REFLECTIONS

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

June Reflection:

It has been much reported across the media that church attendance at Church of England services has begun to increase. One swallow doesn't make a summer, but such news is indeed welcome and brings hope that there may be new life for the Church ahead.

In the secular world there is always a prevailing view that the Christian religion has now had its day and this weird belief system revolving around myths and supernatural fantasies should quietly retreat from the public square and become the quaint and niche preserve of the few people who still sadly need it. There is a further view across sections of the cultural and political establishment that Christianity should no longer be seen as the prevailing and defining faith of this nation, but just one of many faiths that all deserve equal status and prominence.

The myth of inevitable and upward human progress that can and will deliver a faith free social utopia is clearly never going to happen, the erosion of cultural and national identity, the emptiness of mass consumerism, the persistence of evil in the world, the pertinent questions around our values and where those values come from, simply do not go away. It is wrong to assume that by simply removing and downgrading the Christian faith that we have something meaningful and coherent to replace it with. Vacuums are dangerous things! As a parish priest I continue to be mindful that the amount of people who regularly attend church is relatively small and probably always has been. Yet I also know from my work that many people are cultural Christians, they might not believe or understand the doctrines of the church yet their values, the rhythm of the year, the way they think, their identity, the things that are of importance to them are all shaped and underpinned by the historic faith of this country.

In the early church, when Christianity was a persecuted minority the identity of Christians was unique and vital. Christians were known by their distinct beliefs, the way they conducted themselves and their refusal to submit to the worship of false gods, including the Roman Emperor. As globalisation puts pressure on national identity and raises questions about how a country knows itself to be, maybe one of the secure solid anchors in this shifting sea will be a more active participation in the life of all churches and the historic faith of Jesus Christ that has been proclaimed year in and year out, now and for over 2000 years.

Matthew

Reflection:

Gospel Reading: Galatians 5: 13-26

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

Today's reading comes from St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Galicia was an ancient area within the Roman Empire and corresponds to the province of Ankara and Eskisehir in modern Turkey. St. Paul undertook three missionary journeys around the Eastern Mediterranean and as he travelled he founded churches in cities along the way. As he moved on Paul would keep in touch with his churches or leaders of the churches through a series of letters. In his letters Paul would encourage his congregations, guide them on doctrine and sometimes offer rebukes for wrongful behaviours. Thirteen of these letters have survived and are now to be found in the New Testament. Not only do these letters give us interesting insights into the world of the early church but they are also authoritative for us today as we seek to live out our Christian faith.

I have chosen the above passage because in May and June a number of elements of the Christian faith come together. Firstly, there is the Ascension of Christ. This is the time when Christ withdrew from the earthly realm of the material to the eternal realm of heaven. Whilst Christ was on earth he was trapped in a particular time and place, limited in the amount of people he could see. Before he departed this earth Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit, who would be his presence for all people at all times. Now the universal Christ is present in the hearts and minds of millions of people across the world, accessible through prayer and worship. Not just now, but in centuries past, and in all time to come. We may pray to Christ in the silence of our room, likewise someone will be praying to Christ in their room in Tokyo, Buenos Aires, Lagos, New York and on a tiny island in the Pacific, this is possible through the presence of the Holy Spirit.

On Sunday 8th June the Church celebrates Pentecost, the time in the Church's life when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the gathered disciples. The word 'Pentecost' comes from the Greek word 'pentekoste' which means fiftieth, for the coming of the Holy Spirit happened 50 days after Easter Day. Now, when we come to these major Church festivals it is easy to think and celebrate them as past events concerned just with the there and then. We may even conclude that they have very little relevance to our life with all the challenges and problems that we face on a daily basis. If we do tend to think like this, then let's keep in mind the above passage. In this passage Paul is writing to the Christians in Galatia and encouraging them, and warning them, over the perils of infighting and a life that is lived without the high values of the Holy Spirit. A life purely driven by base human nature is an apt description of all that has been wrong with our world in past times and is wrong today. Quarrels, envy, outburst of anger, idolatry, immoral behaviour, jealousy. These desires not only shape individual lives, but when they are the prerogative of people in power they have the momentum to shape the fate of nations. We know about the presence of these lower instincts because we are aware of them as desires within ourselves. Furthermore as we aspire to higher spiritual values, the conflicts within us sharpen.

St. Paul then goes on to cite the fruits of the Holy Spirit, and who would not want to live their life in this way. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self control. These are not qualities that come naturally to us, or are to be found in the natural world around us which is predatory. These are qualities of God’s own nature, these are the hallmarks of a loving life, these are the fruits of the Holy Spirit living and working within us. We must, of course, remember that St. Paul describes them as fruits and fruits take time to grow and mature. The Christian is a work in progress! Yet, if we have received the Holy Spirit into our life, through our Baptism, Confirmation, and faithful worship then the Spirit will perfect in us the divine light of God's love and the life of His Son Jesus within our mortal bodies In this way Pentecost is not about the there and then, but the here and now. The lives of individuals, families, communities and nations are either dominated and shaped by the lower base instincts, or shaped by the values and fruits of the Spirit. Even a secular society such as ours is still living through the residue of these higher values, without them our lives and our communities would soon drift into more destructive ways of being.

Let us then rejoice that we are never alone, the Lord is with us and through his Spirit we have his life and love within us.

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