Dear friends,

This week I came across a book which I hadn’t seen for a while. It’s a book of Celtic prayers from Iona* and was given to me when I was confirmed, here at St Nicolas, by Bishop Dominic in November 2002. We didn’t go to church when I was a child, and only really became involved with St Nicolas because Alex (my eldest) wanted to come to the family service after meeting our then vicar Dan Tyndall at the St Nicolas Toddler Group run by one Julia Jones. Blame any/all of them for me being here!

All of us have our own journey of faith. It might be a straight road, a winding lane, or sometimes feel like a labyrinth. There are hills and valleys, bright sunshine and shadow. Green pastures with quiet waters and rock strewn paths. But as the psalmist reminds us, we have a guide to protect us, nourish us and whose goodness and love will follow us all the days of our life.

Last week, baby Luca, supported by his family and friends, was baptised and began his journey. This week the lovely Ella and
Tina will be baptised at St Nicolas and confirmed by Bishop Mary at St Peter’s. Our love and prayers go to them and I’d like to pass on a Celtic prayer for their journey, from the book given to me at my confirmation:

Bless to me, O God, the earth beneath my feet.
Bless to me, O God, the path on which I go.
Bless to me, O God, the people whom I meet.
O God of all gods, bless to me my life.

Yours, as we journey together,
Wendy

* “Each Day and Each Night” by J. Philip Newell

Hi everyone,

I hope you’re well

In this week’s Gospel reading from Matthew 21:33–46, which I’m sure John will tell us all about, Jesus shares a parable about a landowner who builds a vineyard, only for the tenants to reject his servants and, ultimately, kill his son in an attempt to seize the inheritance.

Jesus uses this parable in a confrontation with religious leaders, and at the of it is a quote from Psalm 118: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone….”
Jesus was pointing to Himself. He is the cornerstone, the foundation upon which the entire Kingdom of God rests.

A few of our extended family are struggling with serious illness and we are struggling to find a way forward for and with them. Though we felt guilty about it, we took a much needed few days away this weekend and I found myself wondering… what can we do? and more importantly… what is my cornerstone?

It is easy to build our lives on temporary foundations; careers, financial security, reputations, or our skills. But when the storms of life arrive, these sort of foundations shake and quickly crumble. I mean what does a career matter when a loved one is declining?

But this parable is a reminder that Jesus invites us to build our lives on Him, the cornerstone, the only sure foundation that never shakes or breaks. And so I prayed, handing to God all the stress I’ve been holding onto too tightly. I prayed for our loved ones, I prayed for us, I prayed for the ability to release stress and rest.

As we look ahead to this Sunday, I encourage you to reflect on where you are placing your faith. Are there areas of your life where you are acting like the tenants, trying to run things on your own terms? Or are you allowing Jesus to be the cornerstone of your decisions, your family, and your future?

Prayers with you all
Emma

Emma Major, LLM

Dear Friends,

Last Saturday Julia and I hosted a Confirmation preparation day for Tina and Ella whose baptism and confirmation will be taking place soon, on Sunday 11th October.
For the part of the day focused on Jesus’ teachings, I retold the Parable of the Mustard Seed in Godly Play style, with a golden box, a yellow-seed like piece of material, a cut-out tree shape and a picture of a man:
“The kingdom of God is like a man who took a mustard seed and planted it in a field; it grew and became a great tree, and the birds of the air came and made their nests in it.”
That’s it! So simple! But what does it mean? Godly Play invites us to ‘wonder’ about the possible answers. A few days ago I retold the parable with the Wednesday morning Communion congregation in place of a sermon. What did we make of it?
Some of us thought the ‘man’ was Jesus planting the ‘seed’ of faith in our lives, and the ‘birds’ were those we cared for. Others wondered if we were the ‘man’ planting the ‘seed’ of good works in the world, which grow up and help others to feel at home. I wondered if the ‘seed’ might be the original congregation of St Nic’s, and the ‘tree’ the church that has grown since, and the ‘birds’ those who currently nest here as they pass through life…
Who knows? The point of the parables is to invite listeners to think for themselves. Jesus’ attitude to preaching allowed great freedom in his listeners, and it also showed great confidence in their capacity to respond.
What might the parable of the mustard seed tell you about what ‘the Kingdom of God’ might be like, where it might be, and what your place might be in it?

Revd Dr Mark Laynesmith

Dear Friends,

We have all done it, we have all been there. We know how righteous indignation makes us seethe and boil. I was recently been affected by the reports of angry men in balaclavas blocking coaches to take migrants picked up by RNLI lifeboats in Portsmouth to Dover. My indignation heightened when it was disclosed that RNLI volunteers had faced unacceptable abuse.

