Dear Friends,

 

Did you ever learn a poem at school entitled ‘No!’?

It was written by the 19^th century poet Thomas Hood, and begins:

 

            ‘No sun – no moon!

            No morn – no noon-

            No dawn- no dusk – no proper time of day-

and ends:

            No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,

            No comfortable feel in any member –

            No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,

            No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds –

            November!’

 

Are you in a November mood as you read this? All negatives and no positives? The glass appearing half-empty, rather than half-full?

 

November, it’s true, is a gloomy month, with the days getting darker and the weather colder (though less gloomy now, thank goodness, than it was for this poet, thanks to central heating and all the other comforts of modern life) and much in the news to cause concern. It’s so easy to concentrate on negatives, and everyone seems to agree when you complain about something, adding their own tale of woe.

 

There is a Christian point of view which is inclined to adopt a cheery ‘always look on the bright side’ optimism as it looks out on the darkness of the world, or on the disasters which befall individuals; there are those ‘Job’s comforters’ who seek to provide rational answers as to why things go wrong. Personally, I don’t find such an attitude helpful.

Often there are no easy answers when tragedy occurs, when we are appalled by a human crisis, when a promising life is cut down by untimely death. The only response at such a time is to cry out to God with a howl of protest: this shouldn’t be happening!

Many of the Psalms in our Bible reflect this view; you will find there plenty of lament and outrage that life should be so unfair and that innocent people should suffer.

 

Just as we move into the gloom of November, our church at Wraxall celebrates its patronal festival of All Saints. Some of the saints were probably quite difficult people to live with, but the one thing which set them apart (and the word ‘sanctus’, meaning ‘holy’ or ‘set apart’ is what gives us the word ‘saint’) is that they didn’t let the darkness of the world around them get them down. Theirs was not a facile optimism, but a facing up to the reality of all that was wrong with the world, and then a determination to live in the light of God’s goodness, and reflect that goodness to others. ‘It’s better to light a candle than curse the darkness’ might have been their motto.

 

The ‘Take a Look’ group has recently enjoyed reading a book full of helpful insights, ‘The Saints’ guide to Happiness.’ Towards the end are these words:

 

‘among history’s vast company of holy people, the canonised saints represent only a small portion. Most saints remained anonymous and unrecognised, apart from their neighbours or their immediate family. Some of them were brilliant; others simple. All of them struggled to achieve the ‘one thing necessary’, to conform their lives to the pattern of the gospel, whatever the cost.’

 

In the service of Baptism, a candle is given to the newly baptised child with the words ‘shine as a light in the world, to the glory of the Father’. We’re all called to be lights shining in the darkness of the world, even in the gloom of November, bringing hope and cheerfulness to those around us. Can you light up your small corner?

 

 

With love,

 

Rosey