Vicar's Letter for July 2009	Archive
Revd Jayne Shepherd writes: The first Sunday after Trinity was just a few days after our June meeting of the Parochial Church Council (PCC); at this meeting we had exciting discussions about our worshiping life at St Cross, about developments in the diocese and about our future plans. We also received an alarming financial report which was still in my mind as I read the Sunday readings and began to prepare my sermon. The substance of the resulting sermon I now share with all of you as part of this letter. You may wish to read the passages of scripture which helped to inspire what follows. These are on the weekly sheet for the First Sunday after Trinity and are: Ezekiel 17.22-24 (OT) and Mark 4.26-34 (NT). In our Old Testament (OT) reading we have a wonderful image of hope. In the context of the time, Jerusalem has long since become a ruined and devastated city and Ezekiel is in exile. But here we have a message of hope as Ezekiel looks forward to a new work of God. He will plant a branch of the cedar on a high and lofty mountain – this is a reference to Mt Zion- the cedar will grow and flourish; birds of all kinds would seek its shelter and nest in its branches. The meaning is that Israel will be re-established in its land at a future date. The branch of the cedar refers to a future king of the line of David whose throne would be established by God and all peoples will recognise the Lordship and kingship of God. We have in this image a wonderful picture of hope for new growth, even perhaps a sign of the coming of the Kingdom of Christ. This same message of hope is echoed in the New Testament (NT) reading where again nature is used to give us a picture of the Kingdom of God growing from small beginnings. How might these readings apply to us here at St Cross today? Well I don’t know if you have ever had that shock of discovering that your outgoings are rather bigger than what is coming in. I guess few of us have got through life this far without that happening at some stage. It happens in business of course and is referred to as cash flow problems – whether it happens to us in business or on a personal budgeting level it is tempting to pretend it is not happening; if we pretend hard enough, or for long enough perhaps the problem will right itself. Well sadly at our PCC meeting last week we heard the stark announcement that our outgoings are substantially more than our income – indeed we need to raise our income by Ł500 a month just to stand still! Shocking news when of course we are seeking to grow and to flourish. But for a moment let us just turn our focus to what we have rather than to what we don’t have. We have the great good news of the Gospel – we received this gospel maybe in a church, perhaps in this church, or maybe on a beach, up a mountain, sharing a meal with friends, or perhaps on our own.... wherever we first received the gospel it has been nurtured in us in this church. This church which is a beautiful building, handed down to us by previous generations and of which we are now called to be stewards. We are called to be both stewards of the gospel and of this building. When the children of Manor Park School visited us recently I saw the church through their eyes – they were so excited, awed and thrilled by all that they saw here. Then again, my American friend who is keen on the Arts and Crafts movement, he was so delighted to see our Burne Jones windows – and if you don’t know which ones they are ask one of the wardens or myself. How are we to ensure that future generations hear the good news and also have somewhere to worship; to receive the sacraments, be buried, married and baptized? If we do not take on the baton handed to us by previous generations what will be? Surely, I hear you say, the work is God’s – yes it is, ultimately, and it is he who will cause the seed to grow – but he invites us to be part of sowing the seed. Lest we feel overwhelmed at the task before us we have those messages of hope, that a sprig can grow up into a cedar tree, a seed the size of a mustard seed can grow up into grain for harvesting or into a tree where the birds can nest. I wonder about our giving....we are shy about talking about money, me included, but I know that our work of bringing in the Kingdom of God, our work of telling our neighbours the great good news, cannot be done without material resources. To give just two examples we have recently bought some wonderful new books with ideas for our services and for the children’s assemblies in the schools of our parish, we are soon to hold a BBQ* for our whole family, but especially to help our younger families feel a sense of welcome and that church can be fun. All such ventures cost money. There are so many other examples and members of the PCC including the treasurer will be happy to give you other examples and more detail about our accounts. We may see our giving as an offering of love and thankfulness to God for all that he has done for us, we can see it as sowing a seed so that others may share our sense of life in all its fullness through receiving the great good news, we may see it as an investment for now and for the future for this building which is a sign of hope for this community and all who drive past each day, this building which is a home for our worship. If we look at our giving in this way then maybe we shall offer our first fruits to God rather than what is left after we have budgeted for holidays, home decoration, clothes, leisure activities, clubs or whatever. Let us remember that the offering of money that we make and that is then brought forward with the bread and wine at our Communion service, is a sign of the offering of ourselves, the fruits of our work - whether for work done in the past or work done now - ultimately is a sign of the offering of our daily lives. The wonderful miracle is that God transforms our offering- bread and wine become his body and his blood, the monetary gifts we offer are part of that sowing of the seeds for the flourishing of the Kingdom of God, the reign of God in our lives and in the lives of all who whom we are called to love – our neighbours in this community and beyond. We may be sure that God has the power to do all this and more than we can even imagine. Please review your giving and do contact the Treasurer for more information, gift aid leaflets etc. – his details are on the front cover of the magazine. Thank you! ************************************************************************************ The BBQ referred to will start at around 4 p.m. on Saturday 15th August in the Vicarage garden – all are welcome! Please let the Vicar know you are coming in advance if you can as that will help us with catering. *************************************************************************

Vicar's Letter for July 2009

Archive

Revd Jayne Shepherd writes:
The first Sunday after Trinity was just a few days after our June meeting of the Parochial Church Council (PCC); at this meeting we had exciting discussions about our worshiping life at St Cross, about developments in the diocese and about our future plans. We also received an alarming financial report which was still in my mind as I read the Sunday readings and began to prepare my sermon. The substance of the resulting sermon I now share with all of you as part of this letter. You may wish to read the passages of scripture which helped to inspire what follows. These are on the weekly sheet for the First Sunday after Trinity and are:
Ezekiel 17.22-24 (OT) and Mark 4.26-34 (NT).

