Pastoral Le�er

St. Wilfrid’s Parish Magazine AUGUST 2020 Dear friends, It is good to be writing to you again and to share with you the news that from Sunday 9th August at 9.30am, we will be returning to the church to celebrate the Eucharist together. Whilst several precautions are required to enable us to be con�ident of ensuring worship can happen in a safe way, we are delighted to be in the position where this is now possible. Under the guidance of the House of Bishops, we are needing to ask a few things of those who attend. I write the following, not to put anyone off, but as reassurance that we are doing everything we can to create a safe environment. We are asking that all people entering the church for worship please wear a face mask and for you to please use hand sanitiser as you enter and exit the building. You will also notice a one way system in place throughout the building; seating which is spaced in a socially distanced way (this can be adapted for household units who would like to sit together); and service sheets placed on each seat, which we are asking that you take home. You may also notice some amendments to the service (including the Eucharist being brought to where you are seated). Furthermore, we have been asked by the House of Bishops to advise those at extra risk and the ‘clinically vulnerable’ that there is increased risk of infection Continued page 3 Parish Church of St Wilfrid Ellasdale Road, Bognor Regis, PO21 2SG h�ps://wilfrid.com Vicarage (office closed) 01243 930183 [email protected] SaintWilfridBognor Registered Charity No. 1142723 Magazine & Pewsheet ar�cles/ pictures please email [email protected] with your name, date submi�ed and phone number. Thank you. Deadline for September edi�on - Monday Aug 17th 2020 1 PastoralLetter1

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2 when attending worship, however, I want to underline that the decision to attend or not, is yours to make. It has been a blessing to see approximately twenty people gathering in the church over the last few weeks for private prayer, and also to be able to welcome a similar number into the church garden last week for a socially distant catch-up. In the coming months, I think it will be important for us to learn how to be together again, not only in the context of worship, but in safe social gatherings. With that in mind, I would be delighted to see you again for Church Garden Coffee, after the morning services from Sunday 9th August. If the weather is not looking so bright, we will gather in the church hall. Unfortunately, we are currently unable to offer refreshments and I would encourage you to bring you own. I also want to let you know that on Thursday 27th August there will be a Eucharist service at 10AM. I am hoping (subject to an easing regarding guidance on serving refreshments) that this might be followed by a coffee morning. Please do keep an eye out for communication from me over the next few weeks, as I hope to announce news of further activities and services. In his homily on Sunday 2nd August, I know that in speaking on the passage of the feeding of the 5000, Fr. Ray will be touching on the subject of community. As Fr. Ray was sharing some of his thoughts with me, I was led to remember the words of the late Jean Vanier: ‘A community becomes truly and radiantly one when all its members have a sense of urgency. There are too many people in the world who have no hope. There are too many cries which go unheard. There are too many people dying in loneliness. It is when the members of a community realise that they are not there simply for themselves or their own sancti�ication, but to welcome the gift of God, to hasten His kingdom and to quench the thirst in parched hearts, that they will truly live community. A community must be a light in a world of darkness, a spring of fresh water in the church and for all people. We have no right to become lukewarm.’ Friends, we cannot manufacture community, but we can seek to allow it to grow amongst us. As we begin coming back together, I think we have the opportunity to ask the question again: ‘what kind of community do we want to be?’ My hope, is that as we re-emerge, we will further become a community of hope, burning with the love of God; a community who is a beacon of light for Bognor Regis; a community with a sense of urgency, who welcomes the most vulnerable in our society; a community who exist not for ourselves, but for God and the wider community that we are part of. May you each know the love of God who calls us into the beauty of true community with Himself. In Christ, with love, Joel and Lella Mennie

3 Our ‘Zoom’ Sunday Eucharists From the closure of our church and stopping of services during the COVID-19 pandemic, the challenge has been to �ind ways to continue our Eucharist services remotely and it has been quite an adventure! When the ban on services started it was only then we became aware of ‘Zoom’, a video conferencing app, and its potential to engage a number of people from the safety of their own homes using a computer or a smart phone or tablet. By Palm Sunday 5th April we were up and running. Fr Ray has been Celebrant for all the services and he has created each week the Missal with all the lectionary readings. Fr Ray and Revd Joel have shared being Gospeller and Homilist, Jonathan Tamblyn has prepared and given the intercessions and Jonathan and myself have been the readers. We found it is possible in Zoom to create a ‘green screen’ effect as used by newscasters to provide different backdrops and used images of the inside of the church. A number of the people who viewed and joined in the service thought we were actually in the church building! You will note from Joel’s Pastoral Letter on page 1 of the magazine the great news that on 9th August at St. Wilfrid’s we restart actual Sunday Eucharist services 9:30 each Sunday and afterwards a chance to meet together in the vicarage garden (or hall if adverse weather). So this means that Sunday 2nd August may well be our Zoom Service. In the 4 months 5th April to 2nd August we will have created and recorded 18 Sunday Eucharists and other services including the Blessing of the Easter Candle and the Ascension Day service.. From last week (26th July) we found how to make the service available live from our SaintWilfridBognor Facebook Group and the recordings are also available from our church website athttps://www.wilfrid.com/video- resources/ and also from our You Tube channel atSaint Wilfrid Bognor Regis. We have been very heartened by complimentary posts on Social Media including the most welcome message below. Peter Green I have just enjoyed a WONDERFUL service, thank you all SO much. It was such an uplifting service and it is possible to feel so close to our Lord, just as we can at the physical services. You all work so hard to give us this opportunity to worship from our homes. PLEASE don't stop! Joel's sermon touching on our dif�iculty to pray sometimes but having the Holy Spirit take our unspoken thoughts to our Lord was such a comfort I will pass on to friends. Several times there is a strange and worrying dif�iculty in the ability to pray and as Joel said, it comes when one least wants it because it is a big thing in our lives about which we need to place at the foot of the cross and can't seem able. With the Holy Spirit taking over - what comfort. I do thank you all SO much for the services, so clear, so meaningful, and with Fr. Ray somehow enabling us to make our Communion virtually, I feel not physically going to Church, not too much of a loss! Thank you all again, Rosemary Dawe 4 Parish Pump

Reopening of church buildings for public worship Following the recent Government announcement that church buildings were able to reopen for public worship from 4th July, the Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally, who leads the ’s Recovery Group, said that the months since lockdown began “have been an extraordinary time - the �irst period without public worship and the sacraments in England in more than 800 years.” She said also that there will have been “real joy” as people began “to come together again – if even at a physical distance – but I also know that many will be understandably cautious at this news. “We will not be returning to normality overnight - this is the next step on a journey. We’ve been planning carefully, making detailed advice available for parishes to enable them to prepare to hold services when it is safe and practical to do so. It is important to say that the change in Government guidance is permissive, not prescriptive. "I would particularly like to thank and lay leaders for all they have done during the time our buildings have been closed.” Bishop Sarah warned that there will still be restrictions, “and we must all still do everything we can to limit the spread of the virus… The online services and dial-in worship offerings we have become used to will continue. “This has been an incredibly dif�icult time for the whole country, especially for those who have been ill, who have suffered �inancial hardship, the loss of livelihoods and indeed, for many, those they love. We know that is not over and the Church has a task ahead to bring consolation and hope. “Churches and cathedrals have risen to the recent challenges, �inding new ways of meeting for worship, of serving our neighbours, and of reaching new people with the love of God. The challenge before us now is to take the next steps carefully and safely, without forgetting all that we’ve discovered about God and ourselves on the way.” Music in our churches and cathedrals The Church of England, together with the Royal School of Church Music, has encouraged the Government to be proactive in ensuring music-making can resume in church buildings, once it is safe to do so. Responding to the latest guidance, the Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally, said: “We are encouraging the Government to be alert to the consequences of our choirs’ continued silence - and to take a proactive approach to allowing

