The Reverend Canon Gill CalverIncumbent
Chaplain to Her Majesty the Queen
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The Trinity Icon
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Clergy Magazine Letter - January 2011Dear friends,This month, I hope I will find time to celebrate my 64th birthday in style. And of course, if you are one of my generation, you can't help hearing the words of that well known Beatles song, “When I'm 64”. I think the unnerving thing is that it only seems yesterday I first heard that song and I can clearly remember thinking then that 64 was a really ripe old age! Well many of you, who have a few years on me, know that really isn't true. I have learned by watching people who are older than me, that the date on their birth certificate often bears no relationship to the life they lead. I am reminded that Michelangelo did some of his best paintings when past 80; George Bernard Shaw was still writing plays at 90 and Grandma Moses didn't even begin painting until she was 79. So I love the bit of advice I once heard, “Dance as if no one was watching, sing as if no one were listening and live every day as if it were your last”. That last phrase seems, to me, not a bad resolution for all of us for a New Year. Of course we may have physical or financial constraints which will limit what we can do as we get older. Sometimes the right thing to do, might well be to take life a little more gently. But let's be people who continue to love life for as long as we are able, who listen, have fun, get involved where we can, who are interested in others and who, by that very attitude, can help make this world a better place. It's playing our part in what we Christians call “Kingdom Business”. As the American poet Diane Ackerman wrote, “I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I have just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well”!! A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL Gill P. S. A Big thank you to all of you who, in our church and village, have made my time as Rector here such a memorable one. I shall greatly miss being part of this community as I retire to the seaside. But I shall always remember the many happy times spent in Staplehurst, as well as the hurdles we have crossed together. It was a great place to end my working life and I shall continue to pray for you as you search for a new Rector and as new opportunities open for you all.  Back to TopClergy Magazine Letter - December 2010Dear friends,For the last few weeks I've been doing something many of you know all about. I've been “downsizing”. I mean getting rid of much of my furniture, books and other possessions that have accompanied me for a long time on my journey. You see I'm leaving here in January to move to my much smaller retirement flat at Littlestone-by-sea and I know I have to be ruthless but it's hard work. It's not just arduous physically but also quite draining in other ways too. Mementoes from the homes of parents and grandparents, as well as all sorts of “stuff” from my own life is being picked over and then discarded. Some has been sold, some given away, some burned or binned. I have a strange mix of emotions. There is a feeling of having really achieved something as another cupboard, or box from the loft is cleared, but there is also a feeling of sadness as something which has been kept for a long time now has to go. The whole process has made me reflect on just how easily we become attached to “things” and yet how insignificant those “things” really are. I'm reminded of the time a friend gave up all that she owned in order to become a nun and how aghast I was as she gave everything away. Yet there was a little bit of envy in me too, because I saw her gaining a sort of freedom to focus her life entirely on building relationship and not on possessions any more. This month we prepare for a festival which so often seems to centre on getting more and more things. Things which our advertisements tell us we really must have if we are going to be happy this Christmas; from the most trendy toys for the children to the very best food and drink for their parents. I wonder if we've rather missed the point. It seems to me that the emphasis being made by Jesus' birth was that our God cares about people and wants to show them himself through a real human relationship. We read in the letter to the early Christians at Philippi of Jesus being “poured out”, “emptying himself”, “becoming like a slave” (who had nothing) in order to show us what God was like, and we Christians believe he wants us to continue to show his love through all our human relationships too. So of course, we shall celebrate this holiday (holy day) with good food and presents shared with our family and friends. But also how about finding some time this year to demonstrate our belief that relationships come first and it's relationships that last, long after all the “things” are worn out , used up or thrown away . Maybe you could pick up the phone and spend some time chatting to a friend or relation you've neglected for a while, but who you know will not see many people over the Christmas period. Or maybe you could pop round for a short visit to a neighbour or someone you know who is house bound. Is this perhaps the time to heal a rift amongst family or friends? There are so many ways we could make this Christmas an occasion to strengthen relationships, rather than just accumulate more stuff. May God bless you and yours as you celebrate a very special birth. With much love and best wishes for a very Happy Christmas Gill Back to Top |
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The Trinity Icon by Andrei RublevPerhaps the most famous of all Russian Orthodox icons is by Andrei Rublev. In this icon, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit gather around a table, almost hand-in-hand, pointing to each other in an intimate circle of love that is never interrupted. Three of the four spots at the table are taken; the fourth spot, of course, is reserved for you and me. The concept of the Trinity is not one found directly in the Bible but is one which has evolved from the Christian understanding of the way God is.In a national survey, participants were asked to name the three things they most long to hear. What do you think they answered? “I love you,” “You are forgiven,” and “Supper is ready.” All three things involve intimacy with others and seem to flow from the God depicted in this icon. At God's very heart is a community of three and we are called to mirror his image. At All Saints Staplehurst, Rublev's icon has been used often as a vision for our community life, as well as an understanding of the divine life. God is community and so are we. Our understanding of collaborative ministry begins with the inclined ear and open heart, ready to receive, in love, the holy which is the other. We seek to unite with others on the same path in our common ministry, despite all our differences. We want to be a truly inclusive church, ready to welcome others. That is sometimes a painful and difficult journey when ideas clash and people disagree but this is Jesus's prayer for us. “The glory that you (Father) have given me, I have given them, that they may become completely one” John 17 verse 22 |
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