Who is it for?
Dear friends,
We are all involved in some way in the family of the church and being involved helps us to feel like we belong. If we are using our gifts and talents then we feel valued and included. But who are we doing it for? We've got a few events coming up over the coming months of varying scale and they all rely heavily on volunteers. But I have been pondering the question this week of why we are doing them? Not in a sense of feeling like we should stop them! They are absolutely wonderful events which will draw people together. But what is our motivation for doing them?
Is it simply an opportunity to raise money for the church? Is it an opportunity to show off our particular talent? Is it to make us feel good about being involved in something bigger than ourselves? None of those are bad goals in themselves but if they are our primary motivation then we are missing the point. The moneychangers and traders in the temple were motivated primarily by making money; the Pharisees often tried to show off their superior knowledge of the law in their exchanges with Jesus; Samson became proud of his own strength and it ended up in his capture. If we lose sight of our main aim being to love God and love our neighbour then we have lost our way.
Now loving God is a tricky one - how do we have that as our primary motivation? Well, Jesus spends a lot of time with those who are neglected or forgotten by society. How often can we say that we do that? We may not have the opportunity to meet them but do we try and find out about them and where people are suffering in our local area? Do we try to find out what we can do to help? When we go to church on a Sunday we are often surrounded by people who are very similar to us and who are part of the same social group as we are. That's not a bad thing necessarily but it can encourage us to be more inward looking.
Loving our neighbour is perhaps a bit more easy - when we are doing something for those around us, we keep their needs above our own. Whether that is our personal needs or the needs of the church. For example, when we place the church's financial needs above others' needs we are beginning to move away from those two great commandments. Yes we may ensure the church is here in 10 years time but what sort of church do we want to be?
This week I've been reflecting on that question and I have always been encouraged by the focus on building community in our Parish. People are always keen to help out where they can and to support those in their local community. Let us keep holding onto that - it is the embodiment of loving our neighbour after all! And can I encourage us all to take some time over the next week reflecting on what it means to us to 'love God'? What might that look like in our lives? And as always, whatever we are doing this week, let us keep the faith.
February Services
Sunday 11th February
8am - Holy Communion (BCP) @ St. James-the-Less, Stubbings
10:30am - Holy Communion @ St. Mary the Virgin, Hurley
4pm - Family Service @ St. John the Evangelist, Littlewick Green
Wednesday 14th February
10am - Ash Wednesday Communion @ St. James-the-Less, Stubbings
7pm - Ash Wednesday Communion @ St. John the Evangelist, Littlewick Green
Sunday 18th February
9:15am - Holy Communion @ St. John the Evangelist, Littlewick Green
10:30am - God in Quiet @ St. Mary the Virgin, Hurley
11am - Holy Communion (BCP) @ St. James-the-Less, Stubbings
Sunday 25th February
9am - Come to the Table @ St. James-the-Less, Stubbings
10:30am - Holy Communion @ St. Mary the Virgin, Hurley
IMPORTANT - Come and See Groups
This is a final call to be involved in a Come and See Group this Lent. We will be exploring the material around the two great commandments I mentioned above and it promises to be very interesting and thought-provoking. There will be various groups running. Chris and Heather Elliott will be running one on Friday from 1pm-2pm which will include a light lunch (soup and a roll, quiche etc.) followed by a time of discussion. If you would like to join a group please do let me know and I will help you get sorted. If you are willing to lead a group please let me know and I will set you up.
Snowdrop Trail
We are expanding our Snowdrop Tea this year to run for a bit longer. On Saturday 17th February we will be starting at 9am with coffee. Sandwiches will be available from 11:30am - 1:30pm and then tea and cake from 2pm - 4pm. There will be a quiz on winter flowers, a prayer walk and a craft activity for the younger ones to enjoy. Please do join us as we celebrate the beauty of God's creation!
Wildlife Saturday
On Saturday 24th February from 1pm - 4pm there will be an event in Hurley Village Hall where we will be having an opportunity to learn more about the environment and ways which we can help. There is a chance to make a bird feeder from a toilet roll(!), to hear about nest boxes and how important they are and also to speak to Hannah and others about what the church is trying to do to do our part for God's world. Do join us if you are able to and if you are able to help out with setting up, clearing away or refreshments please get in touch with me or Hannah.
Morning Prayer at 9:15am
Wednesday St. James-the-Less, Stubbings
Thursday St. John the Evangelist, Littlewick Green
Friday St. Mary the Virgin
Our churches are open for private prayer:
Littlewick Green – open every day 11am – 4pm
Hurley – open every day 8am – 4pm
Stubbings – open Monday to Friday 9am – 12 noon
Parish Office
Please get in touch with Claire via the office e-mail (office@burchettsgreenparish.org). She is there on Monday-Friday mornings and can be contacted on 01628 820077 as well. For anything which you need I can also be contacted on vicar@burchettsgreenparish.org and 01628 822974, - please note my day off is usually Tuesday.
Blessings to you all,
Tom