Pastoral Letter
Dear Friends,
I am writing this letter to you in the week following a magical Brass Band Concert in the Vicarage garden on a lovely summer's evening, and a week after a truly delightful Bottisham Trinity Fair, also in the Vicarage garden. I regard it as an enormous privilege to be able to hold such events in my garden and to possess such a wonderful resource to make use of for the benefit of the community. I took some lovely photographs at those events, which show the garden, the people enjoying themselves in it, and the lovely Holy Trinity Church in the background adding a true sense of beauty to the occasion.
Those photographs say something about the true importance of the Church within our communities. Each one of our villages possesses a beautiful Church building, but, no matter how beautiful it is, it is only a building. When the Bible speaks about a Church it doesn't mean a building at all. It is referring to a group of people who are united in a common love for God and a desire to share that love with those around them. They may meet in a suitably designed building, but that is only simply a matter of convenience. The building only becomes meaningful to a community when it is indeed the focus and the reflection of God's love for His people, and His people's love for Him. God's love is not a static remote thing that we can only gaze upon. God's love is active, healing and transforming, and seeks to make a difference to human society.
That thought reminds me of the story of a famous king, who was depressed by circumstances in his realm and felt rejected by many of his subjects. So he called for his three daughters to comfort and reassure him. After they had talked awhile, he asked how much they loved him. Two of them answered that they cared for him more than all the gold and silver in the world; but Mary, the youngest, said she loved him like salt. The king wasn't pleased with her answer, for he considered salt to be of very little value. The cook, who overheard the conversation, knew that the child's reply had more significance than the father imagined. She dared not speak to the monarch about the matter, but devised a subtle way to emphasize the true meaning of the young girl's words. The next morning at breakfast she withheld the salt from everything she served, and the meal was so insipid that the king didn't enjoy it at all. Then he realized the full force of his daughter's remark. She loved him so much that nothing was good without him! With a smile he said, "I understand now, Mary. Your love is the greatest of all!"
Jesus said:
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."
The Church is meant to be like salt, flavouring our communities with God's goodness and love. My task as the Vicar of these five parishes is to help the five Churches remain "salty" - in other words to be effective in reflecting God's love in our communities - and that is something I shall continue to do to the very best of my abilities.
May God bless you all.