Articles in the Littlehampton Gazette
by Local Church Leaders
Edited by Mike Webber
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Rev Mark Williams, Vicar of Littlehampton, St Mary and St James
Amongst so many other things that happen in the early months of the year, there is the annual round of film awards: the Golden Globes; the BAFTAs; the Oscars.
Unlike some years, when there seems to be just one or two really outstanding films to which most of the awards will go, this year – with such a wide range of films of various genres – it seems too close to call. Such is the quality of films currently on offer that those which in other years may have earned many nominations are pushed further down the list of preferences.
Arguably amongst such films is Better Man, the biographical musical film about the life of singer Robbie Williams (in which his character is depicted through computer generated imagery as a chimpanzee). Its soundtrack contains a selection of Williams` well-known hits, although sadly not among them his first Number One – Millennium. That`s a song that contains one of my favourite lines from any of his songs: “Overdose at Christmas, give it up for Lent”.
It finds particular resonance now, as the annual observance of Lent fast approaches (Ash Wednesday – the first day of Lent – being this year on 5th March).
Lent, the Christian season of preparing for Easter, is a good time for all of us to be thinking about what we might need to give up. Perhaps to give time to take stock and be a bit more reflective. To give some thought to those things on which we metaphorically overdose to our detriment and often to the disadvantage of those around us. The things to which we become so attached that we think we cannot live without, even for a short period: chocolate, alcohol, social media, mobile phone, screen time, to name just a few.
At the same time Lent also offers us the opportunity to think about what we might take up – that could have a more positive impact on our own lives and in our relationships with our fellow humans. It seems we forget, so often, just what a big impact even the smallest of things can have on those around us. Like the ripples radiating out from the smallest of stones dropped into a pool of still water.
Whether it’s giving something up or taking something up, all of us, I am sure, would benefit from spending some time this Lent to think about how we live out our lives; and what rippling impact our actions, whether great or small, are making on those around us. It will make us all better men and women.
Unlike some years, when there seems to be just one or two really outstanding films to which most of the awards will go, this year – with such a wide range of films of various genres – it seems too close to call. Such is the quality of films currently on offer that those which in other years may have earned many nominations are pushed further down the list of preferences.
Arguably amongst such films is Better Man, the biographical musical film about the life of singer Robbie Williams (in which his character is depicted through computer generated imagery as a chimpanzee). Its soundtrack contains a selection of Williams` well-known hits, although sadly not among them his first Number One – Millennium. That`s a song that contains one of my favourite lines from any of his songs: “Overdose at Christmas, give it up for Lent”.
It finds particular resonance now, as the annual observance of Lent fast approaches (Ash Wednesday – the first day of Lent – being this year on 5th March).
Lent, the Christian season of preparing for Easter, is a good time for all of us to be thinking about what we might need to give up. Perhaps to give time to take stock and be a bit more reflective. To give some thought to those things on which we metaphorically overdose to our detriment and often to the disadvantage of those around us. The things to which we become so attached that we think we cannot live without, even for a short period: chocolate, alcohol, social media, mobile phone, screen time, to name just a few.
At the same time Lent also offers us the opportunity to think about what we might take up – that could have a more positive impact on our own lives and in our relationships with our fellow humans. It seems we forget, so often, just what a big impact even the smallest of things can have on those around us. Like the ripples radiating out from the smallest of stones dropped into a pool of still water.
Whether it’s giving something up or taking something up, all of us, I am sure, would benefit from spending some time this Lent to think about how we live out our lives; and what rippling impact our actions, whether great or small, are making on those around us. It will make us all better men and women.
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Martin Garratt, Trinity Church, Littlehampton
Christmas and New Year celebrations have come and gone, and now the shops are full of chocolate and trinkets for Valentine’s Day.
Who will be your valentine this year? Are you expecting to receive a gift? Will it be anonymous, or will you guess who sent you those 10 red roses or box of Lindor chocolates?
Valentine’s Day, named after Saint Valentine, a third-century Roman priest, is rooted in acts of love and sacrifice. Valentine defied Roman laws by secretly marrying Christian couples and assisting persecuted believers.
What motivated him to show such love, and take such risks? His love of Jesus and his desire to copy Jesus’ sacrificial love. Valentine demonstrated a love that sought to do good to others, even at great personal cost.
Today, the day is more focussed on romantic love. But just imagine what our town would be like, if each of us embraced the same desire as Valentine - to mirror Jesus and show compassion, mercy and love to all we meet, not just to the one special love we might have.
The Bible teaches that love originates from God. “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). That’s the foundation of all love: God’s unconditional love, demonstrated through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
May this Valentine’s Day be a reminder for each of us to practice selfless love, not only in romantic relationships, but also in friendships, families and communities.
What does that kind of love look like?
Paul’s description in 1 Corinthians 13 offers all of us a roadmap for how we can live: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.” These qualities, often overshadowed by the commercialised aspect of Valentine’s Day, are central if we want a community that truly cares for one another.
This Valentine’s Day let us celebrate the gift of love by emulating the sacrificial, unconditional love of Christ. Whether through a kind word, an act of service, or a heartfelt prayer, we can reflect God’s love to those around us, pointing them to the true source of love that transforms lives.
And, if anyone is thinking of getting me a gift, I would rather the Lindor chocolates than the roses.
Who will be your valentine this year? Are you expecting to receive a gift? Will it be anonymous, or will you guess who sent you those 10 red roses or box of Lindor chocolates?
Valentine’s Day, named after Saint Valentine, a third-century Roman priest, is rooted in acts of love and sacrifice. Valentine defied Roman laws by secretly marrying Christian couples and assisting persecuted believers.
What motivated him to show such love, and take such risks? His love of Jesus and his desire to copy Jesus’ sacrificial love. Valentine demonstrated a love that sought to do good to others, even at great personal cost.
Today, the day is more focussed on romantic love. But just imagine what our town would be like, if each of us embraced the same desire as Valentine - to mirror Jesus and show compassion, mercy and love to all we meet, not just to the one special love we might have.
The Bible teaches that love originates from God. “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). That’s the foundation of all love: God’s unconditional love, demonstrated through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
May this Valentine’s Day be a reminder for each of us to practice selfless love, not only in romantic relationships, but also in friendships, families and communities.
What does that kind of love look like?
Paul’s description in 1 Corinthians 13 offers all of us a roadmap for how we can live: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.” These qualities, often overshadowed by the commercialised aspect of Valentine’s Day, are central if we want a community that truly cares for one another.
This Valentine’s Day let us celebrate the gift of love by emulating the sacrificial, unconditional love of Christ. Whether through a kind word, an act of service, or a heartfelt prayer, we can reflect God’s love to those around us, pointing them to the true source of love that transforms lives.
And, if anyone is thinking of getting me a gift, I would rather the Lindor chocolates than the roses.
Confidence that this gift is not just for Christmas
Lisa Fairman-Brown,
Priest-in-Charge, St Mary Magdalene, Lyminster and All Saints, Wick
It’s already happened, my first nativity play of the year. I was the invited guest of the head teacher to the nursery classes’ debut performance.
How delightful it was to see the angels waving to their parents, the shepherds singing their hearts out, the king who threw his gift at the holy family, and then there was Joseph. On being passed baby Jesus, Joseph confidently tipped the baby headfirst into the manger. A classic nursery nativity moment!
Confidently – its root meaning is ‘with faith’ and that’s one of the things we see in the biblical accounts of the life of Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father.
In the midst of a very troubling situation, Joseph chose to exercise faith in God who spoke to him while he slept. God reminded him of his identity ‘Joseph, son of David’. God wants you and me to know that we too are called to be his beloved sons and daughters.
Secondly, through hearing from God, Joseph was able to overcome his fear and that’s something so many of us long to be able to do too.
Some 365 times God says in one way or another in the pages of the Bible to those who listen to him, ‘Do not be afraid’ and today he continues to speak peace to those who, with faith, wait on him for his words on which they can stand. How different might our 365 days of 2025 look if we too were to wait and listen to him, then stand firm?
Thirdly, God showed him the way forward and Joseph responded in obedience. I see so much joy in the life of those who follow God’s guiding, for as they do they find they lead lives of meaning and fruitfulness.
Finally, God showed Joseph that he was at work in his situation. When we truly know that, we can experience an unrivalled peace, even in the midst of life’s storms.
Christmas has become so many things to people, but supremely and at its heart it is about the gift-giver giving himself for you. As Jesus, God entered his own creation so that to all who would receive him, we might know God as our heavenly Father, who loves and cares for us today and every day. So that in Jesus, who is God the Son, we might know peace even in life’s storms; and so that, by faith, we keep following him and his commands with confidence.
How delightful it was to see the angels waving to their parents, the shepherds singing their hearts out, the king who threw his gift at the holy family, and then there was Joseph. On being passed baby Jesus, Joseph confidently tipped the baby headfirst into the manger. A classic nursery nativity moment!
Confidently – its root meaning is ‘with faith’ and that’s one of the things we see in the biblical accounts of the life of Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father.
In the midst of a very troubling situation, Joseph chose to exercise faith in God who spoke to him while he slept. God reminded him of his identity ‘Joseph, son of David’. God wants you and me to know that we too are called to be his beloved sons and daughters.
Secondly, through hearing from God, Joseph was able to overcome his fear and that’s something so many of us long to be able to do too.
Some 365 times God says in one way or another in the pages of the Bible to those who listen to him, ‘Do not be afraid’ and today he continues to speak peace to those who, with faith, wait on him for his words on which they can stand. How different might our 365 days of 2025 look if we too were to wait and listen to him, then stand firm?
Thirdly, God showed him the way forward and Joseph responded in obedience. I see so much joy in the life of those who follow God’s guiding, for as they do they find they lead lives of meaning and fruitfulness.
Finally, God showed Joseph that he was at work in his situation. When we truly know that, we can experience an unrivalled peace, even in the midst of life’s storms.
Christmas has become so many things to people, but supremely and at its heart it is about the gift-giver giving himself for you. As Jesus, God entered his own creation so that to all who would receive him, we might know God as our heavenly Father, who loves and cares for us today and every day. So that in Jesus, who is God the Son, we might know peace even in life’s storms; and so that, by faith, we keep following him and his commands with confidence.
November 2024 - Hold on to Hope for a Brighter Tomorrow
Joanne Gisbey - Arun Church
What are you hoping for? I wonder what comes to mind first, perhaps something small and insignificant or something big that has the potential to change everything for you? When we have hope, we hold on to the possibility of a brighter tomorrow. We hold on to the idea that there is more than what we face today.
This week in church we sang the song ‘Obsession’ by Delirious. The lyric “I feel lonely without hope” stood out to me. I began to think about hopelessness and hope. Hopelessness is a lonely place: it’s sinking in a stormy sea; it is cold and dark; it is emptiness, despair and ultimately death.
Hope is light in the darkness, life even in death, calm in the storm, warmth in the cold, love in place of loneliness, presence filling the emptiness, and promise in place of despair. As Emily Dickinson so beautifully wrote,
“Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,”
In this advent season we are bombarded by advertising campaigns on TV, social media and in the supermarkets telling us what we need, what we want and how our lives ‘should’ look. News and the media throw fear and despair at us. Sometimes it can feel like we are sinking in the middle of the crashing waves of the storms around us. We can feel hopeless in a chaotic world.
But the good news is there is a hope that anchors us. That hope is found in Jesus. The Bible is packed with prophecies that tell of Jesus’s coming, long before He was born.
“For to us a Child shall be born, to us a Son shall be given; And the government shall be upon His shoulder, His name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
I love this quote by Corrie Ten Boom: “There is no pit so deep, that God's love is not deeper still; with Jesus, even in our darkest moments, the best remains, and the very best is yet to be.”
Jesus came to give us hope, He came to give us life and life to the full. He came to bring light, love, forgiveness, freedom, peace and salvation. Whatever we face today – nothing is too big for Him. Hold on to hope, for He holds on to you.
This week in church we sang the song ‘Obsession’ by Delirious. The lyric “I feel lonely without hope” stood out to me. I began to think about hopelessness and hope. Hopelessness is a lonely place: it’s sinking in a stormy sea; it is cold and dark; it is emptiness, despair and ultimately death.
Hope is light in the darkness, life even in death, calm in the storm, warmth in the cold, love in place of loneliness, presence filling the emptiness, and promise in place of despair. As Emily Dickinson so beautifully wrote,
“Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,”
In this advent season we are bombarded by advertising campaigns on TV, social media and in the supermarkets telling us what we need, what we want and how our lives ‘should’ look. News and the media throw fear and despair at us. Sometimes it can feel like we are sinking in the middle of the crashing waves of the storms around us. We can feel hopeless in a chaotic world.
But the good news is there is a hope that anchors us. That hope is found in Jesus. The Bible is packed with prophecies that tell of Jesus’s coming, long before He was born.
“For to us a Child shall be born, to us a Son shall be given; And the government shall be upon His shoulder, His name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
I love this quote by Corrie Ten Boom: “There is no pit so deep, that God's love is not deeper still; with Jesus, even in our darkest moments, the best remains, and the very best is yet to be.”
Jesus came to give us hope, He came to give us life and life to the full. He came to bring light, love, forgiveness, freedom, peace and salvation. Whatever we face today – nothing is too big for Him. Hold on to hope, for He holds on to you.