5 singing to return to our churches and cathedrals as soon as it is possible to do so safely. “We look forward to a time where worship and music can once again be combined, in all their different expressions, as they have for centuries, turning our hearts to God.” During the Coronavirus pandemic, the Church of England partnered with the RSCM to provide free hymns for parishes for use in streamed worship, which have been downloaded more than 45,000 times. New Task Force to ensure action over racism in the Church of England A new commission is to be set up to drive forward ‘bold changes’ to ensure racial equality in the Church of England, following a series of reports and recommendations, it was recently announced. The House of Bishops voted to back the creation of the Archbishops’ Racism Action Commission. It will start work early next year, in order to implement ‘signi�icant cultural and structural’ change within the Church of England on race. The commission would also monitor progress in implementing change. Preparatory work ahead of the launch of the commission will be carried out by a Task Force, the House of Bishops said, as part of a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to tackling racism within the Church. The bishops said they wanted to make clear that swift action was needed to ensure change after a series of reports on racial justice and equality in the Church of England, including recommendations on action to combat racism. In spite of previous reports and apologies for racism within the Church of England, there has been “insuf�icient” progress towards racial justice, equality and inclusion, the bishops said. “For the Church to be a credible voice in calling for change across the world, we must now ensure that apologies and lament are accompanied by swift actions leading to real change,” the bishops noted. The announcement comes after the General Synod voted in February to apologise for racism experienced by black and minority ethnic people in the Church of England since the arrival of the Windrush Generation. Speaking to the General Synod, the Archbishop of Canterbury, , said there was “no doubt” that the Church of England was still “deeply institutionally racist”. In a recent vote, the bishops of the Church of England also backed reiterating an apology issued in 2006 by the General Synod for the Church of England’s role in the slave trade. Update on church and cathedral monuments The Church of England has more than 16,000 churches and 42 cathedrals, almost all of which are home to memorials and monuments to individuals from a period spanning more than a thousand years. 6 A recent statement put out by the Church of England explains: “Monuments and memorials tell us a lot, not just about individuals, but about who and what was valued by the society that put them up. “What we value and seek to memorialise now is not the same as it was in any other historical period. A prominent memorial in a church in some cases is a mark of the esteem in which the person was held in their community and beyond. In others, it will re�lect a donation given to the church at the time by an individual or family – or a combination of the two. In addition to this there are millions of gravestones in churchyards. “The events of the past weeks in response to the tragic death of George Floyd have brought into focus the question of monuments to individuals who have participated in systemic and targeted discrimination or exploitation based on race.” The Church of England’s Director of Church Buildings and Cathedrals, Becky Clark, says: "Action is being taken by parishes and cathedrals across England to consider monuments which have links to slave trading or the exploitation of people. Some churches have previously acknowledged and exposed this legacy, but many are just beginning this work in response to the spotlight shone on these questions by the Black Lives Matter movement. “While it is not possible to provide a single answer, which could apply to all circumstances and which would satisfy all legitimate viewpoints, we must be as one in acknowledging the real and justi�ied anger of those who believe monuments in churches and elsewhere must be reviewed. “Key to determining what should be done in each context is the creation of a dialogue within communities. This must be open and honest, and acknowledge that there are monuments in our churches and cathedrals to individuals and events whose destructive impact is still being felt by people living in the UK today. “Meaningful dialogue needs to engage with this reality, recognise that these voices have often not been listened to in the past, and make decisions that allow these unjust experiences to form a recognised part of both the history and future of our churches. “The local and national church should play a leading role by helping to lead and facilitate the conversation, not purely as a discussion around historical monuments, but also how we, as a broad and diverse society, value and represent people of all ethnicities and backgrounds. “As the Archbishop of Canterbury has said, we can only forgive the actions of the past when we have justice in the present, and statues and memorials need to be seen in both the context of the past and the present. “Dialogue alone is not suf�icient. It must have real outcomes. These may include re-interpretation, or in gaining permission for the alteration or removal of monuments. The outcome and possible follow-up action will be different in each case, and will depend on the particulars of the monument or memorial itself, recognising the rights of descendants as well as the artefacts 7 as heritage assets. “Although these decisions will be taken locally, dioceses and national bodies like the Church Buildings Council have a part to play in facilitating those conversations and we have been offering advice and support to churches as they confront the complex challenges of the past and the reality of the present. “In doing so, we must seek to confront and understand the past whilst recognising the reality of how it impacts people living today.” Bishops warn of 'Environmental Racism' Church of England bishops recently joined with counterparts from around the Anglican Communion in signing a statement warning of 'Environmental Racism.' The Archbishop of Canterbury together with the Bishops of Salisbury, Oxford, Truro, Dover, Woolwich, Sherborne, Loughborough, Kingston, Reading and Ramsbury, and former Archbishop Rowan Williams have joined a list of eight archbishops and 38 bishops worldwide in signing an open letter stating that black lives are predominantly affected by the effects of climate change, as well as police brutality and the spread of Covid-19. Published by the Anglican Communion's Environmental Network, the letter reads (extract): The world is slow to respond to climate change, hanging on to an increasingly precarious and unjust economic system. It is predominantly Black lives that are being impacted by drought, �looding, storms and sea level rise. The delayed global response to climate injustice gives the impression that #blacklivesdontmatter. Without urgent action Black lives will continue to be the most impacted, being dispossessed from their lands and becoming climate refugees. We stand at a Kairos moment – in order to �ight environmental injustice, we must also �ight racial injustice. We call attention in particular to the impact of environmental racism on indigenous peoples decimated by the effects of colonisation. Tribes of people were enslaved, and annihilated by harsh conditions and by diseases for which they had no immunity in the �irst decades of colonisation.” The Bishops went on to mention the “growing and alarming rise in the number of people becoming refugees due to climate change. It is estimated that there are 40 million climate refugees in the world today, and by 2050 that number could reach one billion. “Even in the midst of the wealthiest countries Black people bear the brunt of environmental racism. Dumpsites for toxic chemicals are situated near poorer Black communities. These communities become food deserts - lacking both access to nutritious food and safe water. “Take action for climate justice to show #blacklivesmatter.”