In our Old Testament (OT) reading we have a wonderful image of hope. In the context of the time, Jerusalem has long since become a ruined and devastated city and Ezekiel is in exile. But here we have a message of hope as Ezekiel looks forward to a new work of God. He will plant a branch of the cedar on a high and lofty mountain – this is a reference to Mt Zion- the cedar will grow and flourish; birds of all kinds would seek its shelter and nest in its branches. The meaning is that Israel will be re-established in its land at a future date. The branch of the cedar refers to a future king of the line of David whose throne would be established by God and all peoples will recognise the Lordship and kingship of God. We have in this image a wonderful picture of hope for new growth, even perhaps a sign of the coming of the Kingdom of Christ.
This same message of hope is echoed in the New Testament (NT) reading where again nature is used to give us a picture of the Kingdom of God growing from small beginnings.

How might these readings apply to us here at St Cross today?
Well I don’t know if you have ever had that shock of discovering that your outgoings are rather bigger than what is coming in. I guess few of us have got through life this far without that happening at some stage. It happens in business of course and is referred to as cash flow problems – whether it happens to us in business or on a personal budgeting level it is tempting to pretend it is not happening; if we pretend hard enough, or for long enough perhaps the problem will right itself.

Well sadly at our PCC meeting last week we heard the stark announcement that our outgoings are substantially more than our income – indeed we need to raise our income by Ł500 a month just to stand still! Shocking news when of course we are seeking to grow and to flourish.
But for a moment let us just turn our focus to what we have rather than to what we don’t have.

We have the great good news of the Gospel – we received this gospel maybe in a church, perhaps in this church, or maybe on a beach, up a mountain, sharing a meal with friends, or perhaps on our own.... wherever we first received the gospel it has been nurtured in us in this church. This church which is a beautiful building, handed down to us by previous generations and of which we are now called to be stewards. We are called to be both stewards of the gospel and of this building. When the children of Manor Park School visited us recently I saw the church through their eyes – they were so excited, awed and thrilled by all that they saw here. Then again, my American friend who is keen on the Arts and Crafts movement, he was so delighted to see our Burne Jones windows – and if you don’t know which ones they are ask one of the wardens or myself.
How are we to ensure that future generations hear the good news and also have somewhere to worship; to receive the sacraments, be buried, married and baptized? If we do not take on the baton handed to us by previous generations what will be?

Surely, I hear you say, the work is God’s – yes it is, ultimately, and it is he who will cause the seed to grow – but he invites us to be part of sowing the seed. Lest we feel overwhelmed at the task before us we have those messages of hope, that a sprig can grow up into a cedar tree, a seed the size of a mustard seed can grow up into grain for harvesting or into a tree where the birds can nest.

I wonder about our giving....we are shy about talking about money, me included, but I know that our work of bringing in the Kingdom of God, our work of telling our neighbours the great good news, cannot be done without material resources. To give just two examples we have recently bought some wonderful new books with ideas for our services and for the children’s assemblies in the schools of our parish, we are soon to hold a BBQ* for our whole family, but especially to help our younger families feel a sense of welcome and that church can be fun. All such ventures cost money.

There are so many other examples and members of the PCC including the treasurer will be happy to give you other examples and more detail about our accounts. We may see our giving as an offering of love and thankfulness to God for all that he has done for us, we can see it as sowing a seed so that others may share our sense of life in all its fullness through receiving the great good news, we may see it as an investment for now and for the future for this building which is a sign of hope for this community and all who drive past each day, this building which is a home for our worship.

If we look at our giving in this way then maybe we shall offer our first fruits to God rather than what is left after we have budgeted for holidays, home decoration, clothes, leisure activities, clubs or whatever.
Let us remember that the offering of money that we make and that is then brought forward with the bread and wine at our Communion service, is a sign of the offering of ourselves, the fruits of our work - whether for work done in the past or work done now - ultimately is a sign of the offering of our daily lives.

The wonderful miracle is that God transforms our offering- bread and wine become his body and his blood, the monetary gifts we offer are part of that sowing of the seeds for the flourishing of the Kingdom of God, the reign of God in our lives and in the lives of all who whom we are called to love – our neighbours in this community and beyond. We may be sure that God has the power to do all this and more than we can even imagine.

Please review your giving and do contact the Treasurer for more information, gift aid leaflets etc. – his details are on the front cover of the magazine.
Thank you!

**************************************************************************************
The BBQ referred to will start at around 4 p.m. on Saturday 15th August in the Vicarage garden – all are welcome! Please let the Vicar know you are coming in advance if you can as that will help us with catering.
***************************************************************************