October 2024 - Centuries-old vision still just as relevant
Jane Dahill - Littlehampton Local Quaker Meeting
This year Quakers around the world are celebrating the 400th anniversary of the birth of George Fox, the person generally accepted as the founder of the Simple, Radical and Spiritual movement which became the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers.
George Fox was born in Fenny Drayton in Leicestershire in 1624. At 12 he was apprenticed to a local tradesman, but he lived in turbulent times – England was about to descend into civil war – and new ideas were taking hold. And so in 1643 he left home to seek “the truth”. Through listening to preachers and others he began to develop his own ideas, principally that everyone could have a direct relationship with God, through Jesus, so that priests were not needed. It was not long before he was in trouble with the authorities for the ideas he was spreading and the first of his many terms of imprisonment occurred as early as 1649.
In 1652 Fox climbed Pendle Hill in Lancashire where he had a vision of a “great people to be gathered” waiting for him. Soon afterwards he preached to a crowd of about a thousand on Firbank Fell, near Sedburgh. The beginning of the Society of Friends is usually dated from this time.
Although today not all Quakers hold to Fox’s belief that “there is one, even Jesus Christ, that can speak to thy condition”, the belief of that of God (or Good) in each of us remains central. Quakers talk of Letting their Life Speak and trying to Live Adventurously and this comes directly from Fox enjoining us that “… this is the word of the Lord God to you all, and a charge to you all in the presence of the living God: be patterns, be examples in all countries, places, islands, nations, wherever you come; that your carriage and life may preach among all sorts of people, and to them; then you will come to walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in everyone”.
The fundamental ideas and structures which he created still underpin the Society today, creating the bedrock of faith and support which enables Quakers to stand at the forefront of the issues currently challenging our society: poverty and inequality, climate change, speaking truth to power, and peace in all of its forms.
George Fox’s vision is as relevant today as it was 400 years ago.
George Fox was born in Fenny Drayton in Leicestershire in 1624. At 12 he was apprenticed to a local tradesman, but he lived in turbulent times – England was about to descend into civil war – and new ideas were taking hold. And so in 1643 he left home to seek “the truth”. Through listening to preachers and others he began to develop his own ideas, principally that everyone could have a direct relationship with God, through Jesus, so that priests were not needed. It was not long before he was in trouble with the authorities for the ideas he was spreading and the first of his many terms of imprisonment occurred as early as 1649.
In 1652 Fox climbed Pendle Hill in Lancashire where he had a vision of a “great people to be gathered” waiting for him. Soon afterwards he preached to a crowd of about a thousand on Firbank Fell, near Sedburgh. The beginning of the Society of Friends is usually dated from this time.
Although today not all Quakers hold to Fox’s belief that “there is one, even Jesus Christ, that can speak to thy condition”, the belief of that of God (or Good) in each of us remains central. Quakers talk of Letting their Life Speak and trying to Live Adventurously and this comes directly from Fox enjoining us that “… this is the word of the Lord God to you all, and a charge to you all in the presence of the living God: be patterns, be examples in all countries, places, islands, nations, wherever you come; that your carriage and life may preach among all sorts of people, and to them; then you will come to walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in everyone”.
The fundamental ideas and structures which he created still underpin the Society today, creating the bedrock of faith and support which enables Quakers to stand at the forefront of the issues currently challenging our society: poverty and inequality, climate change, speaking truth to power, and peace in all of its forms.
George Fox’s vision is as relevant today as it was 400 years ago.
September 2024 - Please Remember Persecuted Christians
Rory McClure, Pastor, Parkside Evangelical Church
One of the world’s many tragedies is the persecution of people for their religious beliefs. Despite that, it still comes as a surprise to many people that Christians are the world’s most heavily persecuted minority.
Article 18 of the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights is supposed to grant “everyone… the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.” Although Christians in some countries are the most heavily persecuted minority, Christians in freer countries are often at the forefront of advocating against all forms of religious persecution for all religions.
Nevertheless, we also care about our own.
Christian minorities are also frequently caught up in the crossfire of wars being fought between non-Christians. For example, 1 or 2% of the population of Gaza are Christian and among the 24,000 + adults and 16,000 + children killed in Gaza since 7 October 2023, a proportionate number of Christians have also been killed. Their churches too have been bombed in the cross fire. Bethlehem, famous for being the birth place of Jesus, is now in today’s Palestinian West Bank and the war in Gaza has had a devastating impact on their Christian community, as the conflict has destroyed the tourist economy they depended on.
In Ukraine, on 20 August 2024, the Ukrainian parliament voted to force the small Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOCMP) to break all ties with their mother church for fear that they were too pro-Russian. So now believers are faced with a choice between accepting a schism being forced on their church or allowing their church to lose all its property and bank accounts.
So why are Christians so heavily persecuted? Perhaps because they are often a politically ignorable minority or because in some countries some politicians can gain votes if they turn a blind eye to religious extremists seeking to ‘drive out’ this ‘foreign influence.’
Although Christians are told to keep their country’s laws, respect their governing authorities and pray for them, paranoid politicians and rabble rousers sometimes gain power by accusing local Christians of secretly being loyal to the USA, or acting as a front for the CIA, or even for being loyal to Russia.
So what can be done? Firstly, Christians should be praying about this and churches should be trying to work with organizations that speak on behalf of persecuted religious minorities.
And if you are not a Christian but a good-hearted person of another faith or of no faith, please stand with us.
Article 18 of the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights is supposed to grant “everyone… the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.” Although Christians in some countries are the most heavily persecuted minority, Christians in freer countries are often at the forefront of advocating against all forms of religious persecution for all religions.
Nevertheless, we also care about our own.
Christian minorities are also frequently caught up in the crossfire of wars being fought between non-Christians. For example, 1 or 2% of the population of Gaza are Christian and among the 24,000 + adults and 16,000 + children killed in Gaza since 7 October 2023, a proportionate number of Christians have also been killed. Their churches too have been bombed in the cross fire. Bethlehem, famous for being the birth place of Jesus, is now in today’s Palestinian West Bank and the war in Gaza has had a devastating impact on their Christian community, as the conflict has destroyed the tourist economy they depended on.
In Ukraine, on 20 August 2024, the Ukrainian parliament voted to force the small Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOCMP) to break all ties with their mother church for fear that they were too pro-Russian. So now believers are faced with a choice between accepting a schism being forced on their church or allowing their church to lose all its property and bank accounts.
So why are Christians so heavily persecuted? Perhaps because they are often a politically ignorable minority or because in some countries some politicians can gain votes if they turn a blind eye to religious extremists seeking to ‘drive out’ this ‘foreign influence.’
Although Christians are told to keep their country’s laws, respect their governing authorities and pray for them, paranoid politicians and rabble rousers sometimes gain power by accusing local Christians of secretly being loyal to the USA, or acting as a front for the CIA, or even for being loyal to Russia.
So what can be done? Firstly, Christians should be praying about this and churches should be trying to work with organizations that speak on behalf of persecuted religious minorities.
And if you are not a Christian but a good-hearted person of another faith or of no faith, please stand with us.
August 2024 - Sharing their Faith at the Olympics
Martin Garratt, Trinity Church, Littlehampton.
In the grand arena of the Olympic Games this summer, where athletes pushed the boundaries of human potential, a remarkable number of Christian athletes took the opportunity to share their faith in Jesus. These athletes, through their public declarations and personal testimonies, offer a compelling story of hope and joy that transcends the competitive spirit of the Games.
Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina captured one of the most iconic moments of the Games with a stunning photograph of himself riding a massive wave. The caption read: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." This powerful verse from Philippians reminds us that for followers of Jesus, strength and resilience come from God.
Another Brazilian competitor, Rayssa Leal, the 13-year-old street skateboarder pointed her fans to God after her victory. Leal, using American Sign Language, shared a verse from John’s Gospel: “Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” Her simple act has been reported around the globe.
The synchronised swimming pair from Great Britain also exemplifies faith in action. The team prays together before they compete, seeking God’s guidance and peace. Their collective faith not only bonds them together but also provides a source of confidence amidst the intense demands of their sport.
Adam Peaty won the silver medal in swimming. Known for his dedication and fierce competitiveness, Peaty often speaks about how his faith in Christ offers him a foundation that grounds him in humility irrespective of the race outcome.
And I must also mention Fiji's rugby team, which sings hymns and prays together before and after their matches, visibly demonstrating their gratitude and faith. I think the Rugby Sevens were probably my highlight this year.
These athletes highlight the profound impact of Christianity on their lives. Their stories are not just about personal achievement but about the transformative power of faith. In moments of victory and defeat, they find hope, joy, and comfort in Jesus, sharing a message that goes far beyond the Olympic podium.
In a world often focused on the transient, these athletes remind us of the eternal, providing encouragement to millions watching. Their faith is a testament to the enduring power of Christ’s love, inspiring countless others to explore and embrace their own faith.
Why not pop along to a church near you and discover what these sporting heroes have found to be true: Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.
July 2024 - After the 94th minute comes the 95th
Paul Sanderson MBE, Chaplain,
The Littlehampton & Sir Robert Woodard Academies
A lot can happen in a moment. If you watched the Euros and followed England, you might remember your feelings and emotions in the 94th minute of the England v Slovakia knockout game. Only a matter of seconds remained before England were to be dumped unceremoniously out of a cup we were favourites to win.
There was anger, there was frustration, and there was sadness: all emotions many of us can relate, often in hindsight, to far more important things. These 94th minute feelings are where we feel low or ‘down’ or sad. These are real emotions and we realise, now more than ever, that we need to talk about them and see what we can learn from them.
When we're feeling down, we should take time to lean into these feelings and ask what we can learn about ourselves and about what's going on. Often it takes someone to come alongside us, to encourage us, to remind us that we are loved and to cheer us on.
The England manager Gareth Southgate received so much hate and negativity that he had to switch off his mobile phone. But when asked, after winning the next game, how he coped with so much hate, he looked up and asked thoughtfully: “We all want to be loved, right?”. Just pause and reflect on that for a moment. The truth is that there's something deep inside us that wants to be liked, that wants to belong, that wants to be loved
And then there was the 95th minute. The Bellingham overhead kick. Then there was jumping off the sofa, hugging family and friends, dogs barking and thousands of people in streets, pubs and church halls going crazy as one moment changed the atmosphere, changed the momentum and ultimately changed the result of the game. The 95th minute moment is one that we all have had. Joy, happiness and celebration.
For those of us of faith we know, deep down, that whether we're in a ‘94th minute’ low or a ‘95th minute’ high, we are loved by God. God can't help but love us all, no matter what. Throughout history this message that God is love has often been lost.
But more and more of us are discovering a love so inclusive, so hopeful, so life-changing, answering that question “We all want to be loved, right?” So this summer enjoy the 95th minutes that you'll have with family or friends; and if you're experiencing the 94th minute, seek out those that you love, hold on tight and know that this moment too shall pass.
June 2024 - This Picture of God the Father
can be a Reality for us all
Darren Lewis, Minister at Littlehampton Baptist Church
It’s Saturday morning. Blurry eyed, a young boy tumbles out of bed and makes his way downstairs firmly holding the handrail. Walking into the lounge where classic cartoons are on the TV, he clambers onto the sofa and a cup of weak tea is brought to him by his Dad. Together they chuckle away before it was time to get ready for football practice.
It's a lovely picture. Well, to me it’s more than a lovely picture; it’s a fond memory of time spent with my Dad. Every June I find myself pondering over such memories with a smile on my face and often a tear in my eye. I am thankful that my Dad was a ‘goodun’. Sadly, my Dad died of cancer when I was 17.
Like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day stirs all sorts of thoughts and feelings by its sheer existence. Caring, difficult, distant, safe, and unknown are just some of the words people have used when talking about their father. Having spent well over a decade supporting and listening to people, particularly children and young people, I have heard first-hand the power of this relationship – or lack of it.
A great truth of the Christian faith is that God wants to be our Father and will become our Father should we want Him to. Accepting Jesus as our Lord and Saviour brings about adoption into God’s family. We become God’s child, He becomes our Heavenly Father. One who doesn’t treat us harshly, or neglects or harms us, and who isn’t untrustworthy or absent. Rather, He is kind, compassionate, caring, completely dependable, present and loving.
Jesus told a story of a son who asked for his inheritance whilst his father was still alive, and then went off and squandered it all – something considered shocking and hurtful in those days. After some time, the son came back heavy-hearted, ashamed and humbled. We are told that when the father saw his son returning in the distance, he was filled with love and compassion. Shockingly to everyone, the father immediately ran to his son, held him tight and kissed him.
This story is also more than a lovely picture; it’s how God responds when we seek to turn to Him. He rushes to us, embraces, restores us and loves us. Whatever our relationship with our earthly father(s) might be and however we are feeling post-Father’s Day, this final picture can be a reality for us all.
It's a lovely picture. Well, to me it’s more than a lovely picture; it’s a fond memory of time spent with my Dad. Every June I find myself pondering over such memories with a smile on my face and often a tear in my eye. I am thankful that my Dad was a ‘goodun’. Sadly, my Dad died of cancer when I was 17.
