RECTOR'S LETTER

RECTOR'S LETTER - JANUARY 2012

As we prepare for stewardship Sunday on February 12, you will be receiving a leaflet entitled Financial Bulletin containing a summary of the financial state of our church’s ministry, along with an encouragement for each of us to review our current giving. In these times of austerity and perhaps uncertainty, our immediate reaction may be dismissive.

Last month, St Mary’s hosted the Diocesan Evangelical Fellowship for their quarterly evening meeting. The speaker, Chris Sugden, spoke concerning the relationship between our faith in Jesus, our giving to the poor and the fullness of God’s salvation in Christ.

For the desperately poor in the majority world, the knowledge of God’s love in Christ can give a sense of dignity and worth and a hope for the future which in turn encourages them to realise their capacity as both responsible and accountable and therefore have some control over their lives. Things can change for the better.

To the relatively well-off (which in comparative terms is just about everyone living in the West) faith in Christ precipitates a crisis: we will not be able to obey God’s command to be truly generous in giving until we have come to understand and accept, with the help of the Spirit, that our ultimate security rests in God and not in our wealth or material possessions.

Command those who are rich in this present world

not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth,

which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God,

who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

1 Timothy 6.17

Bank failures, stock market crashes, threat of currency collapse, inflation, etc… How much more evidence do we need to accept the Bible’s teaching that wealth is “uncertain”? Putting our faith in Christ can set us free from anxiety over our future security, as we come to put our trust in our living and wise God rather than uncertain wealth.

Generous giving declares that our god is the Lord God, creator of all the earth and we are not controlled by our wealth and possessions. Generous giving confirms that we seek to obey God in the most down to earth aspects of our lives. Generous giving demonstrates that we are being freed from anxiety about our future security as we daily put our trust in the Lord rather than our wealth or possessions for our status and security.

But godliness with contentment is great gain. 1 Timothy 6.6

The challenge to give generously forces us to see that our happiness and security rest in God.

In a reference to the Financial Bulletin that you will be reading soon: in these constrained times, do we trust God enough to accept that His provision will be enough so that we may respond to His abundant love by giving enough. Steve Prior

DECEMBER 2011

‘Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas’ some thoughts from Matt Taylor

We know it’s nearly Christmas when we hear the ‘muzak’ pumped into all the shops we visit. Its almost as if they all have the same CD; try as we might we can’t help but sing along. White Christmas, All I want for Christmas is you, Winter Wonderland, Frosty the Snowman. I’m humming them now as I type. They get into our brains and stay there.

For many, these songs are as much a part of Christmas as carols, if not more so than the ancient story of a young couple, expecting a baby very soon, struggling through the rugged terrain to an ancestral home. That story is seen through the reminiscence of childhood nativity plays with cardboard stars and cotton wool sheep. Fun, cute, but a long way from the reality of the pain of a 15 year old girl giving birth to a baby boy amongst cattle.

But let’s not be party-poopers, like a grumpy uncle who has been missed out in the secret santa, reminding everyone of the real meaning of Christmas just in case they might be enjoying themselves too much. Most do realise that Christmas is about more than presents, it’s about family, friends and giving – that should be applauded. However, the way we do Christmas should remind others of the reason why we celebrate this season in our own mix of hopeful faith and exuberant joy, allowing the Spirit to draw people closer, around the child in the manger who became the man on the cross. We need to bring the message of Christmas clearly both by word and action to our contemporary culture but with joy and with hospitality.

There is a beautiful painting in the National Gallery London which is attributed to one of Rembrandt’s students. For me it’s a wonderful visual expression of the Christmas story. It has all the traditional hallmarks of a nativity scene, the shepherds watching on, excitedly whispering to each other, the cattle, the stable and the light although coming from a lantern seemingly emanating form the baby himself, ‘the light of the world’. Yet if you look closer this is not a 1^st century setting. It’s likely that the the couple would have been resting in the lower level of the house of a distant relative. That was where they kept the cattle. The setting itself is a dutch barn, contemporary with the painter himself, not the kind of home you would find in Israel at the turn of the millennia.

