Father Philip Writes...

January 2022

There is a story about a leader of a certain Native American Indian tribe, whose people had been encamped for generations at the base of a large mountain. He was dying and summoned his 3 sons to say, ​
“I am dying. Before I die I must choose one of you to succeed me as head of our tribe. I want you to climb our holy mountain and bring back something beautiful. The one whose gift is the most outstanding will be the one who will succeed me.”

One son brought back a rare and beautiful flower. The second son returned with a valuable stone. However, the third came back empty handed. He said to his father, “ I have brought nothing back to show you, Father. I stood on top of the holy mountain and I saw that the other side was a beautiful land filled with pastures and a lake. I was so overwhelmed that our tribe could go there for a better life that I could not bring anything back.”​
“You will be the tribe’s new leader,” said the old man. “You have brought back the most precious thing of all – the gift of a better vision for a better future.”
This story sums up my hopes for 2022.
We begin the year by celebrating Epiphany (on 2nd January this year).  We commemorate how Jesus appeared to the nations, represented by the Wise men, who came ‘from the East’ and were not Jewish. Traditionally one has been depicted as Asian, one African and one European.
 They presented different gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. They each had different personalities and came from different countries with different cultures but arrived together to honour the King of all.
 We must learn that we, too should be like Jesus and be open to everyone without drawing lines between “them” and “us” or ‘grading’ people in importance by colour or race. In the dark of their night they saw the star, the new hope for a better world. That star brought out something in them that made them travel all the way from where they were to Jesus. ​
It was their hope that made their trip possible.
I pray that we may begin 2022 with a better vision for a better future and experience the love of God revealed in Jesus. ​
Happy New Year, Everyone!
Charities we support at Christmasstide
​
St Martin’s Housing Trust, Norwich – More than a home for the homeless.
At just 14 Alison ran away from home in Lowestoft and ended up in a children’s home in Liverpool. She said, “They got in touch with my mum to say I was there and she said, ‘Keep her!’”  From then onwards Ali fended for herself. ​
When she first made contact with St Martin’s she stayed at ‘Somewhere Safe to Stay Hub’, where she was given a bed for a few days. She then moved on to Bishopsbridge House where she helped transform the garden into a beautiful space. 
She has since moved into a shared house in the community with support from St Martin’s.
There is concern over 2022 because of the end of furlough, and the removal both of the Universal Credit uplift and the eviction ban. Given that the life expectancy of a man on the streets is 47 and only 43 for a woman, loss of life amongst people experiencing homelessness is common.
We are fortunate that Graham and Anita maintain a close link with St Martin’s on our behalf. We shall continue to collect socks, gloves, hats etc. until Christmasstide ends on 9th January.

Christian Aid
Our Crib Appeal concludes on 9th January. ​
Over the last decade the effects of the Climate Crisis have been growing more devastating for families in South Sudan, where more than 1,066,000 people have been affected by severe floods. Not only are many families facing hunger but with fragile water sources contaminated, the risk of deadly waterborne illnesses increase.
​Christian Aid has been able to provide 32,000 with access to safe drinking water; 11,500 safe hygienic sanitation and 1,900 households with training in improved agricultural practices. Chrisitan Aid uses our donations for such projects and where they consider the need is greatest. 
​We are grateful to Val Arnold for her work on our behalf over many years in organizing collections and appeals for Christian Aid
Please give generously.
We have so much to be thankful for. As Mother Teresa said,
 ‘It is only a drop in the ocean, but the ocean is richer for it.’

February 2022

We begin February with the feast of Candlemass - the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple, 40 days after his birth. 
He was declared “a light to enlighten the Gentiles” by an old man named Simeon. In Jesus’ teaching we are each called to be a light in the world.

​I hope St Mary’s can reflect the light of Jesus more and more in 2022.
 I believe the following quote sums up my hopes: ​
To all who are weary and seek rest:
To all who mourn and long for comfort:
To all who struggle and desire victory:
To all who sin and seek a Saviour:
To all who are idle and look for service:
To all who are strangers and want fellowship:
To all who hunger and thirst after righteousness
 – and to whomsoever comes –
This church opens wide her doors in the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ and says to all of you:
‘WELCOME! WELCOME!’
​
​We shall be offering Bible Studies by Zoom during February and March, based on what we can learn from the Seven Churches of Asia in the Book of Revelation.
We need to hear afresh what the Risen Christ has to say to his people. It would be easy to use the tough messages to the seven churches as a peg on which to hang complaints about our village church, and I do not wish to do that. 
As we study the verdict of the Risen Christ on the life of first century Christians, we will see aspects of our own church life mirrored in theirs. I hope we shall hear his challenge and take up the promise of renewal.
Today’s Church is under fire from many directions – for being restrictive rather than liberating; for not responding enough to the needs of others; for being out of touch with young people; for lack of vision; for being too inward-looking. 
The author of the Book of Revelation knows the churches intimately and understands what they face. More importantly, Christ himself understands. He is calling them to bear witness faithfully in the face of everything that threatens them. In Revelation the number 7 symbolises completeness, so the 7 Churches symbolize the whole Church. 
Each Church needs to listen to what God may want to say to it and what it can learn from God’s message to others…for the particular danger which may have befallen one Church is potentially a danger for any Church
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