Then, I was aware that when the ‘Assisted Dying Bill’ was rejected in parliament that there were many who would have experienced boiling point in their indignation and frustration.

It takes us a long time to realise that those who have a different point of view, or who are different in their way of thinking or different in their needs are all God’s people and are loved and cared for by him. God does not fix boundaries or limits which labels some as deserving while others are decidedly not.

Jesus reached out to the tax collector and sat at table with prostitutes showing in practice the way God loved. All this was to the disgust of the religious leaders who thought they knew better how a prophet ought to behave and with whom he should spend time.

As we hear the news or read reports of the news, may we all seek to endeavour to grasp the wider and more far reaching picture of the nature of God’s loving towards all his people.

Help us to work for a better world,
Where all people are given a chance
To live healthy and worthwhile lives
Where the dream of justice for all can come true,
And where God’s compassion is shown to be real.
Amen

In Christ,
Daphne

Daphne Cook, LLM

Dear Friends,

I don’t know about you but I really noticed the change in the season this week. Not just the rain but a cooling down. Socks were back on this week too, sad face moment.

At work (REinspired) The new term has started, planning has been completed, REi sessions, craft cafe, quiz nights, volunteer training events. Some volunteers are stepping back for a while others step forward. As always, it feels like a season of change, ebb and flow. Challenge and adjustment. Taking stock and reimagining what we can do with what we have, whist dreaming of what could be and how we might achieve it. So much of this dance starts with prayer and leaning into Gods grace, having confidence in his provision and the way he works through people and situations. Looking for openings that we can lean into.

You will know by now that I am a glass half full kinda person and for me challenges are an opportunity with a different hat on. I am always amazed at what God can do in our every day and sometimes you can miss his response if you are not keeping your eyes/heart open. Other times his response or answer is so obvious, it takes your breath away.

So dear reader, what have my musings highlighted for me this week.
Ebb and flow, challenge and adjustment is normal and as natural as the changing seasons. When we are anxious lean into prayer and keep your eyes open for his reply… be prepared also, to be the answer for someone else’s need or prayer too. He really does ‘work in mysterious ways his wonder to perform’. This line, I realise (curtsey of Mr Google pants) is by the English poet William Cowper, from his hymn ‘Light shining out of darkness’. It’s words landed rather meaningfully with me this week. If you get chance, check it out and tell me what few lines landed for you.

Love Julia

Dear Friends,

I know some of you weren’t thrilled with the rain falling this bank holiday, but what a refreshment it was after the long, hot, parched summer months. I laid awake one night listening to the wind and rain and gave thanks to God for the blessings of water falling from the sky. The farmers are beyond desperate for it, our gardens are revived by it, the depleted reservoirs can start to slowly refill and the natural world in all is forms will breathe a sigh of relief.

As the seasons change we, along with churches all around the country, are entering the Season of Creation, from September 1st through October 4th. This year’s theme is, appropriately, “Living Water,” inspired by Ezekiel 47. I will share more about these verses on Sunday, but in summary they remind us of God’s promise to heal, renew, and bring life to even the most barren places.

Over the next four weeks, we will join together in worship, prayer, reflection and action as we celebrate the beauty of God’s earth and reflect on our shared responsibility to care for it.

On Sunday members of JPEG (Justice, Peace and Environment Group) will lead us as we begin a journey of renewal together, opening our hearts to the flowing stream of God’s grace as we commit to nurturing the world around us.

We will also introduce the brand new annual lifestyle survey which Joanna has written about here:

Lifestyle Survey
As part of our journey to becoming a Gold EcoChurch we’re inviting everyone in the congregation to get involved in thinking about how our lifestyles reflect our concern for Creation. After the service this Sunday, we would be hugely grateful if you could take the time to fill out a lifestyle survey for us – something we hope to do every year in Creation Season so that we can measure how things change. It’s easiest for us if you can fill it out online at https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/eWxZrCCQf1  but paper versions will be provided too.
It’s completely anonymous and you’ve got until 27 September to fill them in. If you have any questions, please ask Wendy or Emma.

Emma Major, LLM

Dear Friends,

Once again I’m away from home writing this email (“She’s not on her travels AGAIN!”, I hear you say). An invitation from a friend to visit her in Canada was not to be missed. Canada is a big country, and we are only seeing a tiny bit. I have been in awe of the forests, the lakes, the animals (I saw a beaver!) and the especially the clouds, they seem somehow more defined.

As we approach the season of Creation, it’s a good time to remember that one of the ways we can experience God’s love for us is through nature. First Nations people in Canada have long realised that if we care for creation, it will in turn sustain us.

