My dear new friends of Wraxall and Failand,

 

I’m writing this while in a strange state of limbo between two churches: on Easter Sunday, just three days ago, I was given a wonderful send-off from St. Peter’s, Chippenham, in the Bristol Diocese, where I’ve been curate for three years. There were hugs and tears (and laughter, too, as the vicar’s son, who is at  drama school, performed an irreverent take-off of the departing curate.)

Since then, we have been swept up in a whirl of activity, and have come to land here in Wraxall, surrounded by packing cases, and wondering how we ever came to accumulate so many possessions.

By the time you read this, I shall have been licensed as your priest-in-charge, and we shall be getting to know one another. One of the hymns to be sung at the licensing contains the words:

 

            We are pilgrims on a journey,

            We are travellers on the road;

            We are here to help each other

            Walk the mile and bear the load.

 

At the heart of our faith lies the idea of a journey, with all that that implies about leaving the past behind and moving on. Since the time of Abraham, on through the Exodus, and beyond,  God’s people have been ‘People of the Way’, strangers and pilgrims, with no abiding city in this world. But we do not travel alone: we have travelling companions, and our common pilgrimage brings us close together along the way, with a sense of shared purpose. Many people have found in the community of the church their deepest friendships, and strength to meet the challenges of living in an uncertain world.

So as I look at the packing cases all around me, I thank God for the journey so far, and the friends I’ve already made, and I look forward to moving on with a new group of travelling companions – friends – in Wraxall and Failand.

Who knows where the journey will take us? There are certain to be unexpected adventures on the way. But it will be good to get to know one another, and as your priest-in-charge,

 

            ‘I will share your joy and sorrow

            till we’ve seen this journey through.’

 

With love, 

 

Rosey