A View From The Vicarage - March 2020

Dear Friends

‘Father Forgive Them;  For They Do Not Know What They’re Doing:  Or Do They?’

As I write this the news headlines both locally and nationally are dominated by reports of serious flooding in the aftermath of the second major storm in a week.  The River Wye in Hereford is at a level higher than ever recorded and the myriad heartbreaking stories of people’s homes and livelihoods being destroyed in a deluge of stagnant water and mud tear at the heartstrings.

Whether the increasing frequency of these extreme phenomenon is due to human activity remains a hotly contested issue;  wherever the truth actually lies what does seem apparent is that the climate is changing.  Whether that’s due to human activity or merely as some would claim the cyclical nature of global weather patterns is, it seems to me, actually irrelevant.  Whatever the cause action and change are clearly needed now.  The impact each of us may have individually is clearly infinitesimal but if everybody does it then the consequences and implications for the health of the planet that we bequeath to future generations could be quite dramatic.

In so many cases it seems to me this means a return to the older ways of doing things;  people already reuse shopping bags and how lovely it is to see milk being sold in glass bottles.  Maybe we’ll even return to the days of my childhood when shops used to pay if you returned glass bottles

The Bible is very clear that human beings although created in the image of God do not stand apart from creation.  The Biblical Flood in which the whole created order was involved was caused by divine displeasure at human sin (Genesis 6:7) so, therefore as human beings we have a precious duty of care for the whole created order.  We cannot and must not regard the planet as merely an inexhaustible source of raw materials which we can use and abuse at will and at whim. 

The Bible teaches respect for creation.  During Lent this year both the Lent Courses running through Churches’ Together and anybody else who wishes to do so will be using the resources published by the Church of England called #LiveLent Care for God’s Creation.  Through group discussion via the Lent Courses or individual prayer and reflection all of us will be encouraged and enabled to undertake the “40 Day Challenge” which the booklet describes.  I strongly encourage you to get involved either by joining a Lent Group or merely by using the booklet by yourself;  they will be available in all five of our churches or please be in touch with me if you’d rather or aren’t able to collect one from church.  Due to the huge demand there may be a slight delay in delivery but the resources are on order and should, I hope, be with us in ample time.  Let’s make this global challenge our personal challenge this Lent and maybe, just maybe, a real change can begin here which will sweep like a tidal wave across our country and the whole globe.  Wouldn’t that be an incredible legacy from Lent 2020?

In addition to the Lent Courses and the #Live Lent Challenge we shall be holding our series of Compline Services on Fridays during Lent this year.  Each service will include an address from one of our ministry team based on the first five of Christ’s words from the cross.  These words of desolation also contain within them the hope of the resurrection and are pertinent to the LIVE LENT campaign.  “Father forgive them; for they do not know what they’re doing” (Luke 23: 34) could surely apply to that challenge because by the end the answer to that should surely be that we do know exactly what we’re doing.

However you observe it may this Lent be for you personally and for all of us as a community and a society a time of real and abundant growth.

I’d like to wish you a blessed and happy Lent.

With all my love and prayers as always,

Ben