Dear Friends,

Our MP, Dr. Liam Fox, recently came to lunch with the leaders of Churches Together in Nailsea and District. Our conversation ranged over many issues – foreign policy, especially his fears about Iran; the Health Service; Europe; the economy; Palestine and Israel, and of course, his predictions for the date of a General Election. One of the things which especially stuck in my mind was when, speaking about our constituency, he told us that this is one of the ten most affluent, best educated

constituencies in the country.

 

You may not be feeling particularly affluent as you read this. But it's true that we in this corner of North Somerset are particularly well blessed; and never let us forget it. When vouchers are distributed round about our parish at Christmas, according to the terms of the Wraxall Parochial Charities, the fact is that they are for many a welcome little extra luxury, rather than something which will make all the difference in a deprived situation .I must admit I sometimes feel uneasy about this, and wish that the money could go to people in real need.  (If there is someone in need in the parish, please let me know, so that they can be added to the distribution list).

 

Harvest time is above all a time to give thanks for all the blessings we enjoy, and to remember those who are not so fortunate. As we celebrate the wealth of produce we enjoy, we must make a real effort not to be complacent or inward-looking. It was at harvest-time that the Jewish people were reminded of their dependence on God for everything, and that they should give one tenth of all their produce as a thank-offering to God. (This, of course, was the origin of the 'tithe', the offering of the 'tenth' , which resulted in those huge tithe barns built by medieval monks, where the offerings local people gave for the Church were stored.) Should we not, at Harvest-time, have a collection for people in the developing world, whose crops are affected by climate change, drought, floods, or whatever, and who do not have access to a water supply for irrigation? 'Freely you have received; freely give', said Jesus in Matthew ch.10. Many Christians still take the principle of tithing very seriously, and try to give one tenth of their disposable income to the Church or to charity, believing that the remaining nine tenths will be sufficient for their needs. We, as a church, have tried to be faithful to this pattern of giving over the years by setting an example and donating one tenth of our disposable income to a number of charitable causes. The list is a flexible one and changes from year to year; if there is a good cause you  would like us to support, please let us know. Sometimes it seems reckless to make this sacrifice, but it seems that when we can manage to be generous, God is always generous back to us, and enables us to continue to give.

 

The poet George Herbert wrote:

 

'Thou who hast given so much to me

Give one thing more: a thankful heart.....'

 

Let's make it our business this harvest time to be thankful, and to be generous in our giving, taking some time to find out about conditions in parts of the world where people are not so fortunate as we are in North Somerset.

 

Incidentally, to return to the visit of our MP: Liam Fox sought me out at our church leaders' lunch specifically to thank everyone in our parish who had been praying for his brother Paul after a horrific car crash in which he was gravely injured. Liam Fox believes that it was following my promise to him, when we met at Noah's Ark Zoo Farm some months ago, that we would put his brother's name on our parish prayer list, that his brother began to make a miraculous recovery.

Anyway, that is one thing for which our MP is truly thankful – so we'd better keep up our praying!

 

 

With love,

Rosey