8 The Church and the legacy of slavery The events of recent weeks have shone a spotlight on the history and legacy of the slave trade, prompting renewed re�lection by many organisations in this country and across the world. The Church of England’s history in this regard is complex: marked both with pride in the role of William Wilberforce and others who led the long �ight for the abolition of the slave trade and shame in the role of many other individuals, and the Church itself, in the trade in human beings. The bicentenary of the Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade 1807 celebrated in 2007 provided unprecedented opportunities to acknowledge the Church’s complicity. In a debate in 2006, the General Synod of the Church of England voted to issue an apology for the church's role in sustaining the trade. The then Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, told the debate that the Church ought to acknowledge its corporate and ancestral guilt. He said: “To speak here of repentance and apology is not words alone; it is part of our witness to the Gospel, to a world that needs to hear that the past must be faced and healed and cannot be ignored ... by doing so we are actually discharging our responsibility to preach good news, not simply to look backwards in awkwardness and embarrassment, but to speak of the freedom we are given to face ourselves, including the unacceptable regions of ... our history.” Speakers in the debate acknowledged that while the Church had played its part in justifying slavery, Anglicans including Wilberforce or John Newton, the former slave ship captain turned minister and composer of the hymn Amazing Grace, were powerfully motivated by their Christian faith. Wilberforce brought bills before Parliament for 20 successive years until legislation to abolish the trade was passed. The Church is mindful that slavery still exists today in other forms. The Church alongside other organisations is actively working to educate and reduce instances of slavery. In May 2019 the National Church Institutions issued a Slavery and Human Traf�icking Statement in accordance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015. This statement document considers both historic and current forms of slavery. The Church works closely with the Clewer Initiative with the aim of removing instances of human traf�icking. Recent research has highlighted other links between the wider Church and the slave trade. An article in the Daily Telegraph on June 19, 2020 highlights how a number of individual clergy received payments under 1833 Abolition of Slavery Act compensating them for slaves which they or their families ‘owned’. A spokesperson for the Church of England said: “While we recognise the leading role clergy and active members of the Church of England played in securing the abolition of slavery, it is a source of shame that 9 others within the Church actively perpetrated slavery and pro�ited from it. “In 2006 the General Synod of the Church of England issued an apology, acknowledging the part the Church itself played in historic cases of slavery. “The Church of England is actively committed to combatting slavery in all its forms today, particularly through the work of the Clewer Initiative which works with our 42 dioceses to help support victims of modern slavery and identify the signs of exploitation in their communities.” Recent events have also prompted debate about statues, monuments or other commemorations to those linked to the slave trade in public places in the UK, including some historic churches. Launch of new ‘Climate Sunday’ A new campaign, Climate Sunday, has been launched by a coalition of churches and charities, as part of a call for action on climate change. From next month, 6th September, churches throughout the UK will be encouraged to have a Sunday dedicated to the theme of climate change. This could be held at any time in the next 12 months. The scheme was recently launched on World Environment Day, by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland. It supported charities that range from CAFOD to Christian Aid, from Operation Noah to Tearfund. The campaign Climate Sunday will offer free resources to encourage churches to hold a climate-focused service, to make a commitment as a community to reducing greenhouse-gas emissions in the long term, or to join with other churches and groups before the 26th UN climate-change conference (COP26) in November, in urging the Government to do more about climate change. The campaign will conclude on 5th September 2021 with a national Climate Sunday event to pray for action on global warming. The Bishop of Salisbury, the Rt Revd Nicholas Holtam, the C of E’s lead bishop on environmental issues, said: “Although our focus has been shifted from climate changes in recent months by the challenges of responding to Covid-19, the climate crisis has not gone away. “Climate Sunday will be a brilliant resource to help Church of England parishes understand and respond to the climate crisis.” Anger at DfID merger with Foreign Of�ice A number of aid agencies have reacted with anger to the recent government decision to merge the Department for International Development and the Foreign Of�ice in September. The new government department will be called: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Of�ice. It will be led by the Foreign Secretary. The Government remains committed to the target of spending 0.7 per cent of GDP on international aid. 10 Christian Aid’s director of policy, public affairs, and campaigns, Patrick Watts, called the merger “an act of political vandalism” and said that it “threatens a double whammy to people in poverty...” He went on: “The timing couldn’t be worse for people living in poverty… The Government’s own independent aid watchdog shows that aid spent by D�iD is more effective and transparent than aid being spent by other government departments.” World Vision has also objected to the Government’s decision. Its chief executive, Mark Sheard, said: “While cross-governmental co-ordination is absolutely necessary, this should not be done at the expense of aid quality…By giving the Foreign Secretary oversight of aid, we will lose transparency, effectiveness, and accountability, and risk money being diverted to address UK foreign-policy interests rather than alleviating poverty.” Tearfund said: “By far the best way to ensure that aid continues to deliver for those who need it the most is by retaining D�iD as a separate Whitehall department, with a Secretary of State for International Development, and by pledging to keep both independent aid scrutiny bodies: the Independent Commission for Aid Impact and the International Development Select Committee.” Women in majority of ordained last year, report shows Women made up the majority of deacons ordained in the Church of England last year for the �irst time, according to the latest statistics. A total of 570 deacons were ordained in 2019, with women making up just over a half, or 51% of the new intake. Deacons are the �irst of three orders of ordained ministry. Whilst all clergy continue as deacons throughout, the majority are also ordained as at the end of their �irst year of ministry. The statistics show that women made up around 32% of the 20,000 active clergy last year, with a growing proportion of senior posts such as Bishops, Archdeacons and Cathedral Deans, occupied by women, from 25% in 2018 to 27% last year. Women were in the majority starting training for ordained ministry for the third year running, with equal numbers of men and women sponsored to train for ‘incumbent’ posts – such as Rector or Vicar - over the last two years. However currently only 25% of incumbent posts are occupied by women. The number of stipendiary, or paid clergy, remained stable, at 7,700, between 2018 and 2019, following a period of decline. There were 7,830 Readers or licensed lay ministers compared to just under 10,000 in 2010. Readers and licensed lay ministers are not ordained but can lead worship and preach in churches, among other roles. The statistics show the number of stipendiary clergy from black, Asian or minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds stood at 3.8%, while 7.8% of people

11 entering training for ordained ministry last year were from a BAME background. Out of a total of 550 people beginning training for ordained ministry last year, nearly a quarter, or 24%, were under 32 years old and more than two �ifths, 44%, were aged under 40. The Rt Revd Chris Goldsmith, Director of Ministry for the Church of England, said: “In recent years there has been an increasing diversity among our clergy, but we will not be content until those in public ministry truly re�lect the whole church and the communities which they serve.” The House of Bishops to proceed with ‘Living in Love and Faith’ resources The House of Bishops has con�irmed that it will proceed with the publication of the Living in Love and Faith teaching and learning resources in early November this year. The publication of the resources, originally scheduled for July 2020, had been deferred as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Commissioned by the House of Bishops and led by the Bishop of Coventry, Christopher Cocksworth, the aim of the Living in Love and Faith project is to help the whole Church to learn how relationships, marriage and sexuality �it within the bigger picture of a humanity created in the image of God. Commenting on the decision to proceed in the autumn of 2020, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said: “The LLF resources are about vital matters which affect the wellbeing of individuals and communities. That is why it is important for the Church to move ahead with publishing the resources as soon as possible. "They will help the Church to live out its calling to be a people who embody the reconciliation of Christ as together we explore matters of identity, sexuality and marriage.” The House endorsed the plan to enable bishops, dioceses, deaneries and local church communities to explore the resources together from the beginning of 2021. Great Bri�sh September Clean If you would like to get involved with the Great British September Clean (www.keepbritaintidy.org/ gbseptemberclean), can you get in touch directly with John Wood. [email protected] 01243867510

12 Holy Days in August

4 Jean-Baptiste Vianney, Curé d’Ars, Spiritual Guide, 1859 5 Oswald, King of Northumbria, Martyr, 642 6 The Trans�iguration of Our Lord 7 John Mason Neale, , Hymn Writer, 1866 8 Dominic, Priest, Founder of the Order of Preachers, 1221 9 Mary Sumner, Founder of the Mothers’ Union, 1921 10 Laurence, at Rome, Martyr, 258 11 Clare of Assisi, Founder of the Minoresses,1253 11 John Henry Newman, Priest, Tractarian, 1890 13 Jeremy Taylor, Bishop of Down and Connor, 1667 13 Florence Nightingale, Nurse, Social Reformer, 1910 13 Octavia Hill, Social Reformer, 1912 14 Maximilian Kolbe, Friar, Martyr, 1941 15 The Blessed Virgin Mary 20 Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux, Teacher of the Faith, 1153 20 William and Catherine Booth, Founders of the Salvation Army, 1912 and 1890 24 Bartholomew the Apostle 27 Monica, mother of Augustine of Hippo, 387 28 Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, Teacher of the Faith, 430 29 The Beheading of John the Baptist 30 John Bunyan, Spiritual Writer, 1688 31 Aidan, Bishop of Lindisfarne, Missionary, 651

