REFLECTIONS


These pieces are written each month by members of our clergy team.

August Leader

The month of August often arrives with a strange paradox. Logically, it sits at the height of summer - a season that should inherently invite us to slow down, bask in long evenings, and breathe a bit deeper. Yet, there can sometimes be a temptation to treat it like the final, frantic sprint before the chaotic gears of September and the autumn routine grind back into motion. To avoid this temptation, we could do worse than read the ancient words of Psalm 23, where we find a profound, counter-cultural narrative that serves as an invitation to rest.

In a world driven by a relentless culture of "more" - more hustle, more achievement, more connection - the Psalmist begins with the famous lines, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want," which is an expression of absolute trust in God’s provision. By saying "I shall not want" the psalmist is declaring that, in this present moment, ‘what I have’ and ‘where I am’ is enough. August can be the perfect time to practice the kind of contentment that the psalmist expresses. It can be a time to put down the internal ledger of what we haven't accomplished this year and simply be thankful for what we have been given.

The theme of rest runs through the psalm: "He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters." Sheep do not instinctively lie down if they feel threatened, hungry, or agitated. The shepherd has to create an environment of such safety and abundance that the sheep finally feel permitted to rest.

Many of us require a similar gentle disruption. We are so conditioned to constant movement that slowing down feels like a risk, or worse, a failure. Choosing a slower pace in August - whether that means turning off email notifications, spending an afternoon watching shadows shift across a lawn, or sitting by literal quiet waters - is an act of trust. It is a physical declaration that the world will keep spinning even if we stop spinning with it.

According to the psalmist, this kind of slowing down can make space for healing. The third verse reminds us of the ultimate purpose of this quiet: "He restores my soul." The psalmist seems to be saying that the soul cannot be restored while travelling at high speed. It’s almost as if the soul needs that time by the still waters to ‘catch up,’ as it were, with the body. The evidence seems to show that when we are constantly in a rush, our interior life can become fragmented. With that in mind, a slower August can act as a sanctuary for integration, giving our minds and spirits the quiet environment they need to mend from the fractures of a demanding year. Even as the Psalm transitions into darker territory - the "valley of the shadow of death" - the theme of rest is still there. The Psalmist notes, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies." Even when surrounded by conflict, pressure, or the looming anxieties of what the future holds, the Shepherd provides a feast, not a war council. We are invited to sit, eat, and linger.

As the heat of August peaks, we can let it be a boundary marker. We can let it be the month where we consciously choose the green pasture over the treadmill of endless productivity. By letting the Shepherd guide us to a slower pace, we are not wasting our time; we are allowing our souls to be restored, ensuring that when the busier seasons inevitably return, we meet them from a place of deep, unshakeable fullness.

Stephen

The Serenity Prayer

God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change
the courage to change the things I can
and the wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time,
enjoying one moment at a time.
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace.
Taking, as he did, the sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it.
Trusting that he will make all things right
if I surrender to His will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
and supremely happy with Him forever.

— Reinhold Niebuhr, 1892-1971

Reflection:

Sunday 31st May sees the Church celebrate Trinity Sunday.  On this day we acknowledge the belief that is unique to Christianity, namely that God has been revealed as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Not three Gods, but one God, in three persons. This belief did not originate in a theological college, or at a conference of Bishops, but rather it emerged amongst the disciples through their experience of being with Jesus and their later experience of the Holy Spirit.  

Most of the writers of the New Testament were Jewish and they had been brought up to believe that God was one.  However, as they spent time with Jesus and witnessed his miracles, his Crucifixion and Resurrection, they came to realise that Jesus was the Son of God and God incarnate on earth. Take for example Thomas's response when meeting the risen Christ:  

‘Thomas said, my Lord and my God…’  (John 20: 28)  

Or Jesus’s response to Philip:  

‘Philip said to Jesus show us the Father and we will ask no more.  Jesus said to him, anyone who has seen me has seen the Father….' (John 14: 8)  

From these and many other passages the church began to understand that Jesus was Divine and had been sent by the Father to redeem and save humankind.  Jesus identifies with us in our humanity and saves us in his Divinity, for one human being cannot save another human being from sin and death, only Jesus Christ can accomplish that.  After Jesus's Ascension into heaven the Holy Spirit was poured out into the hearts of the believers and has been continuously poured out into the hearts of all those who believe so the presence of the risen Christ is now available to all people, at all times, across all history.  As it says in the above passage:  

‘Here is the proof that we dwell in Him and He dwells in us: He has imparted His Spirit to us'.  (1 John 4: 13)

Let us unpack this a bit more.  In our above passage from the first letter of St John, John declares that God is love.  In all the different descriptions of God, this is the ultimate name that Christians have for God.  God is love.  Now, if we know God as love then we have to think about what that means.  God in love with himself would be an expression of egotistical and sterile love.  God just in love with the Son would be an exclusive and excluding love, but the love of three is an open and balanced love.  The Father loves the Son, the Son in return loves the Father and the language of love between them is the Holy Spirit.  In other words God is relationship, a relationship of perfect balance and mutual respect.  A relationship that creates, sustains, saves and shares Divine love with the created order on earth.  A love that wants to lead people away from things which are not of love, namely sin, to a deeper experience of God’s love and presence.  A love that is relational and also one. And because this love is Divine then when it dwells within us we are given the eternal life that cannot be destroyed by death, although our bodies are.  As Jesus said to the woman at the well:  

‘In fact the water (Holy Spirit) that I give you will be a well of water springing up to eternal life.’ (John 4: 14)  

Through the presence of the Holy Spirit within us we can know and participate in the Divine love and moreover we are commanded to share this love amongst other people.  In this sense the doctrine of the Trinity forms and underpins the very basis of Western civilisation.  For the notion of love, not just a private affair, but as a societal value has led to the establishment of human rights and the rights of the individual.  It has led to an emphasis on creativity and self expression, and moral right and wrong.  Above all, it has over time, shaped a responsibility for others in society, especially the poor and disadvantaged.  It could be argued that it is the belief that God is love and our need to love others which has shaped the emergence and assumptions around the Welfare State.  God as relationship shapes the ideals around how we should relate to our fellow humans.  Without a notion of love for others we could have had a society where people just fend for themselves.  Even at times in history where Christian countries were cruel and indifferent to the suffering of others, there were always people of faith who championed the way of mutual love and care.  This way of mutual love and care stems directly from the belief in the Triune God as John writes:  

'God is love. Beloved let us love one another for love is from God and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  Those who live in love, live in God and God lives in them'.  (1 John 4: 8)  

We all know that love is the most important thing in the world and we desire to love and to be loved.  That is because we are made in the image of the Triune God, the God of love.

 Matthew

ABOUT ST. GILES CHURCH


Monthly Bulletins

It has now been 5 years since we started sending out our monthly Bulletin as a result of the Covid pandemic and I know from various feedback that the Bulletin is very much appreciated.  Going forward I remain very committed to making sure that all of us who love St. Giles are kept informed not only of what is going on at our Church but encouraged in the understanding and practice of the Christian faith. 

In the future we will continue to write to you but every other month making sure that our bulletins coincide with the important occasions in the Church's year.  Our next Bulletin will be sent out in July.

Matthew Hughes, May 2025