Rector’s Letter – September 2011
I don’t know about you, but most of us have a phrase which we pepper our speech with. St Paul and St John are signatories to some of the greatest letters in the New Testament and both of them pepper their letters with the phrase: one another!
Neither of them use it as a cliche or turn of phrase but out of a passionate belief that stems from their grasp of God’s love – so wide and deep and high and long.
St Paul’s use of “one another” is for him an obvious follow on from all belonging to God’s family and therefore belonging to one another.
Here in St Mary’s (one small part of God’s church in the world) I sense that “one another” in very many and varied ways: the team work for the Festival of Flowers; the partnership between choir, servers, sidespeople and coffee makers on a Sunday; the pastoral care of our youngsters in Church Mice, Sunday Club and Next Doors and of the elderly in the ministry to the residential homes. All of these reflect a commitment to “one another”.
As we begin activities after the summer break there are many opportunities for growing in our grasp of “one another”. For example our Confirmation and Branch Groups begin soon (Launch on Tues 13th), we look forward to a Church Weekend Away in March next year (11th-13th- please put the date in your diary and start saving up now), we are planning various social events like a St Mary’s Challenge (Sun 25th Sept) at Delamere Forest, a Bible Party (Sat 15th Oct) and of course our Autumn Fair (Sat 12th Nov).
For St John and St Paul “one another” didn’t have a fixed boundary but his passion was for steadily expanding “one another” as others saw the love, support and care and wanted to be a part of that too. As Rector, this is my longing for us that we too may grow in our love for God and for each other.
“Let us consider how we can spur one another on towards love and good deeds. Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, but let us encourage one another.” (Hebs 10: 24)