During the present restrictions, where no printing of the Parish Magazine is possible, it is only available in PDF format from our website athttps://www.wilfrid.com/downloads/ This does mean however we can be more liberal with the number of pages. So rather than just have a few, this month we have many more Holy Day entries! 13 4th August - St John Mary Vianney, Priest by Fr Ray Whelan John Baptist (Jean-Baptiste) Vianney was born at Dardilly, near Lyons, in 1786. He was the son of a farmer and spent his early life as a shepherd boy. He got little formal schooling. The anti-religious violence of the French Revolution, with the outlawing of priests who remained faithful to their calling, also may have affected his opportunities for education. At the age of 20 he did begin studies for the priesthood but they were interrupted by his being conscripted for military service. However, like many others, he soon became a deserter and continued his seminary studies in secret until there was an amnesty in 1810. At this time he received the tonsure, the �irst step in becoming a cleric, and was accepted by the seminary at Verrieres. After three years he transferred to the seminary at Lyons in 1813. Studies did not come easily to him, especially the mastery of Latin which would have been the medium of instruction in philosophy and theology. He failed in his �inal oral examination but was admitted to major orders (sub diaconate, diaconate and priesthood) in 1815. Although he had the reputation of being the least capable student at Lyons, he was also regarded as the most devout. In accepting him for the priesthood, the vicar general said that the diocese needed not only learned priests but also holy ones. For his �irst appointment he became at Ecully for two years until his parish priest, who was very austere and deeply appreciative of Vianney, died in 1817. Vianney was then appointed parish priest of Ars-en-Dombes, a remote and insigni�icant village with only about 250 inhabitants. From now on he would be known as the Cure d’Ars (the pastor of Ars). This would be his home for the rest of his life. He lived a very austere and penitential life, living mainly on potatoes. He strongly attacked all blasphemous language and obscenities. He was the cause of village inns closing down because of a lack of custom. He attacked all forms of sexual abuse, dancing and immodesty. But all was not negative. He excelled at preaching and spiritual direction, both inside and outside the confessional. He seems to have had supernatural gifts of looking into people’s hearts, of knowing of events which had taken place far away and an ability to see into the future. The technical name for this (I once read) is 'gnoseocardia': supernaturally enabled access to what is going on in people's hearts, what really makes them tick. John Vianney had a penetration of people that was not only personal but circumstantial with details included. Of course that goes utterly beyond our natural capacities of judgment. There is well-established evidence that he was persecuted by poltergeists, 14 which he attributed to Satan. These included loud noises, personal violence and even the burning of his bed. More positively, he was responsible for the unexplained multiplication of food, especially for the orphanage which he had founded. His fame began to spread. Vianney himself attributed these happenings to St Philomena, to whom he had a special devotion and for whom he set up a shrine. But the people believed that Vianney himself was the source of all that happened. Between 1830 and 1845 as many as 300 people a day arrived by train from Lyons to see him. A special booking of�ice had to be opened in Ars to deal with them. Every day at 11 o’clock he preached at Mass and then spent long hours in the confessional. He could spend up to 12 hours a day hearing confessions and, in the years preceding his death, when the number of visitors reached 20,000 a year, he sometimes spent as many as 16 hours a day in the confessional. With the passing of the years and his deepening and more compassionate understanding of people, he became less severe and more understanding of human weaknesses, although listening to lists of sinful behaviour pained him deeply. He also began to insist more and more on the love of God and the power of the Church’s liturgical prayer. Three times he left Ars with the intention of entering monastic life but each time he returned to his parish. He turned down all ecclesiastical promotions but, with reluctance, accepted his being made a canon. He would not accept or display any sense of his own personal aggrandisement. The canon’s robes he sold and gave the money to the poor. A rather surprising honour was the government recognising his work by the conferring of the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour. However, he declined to attend the investiture and never wore the decoration. However in Church and for the worship of God, he displayed the very best and grandest of things. One of his famous sayings, about the Liturgy, worship, Vestments and the spiritual life was , “only the best was good enough for the good God”. Worn out by the austerity of his life and the endless numbers of people coming to him for direction, he �inally succumbed on 4 August 1859 at the age of 73. He was canonized by Pope Pius XI on 31 May 1925 and named patron of diocesan priests. 5th August: Oswald - a king with faith, courage and humility Many Christians have dreamed of doing something spectacular for God, which would be remembered for centuries afterwards. Oswald, who lived from 605 to 642AD, was in a position to do so. He was a King, whose father, Aethelfrith, was a great warrior who laid the foundations of the great kingdom of Northumbria. But Aethelfrith was killed by a rival, and Oswald was only 12 years old when he was driven into exile 15 with his elder sister and two younger brothers. For their own safety, all were taken to Irish territory in the West of Scotland. The three brothers were educated by the Christian monks on Iona. Meanwhile, warfare raged in Northumbria, and in due course the time came for Oswald to make a dif�icult decision. Should he remain in safety, or return to claim his kingdom? In 632 his older brother led an expedition there to sue for peace, but instead he was put to the sword. It was a time of broken dreams and bitter grief for the young Oswald, who must have spent many hours in prayer before he decided to risk his life by following his brother south. In his famous book, The Ecclesiastical History of England, Bede tells us that Oswald prepared to meet his enemies Cadwallon and Penda in battle on a December night at a place which is now called Heaven�ield. His small army was likely to be outnumbered and victory seemed impossible. But that night, Oswald had a vision of St Columba, the founder of Iona. Columba prophesied that Oswald would be king, and reminded him of God's words to Joshua at the River Jordan, "Be strong, and of good courage... for you will be the leader of these people as they occupy this land." Before battle commenced, Oswald made a rough cross from two young trees and held it upright until soldiers were able to �ill in the hole around it. Then he led his army in a prayer that God would bring victory and deliverance to his people. He also promised that if they survived, he would send for missionaries from Iona to bring the Christian faith to Northumbria. Oswald's subsequent victory has become part of the region's folklore, commemorated by the name of that battle�ield and the more permanent cross which now stands at Heaven�ield. Many leaders would have regarded such a triumph as the high point of their career, advanced to the royal palace and quickly forgotten their promise to God. But Oswald remained faithful, and in due course St Aidan arrived in the new kingdom and made Lindisfarne the centre of his ministry. Now it was time for Oswald to reveal a quality less frequently associated with kings, but even more vital to the spread of God's work. That quality was humility. As the sponsor and protector of Aidan, he could easily have imposed his own agenda on this new mission. Such a test came early, when Aidan declined Oswald's offer of resources at court in Bamburgh Castle, and chose the remoter location of Lindisfarne. Not only did Oswald accept the monk's decision gracefully; he continued to spend many uncomfortable weeks on the road acting as Aidan's interpreter. His willingness to lay aside his kingly privileges and play second �iddle to a spiritual leader ensured that the Gospel spread quickly through the new 16 kingdom and transformed many lives. Within a few years, dark times returned to Northumbria. Oswald was slain in battle and his brother Oswin succeeded to the throne. Penda continued to wreak havoc with his marauding raids; on one famous occasion, Aidan watched him attack the royal fortress as he prayed on the Farne Islands, and it is written that his intercessions caused the wind to change direction and beat back the �lames from the castle gates. But through it all, the light of Christianity continued to �lourish and grow. Aidan is rightly remembered as the missionary who brought the good news to Northumbria, but he could not have succeeded without Oswald, the man who was brave enough to claim an earthly kingdom, yet obedient enough to play a humbler role in advancing a heavenly one. Prayer from the liturgy for St Oswald's day (5th August), written by the Northumbria Community: "I place into your hands, Lord, the choices that I face. Guard me from choosing the way perilous of which the end is heart-pain and the secret tear. “May I feel your presence at the heart of my desire, and so know it is for Your desire for me. Thus shall I prosper, thus see that my purpose is from You, thus have power to do the good which endures." (Copyright Northumbria Community Trust, 1996) 6th August: The Trans�iguration - a glimpse of Jesus’ future glory The story is told in Matthew (17:1-9), Mark (9:1-9) and Luke (9:28-36). It was a time when Jesus’ ministry was popular, when people were seeking Him out. But on this day, He made time to take Peter, James and John, His closest disciples, up a high mountain. In the fourth century, Cyrillic of Jerusalem identi�ied it as Mount Tabor (and there is a great church up there today), but others believe it more likely to have been one of the three spurs of Mount Hermon, which rise to about 9,000 feet, and overlook Caesarea Philippi. High up on the mountain, Jesus was suddenly trans�igured before His friends. His face began to shine as the sun, His garments became white and dazzling. Elijah and Moses, of all people, suddenly appeared, and talked with Him. A bright cloud overshadowed the disciples. Peter was staggered, but, enthusiast that he was - immediately suggested building three tabernacles on that holy place, one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. But God’s ‘tabernacling’, God’s dwelling with mankind, does not any longer depend upon building a shrine. It depends on the presence of Jesus, instead. And so, a cloud covered them, and a Voice spoke out of the cloud, saying that Jesus was His beloved Son, whom the disciple should ‘hear’. God’s dwelling with mankind depends upon our listening to Jesus. Then, just as suddenly, it is all over. What did it mean? Why Moses and Elijah? Well, these two men represent the Law and the Prophets of the Old Covenant, 17 or Old Testament. But now they are handing on the baton, if you like: for both the Law and the Prophets found their true and �inal ful�ilment in Jesus, the Messiah. Why on top of a mountain? In Exodus we read that Moses went up Mount Sinai to receive the sacred covenant from Yahweh in the form of the Ten Commandments. Now Jesus goes up and is told about the ‘sealing’ of the New Covenant, or New Testament of God with man, which will be accomplished by His coming death in Jerusalem. That day made a lifelong impact on the disciples. Peter mentions it in his second letter, 2 Peter 1:16-19, invariably the reading for this day. The Eastern Churches have long held the Trans�iguration as a feast as important as Christmas, Epiphany, Ascension and Pentecost. But it took a long time for the West to observe the Trans�iguration. The feast starts appearing from the 11th and 12th centuries, and the Prayer Book included it among the calendar dates, but there was no liturgical provision for it until the 19th century.

