Contrary to popular opinion, the Church is alive and well ! You only have to come to the 9.45 a.m. Service, at St. Giles’ Church, to see that is the case.  Although there is always room for more, and no one would ever be turned away, the pews are nicely full.  

But I base my opening comment not on what is happening at St. Giles’ but on my experience with young people from the school at which I used to teach. Although I retired from teaching some 9 years ago, I still keep in touch with the school’s fellowship group and go away with them on their Bible study weekends.

 At the end of January there were 90 students from years 10, 11 and the 6^th Form who were prepared to give up a weekend in order to deepen their faith through Bible reading, worship, and discussion.  

Such was the popularity of the weekend that it was not possible to offer any places to former pupils and so an extra weekend was organised for just ex-students, which took place at the end of February.  I had been asked to give the main address on the Saturday evening and so I found myself standing in front of 26 young people, most of whom were either at university, or had recently qualified and were now out in the world of work.  Among them were 4 doctors (two qualified and two still in training), an economist who advises on the economic structures of third world countries and a vet, while the rest were either enjoying their first taste of life in the real world or continuing their studies.

The theme on which I spoke was “Re-union with God” as it was recognised that once youngsters leave the protective environment of school, maintaining and following the Christian faith can present problems.  The thrust of my talk was that to remain in union with God one has to live a Christian lifestyle and that when looking at life style the three things that matter most are money, sex, and power. So we looked at what the Bible has to say on these three issues.

What became particularly apparent in discussion was that although these three aspects of life are important, equally important, in maintaining a Christian life style, is the need to gather with other Christians in worship, Bible study, and prayer. For many of the young people it is this that they miss most having left home and gone to university, or into paid employment.

It made me realise that to have a vibrant and living faith it is, in most cases, necessary to be in contact with other Christians and to receive from them whatever nurture and teaching they can give. It is not enough to say ‘I can make it alone’ for just as a glowing coal will cool and lose its energy if taken from the main body of the fire, so a person’s faith will stagnate and fall away if not stimulated by the encouragement of others.

Yes, meeting with all the young people on these Bible Study weekends and sharing their enthusiasm and hopes for the future, I can say for sure that the Christian faith is alive, well, and growing. But ask yourself  - are you a part of it?

With all God’s blessings.

Ken Tombs  (Hon. Curate)

Feb. 22^nd      Howard Samuel Rundle, aged 86

Mar. 10^th      John Snowden, aged 66      

        14^th       Lillian Raison, aged 91

         16^th      Julie Bridges, aged 44         

From last month. Grace Edwina Eileen Ware was 80 years old

We are at the time of year when the leaves of the deciduous trees begin to spring forth once again after the stark austerity of winter. The evergreens have been true to their name throughout the winter and the ivy, which seems to get everywhere, has clothed the trunks of many trees.

So much for the nature report but it led me to reflect on how much we take leaves for granted. In their springtime freshness they are very apparent and welcome but as the year progresses they fade into the background. They are just there, some of them are outstandingly beautiful but many of them are quite plain; some we admire and some we prune heavily. And yet our very existence depends on the work that leaves do. Leaves bring us many benefits but one of the most vital must surely be the conversion of carbon dioxide to oxygen and carbohydrates. Without leaves most animal life would gradually suffocate through lack of oxygen.

It is so easy to take leaves for granted and it can be easier still to take God for granted, to forget all that he is quietly and unobtrusively doing for us every moment of every day. It is the Good News that we do not have to work for our salvation; God’s grace is sufficient. It is enough for us to have faith in God and in his promises. It is enough that we acknowledge God’s love and breathe in his Holy Spirit so that our lives might be renewed and sanctified.

It is one of the oddities of human beings that despite our vital dependence upon trees and leaves, we continue to destroy the great forest of the world at an alarming rate. We do not have to work to produce the oxygen that keeps us alive because, with God’s help, trees grow by themselves. We can however despise and destroy this life-giving force and this is just what we seem to be doing.

Likewise, we do not have to work for our salvation. God sent his Son Jesus Christ who died on the Cross for us and for our salvation. We do not have to work to earn our salvation but we can so easily cut ourselves off from this source of eternal life; it is far easier than chopping down trees!

This Easter we can turn again to God in worship and praise, giving thanks for all that he has done for us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. We can celebrate and take hold of the gift of eternal life. We just need to accept, treasure and trust in God’s gracious gift, allowing the life-giving Spirit of Christ to dwell within us and fill our hearts with love.

The grace and peace of God be with you.

Tony

The first in a series of five new orders of service to be used at the 9.45 a.m. service on Sunday mornings was introduced during Lent.  The second will be introduced on Easter Day and used for the 7 weeks until Pentecost.  The idea is to reflect the changing seasons of the Anglican Church year, which help worshippers enter into different aspects of the unfolding story of God’s love for us.   The framework of the service will remain the same, but the new orders of service will use a broader variety of the beautiful prayers and liturgy available in Common Worship.

Each week for a trial period of 6 months, there will be a separate service sheet with the hymns and songs, Bible readings and special prayers for the day.  Used in conjunction with the order of service, it is hoped that the service will be easier to follow for people who are newcomers to St Giles’.  The choir are enjoying a new hymnbook which combines the majority of the contents of Hymns Ancient and Modern (our present hymnal) with some of the best of the many worship songs and hymns written in the last 15 years.  This will enable us to sing the splendid traditional hymns along side some of the modern songs and hymns often featured on Songs of Praise.