Pastoral Letter
Dear Friends,
The Archbishop of York John Sentamu said in a recent speech made the point that our country needs to rediscover the compassion and service that lies at the heart of the Christian Faith.
That thought reminds me of a story I once read about an orphaned boy who was living with his grandmother. Their house caught fire, and the grandmother, trying to get upstairs to rescue the boy, perished in the flames. The boy's cries for help were eventually answered when a man climbed up an iron drainpipe to save him. Having reached the boy he then climbed back down with him hanging tightly to his neck.
Several weeks later, a public hearing was held to determine who would receive custody of the child. A farmer, a teacher, and a wealthy businessman all came forward to give reasons they felt they should be chosen to give the boy a home. But as they talked, the lad's eyes remained focused on the floor.
Then a stranger walked to the front of the hall and took his hands from his pockets, revealing severe scars on them. As the crowd gasped, the boy cried out in recognition. This was the man who had saved his life. His hands had been burned when he climbed the hot pipe. With a leap the boy threw his arms around the man's neck and held on for dear life. The other men silently walked away, leaving the boy and his rescuer alone. Those marred hands had settled the issue, they bore the marks of love.
It was St. Augustine of Hippo who wrote: "What does love look like? It has hands to help others. It has feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like."
Jesus taught us that his greatest command was to love each other as he loves us, and then he proceeded to demonstrate his love by offering up his life for us on the cross. As he himself said 'The Son of Man came, not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
It is that call to love and serve each other that lies at the very heart of the Christian faith. Our five Churches are seeking to explore what that means in reality in the villages we serve. We recognise that it means praying for and visiting the sick, the dying, the bereaved and the lonely; and those in hospital. So often it seems that Churches are always begging for money to repair our buildings and help pay the bills, But to be a Christian is really to serve rather than to receive. Above all it means caring about people. John Oxenham puts it beautifully
Love ever gives,
Forgives, outlives,
And ever stands
With open hands.
And while it lives,
It gives.
For this is love's prerogative-
O give, and give, and give.
May God bless you all,