Like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day stirs all sorts of thoughts and feelings by its sheer existence. Caring, difficult, distant, safe, and unknown are just some of the words people have used when talking about their father. Having spent well over a decade supporting and listening to people, particularly children and young people, I have heard first-hand the power of this relationship – or lack of it.
A great truth of the Christian faith is that God wants to be our Father and will become our Father should we want Him to. Accepting Jesus as our Lord and Saviour brings about adoption into God’s family. We become God’s child, He becomes our Heavenly Father. One who doesn’t treat us harshly, or neglects or harms us, and who isn’t untrustworthy or absent. Rather, He is kind, compassionate, caring, completely dependable, present and loving.
Jesus told a story of a son who asked for his inheritance whilst his father was still alive, and then went off and squandered it all – something considered shocking and hurtful in those days. After some time, the son came back heavy-hearted, ashamed and humbled. We are told that when the father saw his son returning in the distance, he was filled with love and compassion. Shockingly to everyone, the father immediately ran to his son, held him tight and kissed him.
This story is also more than a lovely picture; it’s how God responds when we seek to turn to Him. He rushes to us, embraces, restores us and loves us. Whatever our relationship with our earthly father(s) might be and however we are feeling post-Father’s Day, this final picture can be a reality for us all.
May 2024 - Worship at Home and in Mombasa
Chris Azzaro, Littlehampton United Church
After a wet Early May Bank Holiday Monday, it was good to see the sunshine this morning. Apart from watching the rain accumulate on my driveway, I have also been paying attention to the rainfall in Mombasa, Kenya, where, by the time you read this article, I will be visiting a school. There have been reports of widespread flooding in the coastal areas there. The Government of Kenya even delayed the start of the new school term, ordering all schools to remain closed for an extra week.
Then came news that Cyclone Hidaya was heading for the Kenyan coast. Fortunately, the cyclone appears to have died out off the coast of Tanzania and I’m pleased to say that Unity School, with which I am involved, has not been flooded this time.
Just before I leave for Kenya, I will be celebrating Pentecost. One of my favourite Sundays on which to preach. In Africa some things that we question in the UK are celebrated with much more fervour; and I’m looking forward to joining in a school assembly where, I am sure, the “Birthday of the Church” will be celebrated with enthusiasm.
Singing in harmony appears to come naturally to African children and traditional percussion; clapping, drums and banging their wooden desktops just adds to the vibrancy of worship. That the Gifts of The Spirit are still given for the proclamation of the Kingdom of God is taken for granted. One can feel that the words of the Prophet Joel (Acts 2: 16 -17) have been written anew for our own generation: “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams.”
What is the vision that I have been given for a school in a poor part of a large African city? According to the website of the charity, Friends of the Mombasa Children (www.mombasachildren.org.uk), it is “to provide equitable opportunities for young people to escape the poverty trap by providing relevant education in a safe haven.” At Unity School this means manageable class sizes, free midday meals, primary healthcare and a secure setting, described by one visitor as ‘A haven of calm’.”
Finally, how does Pentecost inspire me to work towards these goals? The fire that fuelled the apostles in Acts chapter 2 is still available to those who work for the glory of God. We serve a Living God who still makes himself known in ways we often do not expect.
Then came news that Cyclone Hidaya was heading for the Kenyan coast. Fortunately, the cyclone appears to have died out off the coast of Tanzania and I’m pleased to say that Unity School, with which I am involved, has not been flooded this time.
Just before I leave for Kenya, I will be celebrating Pentecost. One of my favourite Sundays on which to preach. In Africa some things that we question in the UK are celebrated with much more fervour; and I’m looking forward to joining in a school assembly where, I am sure, the “Birthday of the Church” will be celebrated with enthusiasm.
Singing in harmony appears to come naturally to African children and traditional percussion; clapping, drums and banging their wooden desktops just adds to the vibrancy of worship. That the Gifts of The Spirit are still given for the proclamation of the Kingdom of God is taken for granted. One can feel that the words of the Prophet Joel (Acts 2: 16 -17) have been written anew for our own generation: “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams.”
What is the vision that I have been given for a school in a poor part of a large African city? According to the website of the charity, Friends of the Mombasa Children (www.mombasachildren.org.uk), it is “to provide equitable opportunities for young people to escape the poverty trap by providing relevant education in a safe haven.” At Unity School this means manageable class sizes, free midday meals, primary healthcare and a secure setting, described by one visitor as ‘A haven of calm’.”
Finally, how does Pentecost inspire me to work towards these goals? The fire that fuelled the apostles in Acts chapter 2 is still available to those who work for the glory of God. We serve a Living God who still makes himself known in ways we often do not expect.
April 2024 : LET SONGS CHANGE THE ATMOSPHERE
Joanne Gisbey, Arun Church
I remember a friend once telling me she didn’t like music, any music. I couldn’t help the look of shock, surprise and disbelief spreading across my face. “You don’t like ANY music?” I asked. “Well…” She continued, before listing various songs and artists that she did in fact enjoy listening to. She reconsidered: “On second thoughts, I suppose I do like some music.”
This interaction has stuck with me, the idea of a life without music felt empty. I love music and I believe that God not only created music but loves it too. The Bible references music hundreds of times. Music is powerful; it changes the atmosphere. Think of your favourite movie and its soundtrack. Think of a song that carries memories of people or places. Through music we can experience joy, fear, sadness, anger, excitement, strength and peace. Music can bring healing and hope.
On Good Friday the churches of Littlehampton got together for the ‘Walk of Witness’ through Littlehampton town centre, finishing in a service at Littlehampton United Church. The church, built in 1861, was packed; the sound of singing filled the building, the sound of voices of all ages, from different backgrounds and different churches coming together to sing and worship was a beautiful sound. It was a sound of togetherness and unity. In a world often divided, how wonderful to sing together as one, with one purpose – to worship Jesus Christ, our saviour and king.
I’m writing this at the table in my living room by the piano. Next to it are two guitars, one trumpet, one flute and two of everyone’s all-time favourite instrument – the recorder. No-one is playing them; they lie still and silent. All it takes is one of these instruments to be picked up and played and the whole atmosphere is changed. There is life where once was stillness; beauty enters the emptiness.
“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music with the harp and the sound of singing.” (Psalm 98:4-5)
Whatever style of music you enjoy, classical to indie, pop to rock, hip-hop to folk, let your songs change the atmosphere. Let them bring light and life, unity and togetherness. “Let them bring glory to God, the one who loves you and who rejoices over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17).
This interaction has stuck with me, the idea of a life without music felt empty. I love music and I believe that God not only created music but loves it too. The Bible references music hundreds of times. Music is powerful; it changes the atmosphere. Think of your favourite movie and its soundtrack. Think of a song that carries memories of people or places. Through music we can experience joy, fear, sadness, anger, excitement, strength and peace. Music can bring healing and hope.
On Good Friday the churches of Littlehampton got together for the ‘Walk of Witness’ through Littlehampton town centre, finishing in a service at Littlehampton United Church. The church, built in 1861, was packed; the sound of singing filled the building, the sound of voices of all ages, from different backgrounds and different churches coming together to sing and worship was a beautiful sound. It was a sound of togetherness and unity. In a world often divided, how wonderful to sing together as one, with one purpose – to worship Jesus Christ, our saviour and king.
I’m writing this at the table in my living room by the piano. Next to it are two guitars, one trumpet, one flute and two of everyone’s all-time favourite instrument – the recorder. No-one is playing them; they lie still and silent. All it takes is one of these instruments to be picked up and played and the whole atmosphere is changed. There is life where once was stillness; beauty enters the emptiness.
“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music with the harp and the sound of singing.” (Psalm 98:4-5)
Whatever style of music you enjoy, classical to indie, pop to rock, hip-hop to folk, let your songs change the atmosphere. Let them bring light and life, unity and togetherness. “Let them bring glory to God, the one who loves you and who rejoices over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17).
March 2024 : Journeys
Rev Mark Williams, Vicar of Littlehampton, St Mary and St James.
Are we nearly there yet? The words most parents dread hearing, ten minutes after starting off on a long car journey or the holiday flight.
As we come to the culmination of the season of Lent and look towards the festivities of Easter, perhaps for many the same words roll easily off our lips. Yes, after six weeks of Lenten observance we are indeed nearly there. But it is not yet quite the moment to reach for the overhead locker for the hand luggage. The plane has not yet fully come to a stop. There is still some turbulence to negotiate before we reach the final destination. Easter is within touching distance, but there is perhaps the most important Lenten journeying still to undertake.
Lent consists of a series of journeys. Journeys of great contrast. From remembering the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness resisting the temptations of the devil to recalling His joyous, triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, riding on a donkey and being greeted rapturously by the crowds. From focusing on the painful journey of Jesus carrying His cross to the place of His crucifixion on Good Friday to the journeys of those who went early on Easter morning and found the tomb empty. And journeying too with the unwitting disciples, returning home to Emmaus on that first Easter evening, who at first do not recognize the companion who walks with them but who later come to realise that this is none other than the risen Jesus.
It is these great journeys at the culmination of Lent that perhaps we learn the most from for today. Throughout Lent – and particularly on Good Friday – many Christians observe the devotion of Stations of The Cross. Reflecting on fourteen `stops` along the way as Jesus carries His cross. Amongst those stops noticing, for instance, how Jesus falls under the weight. Yet each time mustering the strength and will to get back on His feet and carry on – a lesson to us about perseverance in the face of adversity. Along the way too, thinking of Simon of Cyrene being pulled from the crowd to help share the weight – and similarly Veronica who wipes Jesus` sweaty, bloodied face – and asking ourselves whose burden might we be able to help ease by walking alongside them, offering our support. Or giving thanks for those who help lighten our load.
The journey through Lent and into Easter is ultimately one of darkness to light. Of despair to joy. As we journey through life, may that which we learn from this season fill us all with light and hope.
February 2024 : What to do when a seal says hello?
Paul Sanderson MBE, Chaplain, The Littlehampton & Sir Robert Woodard Academies
I recently had the privilege of going on a three-day silent retreat to the West Coast of Ireland. Many laughed at the thought of me being quiet for three minutes, let alone three days.
We live in a noisy world. Phones pinging, music playing, people talking. Even the “quiet” carriage on a train has the regular announcements. In schools silence is relegated to exams, fire drills and detentions, not the most fun of experiences.
So my bag was packed with thoughtful books, a new note pad and all-weather gear.
I arrived by the side of the sea, at the foot of a mountain, phone off and ready to shut up and listen to the wild silence and see if my Maker had anything to say.
Keem Bay often makes the top 10 beaches in the world. It’s right on the edge of Europe, and in the summer you cannot move for tourists in campervans and cars blocking up the winding mountain road.
The only time the sun was predicted to come out was Thursday, so I got up early and drove the road, avoiding the sheep and the sheer drop. The car park was empty and for three hours it stayed that way. Just me and the sound of crashing waves, singing birds and the sudden appearance of a seal by the shore.
I looked around as it looked around, its head bobbing gently with the waves; at home in my new favourite space. Just us, the two of us, in the most beautiful of places.
I felt a peace, that really did ‘pass all understanding’. Was this a gift for me at this moment in time? Nothing else mattered. I was lost in something bigger than me. It was as though someone had hit the pause button on life.
I have not forgotten that morning when a seal said hello. I have become aware that moments like that are all around – if we can make time to stop and gaze, and take in the gift of a bird flying, the sun rising, or a person smiling.
Jesus once said “My peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
In a world of so much noise, anxiety and fear, I wonder if we can spot the day-to-day things that are all around us, ready to bring peace – for a moment at least. Keep looking and – you never know – you might spot a seal.
January 2024 : The Timeless Tale
Martin Garratt, Trinity Church, Littlehampton.
Christmas seems like a distant memory during these dark cold months. Yet, beneath the twinkling lights and the exchanged gifts, the tinsel and mince pies, there can be a bitter taste of strained family relationships and the ache of loved ones no longer with us.
The theme of broken relationships is often explored in films and books, and it is central to the stories we read in the Bible: Cain falling out with his brother Abel; Joseph being sold as a slave by his brothers; and even Jesus being betrayed by a close friend.
Like any good story, we long to see these broken relationships restored and this is exactly what the Bible story is all about.
Often reconciliation between brothers, as we can read in Genesis 45, when Joseph and his family are reunited, but also on a much grander scale.
The whole Bible narrative is a timeless tale of a God of love, our rebellion, and His relentless pursuit of reconciliation.
At its core, the Bible is not merely a collection of disjointed verses but a cohesive saga—a love story. It speaks of God's unfathomable love for His creation.
Every chapter echoes this theme of divine love weaving through the lives of flawed individuals, showcasing God’s grace and mercy towards each one of us.
This love story finds its climax in Easter – the pinnacle of Christian faith.
We enjoy the bunnies and colourful chocolate eggs; but at its core Easter is the celebration of love in its purest form – the ultimate act of love – Jesus Christ sacrificing His life for humanity.
His crucifixion and subsequent resurrection mark the pinnacle of God’s love story, offering redemption and a restored relationship with the divine.
As winter fades into the promise of spring, let your heart be drawn to this enduring tale.
