The Rector Writes – June 2008
Dear Friends
Congratulations to the team of people who redecorated the Parish Hall over the Whitsun Bank Holiday weekend! The hall is well-used by many organisations and visitors often remark on what good facilities we have.
It is now eight months since Jeremy Jones resigned as our organist to take up a similar post at Neston Parish Church on the Wirral. We have since been grateful for the musicianship of Bob Owens, Mark Thompson, David Williams and Ralph Williams. Les Sudworth has played more at evensong than in the morning, and music at family service continues to be provided by Chris Rees on the guitar with Val Jones or Liz Poynton on the piano. As Liz feels bolder she is occasionally prepared to play an item on the organ! Recent family services have featured the singing of a trio comprising Eleanor Ferrari and Miriam & Esther Rhodes-Leader. Any children who would like to join them are asked to talk to Liz first.
Richard Chivers has also been playing the organ for main services and he has kindly agreed to be available for most Sunday mornings at the Parish Church for the present. The choir have told me how helpful they have found it when he leads choir practice. We look forward to a continuing association with him. He will be playing for most of the weddings whilst the other organists will be covering mid-week services, such as funerals.
I am aware that the majority of readers of this magazine do not come to church regularly. For this reason my article in this magazine is read by far more people than hear me preach regularly. It therefore occurred to me to offer an occasional series on different ways of strengthening our Christian faith which we may benefit from at home or elsewhere rather than in church.
A month after you receive this edition will be the first confirmation to be held in the parish for several years. I am enjoying preparing a group of five young people , assisted by Liz Poynton or Blodwen Ellis.
I was keen to recommend a particular version of the Bible to the candidates and was pleased when they all bought copies. It is called The Youth Bible, which is published by Nelson. I shan’t attempt to quote the ISBN number as there are several different editions available which each have their own.
The Youth Bible is not a book of Bible stories like a children’s Bible — it includes a straight translation of the text, albeit in lively modern English. What is distinctive about this version is the additional material which is printed at intervals throughout.
The word Bible means literally The Books, and at the beginning of each book of the Youth Bible there is a helpful introduction as a background to the material which the reader is about to encounter, in terms which they are likely to understand. For instance, Genesis is preceded asking how you would feel if something beautiful which you had made had become distorted and spoilt. If you wanted to rescue it and restore it then that is just like God, as he first made the world, then saw people rebel against him, before he began drawing mankind back to himself through his relationship with Noah and Abraham.
The Bible is set in a wide range of cultures which are very different from our own, centuries later. To help us span that gap several short articles are included which explain the life and customs of those days. These are printed in small boxes and are entitled Sidelights. One explains that: “relationships with the government were important to Roman Christians, since they lived in the capital city. When St Paul wrote Romans 13.1-7 about obeying the government, Christians were tolerated — sometimes even protected — by the state. Within a few years, though, they would face the constant threat of torture and execution.”
The Youth Bible also includes some fascinating articles about the significance of the Bible and its teaching for today. I particularly enjoyed one which described the cultural clash involving American Christians visiting Italy. They were at first treated with suspicion because the women among them wore trousers and make-up, whilst their hosts were amazed to learn that back home many Christians would be suspicious of those who drank wine!
Whether you are young or old I commend some imaginative resources like this to help you discover the Bible as the Word of God, alive and active.
Yours sincerely
Martin Snellgrove