8th October 2021. Pastoral Letter
Dearly Beloved
October is Black History Month. Schools have been looking at key black people in history. I’ve been doing thought for the days on some key black African saints. Consider St Augustine, his mum St Monica, St Athanasius, St Tertullian, Origen, martyrs Perpetua and Felicitas and I could just keep going. The reason why we are Christians here in Seaford is because of the gospel going down into Africa and through these saints, and their councils and creeds and prayers it has come up to us.
Who would be a good Black role model that you might think of? Archbishop Sentamu, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Martin Luther King Jr … do let me know.
For example, I had not heard of Harriet Tubman. She ran away from her ‘owners’ to freedom but then secretly returned again and again to lead others to liberty. She was nicknamed ‘Moses’ because the Underground Train that she set up was an exodus for so many. Her faith gave her the courage to run for her own freedom, God guided her to a safe family, but she didn’t then relax and take the easy path of life but returned again and again. She would be a good role model of faith for us all.
By the time you are reading this most likely the news of the General Synod elections will be known. We have been running an LLF course, Living in Love and Faith course, for the whole deanery, for people to explore how Christian teaching and experience of love and sexuality. It will all feed into the Bishops’ deliberations in February and then onto the summer sitting of General Synod.
Our Alpha course is going well. Its such a good forum for asking good questions. A mum at Tots group asked me what Abraham’s faith was and why God chose him and I thought you should come on our next Alpha course, you’ve got some good questions being stirred in you. At the end of the month we will have our Saturday away day so please do pray for that.
I hope you were able to pop into St Leonards and see the fabulous Flower Festival. We had a wonderful evensong on the Sunday evening, and the following week we had a Songs of Praise to heartily sing round the Christian year from ‘Tell out my soul’ (Mothering Sunday) through Lent, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost and ending with Come ye thankful people come.
The wind has so pushed and pushed at our Southern side windows, especially the Ascension window, that we are applying now for the faculty permission we need to get it repaired. We had been fundraising for it and we haven’t got all the money we need but it has got to the point where we simply must repair it. So a big thank you to you for all the sacrificial financial giving that you do do.
I’ve been thinking about ‘The Rich Young Ruler’. Whilst he’s wealthy, its not clear to me that he’s that young or that he rules that much. His question “what must I do to inherit eternal life” struck me as oddly me-centric, selfish. The cure that Jesus offers is one that will force him to be outward looking and care for others – to give his money to the poor. It reminded me of God’s call on us to be our brothers’, our sisters’, keeper. We are to continue to look out for each other, to not grow weary in doing good, to carry each others burdens. In practical terms that means calling each other up and seeing how Another is, praying for them, supporting the Church family in whatever way you can because oddly it is in giving that we receive, so sings the prayer of St Francis.
Peace to you this week.
With love and prayer
James and Lucy