Minister’s Letter - June 2021
"Arise, shine, for your light has come, the glory of the Lord has risen upon you,
for darkness, shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples,
but the Lord will arise upon you,
and his glory appear over you.
Nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn. (Isaiah, 60 v1-3)
Dear friends,
As I write, things hopefully, but slowly, are getting back to some kind of "normality".
On May 17th various hospitality venues were opened, and the government Covid restrictions were beginning to ease. People were beginning to meet again, although in reduced numbers, and we are slowly learning how to operate under Covid restrictions, and we are also learning what it means once again, to live in community with each other. On May 24th more places, mainly public buildings like cinemas and theatres, began to open their doors once more, although under restrictions.
Likewise, most churches have now opened their doors, some after over a year of being closed, again operating under Covid rules. But still, opening is a step in the right direction, although to many congregations the fact that only a limited number of people can sing in worship is somewhat restricting, but we wait in hope for this restriction to be lifted.
And hopefully come the middle of June, all restrictions will have been lifted, although that is not a given, and depending on various variants of the pandemic, we wait with expectancy to see what will actually happen. We are being asked, like motorists on a busy motorway, to “proceed with caution”, in biblical terms we could be said to be going from “darkness to light” and the verses that I've used from the book of Isaiah at the beginning of this letter echoes that sentiment.
Most people would agree that over this past year, there has not been much light. We have been living in “darkness” and especially for those people, members of our own church communities, who have lost family and friends to the pandemic, have had to suffer more than the usual form of "darkness" that the death of a loved one and coping with bereavement brings, due to various obstacles, i.e. the restrictions of how many people may gather at a funeral service, etc, (although as I write, the rules are being relaxed around attendance at funerals).
In the Bible and in literature generally, darkness is associated with things that are evil and with death. We only have to think of certain crimes that are committed, under the cover of darkness, we think of many acts of cruelty and violence that originate from our "dark side", it is always the "bad guys" in films who wear black, to symbolise their dark deeds and for fans of Lord of the Rings you only have to think of the dark land of Mordor. Christians have dark sides to them as well, i.e. things in our lives that we have regretted and are not necessarily proud of.
Death is often described as something dark and sinister, although for Christians it can be described as light, as we believe we are going to be with God for ever, resting in his glorious light.
Darkness is sometimes preferred by people over light, for example having a candlelit dinner, in a darkened room has a special appeal and romance about it. Also going to see a film at the cinema or having a visit to the theatre only works if the building is dark. Also some people cannot sleep, unless the room is completely dark. (Incidentally, I have recently purchased a blackout blind for my bedroom, to keep out the light, and on reflection, this may have prompted me to explore the theme from darkness to light!)
Also the expression "kept in the dark" is often used when people do not understand what is happening, or have not been told of a recent development, which they felt that they ought to have known about.
Also darkness can be referred to people whose circumstances in life are anything but "light" and this kind of darkness differs from one person to the next, and it could be the darkness of poverty, bereavement, or homelessness, or whatever your particular situation is, people with mental health problems, or drug-related concerns, are often said to be "in a dark place". And we often use the expression light at the end of a dark tunnel.
John’s gospel says that some people prefer the darkness "this is the judgement, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their works were evil" [John 3 verse 19].
The Isaiah text that I quoted at the beginning of this letter reminds us that a new light has come from the Lord, and this light is shining on all who are willing to accept it. And maybe those who do not feel that they have this light of Christ in their lives, can see this light reflected by those who have it on to them.
Jesus said "I am the light of the world, he who follows me, will not walk in the darkness" [John 8 verse 12]. God brought light into the world, through his son, Jesus Christ, not to show up our faults and our failings, but to sweep them out, and to bring the light and healing of his peace and reconciliation into our lives.
God is the light that changes our lives; by his light we have forgiveness, by his light we have hope, by his light we have words of encouragement. When we feel that we are being overwhelmed by the darkness or something has happened in our lives that makes us feel that we cannot cope, our Lord’s light is what we need for our own personal darkness and in our personal and Christian lives, we have all suffered our own "darknesses"!
Jesus said to us and his disciples and to those who would listen that "you are the light for the whole world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden, neither do you light a lamp and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand, and it shines to all who are in the house. Even so let your light shine before men so that they may see your good works and glorify your father who is in heaven" [Matthew 5 v14-16].
When the wisemen entered the stable at Jesus’ birth the light of the star led them there, but this was nothing compared to the light that God sent by his son being born at Christmas.
Our Lord’s light never dims, there are times in our lives, when we do not recognise the light but it is always there. It is up to us and the free will that God has given us, whether or not we choose to accept or not.
In conclusion one of my favourite singers, Leonard Cohen, has a line in one of his songs, that says:
"there is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in".
There are many ways that line can be interpreted but I believe it is the light of Christ, shining through the cracks in our lives and by this light we are healed.
