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| RECTORS LETTER - March  
Dear Friends,
The forty-day season of Lent is a reminder of the time that Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness as a preparation for his public ministry. Forty days of fasting – that is serious spiritual discipline.
But Matthew also reminds us that “the Son of Man came eating and drinking…” (Matthew 11.19). In fact, John records that Jesus’ very first miracle was turning water into wine at a wedding feast. Throughout the Gospels accounts we read of Jesus eating and drinking with his disciples, with Pharisees, tax collectors, and others. Some people were shocked at Jesus’ unrestrained lifestyle, comparing it unfavourably with John the Baptist’s abstemious habits, and accused Jesus of being a “glutton and a drunkard.” Although Jesus both practiced and approved of the spiritual discipline of fasting, he was no ascetic; rather he accepted and enjoyed the good gifts provided from his Father’s hand. Enjoying food and wine was not a sin – indeed he called his followers to remember him by sharing just such a special meal together.
Therefore, as much as our western society over-indulges, with dire consequences for ourselves and others, we need to be careful not to allow ourselves to fall into the trap of denying the goodness of the material world around us, as God created it. Genesis reminds us that everything God made he declared, “good”. Part of this creation was given to man for food, and humankind was placed within a garden – not as a holiday, but to work in it, and take care of it. God has made the world in such a way that it can provide for our needs and enjoyment. There is an essential balance, even in Eden, the man and his wife are to enjoy the produce of the garden, but also to take care of it. We are, if you like, tenants not owners of this earth; we will have to report to God for our stewardship of it.
Also, from the very beginning, God said that there would be limits to our consumption as well. The tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil was off limits. In disobedience, Adam and Eve consumed its fruit, but with dire consequence. Not everything in God’s creation is for us to consume, as we please. There are limits, which we trespass only at our peril and the peril of those around us or who come after us.
During the past half century, we in the West have lived in an age of ever-increasing consumption, not simply of food, but of every natural resource. At the beginning of that half century, Prime Minister Harold Macmillan told the British public that they had “never had it so good’; while, in the USA, ever increasing consumption became an almost essential part of the American dream.
Yet, it has become increasingly clear that the pursuit of ever-increasing consumption poses risks to ourselves (obesity and the many illnesses it brings in its train) others (injustice and the depletion of resources) and the environment (pollution, degeneration and species extinction). All this is quite apart from the threat of global warming, whatever you make of it; sustainability is increasingly becoming seen as the desired goal in economic development. There are limits to growth; limits to consumption.
Long before these concepts were ever promoted by environmentalists, Jesus demonstrated the spirituality that is needed to live responsibly and sustainably in his father’s world. Jesus’ example of enjoying the goodness of God’s creation within an attitude of obedience to a loving Heavenly Father as well as a sacrificial love for others is the best possible guide for us as we begin to explore what it means for us to live more sustainably.
And if we have not begun to consider what it might mean for us to live more sustainably, why not start now? Steve
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| RECTORS LETTER - December 
. Dear Friends,
With astonishment, I realise that Sue and I have now been in Rushden for almost six months! That the time has flown so quickly and that we feel so settled is due in no small part to the warm welcome we have received from you all. Thank you! We look forward to seeing where the Lord will lead us all in the New Year, as – guided and strengthened by his Spirit, we seek to serve him through whatever challenges and opportunities appear.
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill towards all people. Luke 2.14
As I sit to write, the news is again full of the war in Afghanistan; and the recently-laid poppy wreaths on the war memorials remind us of the millions of people throughout the world who have fallen in past conflicts. We have also been reminded recently that the state of peace in Northern Ireland remains fragile, despite the heroic efforts of many. Sadly, rancour rather than goodwill marks the atmosphere of some communities. How then are we to make any sense of the angels’ message to the world through those shepherds out on a lonely Judean hillside one night two thousand years ago?
