Churches

December 2023

“The Light Shines in the Darkness
and the darkness has never put it out”
 (1 John verse 5)

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love a decent candle as a Christmas Gift –the long-slow burning type made with good wax and aromatherapy oils are my favourite, Anyone who knows me even better, than that…knows that I really struggle with the initial on-set of Winter when the hour goes back, and we are plunged into solstice-shifting darkness for the foreseeable, which as I write this letter, has just descended.

But as much as we might complain about the darkness, we have to be aware that there are many more in this world, as we head into the Christmas Season whose life experiences over the last year most definitely eclipseour own minor ‘first world problems’ and if all we need to do is light some more candles to chase away the ‘winter blues’, we’re not doing so bad.  For others it may be not that simple.

In our now ‘post-covid’ times, our churches have continued to gather to pray for those who ‘walk in darkness’ and difficulties, and we have been fortunate to find so many ways for our own congregations to make God’s word a ‘lamp to our feet and a light to our path’ (Psalm 119: 105) we have sung songs of hope to strengthen our spirits for the journey over the last 15 months since I joined you to serve as Associate Priest. It’s wonderful to see how our church family has grown and generously given of their time and talents to reach out to many others in our villages, and beyond. The Light should never be kept to ourselves, of course : Christ is a gift for all, and the greatest gift of all.
He is The Way for when we lose our sense of direction.
The Truth for when we doubt, or question our beliefs and need reassurance.
The Resurrection and the Life for when we complete of our earthly journey.
 (John 14: 6)

What better present could we ask for this Christmas? What better gift could we give? Remember, it’s better to light a candle than to curse the darkness; and we have a light that never goes out, Jesus the Light of the world.

A Merry Christmas and a Bright New Year to all,

Rev Dot

Vicar’s Letter September 2023

By the time you read this I will be starting my Extended Study Leave. Between September and November this year I will not be following my normal working pattern. Instead I will be spending three months on a few different things.

In mid-September I will be spending ten days on a silent retreat which may sound like heaven, hell, or something in between to you depending on your personality type and stage of life. Personally, I’m looking forward to pausing and waiting on God. My experience of silent retreats, whether 24 hours, or 6 days or more, is that God always shows up in some way.

I’ll also be having some conversations with individuals doing some interesting mission activities around the UK. These will be uploaded as part of an already existing podcast – the Mudlarks podcast – which can be found online at: https://anchor.fm/mudlark – the podcast started in the midst of the Covid pandemic and I’m looking forward to adding some more episodes.

I’ll also be doing some writing, I have a few writing projects on the go that don’t easily fit with the usual “6-day-a-week-vicaring-with-three-kids” schedule. I’m also planning to do some painting, a bit of gardening, Couch to 5K and if I’m lucky, a bit of sleeping too.

See you all in December, in the meantime, there will be a series of guest writers for the “vicar’s letter” page over the next three months.

Blessings,

Tim.

The summer approaches and for many it will be the time to fly off to exotic parts of the world. A time to lay down the busyness of work and to soak up the sun for a week or two.

For others, the idea of summer brings with it the dread of having to think of how to fill up the children’s time and also bellies with food. For those with young family’s summer can be a time of real struggle. How to entertain the children, how to arrange child care around work and how to arrange food when the support of free school meals isn’t in place.

In the life of the church, summer is a slightly odd season, peppered with weddings and the occasional out door event the life of the church bubbles along nicely with out the seasonal busyness brought about by Easter or Christmas. The long stretch of what the lectionary calls ‘ordinary time’ looms large over the months as we head through the summer and on into autumn.

Perhaps this year we might look to approach summer differently. To take the opportunities to slow down when they come along. To take the opportunities to find creative, cheap and low-key ways to entertain the children, to not feel the pressure to always be on the go. Perhaps a key thing to do, is take it easy on ourselves, to not always be comparing our summers to the neighbour down the road, but instead to find joy in the small things. And to know that if we really are struggling, then there are agencies out there who’d love to be able to support us through.

Blessings

Rev Tim.

May 2023 won’t be a month that is easily forgotten. Especially locally.

We joined with the rest of the country in celebrating the Coronation, yet locally we also grieved with the family of Suzanne Henry after her tragic and sudden death. Our whole community was shocked by news of Suzanne’s death and our prayers remain with Suzanne’s family at this very difficult time.

…..

As we go about our daily lives never know what the people around us are going through. The man in the café staring at his cup of tea while it goes cold. The couple embracing in tears by the pool. The child sniffling at the back of the class. The family laughing at the pub. Even just the person we pass in the street.

We can be sure that however our days are going the people around us will be experiencing a range of different emotions: joy, delight, worry, fear, grief, anger. The whole gamut of human experience plays itself out on our streets and in our community every day of the year.

In the midst of the rich tapestry of life and experience it wouldn’t do us harm to be kind. Nothing more radical than that. To be prepared to ask, “are you okay?” To be a sign to others that they are not alone.

As we journey through June – be blessed, and as you are blessed, seek to be a blessing to others too.

Blessings

Rev Tim

This year as we leave April behind and move into May we move from one ‘kingly’ celebration to another. April and the Easter season remind us that in terms of Christian theology – Jesus the king of heaven is the king we follow. In May we’ll be celebrating the coronation of King Charles III as the king of our nation, but we will also be celebrating his role as Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

Around the country there will be lots of celebrations as the king is crowned. No doubt many of us will be watching the processions and service on the telly. It will, I’m sure, be a regal and wonderful time.

