“God is love, and those who live in love lives in God, and God in him.”

1 John Chapter 4 verse16.

Every year we have a Marriage Preparation Day to which we invite all the couples who are to be married in any one of the three churches in our Benefice that year. At the day, which we held the weekend before I write, we lead our couples through discussions about such things as our own childhood, the most important ways to treat children, what we value in our lives, money matters, different aspects of stress, practical ways of dealing with conflict and a few other areas which we believe will be helpful to couples who are about to exchange vows “till death us do part.” The day is interspersed with coffee/tea and biscuits, a good hot lunch, a glass or two of wine, wonderful desserts and everyone has an enjoyable and informative time.

This year we have 19 weddings in the Benefice, 6 of which happen before the end of this month! At the M.P. Day 13 of our couples attended, which was a great take up and I noticed when we started at 10.00am we had 26 young people all looking a bit apprehensive and serious as they sat in a big circle in our Parish Rooms -and 45 minutes later they were all looking relaxed, laughing and enjoying themselves! I am always thrilled when a couple want to be married in church and usually say in my short address during the wedding service that I believe it is the best place for such a serious and life-changing  occasion to take place.

Many couples -before they speak to me- are worried that it is hypocritical to get married in church when they haven’t been attending regularly over previous years. I am delighted that they want to start their married lives together in church, making vows before God and am sure God is equally pleased He is included on such a special occasion! For some it is the beginning or resumption of church going and in including God in other important life changing events – such as the baptism of a baby or the funeral of a loved one, as well as Easter and Christmas visits  -  which cause the relationship (with God) to grow. I am fully aware how difficult it is to start going to church when you are not used to the hymns, when to stand or sit, what to do or say, the mystery of holy communion etc.- although unfamiliarity with rules would not stop us from going to watch football, cricket, theatre, opera, ballet etc!!

Yet, I believe, God enjoys and delights in people connecting with Him in the same way as we enjoy meeting up with a long lost relative or friend from the past. We have to keep connecting to keep a renewed relationship growing. The season of Lent, which has just started, far from being a time to give things up, is actually a time of renewing our relationship with God and a growing appreciation of the enjoyment we can have in His presence.  We have lots of special services coming up and I know everyone is offered a warm welcome in each of the churches.

With Love,

Stephen.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God , and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning” John Chapter 1 verse 1 -2.7

These words would have been read at services in churches as we remember and celebrate the birth of Jesus -they are always used on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day- and remind us that Jesus, described as “the Word” was with God from the beginning of time. They echo the first words of the Bible which are contained in the first verse of the first chapter of the Bible “In the beginning God” Genesis Chapter 1 verse 1. If we read on into the second verse we see that “the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters”

What this is telling us is that from the beginning of time “God was” and Jesus, who was sent by the Father to the world that He loved so much to redeem or save the world, was there with the Holy Spirit -the Trinitarian God that Christians believe in and follow. While we celebrate the birth of Jesus every Christmas, we must move on from remembering the baby, of whom we are told little of in the Gospels to focus and learn about the Son who taught, healed, performed miracles and was killed on a Cross before he rose from the dead and repeated his command to follow him.

I write as the papers are reporting that scientists are announcing they are close to finding the Higgs Boson “God particle” which, as I understand it,  helps explain how the Universe was formed after the “Big Bang” In fact it is rather misleading to call it a “God particle” when they still cannot say who or what caused the “Big Bang” which is how we come back to the first verse of the first chapter of the Bible!

One of the questions children will often ask me, if I ask them for any questions , is “Who created God?” and I answer that God was before time began and if he was created he would no longer be God! It is right that we should have questions and seek to find answers but Jesus answered many of the questions of life that we have and the rest of the Bible answers many more.

So if you are planning to make a New Years resolution at the beginning of 2012, how about trying to find out more about the answers to life that are contained in the Bible. In the last Book of the Bible we read “I am the Alpha and Omega” says the Lord God” Revelation Chapter 1 verse 8 which means the beginning and the end. As the song says “Let’s start at the very beginning….. That’s a very good place to start” and if we can’t trust good ol’ Julie Andrews to set us on the right track, who can we trust?! 

I wish everyone a very happy New Year and look forward to what this year will bring!

With Love,

Stephen

“Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God.” Ephesians Ch 5 verse19.

