Newsletter Thought for the Week – 28th February 2021
Brothers and Sisters
The long-awaited road map has been published and we can see a path back to normality in front of us. It is a longer path than many of us had hoped for, but a shorter path than some scientists had warned us might be required, and we pray that the time and care will mean that we can come out of Covid restrictions without the fear of needing to go back in again. Many of you will have received your first vaccination and if all continues to go as hoped and planned for, then the conversations of the summer may be about what we want to do next year and not whether we will be able to do it. If the Annual Church Meeting will have to be by Zoom, it is because by so-doing we will be able to have a Harvest Supper with Barn-Dance in the Autumn.
Those of you who joined us for the Zoom service last week will know that I linked the experience of Jesus in the desert with that of the Jewish people after the Exodus, and on into our own desert experiences over the last year. As Moses handed over leadership of the people to Joshua, God said to him, “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear or be in dread of them: for it is the Lord your God who goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6). God is speaking to Joshua about leading the people into the Promised Land and about the people who are already there. This story of conquest and battle is disturbing to our modern sensitivities but the promise of a God who goes before us preparing the way, is a promise we can all hear with hope in these times. We are again reminded that God leads, but it is the actions of his followers that result in success or failure. Having led them to the borders, the people of Israel still had to do the work of entering and fighting, settling and working the land; trying to follow God in the good times as well as the bad.
As things start to re-open, we will be encouraged to play our part in the re-energising of our economy, to spend and go out and engage as much as possible when we are allowed to do so, and I am really looking forward to that. But we know that this year has given many people time and space to think about the things of faith. Let’s not lose that hard-fought ground. Let’s be awake and aware to those who are questioning and if we have used this time to re-engage with reading, prayer and quiet-time in the practice of our own faith, let us not lose that in the excitement and the joy of re-engaging with the outside world over the future months.
God bless
Vicci
A Reflection - by Richard
“For many years, my job was to repair aircraft equipment which went on a variety of airplanes from the Airbus 380 to the Red Arrows. The faulty items would come back from many different countries, and as I took them apart and worked on them, I would often ponder that all around the world there were items that I had touched. In my current job I have occasionally tested components for satellites, and so items I have touched are now out in Space too!
Throughout our lives we ‘touch’ many other people’s lives in many different situations. With family or friends, we may have relationships that span decades, whilst other people we may meet only once and never again. However, the effect we have on others is not directly proportional to the amount of time we spend with them. An act of kindness towards a stranger may be remembered for years; equally, losing our temper with another road user or being short with a shop assistant can also leave its mark. For the Christian, these daily interactions can present a challenge, because they are informed by our faith in Christ. This is a tall order because Jesus’ actual touch would often mean physical healing and a chance encounter with him could be life changing.
In John 4: 1-26 we read of the woman who goes to the local well one day to draw water for her family. As she approaches the well, she sees a strange man sitting there, it is Jesus. He is thirsty but has no means of getting water from the well, but his simple request for a drink completely throws her. Why should a strange man from a different culture even speak to her, let alone ask her for a drink? But for Jesus it is merely a way of starting a conversation, a conversation that will turn her life around. This woman who arrived with an empty water jar but a life full of insecurities and burdens, leaves them all behind as she dashes back to tell her friends and family about this man she has just met, a man who knew her better than she knew herself. She even leaves her water jar behind in her excitement!
We may not have the life changing powers of Jesus, but in these difficult times, we do well to remember that a listening ear and few well-chosen words can make a big difference. We may never know the effect that the things we do or say may have on others, but if we consider the way Jesus treated each person that he met, we cannot go far wrong… we may even lead someone a little closer to him.
As I sit at my desk typing I wonder who will read this, I know that previously the newsletter has been read in Kent, Oxford and even as far as New Zealand. My prayer is that you may all experience the touch of Jesus on your life … wherever in the world you may be!
Richard
Rosie’s Rainbow Fund - Rev’d Vicci
It was announced last week that Church Council had decided to embark upon a period of fundraising to be split between the Church and Rosie’s Rainbow Fund and to culminate in a big celebration for the 30th anniversary of the refurbishment of the building.
Rosie’s Rainbow Fund is a Maidenhead Charity that puts music therapists into hospitals across Berkshire to work with children, particularly those who are long-term sick. It provides music therapy for special needs children in schools and centres around Berks, Bucks and Oxon, and supports disabled children in schools and respite centres with essential equipment. It also provides specialist counsellors for those have experienced the death of a child. Like many small charities, it has found the last year very difficult with the usual fund-raising activities cancelled or curtailed, and when I wrote to the Chair and founder, Carolyn Keston after Church Council, she said that they were desperate to be able to get their therapists back into the hospitals.
Carolyn is Rosie’s mum and was my boss when I taught at Redroofs Theatre School and I knew and taught Rosie from age three until she died when she was 12. Rosie was a very talented performer and singer and was passionate about doing something to help other sick children. After she died, the family felt that setting up a charity that would help these children through music would be a fantastic way of honouring Rosie’s memory and I was really pleased when Church Council decided that this would be the most appropriate charity for us to fundraise for over this period.
If you would like to find out more about this wonderful charity, then please visit the website: rosiesrainbowfund.co.uk
God bless
Vicci