It seems that even in the age of Rembrandt the story was being retold in a way which would relate to contemporary culture and told with excitement and joy. We too should continue to ‘tell the story’. If, as Graham Tomlin says, at the centre of reality is the love shown between the Father and the son, the spirit’s job to draw people into that embrace is the ultimate act of hospitality. We too should join in that work encouraging others to come and meet with the child in the manger in a way that links with modern culture, the good traditions of Christmas and the truth of Immanuel, God with us and how that transforms all destiny, all life and well, just about everything.

RECTOR'S LETTER - NOVEMBER 2011

Be Prepared is the internationally known motto of the Boy Scouts. For members of our armed forces, it must be more than just a motto – but a reality - for they must be prepared to be called upon, at any time, to serve anywhere in the world. As we approach the 92^nd anniversary of the armistice of that ended WWI, there are no longer any veterans of that conflict still left alive and even the ranks of WWII veterans are thinning as they are now in their mid-80’s and older. Yet there are still many left to tell their story as well as those who remember the pain of lost loved ones – brothers, husbands, fathers and friends.

Today’s conflicts are smaller and do not always enjoy universal public support. Nevertheless, members of our armed services all deserve our support, because our service men and women do not have a choice as to where or when they serve: they must be prepared to fight and risk death when called upon to do so by our government.

But it’s not just Boy Scouts and members of the armed forces who need to be prepared. In Jesus’ parable of the ten bridesmaids (Matthew 25.1-13) he warns his hearers that they must be prepared both to recognise and welcome the new work that God is doing in their midst. That new thing was the coming of the long-awaited Messiah, Jesus himself. Jesus warned that many people would not be ready to accept him – they would be found sleeping with their lamps gone out when the bridegroom arrived. They would be in the dark as to Jesus’ identity. They would not be prepared to receive him and so would miss out on the wedding banquet – that is, all the good things that God was seeking to do through Jesus in their midst: healing, forgiveness, reconciliation and new life.

Jesus still comes to us when we least expect it. Sometimes it is when we are in difficulty; sometimes when our outside circumstances are fine, but we feel empty and lost. Will we recognise him and receive him when he comes, so that we may be able to receive from him all that he has for us?

Steve Prior

RECTOR'S LETTER --- OCTOBER 2011

The recent high winds wreaked havoc in my garden, blowing over a number of tomato plants and breaking off several tree branches, including a branch from one of my beloved little apple trees. As I write, another potentially much more damaging storm is blowing in both the financial markets and “real economies” of the West. Several southern European countries are in danger of defaulting on their loans and large banks in the rest of Europe and elsewhere who made the loans are under threat as a result. Fear could then stop banks making loans to each other and businesses and so throw the present weak economic recovery into reverse, sending unemployment figures soaring past the current 2.5 million mark (UK) as much of the world is brought into an economic slowdown/depression/collapse lasting years. There are two truths which I wish to point out in regard to the present financial crisis, the first wave of which hit the world three years ago.

The first is that God has given people, as part of their job as stewards of the earth, the creativity to create financial systems and commerce and that, in and of themselves, these are good things. We often associate creativity with the fine arts, but any human endeavour which involves imagination and innovation, resulting in something new, is creative. Now, I’m not talking about “creative accounting” (!) which is dishonest, but genuine creativity aand finance has gone a long way to improve the lot of ordinary people. The co-operative movement in the 19^th century is one prominent example of this. So were the building societies which allowed ordinary people, who would not have had access to a bank loan, to, after having established a history of saving, secure a mortgage and thereby purchase their own homes. In the present troubles it is important to remember the benefits that trade, commerce and the financial sector bring when they are run responsibly.

