Dear Friends
I’m writing this letter during the period of Twixmas! A relatively new word to me that advertising and marketing companies have used to describe the time between Christmas and New Year. They encourage us to take some much needed ‘down time’ to fully relax, wear pyjamas all day and spend time doing nothing, that is if family and work commitments allow.
This is my first year of retirement, so I have been fortunate to be able take down time during this period. I have spent much more time with my wonderful family, had time to reflect on the past year and to look forward to the new one. I have found peace and encouragement in Psalm 46 especially meditating over verse 10. ‘Be still and know that I am God’. I haven’t spent the days in my pyjamas as suggested but I have relaxed, and I have had no clue as to what day it is! We know every new year brings us 365 days of uncertainty but every second of every hour of every day, God’s presence and power in our lives is available to us. We just need to open our hearts to the Lord. I have started a new hobby this year– knitting, thanks to being given a kit as a Christmas present. I’m told it is good for my mindfulness and brain health – maybe it’ll help me to remember what day it is!
According to the Church of England, the days after Christmas Day until the Epiphany traditionally form a unity of days of special thanksgiving. Looking back over the past year at St. Bartholomew’s we have a lot to thank God for in our community and our church. We have faced many challenges, some difficult ones and some joyous, but we have faced them together. We started the year in Interregnum with some Covid restrictions still in place. The early months of the year were taken up with preparing our Parish Profile and considering what sort of Rector we would like. This all came to fruition on March 1st when we interviewed candidates and appointed Andrea as our Rector. We officially welcomed Andrea and Ade into our community on 4th July. God had listened to our prayers.
We have had a visible presence within our community this year with a successful Fritillary Sunday, and by providing the teas for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, the Flower and Produce show and the tree planting/blessing (a first for Andrea!), singing carols around the Christmas tree. It has been good to see new faces and some returned friends at our Sunday and Christmas services. What joy it has been to have all the Christmas services back after a few years of restrictions and Harvest Supper, Messy Church and the Brize Singers concert. We have had sadness too, with the loss of the Queen and our great friend Roger, and many more known to us personally. The church was and always will be a shining light in the darkness of the days during times of mourning.
Together we will face more challenges in the New Year especially with maintaining and developing our Warm Space and continuing our support for the Asylum seekers in our parish, but I’m sure there will be plenty of new initiatives and old ones to enable us to share God’s love and encouragement. Jesus invites us all to a life of unexpected joy and adventure. Where might he be calling you to trust him in 2023 – however surprising or implausible it may seem now. Using any space and time to look after yourself mentally, physically, and emotionally is a wonderful gift from God to give yourself.
‘Joy to the world, the Lord has come!’Gill