I have always enjoyed listening to music and trying to replicate some of the songs once learnt! The first record I remember owning was Bill Hayley’s’ “Rock around the clock” which we played on our wind-up gramaphone. When Mum and Dad bought a stereogram the first LP they bought was “Sound of Music” which was played over and over again and many records of all types followed -pop, jazz, folk and musicals. Our musical “heritage” was passed to our own children who learnt all the songs from the likes of Grease, Annie, West Side Story etc. etc. There was a stage where they all had their own personal cassette players and would serenade us -all singing different songs – on our car journeys. Later, when they were older, we would still sing together from our repertoire of songs on car journeys -and still do given the chance!

Now we hear our children sing all the old nursery rhymes, that we sang to them, to their own children with a few new ones as well! At a recent Little Angels service for Mums and Toddlers, my 3 year old grandson decided , without being invited, to open the service by giving his rendition of “I’d do anything” from Oliver .  I would say that nationally singing is becoming popular again. On television we have Gareth Malone with choirs he has started in schools and towns, Choir of the year, “Rock choir” all over the country as well as Pop Idol and the X-Factor. Locally the Door in Stroud runs annual talent contests, karaoke pubs and open mike evenings  are popular and I can‘t remember so many people gathering and joining in Last Night of the Proms.

I have just attended an excellent conference for head teachers and clergy of Church of England schools which contained excellent keynote addresses but I most enjoyed the input by a man called John.L.Bell who lives in Scotland. John is  a member of the Iona community, famous  for its contemporary and thoughtful worship, a Church of Scotland minister, and a recognised hymn writer, author and occasional broadcaster who lectures throughout the world. He is primarily concerned with the renewal of congregational worship at the grass roots level.

I also attended a workshop led by John entitled “Why do God’s people sing?” He began by saying that a musical heritage that was passed on by parents and grandparents to children in years past no longer happens -given the above  – a statement that I can’t wholeheartedly agree with – but the premise that we must teach our children to sing, which they will do given encouragement, I do agree with. The church has always nurtured the love of singing in people of all ages -in choirs and as a congregation – and it can be an uplifting, joyful, spiritual moment when we catch a glimpse of heaven as we are lost in wonder, love and praise!

We have many opportunities coming up, with Remembrance, Carol and Christmas services to look forward to, when we, along with friends and family can join this heavenly choir and do what comes naturally. See the Calendar of services for the opportunity to do just that.

With Love,

Stephen.

“Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord.” Leviticus Chapter 19 verse 31.

I am sure we were promised a “barbecue summer” by the long range weather forecasters and I was looking forward to the less congested roads that we have when schools have broken up. A number of church activities stop during August and work takes on a gentler pace -so I was looking forward to a few barbies and a bit of peace and quiet. We have had a few barbies- although the weather hasn’t been as forcasted -  but the peace and quiet was rudely interrupted by the riots that erupted in some of our major cities, London, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol and even Gloucester.

For a few days it seemed like the young people thought they  were playing a real-life video game, fuelled by Twitter and Facebook, which involved the police as the enemy, shops and their contents, especially phones, electrical goods and clothes as the prizes to be siezed  and anything else, property or people could be blasted out the way, regardless. They were not protesters but yobs and hooligans who paid no heed to the law or the damage or hurt to property and persons they were causing.

An Editorial In the Church Times observed ” These mainly young people, many of them just teenagers, owe their moral outlook to the Britain of the past two decades: to broken homes, weak parenting, paralysed school discipline, the triumph of materialism and individualism, and the flight from God”  and I cannot disagree with these conclusions. The laws of this country were founded on Christian principles -do not steal, do not covet what other people have, honour your father and mother, do not kill  -  The Ten Commandments do not change and are not negotiable.

The quote from Leviticus is one of many such  laws given to the Israelites by Moses during their time in the Wilderness before they reached the “promised land” and date around 1400 BC. The chapter contains many such laws and rules which our society would do well to observe and as you read it you think the nature of people and the need to have guidelines does not change. We were taught to stand up when people enter a room -be it our own home, school, church – or to give up seats to expectant Mums and the elderly on buses and trains. It was all part of the training in how we should conduct ourselves. Such rules should not have changed.

Have we turned from God? Another Commandment says ” remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath-day.” In the last few decades, Sunday has become like any other day and there are a good few reasons why we need a rest day when we can pay homage to God and give time to our families and each other. For anyone who has got out of the habit of coming to church, or who wants to “try” church we have a “Back to Church Sunday” on the 25th September -I’d love everyone to come along to St George’s church at 9.30am -and, in the meantime pray for our country, for those in authority, for the victims of violence and that people of all ages learn how to love and respect their neighbours.

With Love,

Stephen.