A tale that transcends time, linking the manger to the cross. It beckons us to find our place within this grand story, to discover the profound depths of God's love – a love that extends to every individual, encompassing the entirety of creation.
In the interlude between Christmas and Easter, let us reflect on this wonderful story of God’s unending love for all, inviting us into a life-transforming relationship with him.
As we anticipate the joyous celebration of Easter, may this love story resonate in our lives, illuminating our path with hope, grace, and boundless love.
The theme of broken relationships is often explored in films and books, and it is central to the stories we read in the Bible: Cain falling out with his brother Abel; Joseph being sold as a slave by his brothers; and even Jesus being betrayed by a close friend.
Like any good story, we long to see these broken relationships restored and this is exactly what the Bible story is all about.
Often reconciliation between brothers, as we can read in Genesis 45, when Joseph and his family are reunited, but also on a much grander scale.
The whole Bible narrative is a timeless tale of a God of love, our rebellion, and His relentless pursuit of reconciliation.
At its core, the Bible is not merely a collection of disjointed verses but a cohesive saga—a love story. It speaks of God's unfathomable love for His creation.
Every chapter echoes this theme of divine love weaving through the lives of flawed individuals, showcasing God’s grace and mercy towards each one of us.
This love story finds its climax in Easter – the pinnacle of Christian faith.
We enjoy the bunnies and colourful chocolate eggs; but at its core Easter is the celebration of love in its purest form – the ultimate act of love – Jesus Christ sacrificing His life for humanity.
His crucifixion and subsequent resurrection mark the pinnacle of God’s love story, offering redemption and a restored relationship with the divine.
As winter fades into the promise of spring, let your heart be drawn to this enduring tale.
A tale that transcends time, linking the manger to the cross. It beckons us to find our place within this grand story, to discover the profound depths of God's love – a love that extends to every individual, encompassing the entirety of creation.
In the interlude between Christmas and Easter, let us reflect on this wonderful story of God’s unending love for all, inviting us into a life-transforming relationship with him.
As we anticipate the joyous celebration of Easter, may this love story resonate in our lives, illuminating our path with hope, grace, and boundless love.
December : Is it true that Christmas starts earlier every year, or does it just feel that way?
Chris Azzaro, Littlehampton United Church
Is it true that Christmas starts earlier every year, or does it just feel that way? Certainly, the television advertising or the Christmas displays in local garden centres encourage us to prepare earlier every year. Throw into the mix the relatively new phenomenon of Black Friday and one could wonder if Christmas was about anything other than spending a large amount of money. Such an assumption would be very wrong, however. For most families the central part of Christmas is the family gathering. A time when relatives and friends spend time together for the few days when the demands of work are relaxed.
Christians have strived for years to tell the greatest story ever told and explain what Christmas is really about – sometimes getting a reputation of being kill-joys. In fact during the time of Oliver Cromwell, starting in 1644, Christmas celebrations were forbidden. Even churches could be fined for holding special services on Christmas Day, and shops were ordered to stay open. Historians appear to agree that these measures were pretty unpopular and, with no national police force, were not widely enforced. In 1660 Charles II, who enjoyed a good celebration, took the throne and such laws were repealed. (Some would say the Merry Monarch enjoyed celebrating just a little too much!).
If we wish to change the emphasis from commercialism to spiritual appreciation, there are some ways that will work and others that won’t. Perhaps we should think of all the commercial advertising as free publicity for celebrating the season of Christ’s birth. Presenting the Nativity in the High Street when the town Christmas lights were turned on was a great example of what can be done.
So when does the church think Christmas should begin. For centuries the fifth Sunday before Christmas has been known as “Stir Up Sunday”, from the opening phrase of the prayer for the day: “Stir up, O Lord the loins of your faithful people….” A tradition emerged that this was the day to stir up the Christmas pudding, giving it the correct time to mature before it was eaten on Christmas Day.
The four Sundays in Advent progressively raise the stakes as Christmas Day gets closer. We light our advent candles each Sunday and the journey to Christmas Day is well underway. But if journeys are worth taking, the destination has to be good.
One local school asked students to write a sentence that one of the traditional characters in a nativity scene might have said to the baby Jesus. The one that stuck out for me, simply said “ A difficult journey, but what a great ending”. Wishing you a very happy Christmas.
Chris Azzaro, Littlehampton United Church
Christians have strived for years to tell the greatest story ever told and explain what Christmas is really about – sometimes getting a reputation of being kill-joys. In fact during the time of Oliver Cromwell, starting in 1644, Christmas celebrations were forbidden. Even churches could be fined for holding special services on Christmas Day, and shops were ordered to stay open. Historians appear to agree that these measures were pretty unpopular and, with no national police force, were not widely enforced. In 1660 Charles II, who enjoyed a good celebration, took the throne and such laws were repealed. (Some would say the Merry Monarch enjoyed celebrating just a little too much!).
If we wish to change the emphasis from commercialism to spiritual appreciation, there are some ways that will work and others that won’t. Perhaps we should think of all the commercial advertising as free publicity for celebrating the season of Christ’s birth. Presenting the Nativity in the High Street when the town Christmas lights were turned on was a great example of what can be done.
So when does the church think Christmas should begin. For centuries the fifth Sunday before Christmas has been known as “Stir Up Sunday”, from the opening phrase of the prayer for the day: “Stir up, O Lord the loins of your faithful people….” A tradition emerged that this was the day to stir up the Christmas pudding, giving it the correct time to mature before it was eaten on Christmas Day.
The four Sundays in Advent progressively raise the stakes as Christmas Day gets closer. We light our advent candles each Sunday and the journey to Christmas Day is well underway. But if journeys are worth taking, the destination has to be good.
One local school asked students to write a sentence that one of the traditional characters in a nativity scene might have said to the baby Jesus. The one that stuck out for me, simply said “ A difficult journey, but what a great ending”. Wishing you a very happy Christmas.
Chris Azzaro, Littlehampton United Church
November Are you ready?
Darren Lewis, Minister at Littlehampton Baptist Church
Questions. Life is full of them. The cheeky child with the repetitive ‘Why?’ (Thankfully
my three-year-old has not discovered this yet.) The almost inevitable long journey
favourite of ‘Are we there yet?’ (Once again, I am thankful my three-year-old has not
discovered this one either.) As we get older it turns into ‘How’s work?’ or ‘How’s
things?’
This year I found myself being faced with the same question continually. As August
approached and with it the impending arrival of our second child, the question that
came thick and fast was: ‘Are you ready?’ As September – and my role at
Littlehampton Baptist Church – approached, the question came again: ‘Are you
ready?’ As November approached and with it our relocation to Littlehampton, again it
was: ‘Are you ready?’ As December approaches and with it the start of Advent I am
once again faced with the question ‘Are you ready?’
It is the obvious and correct question to ask. Let’s face it, Christmas is a busy time
and giving it a bit of thought does help. There is family to see, parties to attend and
presents to be bought, wrapped and passed on. In my case, they’re often referring to
whether I have planned, and am ready for, the services and events that will be taking
place. However, as much as it is the right question, there is another angle from
which this question can be posed. One that is of greater significance and which
merits careful consideration – the Advent Angle.
Advent for many of us (myself included) is a time of preparation. A time where we
prepare for the big day by eating chocolates (buttons in my case), putting up the
decorations and watching countless Christmas films and TV repeats. But it was and
is intended to be so much more. Still a time of preparation for an important someone,
just a different someone; one not in a red suit. One whose presence is the present,
whose joy lasts longer than batteries, whose peace cannot be broken like a toy,
whose hope cannot be turned off like a set of lights and whose love cannot be
restricted by how far our bank balance can go. It is a time for us to prepare ourselves
for Jesus Christ, by preparing our hearts not our homes.
So I wonder, from all angles, including the Advent Angle, are you ready? My prayer
for us all comes from the words of the Apostle Paul: ‘May the God of hope fill you
with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the
power of the Holy Spirit.’
my three-year-old has not discovered this yet.) The almost inevitable long journey
favourite of ‘Are we there yet?’ (Once again, I am thankful my three-year-old has not
discovered this one either.) As we get older it turns into ‘How’s work?’ or ‘How’s
things?’
This year I found myself being faced with the same question continually. As August
approached and with it the impending arrival of our second child, the question that
came thick and fast was: ‘Are you ready?’ As September – and my role at
Littlehampton Baptist Church – approached, the question came again: ‘Are you
ready?’ As November approached and with it our relocation to Littlehampton, again it
was: ‘Are you ready?’ As December approaches and with it the start of Advent I am
once again faced with the question ‘Are you ready?’
It is the obvious and correct question to ask. Let’s face it, Christmas is a busy time
and giving it a bit of thought does help. There is family to see, parties to attend and
presents to be bought, wrapped and passed on. In my case, they’re often referring to
whether I have planned, and am ready for, the services and events that will be taking
place. However, as much as it is the right question, there is another angle from
which this question can be posed. One that is of greater significance and which
merits careful consideration – the Advent Angle.
Advent for many of us (myself included) is a time of preparation. A time where we
prepare for the big day by eating chocolates (buttons in my case), putting up the
decorations and watching countless Christmas films and TV repeats. But it was and
is intended to be so much more. Still a time of preparation for an important someone,
just a different someone; one not in a red suit. One whose presence is the present,
whose joy lasts longer than batteries, whose peace cannot be broken like a toy,
whose hope cannot be turned off like a set of lights and whose love cannot be
restricted by how far our bank balance can go. It is a time for us to prepare ourselves
for Jesus Christ, by preparing our hearts not our homes.
So I wonder, from all angles, including the Advent Angle, are you ready? My prayer
for us all comes from the words of the Apostle Paul: ‘May the God of hope fill you
with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the
power of the Holy Spirit.’
October : Town Chaplains are unsung heroe
Martin Garratt, Trinity Church, Littlehampton
In the heart of our community lies a group of unsung heroes, the Littlehampton Town Chaplains, whose dedication and compassion have been a beacon of hope for countless individuals in our town. These individuals, inspired by their Christian faith, offer friendship, support, and a listening ear to all who need it, embodying the teachings of Jesus in their service to the community.
Picture this: a bustling market street where people from various walks of life go about their daily tasks. Among them are the Town Chaplains, recognisable by their welcoming smiles and Chaplain uniforms. Rain or shine, they are a regular presence on a Friday in the town, ready to provide comfort and assistance to anyone seeking help.
Their role extends far beyond spiritual counsel; it encompasses being a friend to the lonely, a confidante to the distressed, and a source of strength to the struggling. Their unwavering commitment to helping others has created a profound impact on the lives of countless individuals, fostering a sense of community and unity within our town.
One of the most remarkable aspects of the Littlehampton Town Chaplains' work is their ability to bridge divides and offer support without judgement. Regardless of an individual's background, faith, or circumstances, they extend a compassionate hand and a non-judgmental ear, exemplifying the love and inclusivity that Jesus encourages.
Their actions echo the teachings of Jesus, who emphasised the importance of loving one's neighbour and caring for those in need. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus instructs his followers to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick, and provide comfort to the imprisoned, emphasising that whatever we do for the least of our brothers and sisters, we do for Him (Matthew 25:35-36).
As we approach the season of goodwill, it's fitting to express our deepest appreciation to the Littlehampton Town Chaplains for their tireless efforts in our community. Their acts of kindness and selflessness have touched lives in ways that words alone cannot convey. When you next see them in town, why not stop and show your appreciation for all they do to make a difference in our town. Perhaps their example might be an encouragement to us all to show love and kindness to those we meet.
See photo below
Picture this: a bustling market street where people from various walks of life go about their daily tasks. Among them are the Town Chaplains, recognisable by their welcoming smiles and Chaplain uniforms. Rain or shine, they are a regular presence on a Friday in the town, ready to provide comfort and assistance to anyone seeking help.
Their role extends far beyond spiritual counsel; it encompasses being a friend to the lonely, a confidante to the distressed, and a source of strength to the struggling. Their unwavering commitment to helping others has created a profound impact on the lives of countless individuals, fostering a sense of community and unity within our town.
One of the most remarkable aspects of the Littlehampton Town Chaplains' work is their ability to bridge divides and offer support without judgement. Regardless of an individual's background, faith, or circumstances, they extend a compassionate hand and a non-judgmental ear, exemplifying the love and inclusivity that Jesus encourages.
Their actions echo the teachings of Jesus, who emphasised the importance of loving one's neighbour and caring for those in need. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus instructs his followers to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick, and provide comfort to the imprisoned, emphasising that whatever we do for the least of our brothers and sisters, we do for Him (Matthew 25:35-36).
As we approach the season of goodwill, it's fitting to express our deepest appreciation to the Littlehampton Town Chaplains for their tireless efforts in our community. Their acts of kindness and selflessness have touched lives in ways that words alone cannot convey. When you next see them in town, why not stop and show your appreciation for all they do to make a difference in our town. Perhaps their example might be an encouragement to us all to show love and kindness to those we meet.
See photo below
September: BEING GRATEFUL FOR WHAT WE HAVE
Joanne Gisbey, Engagement Lead and Leadership Team, Arun Church.
“I’m so hungry! When can we get some food?” says my youngest daughter five minutes into a stroll through a picturesque village in the Loire Valley.