Note: The photograph above taken on 25th May, 1924 in St. John’s Church, London Road, Bognor Regis, had a central panel which showed a trans�iguration scene. At a meeting of the PCC held on 20th February 1934 it was resolved to apply for a faculty to remove the central panel (Transfiguration Group) and replace it by a Resurrection Group and also to erect over the reredos a Triptych representing our Lord in Glory in accordance with the designs prepared by Mr. F. E. Howard of Polestead, Boar's Hill, Oxford. The faculty was granted on 4th April 1934 (WSRO ref 4/14). The reredos you see today at St. Wilfrid’s was transferred from St. John’s Church in 1971 before it was demolished. The question remains - why the removal of the Transfiguration Panel for a Resurrection design? PG

18 9th August: Mary Sumner – founder of the Mothers’ Union The Mothers’ Union is now nearly 145 years old. It has accomplished a staggering amount in that time, and nowadays numbers more than four million members, doing good work in 83 countries. That is a far cry from the modest circle of prayer for mothers who cared about family life, which is how it all began with a rector’s wife, Mary Sumner. Mary was born in late 1828 in Swinton, near Manchester. When she was four, her family moved to Herefordshire. Mary’s father, Thomas Heywood, was a banker and historian. Her mother has been described as a woman of “faith, charm and sympathy” – qualities which Mary certainly inherited. Mrs Heywood also held informal ‘mothers’ meetings’ at her home, to encourage local women. Those meetings may well have inspired Mary’s later work. Mary was educated at home, spoke three foreign languages, and sang well. While in her late teens, on a visit to Rome she met George Sumner, a son of the Bishop of Winchester. It was a well-connected family: George’s uncle became Archbishop of Canterbury, and his second cousin was William Wilberforce. Mary and George married in July 1848, soon after his ordination. They moved to Old Alresford in 1851 and had three children: Margaret, Louise and George. Mary dedicated herself to raising her children and supporting her husband’s ministry by providing music and Bible classes. When in 1876 Mary’s eldest daughter Margaret, gave birth, Mary was reminded how dif�icult she had found the burden of motherhood. Soon she decided to hold a meeting to which she invited the local women not only of her own class, but also all the village mothers. Her aim was to �ind out if women could be brought together to offer each other prayer and mutual support in their roles as wives and mothers. That meeting at Old Alresford Rectory was the inaugural meeting of the Mothers’ Union. For 11 years, the Mothers’ Union was limited to Old Alresford. Then in 1885 the Bishop of Newcastle invited Mary to address the women churchgoers of the Portsmouth Church Congress, some 20 miles away. Mary gave a passionate speech about the poor state of national morality, and the vital need for women to use their vocation as mothers to change the nation for the better. A number of the women present went back to their parishes to found mothers' meetings on Sumner's pattern. Soon, the Mothers’ Union spread to the dioceses of Ely, Exeter, Hereford, Lich�ield and Newcastle. By 1892, there were already 60,000 members in 28 dioceses, and by 1900 there were 169,000 members. By the time Mary died in 1921, she had seen MU cross the seas and become an international organisation of prayer and good purpose. 19 15th August The Blessed Virgin Mary A Sermon Preached by Fr Ray Whelan at St Richard’s Aldwick 15 August 2016 Rev 11:19;12:1-6,10. Ps 45:9-11,15.1 Cor 15:20-26. Luke 1:39-56. Today's Solemnity proclaims the signi�icance of matter, the signi�icance of the �lesh. It saves us from the proud idealism or spiritual high-mindedness which refuses to allow that God can really mean to save us in the �lesh. The Assumption is to recall modern men and women to a true sense of the destiny and holiness of matter. It is proclaimed to save us from that little voice within us, and a misunderstanding of Paul, especially in Romans 8, that whispers how true religion is only spiritual and the �lesh leads to corruption. The true wholeness of the body is now seen in the Virgin Mother whose body was the temple of the living Word. That same �lesh of the Mother of Christ now belongs to God's �inished creation. It is in her �lesh that all emotions and desires, all the secret sources of instinct and awareness, and all the conscious movements of the knower and the lover, have been gathered into blessedness. Yes, of course we see that in Jesus, but He is God. We see it in Mary as in an ordinary human being redeemed by Christ. Mary is Mother of God, a Title – Theotokos - which was given to her at the Council of Ephesus in 431 a.d. (to which the Church of England fully subscribes). This was to defend the Church against the heresy of misunderstanding Jesus’ humanity and divinity. No, Mary was not the originator of Christ’s divinity, but she gave birth to the WHOLE Jesus, fully God and fully man. If he wasn’t fully both in what theologians call the Hypostatic Union, he couldn’t be our Saviour! The Assumption of Mary has been believed in the Church from the earliest times. This was made into writing through Gregory of Tours in the 6th C and St John Damascene in the 7th C. There is an early document attributed to Melito of Sardis 180 a.d., which says the Assumption was handed down by John the Apostle. Although this is a pseudepigraphal document, it shows the event of the Assumption was known in Apostolic and subapostolic times. Remember, that the Faith of the Church, the DEPOSIT of FAITH, predates ALL of the writings, even Sacred Scripture. The earliest book of the New Testament was written at least 30 years after the Lord’s Resurrection. The DEPOSIT OF FAITH is that handed down by Jesus to the Apostles, and by them through the Apostolic Succession of Bishops who followed. The Bible does not tell us everything that happened before the last Apostle died. More of that can be found in the writings of the Early Church Fathers. But all the doctrines of the Church MUST be consonant or in line with the Teachings of Scripture. Enoch "walked with God, and he was seen no more because God took him" (Gen. 5:24). He was translated so as not to see death (Heb. 11:5). And then there was Elijah, who was taken up into heaven in a �iery chariot (4 Kings 2:1-13). And many think the same applied to Moses in Deuteronomy Chapter 34:5 where it states his grave was never found to this day, most unusual for one of 20 the great patriarchs. In the Epistle of Jude verse 9, the archangel Michael was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses. At the Trans�iguration, Moses and Elijah both appeared with Jesus. But the Bible says nothing about what happened to Mary, and doesn't it seem that there would be some mention of her never dying? After all, THAT would have been truly "remarkable”. One of the misunderstandings is that some think the Assumption holds that Mary did not die. That is not true. We don’t know for sure. The Church has never taught that. The integrity of the doctrine of the Assumption would not impaired if she did not die, but the almost universal consensus is that she did. The great Eastern Orthodox Churches celebrated the ‘Dormition’ or falling asleep of Our Lady long before the churches of the west made it an of�icial feast. Eastern Orthodox iconography depicts Mary asleep in death, while in the Vault of Heaven above, Jesus holds Mary bodily in His arms. Even when the doctrine was more clearly spelt out (or de�ined) by the West in 1950, it says, "after the completion of her earthly life"—note the silence regarding her death—"was assumed body and soul into the glory of Heaven." In short, her body wasn't allowed to corrupt, it was not allowed to remain in the tomb. (The possibility of a bodily assumption before the Second Coming is not excluded by 1 Cor. 15:23, and it is even suggested by Matt. 27:52-53.) Another misunderstanding is that Mary ‘Ascended’ into Heaven. That has never been taught. Christ, by his own power, ascended into heaven. Mary was assumed or taken up into heaven by God. She didn't do it under her own power. In the Conclusions of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission Agreed Statement of ARCIC II, paragraph 78 “As a result of our study, the Commission offers the following agreements, which we believe signi�icantly advance our consensus regarding Mary. We af�irm together……. the teaching that God has taken the Blessed Virgin Mary in the fullness of her person into his glory as consonant with Scripture, and only to be understood in the light of Scripture (paragraph 58). Mary is not worshipped in the same way that God is worshipped. God is worshipped as creator, sustainer, the Everlasting Father, with Jesus His Son and the Holy Spirit, One Holy Trinity. Mary is honoured as ‘Theotokos’ or God Bearer, an ordinary human being specially chosen and with perfect obedience to God her Father. I was once asked at a Con�irmation Class, “Do we worship Mary?” My answer was “Certainly not in the way we worship God!” The word ‘worship’ is derived from the Old English ‘worth’ + ‘ship’, worthship – worthy of honour. According to the major systems of theology, the reverence paid to the saints is ‘Dulia’, a latinised form of the greek, meaning ‘service’. This is contrasted with the honour due to Mary, ‘hyperdulia’, whereas the worship offered to God alone is ‘latria’ – full on your face, prostrated love, praise and adoration. There is a heretical tendency in most of us brought up in the reformed and 21

Indeed, the king was angry when he heard what Aidan had done. "That horse was �it for a king, not for some vagabond," he protested. "I could have found you an old nag if you wanted to give it away." Aidan's reply was simply, "What do you think, O King? Is the son of a mare worth more in your eyes than that the Son of God?" There was an awkward silence; then the King removed his sword, knelt at Aidan's feet and asked his forgiveness. When he returned to the banqueting table, it was with a beaming smile. Sadly, he too was to perish in battle shortly afterwards; these were violent times. Yet Oswin, whose culture demanded that he should appear all-powerful in the eyes of his followers, had been publicly humbled by the integrity of a simple monk who had challenged his values.

