to live out Jesus’ two great commandments – to love God and to love their neighbour, whoever he or she was.
Until that happened, they had to live both with the uncertainty about the future as well as a certain amount of fear about just what that future would hold.
Although life is quite different for us today, we do live with a great deal of uncertainty and anxiety. Let us pray that with the Holy Spirit, God will give us courage and hope, and also a caring concern for others.
The following, which was written 4 years ago by the Bishop of Leeds, struck a chord for me then – and still does today:
'We don’t know what the future will look like for our society, our economy, our politics, our church. But, we do know that we are called to be creative, bold and adventurous. Will we make mistakes, misunderstand the calling, head in the wrong direction at the wrong time? Probably. But, Jesus in the gospels shows little surprise when his friends mess it up. What we can’t do is just go back to the fishing grounds of the old certainties.'
With God’s help we can face the future.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Tim Hatwell
01732 882211 – rector@wrothamchurch.org