The other truth – the other side of the coin, as it were, is that these same creative people are indeed fallen. Greed, in one way or another, has been largely to blame for the recent troubles. Governments, businesses and individuals (us!) have all been borrowing money at unsustainable levels. For too long, governments have allowed the financial sector to operate without effective regulation. It is as if the market was seen as a god in itself, that could be trusted to work in a rational and benevolent fashion. Idolatry of any sort always leads us away from truth and into trouble. The reality is that all our financial institutions are run and used by ordinary, fallen and fallible people like you and me. When “lager louts” make the lives of decent citizens a misery in our town centres, the police are called in to re-establish order and regulate the situation. The “pirates in pinstripes” who sometimes inhabit powerful positions in our financial institutions need to be kept in order as well. In both the UK and the US we seem to have ignored that need and have continued to go along for the ride – until it has become sick-making.

pplied to commerce

As followers of Jesus, will we allow him to challenge us afresh with his command “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well?” (Mt. 6.33) How we treat money our possessions speaks loudly (“money talks!”) concerning our priorities (are they of the Kingdom or the World?) When others can see that we handle these things differently, they may be more willing to listen to what we say about them. Our society and political leaders need to think carefully and make wise and righteous decisions about the creation and use of wealth generally, and the regulation of our financial institutions, specifically. Christians who try to model both Jesus’ and Paul’s life-giving teaching with regard to money, can, together with others, help create a climate in which better decisions are more likely to be made.

Steve Prior

But godliness with contentment is great gain. (1Timothy 6.6)

Rector's Letter for September 2011

Harvesting seems to have come earlier than usual this year. Over the last few weeks, in the nearby fields, I have seen the combine harvesters at work leaving behind the golden stubble and bales of straw as the grain harvest is brought in. Like many of you, I have also been harvesting courgettes, runner beans, tomatoes and other fruit from my garden.

Psalm 65 describes the pastures adorned with flocks of sheep and the valleys wearing their crop of corn like a cloak, with the land rejoicing at its own fruitfulness, shouting and singing for joy. The author of Psalm 67 reminds us that our praise to God, as his people, should be drawing others into God’s praise as well - ‘may all the people praise you’ – that, says the psalmist, will produce a great harvest, and God will bless us. As we live our lives honouring God, his blessing will be poured out. All of this reminds us of all the good that God has given us in this world to sustain our lives and bring us contentment.

In the current western world, most of us are far removed from the production of food and other basic necessities; on the other hand we are surrounded by an enormous amount of material goods. It is so easy to become blasé and take the gift of our daily bread for granted. What may grab our attention are rising prices which we may soon face due to the drought last spring which will affect the harvest pushing the price of grain higher, affecting both the cost of our bread and the animal feeds also made from the grains we grow. But while we may complain, few of us in the UK go hungry. My guess is that we are going to have to get used to paying a higher percentage of our income for the food we eat and take for granted. So it is good for us to take the time at harvest to remember and give thanks to God, not only for our daily bread but for all the material goods that we use, enjoy and take for granted throughout the year.

Our newspapers, however, have been telling us of a much more bitter harvest which our country has been reaping as well. That sort of bitter harvest which took place during the second week of August when parts of London and other cities were disrupted by looting and rioting on the part of gangs and young people caught up in the vandalism – is also described in the Bible. Hosea warned the nation of Israel that “They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no head; it will produce no flour.” (Hosea 8.7) Much soul-searching has gone on to determine the causes of these looting sprees. The lawlessness witnessed in so many of our major cities, did not occur in a vacuum. In numerous ways, over decades, we have unwittingly ‘built’ a society where such things could happen. Increasing rates of family breakdown, multi-generational unemployment, community collapse, greed and materialism at all levels of society, and a diminishing sense of personal responsibility and respect for authority have all played their part. There is no one cause, and the conditions that allowed these incidents to occur didn’t develop overnight. Just so, there will be no quick fix or easy answer. It will require a costly change of priorities and values on behalf of a great many of us.

Our society at large has been sowing the wind, putting its energies, resources and faith into those things which do not make for peace, justice and wholesome communities. The resulting harvest has been a destructive whirlwind, with broken communities and many individuals with little or no respect for others, or indeed, for themselves.

Yes, the young people involved in the looting need discipline, but so do we as a society. We need to recognise that our freedom to choose exactly what we want often bears evil fruit, perhaps not immediately, but at a future date. We may all need to take more responsibility in order to heal the brokenness in some of our more vulnerable individuals and communities.

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.

Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace

for those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12.11

Stephen

Rector's letter for July / August 2011

This morning I heard that as many as 18 million Britons might not go on holiday this summer because they are ‘feeling the pinch’. For tens of thousands of Christians throughout the world, however, the question they face over the summer months will not be about holidays but about whether they survive or join a growing number of Christian martyrs.