St. Wilfrid’s Pilgrimage ‘In Search of St. Wilfrid’ led by Fr. Roger Calder, included a visit to Holy Island on 12th October, 1999. Whilst there we had a Eucharist at St. Mary’s Church and saw this statue of St. Aidan. The sculptor of the 1958 statue was Kathleen Parbury You can follow our 1999 pilgrimage on our website and the Holy Island visit at h�ps://www.wilfrid.com/lindisfarne-holy-island/ 24 Eternity in the human heart Canon Paul Hardingham considers the times of our lives ‘He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.’ (Ecclesiastes 3:11). The 60s hit ‘Turn! Turn! Turn!’ by the Byrds is based on verses in this chapter: ‘There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.’ The different seasons of life are not random, for God is in control and His timing is perfect: ‘He has made everything beautiful in its time.’ The verse goes on to say that God ‘has also set eternity in the human heart.’ This means that we all have an in-built sense that there’s more to life than what we can see, as we search for meaning in life. However, we can �ill our lives with other things: career, pleasure, shopping and relationships. While good in themselves, these things can never ultimately satisfy. It is only a relationship with God through Jesus that truly satis�ies. How does this challenge us? Firstly, we are to live for God in all that we do, knowing that it all counts for eternity. This includes helping others �ind a personal relationship with Jesus Christ for eternity. Secondly, we accept that there is lots in the current ‘season’ where it’s dif�icult to know what God is doing: ‘no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.’ However, we do know that everything has consequences for eternity. Finally, how can we be more aware of eternity every day? Spending time with God in worship and prayer will bring us the true pleasure that belongs to eternity. ‘You made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they �ind their rest in you.’ (St Augustine). We must be determined to be ‘anti-racist’ Selina Stone, tutor and lecturer in Political Theology at , considers the current outcry against racism. This article comes from the LICC.org.uk website and is offered here by their kind permission. If you would like to see similar articles on ‘Connecting with Culture’, please go to LICC.org.uk. If you use this article, please credit Selina Stone, LICC. George Floyd is the latest in a long line of black people who, in recent years, have died at the hands of the police in America. This has led to a global outcry against racism, demanding fairness and equality in interpersonal relationships. But more than this, justice requires us to root out and re-order any system, structure, or narrative which privileges white people over people of colour and their cultures, norms, and perspectives. Many consider racism against black people to be an American problem, but Britain’s imperial history has given us our own particular brand. While many 25 white people would publicly denounce overtly racist behaviour, many of our systems are inherently racist and some people remain willing and conscious participants in them. That’s why it’s not enough to check our unconscious biases. We must be determined to be ‘anti-racist’, to work against the status quo wherever it disadvantages black people. This is fundamentally theological: af�irming the inherent dignity of all people created in God’s image. In the UK, recent research demonstrates that black children are twice as likely to live in poverty than white children. Black people face discrimination in employment and health care. They are more likely to be stopped and searched by the police, to get sentenced to prison time and to be given longer sentences than white people. As a country, we have our own stories of excessive force and of the deaths of black people in police custody. Stories that do not end with justice. These realities are well-known by black people in the UK, including black Christians. Black Brits share the pain of African-Americans suffering under the weight of the same sin and injustice, the same racism. Yet, the lack of solidarity displayed by many white Christians and leaders has deepened this pain. The unity and witness of the church – as an institution and through its members in society – depend not just on shared faith, but also on shared love and shared burdens. The racial inequities of our churches often fail to speak prophetically to the world – this is a week for lament and repentance. For those moved to compassion, it’s also a time to listen, learn, and practise solidarity with your black brothers and sisters. Action is the way we bring about a new world. A world that cares, principally, for the ‘least of these’. When Christ stood in Trafalgar Square Peter Crumpler, a Church of England priest in St Albans, Herts, and a former Director of Communications with the CofE. There is a photo to go with this article. I’m not a big fan of statues – but my favourite was the life-sized �igure of Christ that stood in London’s Trafalgar Square during the Millennium celebrations. It stood on the square’s previously-empty fourth plinth, going almost unnoticed among the surrounding grand statues and with Nelson’s Column towering above it. The statue, called Ecce Homo (Behold the Man), was built by conceptual artist Mark Wallinger and erected in 1999. He explained: “I consciously made Him life-size. We are made in God’s image, and He was made in our image. “So for the statue to stand in contrast to the overgrown relics of empire was de�initely part of the plan.” The �igure was made of white marble resin, and depicted Christ standing before the multitude with His head slightly bowed. 26 I found the statue of Christ deeply moving and kept returning to Trafalgar Square to stand and gaze at it. Because to me, the statue declared Christ’s vulnerability. It stood as a reminder that the God of all creation came to earth as a man and lived among us. He gave up His life so that we might have salvation. There, with London’s traf�ic rushing by, pigeons coming in to land, and tourists snapping photographs of each other, Christ stood unobtrusively. Standing, you could say, at the door of our consciousness, and asking to be let in. In a BBC interview at the time, the artist said that he wanted the statue to be an antidote to the “spiritually empty celebration” then taking place at the Millennium Dome in Greenwich. It certainly had a deep effect on me. In April 2017, the statue of Christ was placed on the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral during Easter. Again, I watched as tourists passed by not noticing the �igure. It was a modern-day parable in marble resin. When the Apostle