My nephew echoes the pleas, “I’m so, so hungry Auntie Jo. Where is the café? When can we stop?”
I reply, trying to stay calm, “We ate just before we left. You're ok for now.”
“Why are we even on a walk?” my daughter begins again. I stop, take a deep breath, and pause before responding.
“Do you know what I love about walks?” Two blank faces look up at me. “Finding something beautiful in every step.”
They look unimpressed yet decide to take on this challenge. Before long they have found: geckos, exotic looking bugs, sticks, flowers and even half a baguette! They are climbing, jumping, searching, finding, exclaiming and laughing.
How often do we think about what we want or need, feeling frustrated, anxious or angry when we don’t get it there and then?
Would our days look different if we stopped to see the beauty around us?
What might we find, see and discover if we pause to be thankful for what is right in front of us?
Practising gratitude is widely recognised in improving mental well-being and can help with anxiety, stress, low-mood and depression. It can be as simple as writing a list of small or big things we are thankful for.
Perhaps for the breath in our lungs, the trees, a bed, a warm shower, slippers, a hot cup of tea, a chat with a friend or the stunning sea on our doorstep.
The Bible has many verses about thankfulness. God knows how important this is for us.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6).
Paul writes that we are to bring our requests to God, to ask Him for what we need but, he adds, to do so with thanksgiving.
God loves us. He knows what we need and the longings in our hearts.
He also knows that sometimes what we actually need is different from the thing we think we need. Sometimes the very act of practising gratitude is the thing that we need.
This week set yourself a daily challenge to try this out. What are you thankful for?
Can you find something beautiful in every step?
My nephew echoes the pleas, “I’m so, so hungry Auntie Jo. Where is the café? When can we stop?”
I reply, trying to stay calm, “We ate just before we left. You're ok for now.”
“Why are we even on a walk?” my daughter begins again. I stop, take a deep breath, and pause before responding.
“Do you know what I love about walks?” Two blank faces look up at me. “Finding something beautiful in every step.”
They look unimpressed yet decide to take on this challenge. Before long they have found: geckos, exotic looking bugs, sticks, flowers and even half a baguette! They are climbing, jumping, searching, finding, exclaiming and laughing.
How often do we think about what we want or need, feeling frustrated, anxious or angry when we don’t get it there and then?
Would our days look different if we stopped to see the beauty around us?
What might we find, see and discover if we pause to be thankful for what is right in front of us?
Practising gratitude is widely recognised in improving mental well-being and can help with anxiety, stress, low-mood and depression. It can be as simple as writing a list of small or big things we are thankful for.
Perhaps for the breath in our lungs, the trees, a bed, a warm shower, slippers, a hot cup of tea, a chat with a friend or the stunning sea on our doorstep.
The Bible has many verses about thankfulness. God knows how important this is for us.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6).
Paul writes that we are to bring our requests to God, to ask Him for what we need but, he adds, to do so with thanksgiving.
God loves us. He knows what we need and the longings in our hearts.
He also knows that sometimes what we actually need is different from the thing we think we need. Sometimes the very act of practising gratitude is the thing that we need.
This week set yourself a daily challenge to try this out. What are you thankful for?
Can you find something beautiful in every step?
31 August : The Importance of Little Things in Life
Rev Mark Williams, Vicar of Littlehampton, St Mary and St James.
One of the Big-Screen hits this summer – Oppenheimer – tells the story of how during World War Two physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer was appointed by the US government to work with a team of scientists developing and designing the atomic bomb. Their work would come to fruition on July 16th 1945 as they witnessed the world`s first nuclear explosion. Just a few weeks later, on 6th August, the new weapon would be dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and subsequently Nagasaki, not only shifting the course of the second world war but changing too the course of the world for ever. Such are the events of world history – moments in time that make us what we are today.
For most of us ordinary folk, changing the world may seem like an insurmountable task. It is only, it seems, a very select few who are ever going to be in a position to effect such a change that will be written about in the annals of history. But that is to underestimate ourselves. Changing the world does not mean that you have to be the richest, most powerful person on earth. I remember once reading somewhere someone saying: `Changing the world starts with one person with an attitude. Change the way you look at life… it`s the little things in life that one day become the big things. Don’t ever doubt the importance of little things. Small acts when multiplied by millions of people can transform the world`
This is very much a Christian perspective too. So much of the course of the last 2000 years of human history finds its foundation in the life of Jesus and the testimony of those whose lives were transformed by being in His presence. Ordinary everyday folk, such as the first disciples, who were often to be found on the margins of society and who could not possibly have imagined how their witness would transform the world. Even today, when the Christian faith is claimed by many to be on the decline, there are still over two billion Christians across the world. All because of the testimony of a handful of early believers.
So let us never underestimate the power within us to make positive change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world. Change the way you look at life. Compliment a stranger. Hold the door open for someone. Let someone pass you in traffic when you are in a hurry. You may change someone’s day. And you may just change the world, starting one person at a time.
For most of us ordinary folk, changing the world may seem like an insurmountable task. It is only, it seems, a very select few who are ever going to be in a position to effect such a change that will be written about in the annals of history. But that is to underestimate ourselves. Changing the world does not mean that you have to be the richest, most powerful person on earth. I remember once reading somewhere someone saying: `Changing the world starts with one person with an attitude. Change the way you look at life… it`s the little things in life that one day become the big things. Don’t ever doubt the importance of little things. Small acts when multiplied by millions of people can transform the world`
This is very much a Christian perspective too. So much of the course of the last 2000 years of human history finds its foundation in the life of Jesus and the testimony of those whose lives were transformed by being in His presence. Ordinary everyday folk, such as the first disciples, who were often to be found on the margins of society and who could not possibly have imagined how their witness would transform the world. Even today, when the Christian faith is claimed by many to be on the decline, there are still over two billion Christians across the world. All because of the testimony of a handful of early believers.
So let us never underestimate the power within us to make positive change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world. Change the way you look at life. Compliment a stranger. Hold the door open for someone. Let someone pass you in traffic when you are in a hurry. You may change someone’s day. And you may just change the world, starting one person at a time.
July 2023 : Houseplants and Spirituality
Rev Mark Rodger, Curate at All Saints, Wick.
Over the last decade I’ve joined the trend of buying houseplants. One of my favourites though is the spider plant. If you’ve not seen one, you’ll find lots of them in my favourite community coffee shop, Creative Heart. Back in lockdown we were on a family walk around the block and someone had left lots of spider plants in paper cups to take. Since then it’s grown, produced beautiful white flowers and lots of baby spider plants (that are apparently called “spiderettes”) which hang down from the bookshelf like a cascading waterfall. Until recently it lived on a shelf in the bathroom until my one-year-old managed to reach it and almost pulled it on top of herself! We’ve moved it now.
Over the last years I’ve enjoyed looking at the vibrant greens and whites, the delicate flowers and those spiderettes. But it’s also made me think a lot. There have been times when I’ve forgotten to water and feed it, and because the spider plant is so big with so many spiderettes, it goes a pale green. Inevitably the spiderettes suffer first. When that happens I’ve sometimes wondered whether I’m more like the vibrant green plant or the pale plant. I’ve wondered how much this affects those I’m connected to – my wife, children, friends, my local community, and my church community where I help lead?
We’re all like plants which need water, food and light. One of the ancient writers of the Bible called David was reflecting on this and said that those who delight and meditate on God’s Word in the Bible are like “a tree replanted in Eden, bearing fresh fruit every month, never dropping a leaf, always in blossom” (Psalm 1:3). We were made for Eden, to enjoy an intimate relationship with God, hearing Him speak to us and answering Him with simple honesty and, often, gratitude. If I’m honest, I know there’s been plenty of times I’ve wanted to do my own thing, not listen to Him or speak to Him, to be separate from Him. Is it any wonder that when I look back at those times I can see that the vibrancy disappeared? It’s because we were designed to be connected with God. And because of God’s amazing kindness He came in the person of Jesus to reconnect us to God, to give us that restored relationship, if we want it back.
June 2023 : I loved the early starts.....
Paul Sanderson MBE, Chaplain, The Littlehampton & Sir Robert Woodard Academie
As an apprentice roofer in the 80s I loved the early starts, café breakfasts and climbing ladders or scaffolds to make homes across London waterproof.
It was one such sunny morning that we arrived on site to look at a flat roof that was leaking into the bathroom. I had watched my boss and tried my best to learn fast – so, along with the worried owner, the four of us measured up and found the area that was leaking. Me, trying to impress, did the whole ‘push down the soft bit of felt with my steel-capped toe’ thing. I could feel it was not good; but then suddenly this part of the roof collapsed, with its rotten wood, small stones and damaged felt falling into the bathroom below.
I was full of apologies and felt like a fool, but the owner was strangely calm and took up my offer to help clean up the bathroom. We fixed the roof, and I was reminded repeatedly, for weeks, at my attempts to have an early bath.
On another roof, in a village called Capernaum in present day Israel, four friends brought their sick friend to meet Jesus one day. The house he was in was packed with people and there was no way to get in. Their love for their friend, matched with determination and belief that meeting this man could make a big difference, led them to come up with another plan.
They put the paralyzed man in a bed sheet and carried him up to the roof. Then, to the shock of the owner, they started to break open the roof. As dust and light and small bits of rubble fell into the room, you can imagine the anger and confusion as the earth-made ceiling landed in their hair. Then with strength and care they lowered him through the hole they had made, resting him gently at Jesus’ feet.
A conversation ensued, full of words of love and faith and care and compassion.
The courage of the friends was rewarded with the sight of their friend standing up, brushing himself down and walking out of the house they had partly destroyed.
In the 80s we had to the take up the roof, so that a new one could be laid. There are times in life where we sometimes feel it’s all a mess, but often it turns out all right in the end.
April 2023 : Good Friday was just as it should be
Chris Azzaro, Littlehampton United Church.
The weather at Easter is not always what we hope for. I always think of Easter as a marker for the return of Spring, yet when Easter is early that can be a false hope. This year, Good Friday was just as it should be – a fine Spring Day, comfortably warm and no sign of any rain. As I joined the huge crowd that gathered on the lawn outside the United Church, I had that comfortable feeling that all was right with the world. Yet Good Friday is a solemn day when we remember the death of Christ on a cruel cross. Somehow the uplifting sunshine and the wonderful singing almost contradicted the reason for the event.
In contrast – and in true British fashion – by Easter Sunday the weather had changed to wet and windy! On the day we celebrate the resurrection, when we think of all the springtime trappings of Easter that we enjoy, those who organised outdoor events were looking at Plan B – indoors!
On the first Easter Sunday, the followers of Jesus were securely indoors, but not because of the weather. When a would-be Messiah was caught and executed, the Roman authorities usually rounded up all his followers and dealt out the same punishment. Jesus’ disciples, we are told in John’s Gospel (ch20 v19 etc), were locked in a room for fear of the Jews. No doubt waiting for a knock on the door that would signify their impending fate. But that did not happen.
Something else, that took them totally by surprise, did happen. Jesus appeared in their midst and greeted them with the traditional greeting “Shalom” – Peace be with you. Unbelievable? In fact, it was so unbelievable that one disciple, Thomas, who was missing at the time, roundly told the others exactly what he thought of their story. Poor Thomas, for twenty centuries he has been called “Doubting Thomas” for expressing his honest opinion.
The story did not end there. A week later all the disciples were again together and this time Thomas was present. When Jesus appeared and invited him to examine his wounds, Thomas was utterly convinced. Jesus was alive. Jesus then made a statement that inspires us still, “You have seen and believed, Blessed are those who have not seen but believe”.
Understanding what happened all that time ago can be difficult. Perhaps by putting ourselves in the position of those in the first century, as they came to understand the resurrection, will help us know that we, who have not seen, are still blessed through the Resurrection of our living Lord Jesus Christ.
March 2023 : WHO IS THIS MAN?
Roger Purdom, Retired Church Pastor
As I came into the courtyard, a girl came up to me and started talking about a man who had just been brought into the courtyard.
“What man?”, I said.
“That man over there. You came in with him. Who is he?” “I don’t know who you are talking about”.
As she walks away, another girl comes up and says, “That man over there in the
Corner. You’re one of his friends, aren’t you?”
I was getting a little annoyed and I wanted to shout. Why are they pestering me? They seemed to be behaving as if we had been friends for ages.
I told her the same thing as I had told the other girl, but with a slightly raised voice. “Leave me alone, will you! I don’t know who this man is. Back off!”
Just when I thought everything had died down, some man came to me and said, “Hello there. I don’t think we have met but I noticed you came in with that man over there. Who is he? You seem to know him, don’t you?”
I lost it. I started to swear. I got really angry. This time I did shout. “Get off my back! I don’t know who that man is. I am not with him. Do you understand?”
I started to walk away. I thought it best if I left the courtyard. As I left, I looked across to see this man in the corner, and my eyes met his eyes and I started to cry because I did know him.
He looked at me and then I remembered. Sometime before this incident, he told me that I would deny knowing him three times before the cock crowed and that’s just what I had done. I had let him down.
This man is Jesus. I had spent three years with him and he told us that he was going to be crucified but I said that wouldn’t happen. My name is Peter.I have let him down. I have denied knowing him. I wept.