For many of us, the phrase “Christian martyr” evokes images of early Christians being thrown to the lions in Roman amphitheatres or Victorian missionaries being killed by ‘savages’ in some far off jungle. How many of us are aware that more Christians were martyred for their faith during the twentieth century than all the other centuries of Christian history put together? An estimated 100,000 to 130,000 Christians have been martyred each year in the last decade - and that number includes only those put to death because of their Christian faith, not counting victims of civil or international wars. That works out to one Christian being martyred every five minutes.

Sadly, since the revolution in Egypt, there has been a marked increase in violence against Coptic Christians and it is uncertain what future implications the current turmoil of the ‘Arab spring’ might have for Christian minorities in the Middle East and northern Africa. The coming independence of southern Sudan will be another dangerous time for the Christians of that region.

Over a decade ago, George Carey, then Archbishop of Canterbury, made a point of visiting the Church in Sudan, highlighting the plight of persecuted Christians. But as a rule the persecution and martyrdom of Christians is largely ignored by the western media. The liberal elite, who control so much of the media in Britain, are largely embarrassed by, or hostile to, our Christian heritage and faith; and so the martyrdom of Christians just doesn’t seem to ‘rate’ as a worthy cause for media interest. Western governments are also loth to raise the issue for fear of damaging relations with countries we wish to ‘keep on board’ for political and economic reasons.

These facts were raised at a recent EU conference by an Italian sociologist who said, “the persecution against Christians is the first world-wide emergency with regard to religious discrimination and violence.” He added that there is a “delicate balance between raising awareness and upsetting countries which can persecute Christians ever more. However, in Europe the risk is not to speak enough about the issue ... [rather] … not to speak too much.”*

Thank God for Dr Introvigne’s contribution to that conference. As our brothers and sisters around the globe face such opposition, let’s not forget to pray for them, praying that God will give them courage and the strength to continue to stand for our Lord. If so moved, you may contribute to one of the organisations who assist persecuted Christians around the world – the Barnabas Fund and Keston Institute come to mind, but there are others as well. We should also encourage our government representatives – at both national and European levels – to speak out and take active steps to stop the persecution of Christians. Our government takes measures to support other persecuted minorities; Christians deserve no less.

Rev Stephen Prior

“Blessed are those who are persecuted

because of righteousness…”

Matthew 5.10a

“Carry one another’s burdens

and so fulfil the law of Christ.”

Galatians 6.2

*Dr Massimo Introvigne, speaking at a Conference on Christian-Jewish-Muslim interfaith dialogue which took place in Hungary at the beginning of June. Dr Introvigne was there representing the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. as reported at Zenit.org and the Church of England Newspaper

Rector's letter for June 2011

Dear Friends,

This month, we celebrate Pentecost - the day that those first followers of Jesus were waiting for! the day God sent the Holy Spirit! Why is that important? Because the Holy Spirit of God has the power to transform.

We see the Holy Spirit at work throughout history in the biblical narrative. The creation account in Genesis pictures the Spirit of God ‘moving over the water’ bringing order out of chaos. Later, there are accounts of individuals, leaders, kings and prophets who are given special wisdom, insight, guidance, strength or power through the God’s Spirit in order to achieve God’s purposes for the world. Throughout the Old Testament we see God's Spirit being given to special people, at special times for special purposes.

Then Jesus comes! He proclaims that God’s Kingdom is here and promises his followers that, after He leaves them, He will send the Holy Spirit to be with all of them, everywhere, all the time. And so they wait together (fearfully, with the doors locked), praying and waiting. Then came the day of Pentecost, and the Holy Spirit arrives, and they are completely transformed!

Transformation! Millions of pounds are spent every year on all kinds of self-help books, videos, and courses. but the Holy Spirit alone has the wisdom and power to change individuals into the people God has always intended we become. Who of us, of whatever age, doesn’t want to change something about our character, our attitudes and our behaviour? The Holy Spirit can transform us.

The Spirit also has the power to change the Church. In our individualistic age, we need to remember that Jesus called people to follow him in fellowship with one another. It is as we seek to meet the challenge of being the Body of Christ, as people working together, that we see how much we need the grace and power of the Spirit of God.