Paul took a stroll around Athens, he spotted the various altars and statues to the Greek gods. He found an altar ‘To an Unknown God’ and declared that this was “the God who made the world and everything in it” who had made Himself known in Jesus Christ. Just as Mark Wallinger took possession of the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square for Jesus Christ – the reason for the Millennium celebrations – so Paul claimed the ‘unknown God’ altar in Athens for the Christian gospel. The Bible has always been wary of putting people on pedestals. It shows us all sides of the people it describes, warts and all. It tells us that Moses was a murderer, that David was an adulterer, that Paul persecuted the �irst Christians and that Peter denied Christ. But all of us have feet of clay, and few of us deserve to be memorialised for centuries in stone or marble. Rather, we are gently encouraged to love God and to love our neighbour as ourselves. Maybe that’s the best way to make our mark in history. We continue our occasional series looking at the stories BEHIND some of our favourite hymns. HYMN: The story behind … JUST AS I AM The hymn ‘Just As I Am’ must be one of the most famous in the world. It has been sung by tens of millions of Christians at Billy Graham Crusades the world over, just for starters! Yet it was not written by a professional who was ‘aiming’ at a speci�ic market, as many songs seem to be written today. Instead, it was written by an artist in Victorian times. Her name was Charlotte Elliott, and she was born in Clapham in 1789. She grew up in a well to do home, and became a portrait artist and also a writer of humorous verse. All was well until Charlotte fell ill in her early 30s, and slid 27 into a black depression. A minister, Dr Caesar Malan of Switzerland, came to visit her. Instead of sympathising, he asked her an unexpected question: did she have peace with God? Charlotte deeply resented the question and told him to mind his own business. But after he left, his question haunted her. Did she have peace with God? She knew that she did not, that she had done some very wrong things. So, she invited Dr Malan to return. She told him that she would like to become a Christian, but would have to sort out her life �irst. Dr Malan again said the unexpected: “Come just as you are.” The words were a revelation to Charlotte. She had assumed that she would have to put her life in order before she could hope to be accepted by God. Instead, she realised that Jesus wanted her just as she was - and He would take care of the sin. Charlotte became a Christian that day. 14 years later, in 1836, Charlotte wrote some verses that summed up how it had been between her and Jesus that day. They ran: Just as I am, without one plea, But that thy blood was shed for me, And that thou bids’t me come to Thee O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

Just as I am, tho tossed about With many a con�lict, many a doubt Fightings within, and fears without, O Lamb of God, I come! I come! Charlotte could not have dreamed that 150 years into the future, her verses would be sung by millions of people all over the world, as they responded to the Gospel presented at many great Billy Graham crusades, and made their way forward to do just as the hymn describes - to come to Jesus Christ, despite sin and fear and doubts, to come ‘just as I am.’ Psalm 40 – desperation to security Canon Paul Hardingham on a much-loved Psalm. ‘I waited patiently for theLord ; he turned to me and heard my cry.’ (Psalm 40:1). ‘Dear God, I pray for patience, and I want it now!’ Most of us can identify with this prayer, especially as we face an uncertain future. Psalm 40:1-3 describes how David waited patiently on God (lit: ‘I waited, waited for the Lord.’). Do we also intensively wait on God? David speaks of falling into a deep, dark well and sinking deep into the sludge: ‘a slimy pit of mud and mire’. This expresses his desperate helplessness that 28 threatened to take his life. We don’t know what David was going through, but in our current situation we can easily identify with him. David cried out to God, who answered his prayer: ‘He lifted me out of the slimy pit, he set my feet on a rock’. There is a world of difference between quicksand and rock, as God lifts us from desperation to security. Waiting on God is not inactivity, but it means engaging in service to God and others, as we discern His will and accept His wisdom and timing. In response, David offers praise to God: ‘He put a new song in my mouth. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.’ His song is an expression of gratitude and trust in God, who can deliver us from every sort of pit and mire. People of praise never take their life for granted and they are credible witnesses to others, with a personal story of faith to tell. ‘Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, who does not look to the proud.’ Whatever our current circumstances, we can con�idently turn to God alone for help, as our loving heavenly Father. When tourists get lost Have you ever got into trouble while abroad? The true story is told of a group of tourists who went to Israel some years ago and arrived in Jerusalem very eager to see the sites of the old city. Four members of the group were so engrossed in taking pictures of each other by the Wailing Wall that they ignored the summons from the tour group leader to go back to the bus. A little while later, they realised that they were all on their own in Jerusalem. That’s when their problems started. The four tourists decided to head back to their hotel. But no one could remember the exact name of the hotel. So, they hailed a taxi, and asked it to drive around Jerusalem looking for the hotel. An hour or so later, the driver gave up and demanded payment. That’s when they discovered that they did not have enough money to pay the driver. So the driver took them to the police, who demanded some identi�ication. That’s when the four tourists remembered that they had left their passports in the hotel safe... Some hours later, the tour guide tracked down the missing tourists. They greeted her with tears of relief as she provided the police with their passports, paid their debt, and prepared to lead them safely back to their hotel. The police gave some parting advice to the tourists: “From now on, you stay close to your friend!” Stay close to your friend. It’s good advice for all of us. If your life is going in the wrong direction, if you have run up debts of wrong-doing, if you feel lost and alone, you need to take action. You need to stop going on like this. Turn around and go in another direction. The Bible calls this action of ‘stopping and turning around’ repentance.