Yes, he was crucified but he came back to life, and he gives us hope for the future if we put our trust in him. He forgave me because he loved me and he longs, this Easter, to be part of your life now and in the future.
February 2023 : Things Change!
Jon Jolly - Arun Church.
I regularly walk into Littlehampton town centre with my family. Over the past year on our journeys, we have watched the transformation of the High Street. The old brick paving has been ripped up and replaced with more modern and vibrant yellow slabs, while the flower beds and railings have also gone to make way for new street furniture.
Although I like the new look, not everyone appreciates these changes. The work has been disruptive for retailers, pedestrians, and traffic. My daughter says she prefers the previous paving. But as I find myself saying to her, things change and there’s a lot that is beyond our control!
In the Bible, God is often described as ‘unchanging’. This could be misunderstood as rigid, obstinate, or outdated. But that’s not what it means. The Bible is clear that God is loving and enjoys relationship with us. There is story after story of how God changes his mind and adjusts his actions in response to people (including Abraham and Moses). Jesus turned the world on its head when he encouraged his followers to pray to God as a loving father who responds to our prayers!
So, if God is responsive in his actions toward us, why is He described as unchanging? It’s a statement about his character. In Exodus 3:14 when speaking from a burning bush, God tells Moses his name. He says "I am who I am." This phrase can be translated in a few ways and one of these is ‘Whatever I am, I will be’ or more clearly, ‘Whatever I am like, I am like that consistently.’ God's very name tells us that his character is reliable.
In a world where things constantly change around us, we can be left feeling lost and confused. People come and go, big events like earthquakes and wars occur, and local High Streets have a facelift. But in all the uncertainty of life, I find it greatly encouraging that God is reliable and consistent. He is unchanging and He responds to us when we seek Him.
Although I like the new look, not everyone appreciates these changes. The work has been disruptive for retailers, pedestrians, and traffic. My daughter says she prefers the previous paving. But as I find myself saying to her, things change and there’s a lot that is beyond our control!
In the Bible, God is often described as ‘unchanging’. This could be misunderstood as rigid, obstinate, or outdated. But that’s not what it means. The Bible is clear that God is loving and enjoys relationship with us. There is story after story of how God changes his mind and adjusts his actions in response to people (including Abraham and Moses). Jesus turned the world on its head when he encouraged his followers to pray to God as a loving father who responds to our prayers!
So, if God is responsive in his actions toward us, why is He described as unchanging? It’s a statement about his character. In Exodus 3:14 when speaking from a burning bush, God tells Moses his name. He says "I am who I am." This phrase can be translated in a few ways and one of these is ‘Whatever I am, I will be’ or more clearly, ‘Whatever I am like, I am like that consistently.’ God's very name tells us that his character is reliable.
In a world where things constantly change around us, we can be left feeling lost and confused. People come and go, big events like earthquakes and wars occur, and local High Streets have a facelift. But in all the uncertainty of life, I find it greatly encouraging that God is reliable and consistent. He is unchanging and He responds to us when we seek Him.
January 2023 : God goes with us, but also before us.
Tom Robson - Vicar of All Saints Wick and Lyminster Churches.
New Year is often associated with new beginnings - new gym memberships, new diets, new commitments and sometimes new questions about our hopes and dreams for the year ahead. I’ve been thinking a lot about a new start for myself and my family as we prepare to move on to a new vicar role on the other side of Chichester.
When we’ve told people, they’ve often asked a similar question: ‘how are you feeling about that?’
And my honest answer is that it’s a real mix. We’re excited to start somewhere and find out why we believe God has called us there, but at the same time we’ll be very sad to leave a church family and a local community that we’ve enjoyed so much over the last 6-7 years.
Maybe you’ve had that same split feeling about something new? Excitement mixed with sadness or at least uncertainty. It can be hard, and both feelings can exist powerfully side by side.
The reality is that we never know what’s coming up, or how a change will be, or what it will feel like once the new thing isn’t new any more. And that uncertainty can be quite unsettling.
That’s why I’m so grateful to believe and trust in Jesus, who is described as the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. God can, unlike us, see all that stretches out in front of us.
Of course, that doesn’t guarantee that everything will be plain sailing or that we’ll always have a clear path to follow. I think we can make our journey through life along different ways and God is able to somehow weave that into his plans for his people.
And it gives us this incredible hope that, along the journey, He not only goes with us, but also before us.
From our perspective we may walk on into the unknown with all the mix of anticipation and sometimes trepidation, but there is a higher perspective that has already seen, already knows, is already preparing the way.
December 2022 : Rescued from a storm drain.
Martin Garratt, of Trinity Church Littlehampton.
A dear friend of mine, living in Mumbai, India, was walking home one night. As usual, there were no street lights. The road ahead was in total darkness. This shouldn’t have been a problem as he had walked that road many times before. Unbeknown to him, someone had removed a large iron storm drain cover. As he stepped forward he plummeted down into the wet, stinking storm drain below. Bruised and battered from the fall, and soaking wet, he was trapped in the darkness. He had no way of escaping. He needed a rescuer, someone from above who could reach down and lift him out.
It feels like we are in darkness at the moment with the cost-of-living crisis, the conflict in Ukraine, and so much uncertainty about the future. For many, it can feel like we have fallen down a storm drain. We are emotionally bruised, financially struggling, and can’t see any way of escaping the fear we have about the future.
The Bible tells us that we all walk in spiritual darkness. The darkness we find ourselves in is so dark, it is as if we are blind. We are trapped in the darkest recesses of the storm drain of life. Each of us needs rescuing. We can’t escape the darkness on our own. Just like my friend in Mumbai, we are all in need of a rescuer.
My friend, stuck in that storm drain, called out into the darkness. A passer-by heard his cry and switched on his phone’s torch. It is amazing how reassuring a light can be when we have been in darkness. This stranger didn’t just reach down to lift my friend to freedom. He climbed into the drain and helped him find freedom.
This is the good news of Christmas. In Psalm 18 we read that God turns our darkness into light. Jesus didn’t just shine his light on us whilst we remain trapped in the storm drain of life. He didn’t just reach down from heaven to lift us out. God himself came to earth, as a man. He joined us in our darkness and, as Isaiah prophesied, Jesus will guide us and turn our darkness into light. For He is the Light of the World.
A dear friend of mine, living in Mumbai, India, was walking home one night. As usual, there were no street lights. The road ahead was in total darkness. This shouldn’t have been a problem as he had walked that road many times before. Unbeknown to him, someone had removed a large iron storm drain cover. As he stepped forward he plummeted down into the wet, stinking storm drain below. Bruised and battered from the fall, and soaking wet, he was trapped in the darkness. He had no way of escaping. He needed a rescuer, someone from above who could reach down and lift him out.
It feels like we are in darkness at the moment with the cost-of-living crisis, the conflict in Ukraine, and so much uncertainty about the future. For many, it can feel like we have fallen down a storm drain. We are emotionally bruised, financially struggling, and can’t see any way of escaping the fear we have about the future.
The Bible tells us that we all walk in spiritual darkness. The darkness we find ourselves in is so dark, it is as if we are blind. We are trapped in the darkest recesses of the storm drain of life. Each of us needs rescuing. We can’t escape the darkness on our own. Just like my friend in Mumbai, we are all in need of a rescuer.
My friend, stuck in that storm drain, called out into the darkness. A passer-by heard his cry and switched on his phone’s torch. It is amazing how reassuring a light can be when we have been in darkness. This stranger didn’t just reach down to lift my friend to freedom. He climbed into the drain and helped him find freedom.
This is the good news of Christmas. In Psalm 18 we read that God turns our darkness into light. Jesus didn’t just shine his light on us whilst we remain trapped in the storm drain of life. He didn’t just reach down from heaven to lift us out. God himself came to earth, as a man. He joined us in our darkness and, as Isaiah prophesied, Jesus will guide us and turn our darkness into light. For He is the Light of the World.
Photo Courtesy by Benjamin Suter on Unsplash
November 2022 : What “I’m A Celebrity…
Rory McClure, Pastor, Parkside Evangelical Church
What “I’m A Celebrity…” says about us.
What is it about I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! that keeps people watching? And why would so many people take the trouble to vote for a celebrity to suffer? Perhaps people are still angry about former Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s hypocrisy during the Covid lock-down. Perhaps they blame him for not being able to comfort a loved one in hospital, or because they lost a job or their business went bankrupt because of “his” lock-down. If true, then that might be understandable (even if not admirable). But what about the celebrities that everybody likes? Why tune in to watch them suffer? For most people, it’s gripping to watch some of the most privileged people in the world bond in friendship or turn on each other as they confront some of their worst fears. Perhaps there’s also a certain comfort in knowing that they are just ordinary people like us. They share in our human weaknesses, and no amount of wealth or fame makes those frailties easier to bear.
I’m A Celebrity … also confronts us with our own fears. Whether it is phobias (like fear of snakes or spiders or confined spaces) or more general fears – like the fear of not being liked or the fear of failure – we all have our weaknesses. We can get a small measure of courage or comfort from watching someone else overcome their fears. But why a rich and famous celebrity? Someone who will be paid handsomely for suffering briefly for the cameras under carefully controlled conditions ruled by health and safety laws? Someone whom you will never meet and who would ignore you if you saw each other on the street? What comfort is there in that?
As Christians, our comfort is in knowing that God Himself chose to enter our suffering. Not briefly for the cameras and a fat pay cheque, nor under carefully controlled conditions governed by health and safety laws. Instead, our God Jesus was born in a dirty stable, raised in poverty in a country under military occupation, and betrayed by His best friends, experiencing an unjust trial and being tortured to death. If anyone can sympathise with our struggles, it is Him. That’s why we keep coming back to Him with our fears and, when things go wrong, we find in Him the strength to overcome these fears.
What is it about I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! that keeps people watching? And why would so many people take the trouble to vote for a celebrity to suffer? Perhaps people are still angry about former Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s hypocrisy during the Covid lock-down. Perhaps they blame him for not being able to comfort a loved one in hospital, or because they lost a job or their business went bankrupt because of “his” lock-down. If true, then that might be understandable (even if not admirable). But what about the celebrities that everybody likes? Why tune in to watch them suffer? For most people, it’s gripping to watch some of the most privileged people in the world bond in friendship or turn on each other as they confront some of their worst fears. Perhaps there’s also a certain comfort in knowing that they are just ordinary people like us. They share in our human weaknesses, and no amount of wealth or fame makes those frailties easier to bear.
I’m A Celebrity … also confronts us with our own fears. Whether it is phobias (like fear of snakes or spiders or confined spaces) or more general fears – like the fear of not being liked or the fear of failure – we all have our weaknesses. We can get a small measure of courage or comfort from watching someone else overcome their fears. But why a rich and famous celebrity? Someone who will be paid handsomely for suffering briefly for the cameras under carefully controlled conditions ruled by health and safety laws? Someone whom you will never meet and who would ignore you if you saw each other on the street? What comfort is there in that?
As Christians, our comfort is in knowing that God Himself chose to enter our suffering. Not briefly for the cameras and a fat pay cheque, nor under carefully controlled conditions governed by health and safety laws. Instead, our God Jesus was born in a dirty stable, raised in poverty in a country under military occupation, and betrayed by His best friends, experiencing an unjust trial and being tortured to death. If anyone can sympathise with our struggles, it is Him. That’s why we keep coming back to Him with our fears and, when things go wrong, we find in Him the strength to overcome these fears.
October 2022 : The Great Tragedy of Speed
by Rev Mark Rodger, Curate at All Saints Wick
I was walking into Littlehampton the other day when a sports car revved its engine, accelerating from about 10-40mph in a matter of seconds. I walked past another guy as we both exchanged, shaking heads and mouthing “What a lemon” or words to that affect.
But as I walked on, something inside stopped me. At first it was a reminder that I’ve driven too fast before, just without the flashy sports car. “Ok, I’ll put my self-righteous attitude to one side and admit my envy for the guy who has the sports car!” But the still small voice wasn’t going to settle for a few ounces of honesty. “Why do you go from 0-40mph most mornings?”
I have to admit I sometimes find God’s voice pretty inconvenient, mostly because He has a knack of putting His finger on an issue I’d rather brush aside. Over the years I’ve discovered that He cares about me far too much for me to simply carry on, often unaware of the consequences.
He wasn’t talking about how fast I drive my car, but how fast I often drive my life. The pandemic slowed me down, but as restrictions have eased I’ve begun to rev the accelerator. Now I can give you a whole load of reasons as to why this has happened. We’re all good at justifying ourselves. But at that moment God was trying to get underneath all of this to what is really going on in my heart.
In The Great Tragedy of Speed David Whyte explores why we drive our lives so fast. He explains that “Speed gets noticed. Speed is praised by others.” In a world where we are so often measured by our productivity, we can be seduced into doing more and doing it faster.
But perhaps, most haunting of all, Whyte diagnoses why we don’t slow down: “If we really saw what we were doing and who we had become, we feel we might not survive the stopping and the accompanying self-appraisal.”
But as uncomfortable as it might be, slowing down is so important. I don’t expect many of us will say on our death bed “I wish I had driven my life faster.” I suspect it’s far more likely we’ll say: “I wish I had had deeper relationships.”