But the final object of God’s love, through the death and resurrection of Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit, is not to create a ‘holy huddle’ but to save and transform the World. God’s world, which he created and for which His Son died, requires healing, change, transformation. As individuals and churches working together with all those who seek the healing of our world, we need to call upon the Holy Spirit as we address the challenges of our time. Socially and economically crippled communities, threats to both the local environment and global warming, the poverty in human rights and international conflict. The needs are endless, but so too is the Spirit’s transforming power.

Let us gather to celebrate the day the Holy Spirit was given! Let us pray and call upon God to continue to fill us, revive us, and transform us with his Spirit today.

Steve Prior

Rector's letter for April 2011

(see News from Matt Taylor for May's letter)

Dear Friends,

Whenever we listen to the news, but even more of late, we are confronted with stories of great suffering: the tsunami in Japan, the war in Libya or, closer to home, a brutal assault on an innocent victim for the sake of a few pounds. Much of the suffering in our world is brought about by human wickedness and greed, but there is also suffering from natural disasters, illness and accident. Often it is hard to make sense of this sort of suffering. When everything has been done that can be done, we are still left with the difficult choice between despair / cynicism or trusting – almost beyond what we can comprehend – in a loving God.

But I want to draw your attention to a third type of suffering, exemplified so fully for us as we approach the time during which we remember Christ’s Passion: the suffering of sacrificial love.

We live in a society that sets great store on eliminating suffering. This is a worthy goal and all followers of Christ should do what they can to support efforts to bring peace to their communities and the wider world. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God (Matthew 5.9). We should strengthen and encourage those who seek to alleviate suffering through medicine, science or by making our working and living environments safer. But in our urgent desire to eliminate suffering caused by accident, violence, or illness, we have also increasingly turned our backs on the suffering involved in sacrificial love. And yet it is only through accepting the call to love sacrificially, and the cost that often demands, that there can be any real and lasting progress in eliminating the other types of suffering.

The story of Jesus’ betrayal, trial and crucifixion remind us that reconciliation and healing do not come cheaply.

The avoidance of physical pain is a survival mechanism natural to all creatures, yet almost all cultures in all ages have recognised the need, and applauded the efforts, for individuals to take risks and suffer pain and loss – emotional, material and physical – for the sake of others. However, in our society today, where the goal (or is it a mirage?) of individual ‘self-fulfilment’ reigns supreme, you hear less and less about sacrifice. A friend recently remarked that she felt the ideal of public service had disappeared from the minds of most adults under 60 (!) There is a limit to how far we can effectively love others if we have an immoderate love of self. This limit is quickly reached when love and service cost us significant time, money or inconvenience.

You might say that the idea of ‘duty’ has disappeared; but Jesus never spoke of duty, but of something far bigger and more powerful: love. Greater love has no one than this that one lay down his life for his friends (John 15.13).

Some, no doubt, view the idea of sacrificial love as unhealthy or perhaps even dangerous. They link it with oppression, coercion, or even brain-washing. But Jesus knowingly and willingly suffered and died – out of his love for the world; true love can never be coerced. Others see sacrificial love as a sign of low self-esteem. But Jesus knew who he was and was secure in his experience of being loved by his Heavenly Father God. Indeed, Jesus’ commendation of the Old Testament teaching, Love your neighbour as you love yourself (Leviticus 19.18 and Luke 10.27) not only presupposes but demands a healthy, balanced sense of self-worth. It is only as we grow in our awareness of God’s love for us that we are set free to take the risk of loving sacrificially and the suffering that it often entails.

As followers of Jesus, may we draw close to God this Holy Week and Easter, experiencing his love afresh, so that - when the time comes - we may be strengthened and willing to express His sacrificial love in our own lives.

Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self.”

Matthew 16.24-25

(The Message)

Jesus is risen from the dead!

Rejoice in the risen Christ!

Alleluia! Alleluia!

Stephen K Prior, Rector

The Church of St Mary Rushden Northamptonshire

We are the body of Christ and each one of us is part of it. 1 Corinthians 12: 27