Dear Friends,Dear Friends,
I wonder if you make New Year resolutions – and if so, how long they last. My guess is that many people don't bother nowadays, because they know that most of these resolutions only last for a very short time. However, if you are going to have a go this year, may I suggest a theme?
It would be something like "looking beyond ourselves".
There may seem nothing very new about that, but it seems to me that sometimes we pay lip service to some of the obvious truths, without really doing much about them. So we know that there are many people much worse off than we are - not just financially, but in all sorts of ways - and part of our Christian duty is to do all that we can for others.
The disastrous floods caused many problems and deeply affected the lives of hundreds of people throughout the Lake District, including some in our own area who have faced disruption to their normal life, including in some cases losing their employment. We cannot put everything right on our own, but we can make a contribution, and let others know that we care.
We can look beyond ourselves in our church life - for instance, making sure that we contact those missing from church to check that they are all right; we can offer lifts to church or social functions, and let people know that we really mean it. We can look beyond our regular congregations, and ask ourselves if we really cater for the needs of those on the fringe of the church, and if there is any way in which our complicated rota of services could be made more user-friendly.
We could resolve to make a real effort to go to other churches than our own. For instance, if the 9.30 service in your church is too early for you, could you go at 11 o'clock to another church? If you could use a lift, do you have the grace and humility to ask for one?
We can all resolve to get to know the churches in the Cartmel team ministry better, so that if we do become part of the team this will mean something, and not just be some sort of ecclesiastical paper transaction [see also in the notes for the month].
I could go on.... but will leave it to you to work out what looking beyond ourselves might mean for you. And if you fail in your resolution at New Year, don't forget that you can always have another go when Ash Wednesday comes – make a Lenten resolution, and start all over again. Perhaps what we resolve to do then, in response to the love Jesus showed for us in his self-giving, may be more meaningful that a resolution based purely on the new calendar and diary.
Yours sincerely, Peter Calvert. Priest in Charge
Leven Valley Benefice From Our Book ShelvesLists of books about Faith, which the owners are happy to share, will be found in each of our churches. If you would like to add some of your own, please let John Taylor know. (31665) PNC |