As the coronation follows so closely after Easter I can’t help but think of the two kings and the ceremonies and rituals related to them both: the king of heaven and the king of the United Kingdom.

King Charles III will presumably be welcomed with a great procession displaying all kinds of earthly power. On his arrival into Jerusalem King Jesus was welcomed with palm leaves and cloaks, surrounded by the poor and with no military might.

King Charles III will be wearing the finest robes and a golden crown will be placed upon his head. King Jesus was stripped, his ragged, blood-stained clothes gambled over and a crown of thorns forced onto his head.

King Charles III’s coronation will take place in the grand and wonderful Westminster Abbey beside a throne. King Jesus’ ‘coronation’ took place above the city dump on a hill called ‘Skull’.  His throne was a cross.

To celebrate King Charles III coronation there will be a special concert at Windsor castle. After King Jesus’ ‘coronation’ his body was taken away in the dead of night and placed in a borrowed tomb.

Two  very  different  coronations  for two very different reasons. We give thanks to God for King Jesus who died that we might have life. And we give thanks to God for King Charles III and pray that through his life and service he might in some way bear witness to God’s loving mercy.

Blessings,

Rev Tim

As April begins we step almost immediately into Holy Week and begin the journey through Jesus’ last week until we reach the AGONY of the cross, the SILENCE of the tomb and DELIGHT of the resurrection.

To aide us through Holy Week and beyond, we have a number of services and events across the benefices of Betley and Madeley:

On Monday morning there’s an Easter Wild Church at the new graveyard in Betley.

On Monday evening there’s a Lent Book Group at All Saints’ Madeley.

On Tuesday evening there’s a special Tenebrae service at St. Margaret’s Betley.

On Thursday evening there’s a Maundy Thursday Communion at All Saints’ Madeley.

On Friday morning there’s a Good Friday Messy Church at All Saints’ Madeley

On Friday afternoon there’s a Good Friday act of witness on the green in Betley.

On Saturday evening there is an online Alternative Reflection.

On Easter Sunday morning both benefices will have services in the church buildings.

On Easter Sunday afternoon there’s a Resurrection Day Wander at Silverdale Country Park.

Holy Week is an important time in the life of the church, it’s a great opportunity to invite a friend to a service or event. It’s also a great opportunity to think about faith again if it’s something you’d like to connect with for the first time, or perhaps to reconnect with.

Have a fantastic Easter, the season when God messes with expectations. The AGONY of the cross marks a victory. The SILENCE of the tomb reminds us that even in the tough times God is at work. And the DELIGHT of the resurrection is a sign of hope in a hurting world.

Blessings

Rev Tim

2022 is drawing to a close. And looking back over the last year it’s hard to take in all that has been happening in the life of our church and also the wider life of society. This time last year the Omicron Covid variant was growing at pace and we weren’t even sure if all the Christmas services would be able to take place. This year, such a thought hasn’t really registered with me. A year ago there were growing conversations about what to do with the incredibly generous Ikin bequest we received. Now we have a fantastic new addition to our staff team with Ruth Fish joining us in the summer as our Children, Youth and Families Minister. Our church life is different from a year ago.

Looking more widely into our society and beyond the world feels very different to a year ago. A war in Ukraine has led to the biggest invasion in Europe since WWII. People across the country have welcomed Ukrainian refugees into their homes. We’ve had three Prime Ministers this year. The war in Ukraine, the post-Covid recovery and broader other factors have led to a cost-of-living crisis compounded by what is already being called, “Trussonomics”. And this year we celebrated the Platinum Jubilee and then said a sad goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II in October. The final year of the Second Elizabethan age has been a turbulent one.

Whatever awaits us in 2023 one constant we can rely on is God: God’s presence, God’s love. Whatever the world throws at us over the next 12 months, let’s keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who was born and laid in a manger. Jesus, who lived and died and rose again. Jesus, the Son of God, our saviour. Amen.

Rev Tim

At the end of the month we will be entering that the church season of Advent. Advent is the season in which we traditionally wait… We wait… We wait for Christmas, but we also recognise that as God’s people we also wait for the return of Jesus Christ and the fulfilling of all things. Over the weeks of Advent we are pulled back and forth into waiting for the 25^th December and the waiting for God’s final fulfilment of all things.

Usually I journey through advent with the word “wait” itself a heavy weight (bad pun alert) on my lips. However, this year as we approach Advent the word that springs to mind is ‘longing’.  Longing carries with it the aspect of waiting found in the standing in the ‘not quite yet-ness’ of the moment and looking forward, but longing also carries with it the connotation at of a certain breathlessness, a desire to see the thing fulfilled.

As I think of Advent in terms of longing I’m not so much brought to think about Christmas and God’s great big plan at the end of time (though that longing is still there) but rather to the longing that the people would have felt ahead of Jesus’ birth, the people of God longing for messiah to come. Longing for messiah to come and then being surprised that the messiah came in the form of a poor refugee.

Over the last few years we’ve been waiting to be able to celebrate Christmas ‘properly.’ In the midst of a cost-of-living crisis I wonder how many people in our communities are longing to be on the other side of Christmas and all the financial expense it so easily entails.

Blessings,

Rev Tim