Yours in Christ,
Peter
"Arise, shine, for your light has come, the glory of the Lord has risen upon you,
for darkness, shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples,
but the Lord will arise upon you,
and his glory appear over you.
Nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn. (Isaiah, 60 v1-3)
Dear friends,
As I write, things hopefully, but slowly, are getting back to some kind of "normality".
On May 17th various hospitality venues were opened, and the government Covid restrictions were beginning to ease. People were beginning to meet again, although in reduced numbers, and we are slowly learning how to operate under Covid restrictions, and we are also learning what it means once again, to live in community with each other. On May 24th more places, mainly public buildings like cinemas and theatres, began to open their doors once more, although under restrictions.
Likewise, most churches have now opened their doors, some after over a year of being closed, again operating under Covid rules. But still, opening is a step in the right direction, although to many congregations the fact that only a limited number of people can sing in worship is somewhat restricting, but we wait in hope for this restriction to be lifted.
And hopefully come the middle of June, all restrictions will have been lifted, although that is not a given, and depending on various variants of the pandemic, we wait with expectancy to see what will actually happen. We are being asked, like motorists on a busy motorway, to “proceed with caution”, in biblical terms we could be said to be going from “darkness to light” and the verses that I've used from the book of Isaiah at the beginning of this letter echoes that sentiment.
Most people would agree that over this past year, there has not been much light. We have been living in “darkness” and especially for those people, members of our own church communities, who have lost family and friends to the pandemic, have had to suffer more than the usual form of "darkness" that the death of a loved one and coping with bereavement brings, due to various obstacles, i.e. the restrictions of how many people may gather at a funeral service, etc, (although as I write, the rules are being relaxed around attendance at funerals).
In the Bible and in literature generally, darkness is associated with things that are evil and with death. We only have to think of certain crimes that are committed, under the cover of darkness, we think of many acts of cruelty and violence that originate from our "dark side", it is always the "bad guys" in films who wear black, to symbolise their dark deeds and for fans of Lord of the Rings you only have to think of the dark land of Mordor. Christians have dark sides to them as well, i.e. things in our lives that we have regretted and are not necessarily proud of.
Death is often described as something dark and sinister, although for Christians it can be described as light, as we believe we are going to be with God for ever, resting in his glorious light.
Darkness is sometimes preferred by people over light, for example having a candlelit dinner, in a darkened room has a special appeal and romance about it. Also going to see a film at the cinema or having a visit to the theatre only works if the building is dark. Also some people cannot sleep, unless the room is completely dark. (Incidentally, I have recently purchased a blackout blind for my bedroom, to keep out the light, and on reflection, this may have prompted me to explore the theme from darkness to light!)
Also the expression "kept in the dark" is often used when people do not understand what is happening, or have not been told of a recent development, which they felt that they ought to have known about.
Also darkness can be referred to people whose circumstances in life are anything but "light" and this kind of darkness differs from one person to the next, and it could be the darkness of poverty, bereavement, or homelessness, or whatever your particular situation is, people with mental health problems, or drug-related concerns, are often said to be "in a dark place". And we often use the expression light at the end of a dark tunnel.
John’s gospel says that some people prefer the darkness "this is the judgement, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their works were evil" [John 3 verse 19].
The Isaiah text that I quoted at the beginning of this letter reminds us that a new light has come from the Lord, and this light is shining on all who are willing to accept it. And maybe those who do not feel that they have this light of Christ in their lives, can see this light reflected by those who have it on to them.
Jesus said "I am the light of the world, he who follows me, will not walk in the darkness" [John 8 verse 12]. God brought light into the world, through his son, Jesus Christ, not to show up our faults and our failings, but to sweep them out, and to bring the light and healing of his peace and reconciliation into our lives.
God is the light that changes our lives; by his light we have forgiveness, by his light we have hope, by his light we have words of encouragement. When we feel that we are being overwhelmed by the darkness or something has happened in our lives that makes us feel that we cannot cope, our Lord’s light is what we need for our own personal darkness and in our personal and Christian lives, we have all suffered our own "darknesses"!
Jesus said to us and his disciples and to those who would listen that "you are the light for the whole world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden, neither do you light a lamp and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand, and it shines to all who are in the house. Even so let your light shine before men so that they may see your good works and glorify your father who is in heaven" [Matthew 5 v14-16].
When the wisemen entered the stable at Jesus’ birth the light of the star led them there, but this was nothing compared to the light that God sent by his son being born at Christmas.
Our Lord’s light never dims, there are times in our lives, when we do not recognise the light but it is always there. It is up to us and the free will that God has given us, whether or not we choose to accept or not.
In conclusion one of my favourite singers, Leonard Cohen, has a line in one of his songs, that says:
"there is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in".
There are many ways that line can be interpreted but I believe it is the light of Christ, shining through the cracks in our lives and by this light we are healed.
Yours in Christ,
Peter
