Vicar's Bit For September
The times are a changing
I woke up this morning to find it had rained overnight. Alleluia! Not enough though to break the drought. The climate is definitely changing. Even climate change deniers, seeing Europe on fire and a record numbers of days over 30 degrees, are struggling with their arguments.
It made me think whether I should reread bible passages. Take the famous one from Ecclesiastes 3:
“For everything there is a season, and a time for everything under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted…”
The seasons that worked well for farmers, no longer do. It is far too dry to plant right now. Last winter it was too wet to plant. The corn and the wheat this year was brought in earlier than ever before, and it was a poor crop too. What other crops might be drought resistant? And without extra water storage, will we grow enough of our food in the future?
Personally, I’ve been struggling with the seasons. The diary I’ve ordered has not yet arrived. Perhaps I should have an electronic church diary. The Anglican Church Diary starts in late November, with Advent, rather than on January 1st. As I write, I have an August Benefice Council planning meeting, and colleagues want to know what Christmas service are being planned. So I’m struggling. I’ve no diary but the same seasonal services to do.
What do we do then when the seasons fail to do the expected thing?
Jesus as he prepared for his judicial death told his friends this parable.
“Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourself and know that summer is near. So also, when you see things taking place you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place.” Luke 21. 29-33
We are living in a time when, within a generation, the seasons are being scrambled by global warming. Sinful humanity has been putting far too much carbon into the atmosphere. And Christ died for these sins of pollution too; he died so that his kingdom might come all the sooner. As a new academic term begins this September, I think the Lord is expecting our response to be all the more urgent.
SERVICES IN SEPTEMBER
We continue to have a wedding a week from August into September–
Saturday 29th August 1pm Maisemore Church, Stephen Guest and Victoria Scofield
Friday 4th September 2pm Tirley Church, Jack Robinson and Gabby Scrivens
Monday 14th September 12.30pm Corse Church, Isaac Bate-Williams and Megan Price
Saturday 19th September 11.30am Hartpury Church, Brad Whiston and Georgina Pugh
We offer our congratulations and prayers.
With an earlier Harvest we start our Harvest Festivals in September-
September 20th 11am Maisemore Church
September 27th 11am Ashleworth Church
October 4th 11am Tirley Church (Benefice Service)
We celebrate a family baptism at BIG Church Ashleworth 11am on September 20th of Chloe, James and Georgina Haines. Well done!