The truth is – we can’t see people in much detail at 40mph. We can’t listen or love or build relationships at 40mph. Relationships are built at 3mph, at walking speed or around a dinner table at 0mph.
But there is one more relationship which can’t be built at speed. A song in the Bible says this: “Be still, and know that I am God.” Is it possible that by slowing down, we might get to know the infinite God who cares for us so much that He became human in Jesus – so He could walk at 3mph and have dinner with saints and sinners like you and me because He wanted a relationship with us?
But as I walked on, something inside stopped me. At first it was a reminder that I’ve driven too fast before, just without the flashy sports car. “Ok, I’ll put my self-righteous attitude to one side and admit my envy for the guy who has the sports car!” But the still small voice wasn’t going to settle for a few ounces of honesty. “Why do you go from 0-40mph most mornings?”
I have to admit I sometimes find God’s voice pretty inconvenient, mostly because He has a knack of putting His finger on an issue I’d rather brush aside. Over the years I’ve discovered that He cares about me far too much for me to simply carry on, often unaware of the consequences.
He wasn’t talking about how fast I drive my car, but how fast I often drive my life. The pandemic slowed me down, but as restrictions have eased I’ve begun to rev the accelerator. Now I can give you a whole load of reasons as to why this has happened. We’re all good at justifying ourselves. But at that moment God was trying to get underneath all of this to what is really going on in my heart.
In The Great Tragedy of Speed David Whyte explores why we drive our lives so fast. He explains that “Speed gets noticed. Speed is praised by others.” In a world where we are so often measured by our productivity, we can be seduced into doing more and doing it faster.
But perhaps, most haunting of all, Whyte diagnoses why we don’t slow down: “If we really saw what we were doing and who we had become, we feel we might not survive the stopping and the accompanying self-appraisal.”
But as uncomfortable as it might be, slowing down is so important. I don’t expect many of us will say on our death bed “I wish I had driven my life faster.” I suspect it’s far more likely we’ll say: “I wish I had had deeper relationships.”
The truth is – we can’t see people in much detail at 40mph. We can’t listen or love or build relationships at 40mph. Relationships are built at 3mph, at walking speed or around a dinner table at 0mph.
But there is one more relationship which can’t be built at speed. A song in the Bible says this: “Be still, and know that I am God.” Is it possible that by slowing down, we might get to know the infinite God who cares for us so much that He became human in Jesus – so He could walk at 3mph and have dinner with saints and sinners like you and me because He wanted a relationship with us?
September 2022: LAST WORDS
by Rev Mark Williams, Vicar of Littlehampton, St Mary and St James
Anyone who has ever lost a loved one knows the significance of last words. Words said in love are something those left behind will cherish forever. Last words are powerful.
None of us will ever know what the last words of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth were to her family gathered at her bedside at Balmoral Castle. However, we can be fairly certain, I think, about what she wanted her final words to the people of this nation and Commonwealth – whom she had served for 70 years as Monarch – to be.
Her funeral service will have been a long time in the planning. We know too that she will have had significant input into it, choosing, or at the very least giving approval to, every word and note. And so I am sure that we can and should pay particular attention to the last public words spoken at the committal service which took place at St. George`s Chapel in Windsor as having been sentiments Her Late Majesty meant for all of us to hear. The Archbishop of Canterbury brought the service to its conclusion with these words:
‘Go forth into the world in peace. Be of good courage. Hold fast that which is good. Render to no one evil for evil. Strengthen the fainthearted. Support the weak. Help the afflicted. Show love to everyone. Love and serve the Lord.`
During her Broadcast on Christmas Day 2000 Queen Elizabeth used these very words herself. As was so often the case, she took the opportunity to reflect upon her own deep Christian faith, saying: “For me the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life. I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christ's words and example….But the true measure of Christ's influence is not only in the lives of the saints but also in the good works quietly done by millions of men and women – day in and day out – throughout the centuries….It is a simple message of compassion... and yet as powerful as ever today.”
Whether we are people of faith or not, supporters of the monarchy or not, the simple yet profound last words of the funeral service at Windsor Castle will, I hope, echo deep within the hearts and lives of all of us. A simple message of compassion and love and good works which, lived out in our daily lives, would make our lives so much more fulfilling, and our families, community and world so much the better – which I`m sure is what Her Late Majesty`s hope and prayer for all of us was.
August 2022: Summer Camp: 20 years and counting.
By Roger Purdom, Retired Church Pastor
The Littlehampton Churches have just celebrated the 20th year of Summer Camp. We were at the Lodge Hill campsite at Watersfield this year throughout the second week of August. This annual Camp is aimed at children aged 9-11 who are in Years 5 and 6 of our local primary schools. It is a Christian-based camp and we see it as an opportunity to reach out to these children and to their families.
The dream for running such a camp every year was to give the children a good holiday with lots of fun and a variety of activities; to help them make new friends and to introduce them to Jesus.
Over the years we have had all kinds of weather, as you would expect on a camping trip in the UK! But this year was the hottest on record. We have had many sunny days at camp before, but never five out of five!
The camp programme had a real mix. There were five different activities run by the Lodge Hill instructors – Mountain Biking, Crate Stacking, High Wobble Board, Low Ropes and Tunnelling.
We had a morning of fun activities led by Chris North, who heads up ‘Freedom through Fun’ programmes. And we also ran our own activities: Den Building, Prayer Rockets, Stone Painting, Board Games, Tik-Tok, Story Time – to name a few.
The camp was in the hands of a Core leadership team, ably assisted by a team of young leaders and adult leaders. There were very few dull moments throughout the week.
As a Christian-based camp we were able to share a 'Thought for the Day' at breakfast and a Bible story in the evening sessions. We also had some lively singing of various songs at the evening sessions. The talk each evening was based around the Jesus stories linked into one of the Team names - Humanity: Jesus calming the storm; Equality: Jesus talking with a woman at the well; Honesty: Jesus talking with Zacchaeus; Unity: Jesus washing the feet of His disciples; Destiny: Jesus telling a story about the sheep and goats.
Our website has a gallery of pictures from throughout the week. You can see this at http://summercamplct.co.uk/gallery-summer-camp-2022
The dream lives on because we want more and more children and families to learn about Jesus. Planning for next year will begin again soon.
The dream for running such a camp every year was to give the children a good holiday with lots of fun and a variety of activities; to help them make new friends and to introduce them to Jesus.
Over the years we have had all kinds of weather, as you would expect on a camping trip in the UK! But this year was the hottest on record. We have had many sunny days at camp before, but never five out of five!
The camp programme had a real mix. There were five different activities run by the Lodge Hill instructors – Mountain Biking, Crate Stacking, High Wobble Board, Low Ropes and Tunnelling.
We had a morning of fun activities led by Chris North, who heads up ‘Freedom through Fun’ programmes. And we also ran our own activities: Den Building, Prayer Rockets, Stone Painting, Board Games, Tik-Tok, Story Time – to name a few.
The camp was in the hands of a Core leadership team, ably assisted by a team of young leaders and adult leaders. There were very few dull moments throughout the week.
As a Christian-based camp we were able to share a 'Thought for the Day' at breakfast and a Bible story in the evening sessions. We also had some lively singing of various songs at the evening sessions. The talk each evening was based around the Jesus stories linked into one of the Team names - Humanity: Jesus calming the storm; Equality: Jesus talking with a woman at the well; Honesty: Jesus talking with Zacchaeus; Unity: Jesus washing the feet of His disciples; Destiny: Jesus telling a story about the sheep and goats.
Our website has a gallery of pictures from throughout the week. You can see this at http://summercamplct.co.uk/gallery-summer-camp-2022
The dream lives on because we want more and more children and families to learn about Jesus. Planning for next year will begin again soon.
All Copyrights and Child Protection respected
July 2022: WOULD I LIE TO YOU?
By Rev Martin Seymour, Littlehampton Baptist Church
I enjoy the antics and quick-fire humour on the show “Would I lie To You”. The premise of the show is that two teams are pitched against one another. Each member of the team will tell a story about themselves. The story will be elaborate, and on the whole, unbelievable. The opposing team will then question the storyteller to flush out any inconsistencies within the tale. The questioners then have to decide if the storyteller was telling the truth or a lie.
How used are we in 2022 to texts from the inland revenue which are not from the inland revenue; emails from our bank that are not from our bank. Scary phone calls that inform us if we do not press “one” to get through to a department, and when we press number “one” we find we have started to ramp up a phone bill which is equal to our current national debt.
Then of course there are the gossip columns, alongside our social networks. There is fake news, and different news channels and outlets putting different slants on current stories to meet with their editorial protocol.
In the 80’s and 90’s I was a commissioned writer for the BBC on such shows as the “News Huddlines” and “Weekending”. These were satirical radio shows with differing approaches. But to get somewhere close to the real stories of the week I would have to read 6/7 newspapers’ coverage of particular headlines so as to navigate my way to the truth or as near to the truth as our media’s editors or owners allowed.
Call me sceptical, but listening to Talk Radio, LBC and other radio stations which are UK wide, it is clear that the DNA of life in the UK in 2022 is cynical, suspicious and sceptical. In our current leadership race for Prime Minister, the candidates who were all of one team are now showing Blue On Blue combat for that prized top job.
We all want a leader with integrity, someone to follow and never be disappointed, someone who actually knows where truth is - and it’s not some distant island which nobody visits anymore.
At the end of the 1990s I found someone to follow, someone who said He not only spoke truth but was the truth. I have now served Him for 25 years, and He has never let me down. He is the way, the truth and the life.
Be sceptical about many things, but not the Christian Faith. Visit a church near you, ask questions, dig for truth and then decide: is it a lie or is it the truth?
How used are we in 2022 to texts from the inland revenue which are not from the inland revenue; emails from our bank that are not from our bank. Scary phone calls that inform us if we do not press “one” to get through to a department, and when we press number “one” we find we have started to ramp up a phone bill which is equal to our current national debt.
Then of course there are the gossip columns, alongside our social networks. There is fake news, and different news channels and outlets putting different slants on current stories to meet with their editorial protocol.
In the 80’s and 90’s I was a commissioned writer for the BBC on such shows as the “News Huddlines” and “Weekending”. These were satirical radio shows with differing approaches. But to get somewhere close to the real stories of the week I would have to read 6/7 newspapers’ coverage of particular headlines so as to navigate my way to the truth or as near to the truth as our media’s editors or owners allowed.
Call me sceptical, but listening to Talk Radio, LBC and other radio stations which are UK wide, it is clear that the DNA of life in the UK in 2022 is cynical, suspicious and sceptical. In our current leadership race for Prime Minister, the candidates who were all of one team are now showing Blue On Blue combat for that prized top job.
We all want a leader with integrity, someone to follow and never be disappointed, someone who actually knows where truth is - and it’s not some distant island which nobody visits anymore.
At the end of the 1990s I found someone to follow, someone who said He not only spoke truth but was the truth. I have now served Him for 25 years, and He has never let me down. He is the way, the truth and the life.
Be sceptical about many things, but not the Christian Faith. Visit a church near you, ask questions, dig for truth and then decide: is it a lie or is it the truth?
June 2022: Yesssssss, I did it!
by Paul Sanderson MBE, Chaplain at The Littlehampton Academy
I hit a hole in one the other day. I am not a regular golfer, but my son and I took to the local course as he wants to learn the game. I settled to take my drive on the short 3rd hole and arrogantly said to my son: “this is how it’s done!” On reflection I was aiming for the green, not the flag, but as the ball sailed through the air, bounced once, then trickled its way on the green and disappeared in the hole, I stood rooted to the spot. Shock was followed by joy as I shout out loud “Yesssssss, I did it!”
I looked around to see if anyone had witnessed this once-in-a-lifetime moment. Other than my newly proud son, no one had; so I shouted to some players way ahead (it’s good to share the joy) and they gave the thumbs up from afar. A quick ‘high five’ from my son and I floated to the green, plucked my ball from the hole and waved to the imaginary crowd standing and cheering my skill!
I don’t always hit what I aim for. I have played lots of golf, aimed for lots of flags but never ever got it in one. But I keep aiming for it. Never has something to aim for been more important.
In my role as Chaplain, I work with lots of young people. For some of them life feels pointless. The pandemic has not helped. They struggle to find meaning in their role in the world. Loneliness from lock-downs and hours of comparing yourself to others via the many social media platforms can cause sadness to go deep.
Through listening and encouraging we try to find a purpose together. It may be something small to aim for today. A smile or a hello can be a big deal to some. Finding someone to thank, or learning one new thing in the next lesson can be a good next step. It may be an honest conversation to have at home later on in the day.
Sometimes it’s a few years away, and a career path they would love to take. I find that this aiming for the small things and then the medium helps make life feel a bit more worthwhile.
Jesus taught his followers to aim for three things. Love yourself, love your neighbour and love your God. This ability to look in the mirror and like what you see. Not perfection but a person. A person who has a reason. A person whose small actions can make a real difference. A person who can be a friend to the people they come across in their day. A person who looks at the sky, the trees, the sea and says: I am a part of something bigger than me. A person who can one day shout out loud “Yesssssss, I did it! I did life and did it good!”