29 Repentance is when you stop one direction, and you turn to God. For the good news is that there is a heavenly tour guide on whom we can all call. Only God can save us from the mess we are in. He sent us His Son to forgive us our sins, to provide us with an identity, and, if we walk with Him, lead us safely through life. As the Bible says: “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) Debts and lockdown All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered round him (King David), and he became their commander… 1 Samuel 22:2 Over the lockdown period there has been a honeymoon for people in debt, when some of�icial action has been put on hold. Honeymoon is perhaps not the best word; holiday may be better. At the beginning of the coronavirus emergency, the Government introduced regulations to temporarily prevent court of�icials such as bailiffs seizing goods in people’s homes or on highways (where your car may be). There has also been a suspension of enforcement of house possession orders. In addition, many banks have agreed mortgage repayment holidays, or agreed overdrafts at lower interest rates. Some taxes such as VAT or other taxes will not be collected during the emergency. Many court hearings on are hold. It all sounds too good to be true. This has been a unique experience offering a breathing space to people in debt, but what happens when the debt holiday ends? Many people must be very concerned at the reduction in income at the moment, and dread what will happen when things begin to get back to normal and the little brown envelopes start coming through the letterbox. So, what can you do? You can start preparing now. Put some money aside every week if you can. Set a budget and stick to it. Talk to the people you owe money to. Make a note of what was said and con�irm it by email or post. Get advice from a debt counsellor or free advice agency. Do not be afraid to ask for help or more time. Do not do nothing! Look out for each other. If you know of someone in trouble, suggest they get help. As always this is a light-hearted comment on a complex subject. Always get proper professional advice.

30 THE WAY I SEE IT: What have you missed most during lockdown? Canon David Winter is feeling very solitary just now… It's a good question, because it is about the things that make us tick. When I examined my list, I found obvious things - going to church, live sport on TV, meeting up with friends for a coffee or a beer. But as I thought more deeply about it, I realised that what I missed most was TOUCH. For nearly four months I have not touched another human being! That is an astonishing deprivation. When a baby is born, its �irst experiences are all of touch. The strong hands of the midwife, mother’s excited and loving embrace, tiny hands reaching out to feel mummy’s face. We touch our way into life. And then it goes on. Holding hands with friends, being hugged by grandma, your �irst serious kiss, and perhaps a last tearful one at the end of a much- loved life. We greet each other with a holy kiss, the Bible says. And why not? Sight, smell, hearing and touch. Four senses. And I think lockdown has taught me that the greatest of these is touch! Still love your neighbours? One side-effect of lockdown has been seeing more of our neighbours – which of course can be very nice indeed. But if those neighbours constantly play loud music or hold smoky barbecues, it can be tiresome. And just wait until they invest the latest craze: a big bubbling hot tub for their garden. The craze seems to have started when we realised that summer holidays were not happening this year. Sales of garden Jacuzzis went up 490 per cent on eBay, and at Argos almost every style was sold out. On Amazon, hot tubs feature on the ‘most wished for’ list. But now social media is buzzing with complaints about neighbours who �lout lockdown advice with ‘hot-tub parties’, and neighbours who are inconsiderate when emptying their hot tub – sending a �lood of water over into your garden. Who is most lonely now? Young people have been twice as likely as baby boomers to experience lockdown loneliness, according to a recent survey by the Of�ice for National Statistics (ONS). More than half of 16 to 24 year-olds said they have felt lonely during the pandemic, compared to less than a quarter of those aged 55-69.

31 Parable of the Doctor and the Ill Person

32 August Maze

33 Bible Bite - Amazing Faith

34 Word Search - Amazing Faith

35 Crossword

Across 1 and 3 Two of the disciples who witnessed the trans�iguration of Jesus (Luke 9:28) (4,3,5) 3 See 1 Across 8 ‘Let us draw — to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith’ (Hebrews 10:22) (4) 9 OSimonis(anag.)(8) 11 Form of government under the direct rule of God or his agents (10)

36 14 How Jesus found his disciples when he returned to them after praying in Gethsemane (Luke 22:45) (6) 15 In The Pilgrim’s Progress, the name of the meadow into which Christian strayed, which led to Doubting Castle (2-4) 17 Glad sin rat (anag.) (10) 20 Spinal column (Leviticus 3:9) (8) 21 Valley of the Balsam Tree with a reputation of being a waterless place (Psalm 84:6) (4) 22 ‘The oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of one — — sees clearly’ (Numbers 24:3) (5,3) 23 Adam and Eve’s third son (Genesis 4:25) (4)

Down 1 David’s great friend (1 Samuel 20:17) (8) 2 ‘The Lord... will bring me safely to his — kingdom’ (2 Timothy 4:18) (8) 4 ‘I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I ate no choice food; — — or wine touched my lips’ (Daniel 10:3) (2,4) 5 Seeking to vindicate (Job 32:2) (10) 6 Female servant (Isaiah 24:2) (4) 7 ‘For Christ died for — once for all’ (1 Peter 3:18) (4) 10 ‘Offering spiritual sacri�ices — to God through Jesus Christ’ (1 Peter 2:5) (10) 12 Jesus said that some people had renounced this ‘because of the kingdom of heaven’ (Matthew 19:12) (8) 13 One of the three men thrown into the furnace for refusing to worship Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image (Daniel 3:20) (8) 16 ‘You have — of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry’ (Luke 12:19) (6) 18 ‘There before me was a white horse! Its rider held — — , and he was given a crown’ (Revelation 6:2) (1,3) 19 Equipment to Charity Hospitals Overseas (1,1,1,1)

37 Word Search - The Transfigura�on

August is a quiet month as far as the Church calendar is concerned, except that during the 11th century, some church fathers slipped in an important day - the Trans�iguration of Jesus, when His disciples were given just a glimpse of His future glory (Matthew 17, Mark 9, Luke 9). Jesus took Peter, James and John, his closest disciples, up a high mountain. This is often identi�ied as either Mount Tabor (there is a great church up there today), or one of the three spurs of Mount Hermon, which overlook Caesarea Philippi. High up on the mountain, Jesus was suddenly trans�igured before His disciples. His face began to shine as the sun, His garments became white and dazzling. Elijah and Moses, of all people, suddenly appeared, and talked with Him. A bright cloud overshadowed the disciples, and a divine Voice spoke out of the cloud, saying that Jesus was His beloved son, whom the disciples should ‘hear’. God’s dwelling with mankind depends upon our listening to Jesus. Then, just as suddenly, it is all over. What did it mean? Why Moses and Elijah? Well, these two men represent the Law and the Prophets of the Old Covenant, or Old Testament. But now they are handing on the baton, if you like: for both the Law and the Prophets found their true and �inal ful�ilment in Jesus, the Messiah. That day made a lifelong impact on the disciples. Peter mentions it in his second letter, 2 Peter 1:16 - 19 - invariably the reading for this day. Answers: Trans�iguration; Jesus; mountain; Tabor; Hermon; Caesarea; Philippi; high; shine; face; cloud; transformed; white; dazzling; Elijah; Moses; dwelling; mankind; Law; Prophets; Peter; James; John; fear; glory

38 Mouse Makes

39 Crossword Solu�on

40 Word Search Answers - Amazing Faith

Word Search Answers - The Transfigura�on

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