Parish Magazine

The Staplehurst Parish Magazine is good value for money at £1.00 per issue! You can make it even better value by paying an annual subscription of £10.00 for all twelve issues - that's twelve for the price of ten. To qualify for the reduced rate you must pay before the end of February; after that you will have to pay the full price of £1.00 per issue. Please pay by cheque if possible - it makes it easier and safer for all concerned and we will know exactly whose money we are handling.

Cheques should be made payable to “All Saints Staplehurst PCC” and handed to your distributor who will ensure the magazine treasurer receives it.

If you are not already an annual subscriber, but would like to take out a subscription, just contact Roy Barclay on 01580 890247 and he will arrange for the Magazine to be delivered to your door each month.

Thank you, and we look forward to your continued support in 2011.

Clergy Magazine Letter - February 2012

Dear friends,

Lent begins on February 22nd but, this year, my challenge to you is this: Don't give something up for Lent; take something up. The idea of giving something up comes from the link between the forty days of Lent and Christ's forty-day fast in the wilderness. In the desert, Jesus faces his fears and emerges determined to fulfil his calling. From now on, he seeks and expresses his unity with God, and he invites us to seek it, too.

Lent, then, is really about following Christ's path towards an intimate union with God:

It's true, we cannot reach Christ's forti'th day;
Yet to go part of that religious way
Is better than to rest:
We cannot reach our Saviour's puritie; Yet are we bid, Be holy ev'n as he.
In both let's do our best.
(George Herbert: from Lent, 1633)

Going without something for a while in order to focus on something more important can be useful. But pointless unless it results in permanently changed priorities. So, this year, I invite you to take up an ancient practice which will help you do just that. A practice which acts like a conduit to God. A practice in which God's consciousness begins to adjust and shape your consciousness. It is called Lectio Divina - or 'sacred reading'.

Step 1: Dust off that old Bible and put a bookmark at the start of St Mark's Gospel.
Step 2: Find a quiet place and time in your day. Turn off your mobile phone.
Step 3: Read a very short section of the Gospel (maybe three verses or so) slowly, and aloud.
Step 4: Pause for a moment of silence and then do it again. Be attentive to any words or phrases which particularly strike you.
Step 5: Allow your reason, imagination and memory to make connections between those words or phrases and your present situation.
Step 6: Sit with your thoughts and feelings and then shape them into a simple prayer.
Step 7: Do it each day if you can, but always come back to it if you miss a day.

Lectio Divina is surprisingly simple, but surprisingly powerful. Joyce Rupp beautifully encapsulates what it can be during Lent:

May your Lent be a joyful voyage of discovery

All good wishes,

John

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Clergy Magazine Letter - January 2012

Dear friends,

The saying “every end is a new beginning” is never truer than on New Year's Eve. The phrase eloquently illustrates the tension of transitions. As we wave goodbye to the old year, we also usher in the New Year in great fashion. We look back with nostalgia while, at the same time, we look forward with a sense of expectation and excitement.

Looking back at the past twelve months, we can say that 2011 has undoubtedly been a busy year for our parish. In January we said goodbye to Gill and, not so long ago, we were welcoming Silke as our new Rector; we have celebrated with some twenty three couples as they chose to tie the knots at All Saints; we've survived ten long months of vacancy and have seen new gifts and talents come to the fore.

Endings, of course, can bring their share of sadness. In 2011, many of us have had to say a final farewell to too many good friends who leave a huge gap in our lives and our community.

2012 promises to be an exciting year for the country with the Queen's Golden Jubilee and the Olympics coming to London. Like many around the UK, we, in Staplehurst, are getting ready to suitably mark these occasions. However, the prospect of novelty is not always an easy thing for most of us, no matter how much we may look forward to it. Novelty sometimes implies change in our customs, separation from dear friends or family, difficult choices to be made. It can lead us into uncomfortable places.

How do we deal with the uncertainties of tomorrow? How do we respond to the burden of added responsibility, the prospect of further recession, and the threat of more conflicts? How do we make sense of the big questions of life and our daily concerns when we have no idea of what tomorrow will bring?

On a personal level, 2012 will be for me a year of important transitions. On the one hand there is the thrilling prospect of becoming a father, and on the other, this year will likely mark the end of my time in Staplehurst. Although it brings the promise of great excitement, the way ahead for me seems to be made of more questions than answers, more worries than certainties. As I face the challenges of tomorrow, I am filled with a strong sense of apprehension and doubt.