We can experience God’s love in many other ways: in scripture – I’m sure we all have Bible verses we turn to (e.g. 1 John 4:16) Some of us may even have had personal experiences where we have felt enfolded in God’s love. We can also experience the love of God though the kindness of others – and on this trip we have definitely been greeted with warmth and kindness as the Canadian people live up to their reputation of being super friendly.

However we experience the love of God, the more we want to love him and the more that love can then shine out of us to those we meet.

It’s about being open, eh?
Wendy

Wendy Neale

Dear Friends,

“Yours are the heavens; the earth also is yours.” My thoughts have arisen from these words of Psalm 89 which were shared at Morning Prayer on Tuesday. While many have struggled with the heat in these past weeks, in this part of the world we have only experienced the losses from wildfires through media reports. Stourbridge is an area I used to travel to and through in our years in the Worcester Diocese, and Quarry Bank Road the home of a friend and member of the Worcester Mothers’ Union. Her home has been caught up in the fire, and she is safely removed to a local care home.

The loss of home and possessions is devastating, and these experiences so close to home should make us all stop and consider what and who is important in our lives. However, it is not only loss through fire, as we journey through life, it is also coming to terms with loss of independence, with the inability to physically manage the skills that have kept us active. The loss of home then follows for many in society to pay for 24 hour care.

As we welcome with thankfulness the first rain that we have seen in weeks, please continue to remember and pray for all who have fought the fires, all who have given assistance in any way; especially for the churches who serve those areas. Pray for the residents as they come to terms with all that they have lost. Also with thankfulness pray for all who serve through their work as Carers both in Homes and in the Community.

‘Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth”.

God, maker of heaven and earth,
you save us in the water of baptism
and by the suffering of your Son you set us free:
help us to put our trust in his victory
and to know that there is salvation only in
the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

In Christ, Daphne

Daphne Cook , Licensed Lay Minister

Dear Friends,

Recently the water heater in the servery broke down (limescale). In the course of chatting with the engineer, I thought I’d find out how much energy it consumes just to have it running on stand-by all the time (as we do).

The answer is about 80p a day. That’s nearly £300 a year.
On top of that, we then have to pay for engineers or services – so add £350 a pop.
And finally, we replace the filters ourselves – so add about £200.

So – we are paying somewhere over £850 a year… The carbon dioxide produced just from that standby is 3 kilowatt hours a day, which equates to about ¼ tonne (227kg) annually – about the same as a flight from London to Rome per person. (For context, the average carbon dioxide or equivalent produced per person in the UK is somewhere over 10 tonnes).

So, we could save a lot of money and a lot of carbon with a small change. From now on, we’ll only switch the heater on when we have a big group in (e.g. Sundays or bigger coffee mornings). For the rest of the time, we’ll just use the kettle (a kettle costs 6p to boil and doesn’t need an engineer or a service).
I’ve put a poster with some information by the water heater unit for those on coffee rotas. Do feel free to continue using the water heater when you need to and it’s safer to do so. But otherwise let’s switch to a kettle.

What other things in our lives do we take for granted, but incrementally add to our carbon emissions and eat our money…?

Rev Dr Mark Laynesmith
Vicar, Earley St Nicolas Church

Dear Friends,

Last week Julia encouraged us to rest and reminded us of God’s call to rest on the Sabbath day. I took her words to heart, making more time to relax every day, especially on the incredibly hot days we’ve been experiencing. I hope you’ve been able to do the same.

Julia’s theme of rest reminded me of Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:28: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Not only does God ask us to make time to rest, but we also hear in this verse that God longs to hear our prayers, to take away our worries, celebrate our joys and give us rest in mind, body and soul.

I wonder how you might find time to be with God in prayer this week. Could you make time each day to slow down, breathe deeply, and reconnect with the rhythm of creation. The heat has forced me to change my daily rhythm in order to enjoy the cooler hours and I have found myself praying late into the night.

I have been praying particularly that those in power will take action to care for our planet, stop polluting our seas and skies and make real moves towards renewable energy. I have also been praying for our local community, particularly for the children off school for the holidays who might come along next Friday for summer fun. You might choose to pray in a similar way, or perhaps you have specific worries that you can give to God in prayer.

Speaking of which… do you know that we have a prayer chain that will pray for you or situations you know about? You can share your prayers with Jenny by phone on 07963 905663 or email the office on office@stnicolas.org.uk and the prayer chain will pray for you. Affirmatively you can write your prayers on a card and put it in the prayer box in church. All requests in the box are prayed for on a Sunday morning by our Prayer Ministry Team.

My prayers are with you this week as ever.
Emma

Emma Major, LLM (Licensed Lay Minister)