It is easy to forget that Jesus was himself born into a world deeply marked by tension and ill will. Most of the paintings and images used on Christmas cards and even many of the Christmas carols that we sing lead us to think that Jesus came into a happy world: contented and at peace with itself. Nothing could be further from the truth. Although much is made of the Pax Romana, which prevented large areas of the ancient Mediterranean world from fighting one another while the Romans were in power, there were still many localised conflicts throughout the Roman Empire, including a number of futile attempts by the Jews to free themselves from Roman domination. And, as we see from the Gospel writers’ testimony, the Jewish community itself was divided along economic, political and even religious lines. It was a world of violence, tension and conflict into which Jesus was born.
The first words the angels spoke to the shepherds, “Fear not!” were very appropriate. Who wouldn’t have been scared witless by such an apparition? But into that troubled world, where many were fearful and distressed, the angels bring a message to the shepherds of deep joy:
“For behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savour, which is Christ the Lord.”
In Jesus, God’s promised Saviour arrives - not to the Jews only, but to the entire world. He comes, not as another political ruler or military leader, but as a helpless baby. But he is called, nonetheless, the ‘Prince of Peace’!
The Glory of God is expressed (at least in part) by peace and goodwill on earth. This goodwill among men is not a precondition to our trusting and following the Saviour, but is the result of God’s work in the world – usually in and through people. God’s working out of His peace and love in the world through us is often hidden, and always partial and incomplete. Yet it remains real and life-giving for all that! This Christmas, in the midst of our world’s conflicts, we are invited by the angels once again, not simply to believe in Jesus the Saviour, but to trust and follow him, so that in us and through us he may continue to bring Glory to God the Father, peace to our earth, and goodwill towards all. Steve
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| RECTORS LETTER - November 
. Dear Friends,
On Sunday, 8th November, we will mark Remembrance Sunday. Many readers will remember the Second World War and a few of you will have fought in it. We are grateful to you and many others for the sacrifice that you and so many made for the freedom that successive generations have enjoyed. After decades of large attendance at Remembrance Day services, numbers began to tail off some years ago. However, someone recently told me that all of a sudden they have noticed more and younger faces in the crowd. Those faces, of course, belong to the parents, partners and children of those who are currently serving, or indeed have fallen, in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is a stark reminder that this Remembrance Sunday is not just about history, but about the sacrifice and loss suffered by many throughout the world today as well. Some of those are our own service men and women, and there are also countless civilians, so often women and children, who suffer in any armed conflict today.
Several years ago, I wrote that I believed the verdict on Afghanistan was still out. By this time next year, I hope that our own service personnel will be out, or moving in that direction! In the meantime, there are three things that I believe our serving men and women deserve. First, they deserve the best equipment with which we can provide them in the field. Despite recent reports outlining inefficiencies in the procurement of equipment for the armed services, reforms to save money must not be at the expense of our service personnel at the sharp end. Secondly, those having served at the front and been either physically wounded or emotionally traumatised deserve the best treatment that our country can provide. That may mean special wards for service personnel or programmes – lasting several years – to help them get over trauma and readjust to civilian life. A recent report highlighted the disturbingly high percentage of prison inmates who have served in the armed forces. Their crime and imprisonment is a clear indication of the need ex-service personnel to receive ongoing support. We ought to acknowledge the service they have given to our country and to help them make the best of the rest of their lives. Thirdly, our service personnel deserve the support of our civic organisations and the prayers of our churches and their people. This is all the more important in situations where the conflict in which many of our service people are involved, are not popular or widely supported at home. They are not free to choose which battles they wish to fight.
I believe that these are our responsibilities, as civilians, to those who serve in our armed forces. This does not mean we necessarily agree with the decisions made by our government and politicians to become involved in any particular conflict. Neither does it mean that we do not seek, work and pray for peace! If anything, remembering the past sacrifices and present human and financial cost of armed conflict throughout the world motivates us in our search for lasting peace: peace with justice, for all those who live within war-torn countries; peace which will remove our service personnel from the daily dangers which they currently face.
He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; They shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. Isaiah 2.4
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