As all those thoughts jostle together in my head, I am reminded of Archbishop Desmond Tutu's answer when questioned about the energy and optimism he persistently exudes. He replied: “I'm not optimistic, no. I'm quite different. I'm hopeful. I am a prisoner of hope.” He continues: “I think it is important for all of us to know, even when the stakes are high against something, good prevails. And it's going to be OK... eventually.” Archbishop Tutu's statement is rooted in his Christian trust that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him.” (Romans 8:28). This year, I have chosen to make Archbishop Tutu's words my own. I have decided to put on the shackles of hope and face the challenges that tomorrow will bring. I have no doubt that the way might still be testing, but I go forth in hope, trusting that in all things, God will work for my good.

As we close the book on 2011 and say farewell to the memories and experiences gathered along the past twelve months, I pray that we may embrace 2012 and the prospect of novelty not as optimists, but as “prisoners of hope”, trusting that no matter how unfavourable things may be set, “it's going to be OK... eventually.””

Every end is a new beginning. May our new beginnings be filled with more love, hope, and life than we can ever contain.

Happy New Year.

Lusa

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Clergy Magazine Letter - December 2011

Dear friends,

This is my first letter to you, which is written before my induction, but published when I am officially your new rector. What I can say at this point is that it was wonderful to feel as if Christmas had come early. On arrival my larder was filled with all good things so that I could focus on setting up home and didn't have to go out for days. It has been noticed! I really appreciated your gifts, cards and many more lovely gestures arriving on my doorstep almost daily.

Thank you for such a hearty welcome to Staplehurst. I have been out since and for quit a lengthy time at one point. That had been noticed too! In anticipation, I would like to let you know how much I appreciate all the efforts that have gone into the preparation for my induction service. Thank you very much, and more when it is my turn to write to you again. Sorry, therefore, for diving straight into my seasonal letter.

The True Reason for the Season

For some time I have felt uneasy about Advent and Christmas. It should be a time of solemn preparation and celebration, but wherever I look, people are more stressed and busier than ever. I keep thinking that cannot be right. Anybody who has prepared for the arrival of a baby can confirm that they slowed down and did not take up extra running lessons to prepare for a marathon. When the visible signs point to the great expectation of a new arrival in a family, then DOING all that is necessary and NO more than what is required, seems just right. And in the leading up to the great day of arrival a lot of things can wait and don't seem that essential any more. I believe that is not so dissimilar from entering into the season of Advent where we spiritually prepare ourselves for Jesus' Christmas Party.

When I look at the street decorations, the shop windows and the Christmas cards up for sale it clearly spells it out that it is a season for a reason where PEACE and JOY should fill the heart and nurture the soul. Advent is a time to DO all that is necessary and no more than what is required. Advent is a time to say 'No', BECAUSE: 'Jesus had twelve friends. He could do amazing miracles and he told marvellous stories. Each day he worked hard to make everything around him beautiful until one day he woke up exhausted from saving the world. That day the miracles didn't go quite so well. The next morning Jesus went to the doctor. After examining him the doctor advised, 'Take the day off, Jesus. Relax. Enjoy yourself. Sit and spend time with your family and friends. So Jesus told his friends what the doctor ordered, and then went out for a walk. It was a lovely cloudless day. First of all he did cartwheels right across the desert. Then he played catch with his halo. Then he had a picnic. After that he had a refreshing swim and finally he went on a long donkey ride, something he always enjoyed. It had been a wonderful day. But towards the end, as he sat in the sun, Jesus suddenly felt sad. Really the day had been wasted, and he'd helped no one. In fact, he felt so bad he decided to tell his dad all about it. When Jesus told his dad about his day off, his dad said, 'Look down there a minute, son.' So Jesus looked down.

Where you did your cartwheel, fountains of water appeared in the desert...
Where you threw your halo and ate your picnic, the trees blossomed with fruit...
When you went swimming, the fisherman had lots of luck
Whoever you passed on your donkey, felt instantly happy.

So you see, when you're feeling better yourself, you can only make others feel better too.' When Jesus got home his friends were happy to see him looking so well, they cooked him a delicious supper. That night, after he'd said his prayers, Jesus slept soundly. The next morning he was glad he'd taken a rest. He had this funny feeling there was a lot more good work to be done.'

The Christmas season can be a time when people become wrapped up in all sorts of things, and lose sight of the true “reason for the season”.

I wish you a peaceful and happy Advent and Christmas

Yours,

Silke

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