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The Rector writes:
With the recent arrival of the 7 billionth individual living on the planet, we know that the birth of a baby is a frequent and routine happening. Hence, on the face of it, the event at the heart of the Christmas story is simple and familiar. Yet for those aware of the backstory to the young couple huddled together in the stable, this commonplace occurrence has extraordinary features. A strange and miraculous conception, angel appearances and divine messages conveyed in dreams set Mary and Joseph apart; they have a vital role to play in God’s unfolding plan. Alongside working out who Jesus is, his identity, is the question of what he has done for us, his work. “He has become like us, so we may become like him,” wrote Athanasius, one of the great theologians of the early church. Through Jesus, we are able to participate in God’s eternal life and love. Our calling as a church is to offer the love we receive from God to each other. In mission, we are to share God’s love with all those beyond our church. This threefold sharing of God’s love, through participating in God’s life through Jesus, in our life together and in mission, unites all churches far and wide. In our context, the interrelationship between the churches in our Team ministry is to be expressed differently from 1st January. The parishes of Debden, Wimbish, Great and Little Chesterford are to join the Saffron Walden and Villages Team Ministry formally. Simultaneously, Saffron Walden, Littlebury, Wendens Ambo, Ashdon and Hadstock are to become parishes again in their own right, instead of forming one united parish. Collaborating together will happen through the Ministry Co-ordination Group (the licensed clergy and our Team Facilitator, Judith Hasler) and the Team Council which will consist of two lay representatives from each of the nine parishes and the clergy licensed to the Team. This next stage in the life of the Saffron Walden and Villages Team Ministry is very important. To celebrate this significant advance, there will be a special service on Sunday 11th March at 4 pm – a date, I hope, for your diaries. With a financial crisis engulfing Europe and blighting economic growth around the world, we are very aware of our global interdependence. Protesters outside of St. Paul’s Cathedral and the humanitarian crisis in East Africa bring to our attention those left behind and those who are impoverished by the constant drive for greater prosperity by the rich and the richer countries. Despite the best efforts of politicians, cynicism and weariness are pervasive. Reviving flagging economies and the old, tried and tested ways of doing things may not be, I think, the answer. In the multiple difficulties, I wonder, could there be something new emerging? Could a better world materialise? Might justice and peace for all come closer? Advent and Christmas are seasons of hope; in which we are summoned to recommit ourselves to God’s goals for our world, our nation, our town and our lives. Whilst this presents us with a challenge, our confidence is not in our own efforts but in God. Moreover, as we look again at Jesus in the manager, wrapped in swaddling bands, we discover that our past, present and future is enfolded in God’s renewing love.
Team Rector of Saffron Walden
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