A message from Fr John

Dear Friends

Good morning - a little cooler and better for sleeping

The Prophet Micah was one of the minor prophets, active around 720 BC. Like other prophets he foresaw the destruction of Jerusalem and the scattering of Israel because of their infidelity. But all was not lost if they would repent, and so we have one of the gentlest verses in the whole of scripture.

'And what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?'
Micah 6: 8 (NRSV)

The Lord is not demanding but simply desires our active participation in his ongoing concern for us.

And that brings to mind the lovely but challenging line from GM Hopkins’ As kingfishers catch fire

'The just man justices, keep grace that keeps all his goings graces’

Or

‘Nothing beats kindness,’ said the horse, ‘It sits quietly beyond all things.’

And so …
Tomorrow’s email newsletter will be a little different. Following a request/advice from the Finance Committee et al., it will be more in the form of newsletter which can be printed off for delivery to those parishioners who don’t have access to email or Zoom. It seems that last week’s suggestion of delivering The Lord’s Day at Home service sheet was taken up with some degree of success and it would seem sensible now to extend the outreach even further. It will require some generosity in terms of paper, printer and time but we think it will be a valuable way of sustaining the parish community.

The outreach can be to the elderly, the single parent families who can’t get out so much, our new members from Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe - you know who they are. Observing all the current guidelines, all you need to do is push it through the letter box.

As Wilfred Pickles used to say, ‘Have a go.’

Thank you for all you are doing to maintain and build parish life.

Two more reminders:
Food Bank donations
Standing Orders for parish donations

St Joseph, pray for us

Every blessing

Fr John