Honoring the Queen, honoring God

The churches of this parish join the nation in mourning and thanksgiving, as we bid farewell to our faithful Queen.

For most people in Britain, the Queen has been ever-present throughout our lives, leading through good times and bad times. She has been a committed servant of other people, bringing hope to many, nourished by her faith in Jesus Christ.

The royal family has lost a beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, and we pray for them in their loss, that they will draw near to and be sustained by the same Lord who sustained the Queen. We pray for King Charles III as he begins his reign.

In mourning the Queen’s death, we give thanks for her life and for our God whose love and power are stronger than death. In the words of Hebrews 6.19, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure”.

Wishing you God’s best,

David Price, Vicar

A summer thought

As you might expect, I believe Jesus gives us lots to good reasons to have faith in God – indeed I spend much of my life trying to persuade people of these.  But I also believe Christians should engage constructively and courteously with people who do not share our views.

Surveys consistently show that the number one objection to belief in God is the prevalence of suffering in the world.  Many people believe this shows that God is not real, or not powerful, or not good.  This is not just a contemporary view; people have wrestled with this issue down the centuries.

Jesus addressed the issue of suffering head-on, recorded by Luke in the first few verses of chapter 13.  He also addressed the then-widespread view that the things which happen to people (good or bad) are deserved, and he repeatedly contradicted that kind of thinking.  We might summarise His view as ‘stuff happens’ and this is just part of life, and he went on to teach people to get right with God now since none of us knows when we will be run over by the proverbial bus.

God never did promise an easy life, but what He does promise is that He loves us and wants us to turn to Him.  Some of the most contented people I know are people whose lives have been marked by significant suffering but who know that God is with them in the ups and downs, twists and turns of life.  Whatever highs and lows you experience, I hope this will be true for you too.

Wishing you God’s best,

David

A new start?

Today’s resignation by the Prime Minister is a pivotal moment in the life of this nation,  and reflects a right desire for honesty and integrity from those in positions of responsibility.

Truth and integrity are commended many times in the scriptures as being the best way to live.  This is a moment of opportunity, to reclaim some of the values which we say matter to us, but which have become all-too-scarce in some parts of public life.

It would be naïve to suggest that all will be well from now on.  Like all of us, any political leader is tempted to make the sinful mistake of saying or doing what is expedient, rather than what is right.  For those of us not in politics, it is easier to criticise others than to take hard look in the mirror.  But there is a chance that honesty and integrity will be more prominent in future – you might like to pray for this.

The gospel writer John, after whom our parish church is named, quotes Jesus saying, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8.32).  Let’s pray that this will be our experience.

But, whoever becomes our next leader, he or she will inevitably disappoint many people.  There is only one leader who will not let us down, and that is Jesus.  Truth can sometimes be a vague idea but, further on in John’s gospel from our first quote,  Jesus described himself as THE truth:

“I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me”  (John 14.6).

Jesus offers a REAL new start. Thank God for that.

DP

Happy Easter

On the front wall of St John’s (and many other churches!), there is a cross.  Not surprisingly, some people find it odd that the Christian church has a symbol of execution as its ‘logo’ – surely that’s not the way to attract people?  But Christians believe the death of Jesus was an execution with a divine purpose, as Jesus took on himself the punishment that we deserved.  That’s why the anniversary of Jesus’ execution is considered ‘Good’ Friday.

On Easter morning, some of us will enjoy the earliest service of the year, at 6am on the beach.  We look forward to watching the s-U-n rise while we celebrate the rising of the s-O-n from the empty tomb.  In everyday experience, dead people stay dead, but Jesus was different, leading millions down the ages to follow Him as Lord and enjoy transformed lives as a result.  I love giving away copies of Val Grieve’s book ‘Your verdict on the empty tomb’ at this time of year, do let me know if you’d like a copy.

As a quick summary, I think about Good Friday as being about God’s love and Easter Day as about God’s power.  Both are unlimited!  I hope that, amid the chocolate and other goodies we enjoy, you will take time to reflect on both God’s love and power – HAPPY EASTER!

David

Suffering in Ukraine

All of us are being touched by the images we are seeing from Ukraine, under such widespread and devastating attack by Russia.  Our hearts go out to all affected, including the Ukrainian community here in Poole, who naturally fear for the welfare of family and friends.  Having done assignments in both Ukraine and Russia in the years before I became a vicar, it has been awful to see pictures of places I’ve been – how much worse it must be to have loved ones directly involved.

Whilst acknowledging some of the historical nuances of the relationship between Ukraine and Russia, I have to say that what Mr Putin is doing is both evil and misguided.  People are dying and suffering as a result of his decisions, which are a far cry from the Bible’s repeated command to love your neighbour.  I also find myself thinking of the chilling words “Russia has not finished with Ukraine yet” in Tim Marshall’s excellent 2015 book ’Prisoners of Geography’.

Jesus himself addressed the situation of innocent people being murdered by a foreign power (see the first few verses of Luke chapter 13 for more detail) and it’s no surprise to see it repeated today, as a more recent despotic leader regards as cheap the lives of other people.  Inevitably, the war leaves us with big questions.  One of these is how we can play our part in welcoming refugees.  I recommend the websites https://sanctuaryfoundation.org.uk  and https://homesforukraine.campaign.gov.uk to investigate how you could help.