I looked around to see if anyone had witnessed this once-in-a-lifetime moment. Other than my newly proud son, no one had; so I shouted to some players way ahead (it’s good to share the joy) and they gave the thumbs up from afar. A quick ‘high five’ from my son and I floated to the green, plucked my ball from the hole and waved to the imaginary crowd standing and cheering my skill!
I don’t always hit what I aim for. I have played lots of golf, aimed for lots of flags but never ever got it in one. But I keep aiming for it. Never has something to aim for been more important.
In my role as Chaplain, I work with lots of young people. For some of them life feels pointless. The pandemic has not helped. They struggle to find meaning in their role in the world. Loneliness from lock-downs and hours of comparing yourself to others via the many social media platforms can cause sadness to go deep.
Through listening and encouraging we try to find a purpose together. It may be something small to aim for today. A smile or a hello can be a big deal to some. Finding someone to thank, or learning one new thing in the next lesson can be a good next step. It may be an honest conversation to have at home later on in the day.
Sometimes it’s a few years away, and a career path they would love to take. I find that this aiming for the small things and then the medium helps make life feel a bit more worthwhile.
Jesus taught his followers to aim for three things. Love yourself, love your neighbour and love your God. This ability to look in the mirror and like what you see. Not perfection but a person. A person who has a reason. A person whose small actions can make a real difference. A person who can be a friend to the people they come across in their day. A person who looks at the sky, the trees, the sea and says: I am a part of something bigger than me. A person who can one day shout out loud “Yesssssss, I did it! I did life and did it good!”
May 2022: The Faith of a Faithful Queen
by Rory McClure, Pastor, Parkside Evangelical Church
When Elizabeth II was crowned on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London, she was presented with a Bible with these words: “Our gracious Queen: to keep your Majesty ever mindful of the law and the Gospel of God as the Rule for the whole life and government of Christian Princes, we present you with this Book, the most valuable thing that this world affords. Here is Wisdom. This is the royal Law. These are the lively Oracles of God.” This charge was given to her, not as a new responsibility, but as an expression of her already strong faith.
This confident faith has been evident throughout her reign. For example, during her first Christmas address to the nation in 1953, the newly crowned Queen asked the nation for something that we could do for her. These are her words: “Pray for me … that God may give me wisdom and strength to carry out the solemn promises I shall be making, and that I may faithfully serve Him, and you, all the days of my life.” If ever God has answered prayers, He has answered this one.
Few would doubt that the Queen has faithfully served the nation over the last 70 years, but many have overlooked the fact that she has also faithfully served God as well. During her annual Queen’s Speech at Christmas she has frequently talked about the importance of her faith. For example, in 2008 she said: “I hope that, like me, you will be comforted by the example of Jesus of Nazareth who, often in circumstances of great adversity, managed to live an outgoing, unselfish and sacrificial life … He makes it clear that genuine human happiness and satisfaction lie more in giving than receiving; more in serving than in being served.”
In her 2012 Christmas broadcast she said, “This is the time of year when we remember that God sent his only son ‘to serve, not to be served’. He restored love and service to the centre of our lives in the person of Jesus Christ. It is my prayer, this Christmas Day, that His example and teaching will continue to bring people together to give the best of themselves in the service of others.”
So what does the Queen pray for? She prays for you and that you too will be inspired by the example and teaching of Jesus.
This confident faith has been evident throughout her reign. For example, during her first Christmas address to the nation in 1953, the newly crowned Queen asked the nation for something that we could do for her. These are her words: “Pray for me … that God may give me wisdom and strength to carry out the solemn promises I shall be making, and that I may faithfully serve Him, and you, all the days of my life.” If ever God has answered prayers, He has answered this one.
Few would doubt that the Queen has faithfully served the nation over the last 70 years, but many have overlooked the fact that she has also faithfully served God as well. During her annual Queen’s Speech at Christmas she has frequently talked about the importance of her faith. For example, in 2008 she said: “I hope that, like me, you will be comforted by the example of Jesus of Nazareth who, often in circumstances of great adversity, managed to live an outgoing, unselfish and sacrificial life … He makes it clear that genuine human happiness and satisfaction lie more in giving than receiving; more in serving than in being served.”
In her 2012 Christmas broadcast she said, “This is the time of year when we remember that God sent his only son ‘to serve, not to be served’. He restored love and service to the centre of our lives in the person of Jesus Christ. It is my prayer, this Christmas Day, that His example and teaching will continue to bring people together to give the best of themselves in the service of others.”
So what does the Queen pray for? She prays for you and that you too will be inspired by the example and teaching of Jesus.
April 2022: Under Pressure
by Joe Gisbey, Assistant Leader, Arun Church
Do you feel under pressure right now? Two years of global pandemic, wars and rumours of wars, along with the aching sense of helplessness in the face of so much suffering; the bombardment by social media, both fake and real news (and – let’s face it – sometimes we wonder if there is really any difference!). We can feel like we are reeling from so much that is pressing on us from every side!
We have all heard the phrase: ‘Pressure makes diamonds’. True, however pressure also results in us making incredibly poor decisions. Pressure can cause physical and mental breakdowns, split families and friends and make us the proud owners of expensive goods we wished we had never bought!
In this world we will all deal have to with pressure. However, it is how we process this pressure that is important.
In the gospels before his trial and crucifixion, we see Jesus under intense pressure. The setting is beautifully symbolic: Gethsemane, which literally means ‘the place of pressing oils’. Here huge rocks would be placed on hessian sacks of olive pulp until the oil would flow. The first pressing would be the finest quality oil used for incense, the second for cosmetics, the third oil for cooking and finally oil for lamps. It is important to remember that in scripture, oil was always used as a symbol of God’s presence and healing.
Jesus is literally facing the weight of the world, past, present and future, as the realisation of all that is about to happen to him sets in.
‘Going a little farther, He fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Turning pressure into praise, Jesus surrenders, allowing the pressure to point to His Father, who knows the end from the beginning and ultimately holds Him in the palm of His hand.
‘And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground’
Through Jesus’ wounds, healing was about to flow. What a picture! Beside the very place that olives were pressed, we see Jesus under the most intense pressure anyone has ever known. Yet He does not break, or crumble, but rather under pressure we see love and healing released!
Could it be that, as we surrender our many pressures over to a loving God during this season, He will cause such love to flow from our lives that it will bring healing to all we meet?
We have all heard the phrase: ‘Pressure makes diamonds’. True, however pressure also results in us making incredibly poor decisions. Pressure can cause physical and mental breakdowns, split families and friends and make us the proud owners of expensive goods we wished we had never bought!
In this world we will all deal have to with pressure. However, it is how we process this pressure that is important.
In the gospels before his trial and crucifixion, we see Jesus under intense pressure. The setting is beautifully symbolic: Gethsemane, which literally means ‘the place of pressing oils’. Here huge rocks would be placed on hessian sacks of olive pulp until the oil would flow. The first pressing would be the finest quality oil used for incense, the second for cosmetics, the third oil for cooking and finally oil for lamps. It is important to remember that in scripture, oil was always used as a symbol of God’s presence and healing.
Jesus is literally facing the weight of the world, past, present and future, as the realisation of all that is about to happen to him sets in.
‘Going a little farther, He fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Turning pressure into praise, Jesus surrenders, allowing the pressure to point to His Father, who knows the end from the beginning and ultimately holds Him in the palm of His hand.
‘And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground’
Through Jesus’ wounds, healing was about to flow. What a picture! Beside the very place that olives were pressed, we see Jesus under the most intense pressure anyone has ever known. Yet He does not break, or crumble, but rather under pressure we see love and healing released!
Could it be that, as we surrender our many pressures over to a loving God during this season, He will cause such love to flow from our lives that it will bring healing to all we meet?
March 2022: The War in Ukraine
by Tom Robson, Vicar of All Saints Wick and Lyminster Churches
As my turn came to write something on behalf of Littlehampton’s churches, I knew I wanted to say something about the war in Ukraine. But I’ve found this incredibly difficult to write.
What can anyone say in response to something like this? As I think many people have felt: I want to do something, but what can I do?
I make no claim to any special insight, but my faith in Jesus does offer me some explanation and hope for times like this.
I think that when it comes to conflict, sadly we should expect it. I saw some statistics the other day suggesting that of all the years of documented human history, only 8% don’t include a conflict costing more than 1,000 lives. And that’s just the wars that are known.
But I don’t think that I can point all the blame at others. I’m part of a faith in whose name many people have died. And have our governments always been above blame in some of the wars we’ve fought? Of course, there are degrees of responsibility, but as St Paul wrote to the church in Rome: ‘we have all fallen short of God’s glory.’ Sadly, we are seeing some extreme examples of that right now, as we have throughout history.
But we can do something about it. It may not feel like much, but lots of people doing a little can make a big difference. Have you seen the photos of people on European train platforms waiting to welcome refugees? Or buggies lined up to be used for children fleeing to safety?
I believe that a living faith in Jesus should lead to show love for our neighbours, whoever they may be. We can pray, and we can speak and act for truth and justice. I know I don’t do that enough. I would like the courage to do it more. But we can give, we can add our voice, we can offer hospitality, and we can demonstrate that ‘deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace have joy.’ (Proverbs 12:20)
This world is beautiful, but it is not as it should be. My hope and faith is that, one day, it will be remade and restored. But that is not an excuse for inaction. If I believe that this world is a gift, including the people on it, then I can do better at taking care of it and them. I can ask God for the grace to use my responsibility well. I may not know what to say. But saying something, doing something, in faith and in hope, seems a good place to start.
What can anyone say in response to something like this? As I think many people have felt: I want to do something, but what can I do?
I make no claim to any special insight, but my faith in Jesus does offer me some explanation and hope for times like this.
I think that when it comes to conflict, sadly we should expect it. I saw some statistics the other day suggesting that of all the years of documented human history, only 8% don’t include a conflict costing more than 1,000 lives. And that’s just the wars that are known.
But I don’t think that I can point all the blame at others. I’m part of a faith in whose name many people have died. And have our governments always been above blame in some of the wars we’ve fought? Of course, there are degrees of responsibility, but as St Paul wrote to the church in Rome: ‘we have all fallen short of God’s glory.’ Sadly, we are seeing some extreme examples of that right now, as we have throughout history.
But we can do something about it. It may not feel like much, but lots of people doing a little can make a big difference. Have you seen the photos of people on European train platforms waiting to welcome refugees? Or buggies lined up to be used for children fleeing to safety?
I believe that a living faith in Jesus should lead to show love for our neighbours, whoever they may be. We can pray, and we can speak and act for truth and justice. I know I don’t do that enough. I would like the courage to do it more. But we can give, we can add our voice, we can offer hospitality, and we can demonstrate that ‘deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace have joy.’ (Proverbs 12:20)
This world is beautiful, but it is not as it should be. My hope and faith is that, one day, it will be remade and restored. But that is not an excuse for inaction. If I believe that this world is a gift, including the people on it, then I can do better at taking care of it and them. I can ask God for the grace to use my responsibility well. I may not know what to say. But saying something, doing something, in faith and in hope, seems a good place to start.
February 2022: A nice mess!
by Roger Purdom, Retired Church Pastor
That’s another nice mess you have gotten me into!” was often heard in a Laurel and Hardy film.
As we look around us today, perhaps we can say the same thing. The world seems to be in a mess. Maybe we should say ‘the world is in a terrible mess.’
We have been trying to come to terms with the Covid pandemic. We have clapped the NHS; we have complained at aspects of the ongoing lockdown; we are in the middle of ‘partygate’, involving both the Civil Service and the Metropolitan Police.
And now the ‘Met’ are in a mess with the resignation of its Commissioner. Parliament is in a mess too; nobody there seems to know what the truth is, and some don’t even seem to know what truth is (There’s a subtle difference between the two.) Just who can we trust?
Look further across Europe and into the potential conflict with Russia. Go across the pond to the USA and wonder what is happening in the aftermath of the presidential election. Everywhere there are issues to be addressed – the economy, education, waiting lists in our hospitals, climate change, energy charges … You could add to this list from a personal perspective. It seems endless. Is there anywhere across our world where there isn’t a mess of some sort?
Some of you may remember the radio programme, ‘Desert Island Discs.’ A well-known person used to be asked: ‘If you were to be cast away on a desert island, which eight gramophone records would you choose to have with you, assuming, of course, that you had a gramophone and an inexhaustible supply of needles?’ Even on a desert island you’d get into a mess without those needles!
But enough of the mess. What about the remedy? As Christians we believe that God made the heavens and the earth and He was pleased with the end result: it was very good. We have made the mess because we have ignored God’s instructions as to how to live.
But – and here is the remedy for the mess – God hasn’t given up on us. Because He loves us and wants the best for us, He has sent His Son Jesus to bring us into a right relationship with Him. As we follow Jesus, we can know forgiveness and be empowered to live as He intended us to. Then we can say to God: “That’s another nice mess you have got me out of.”
As we look around us today, perhaps we can say the same thing. The world seems to be in a mess. Maybe we should say ‘the world is in a terrible mess.’
We have been trying to come to terms with the Covid pandemic. We have clapped the NHS; we have complained at aspects of the ongoing lockdown; we are in the middle of ‘partygate’, involving both the Civil Service and the Metropolitan Police.
And now the ‘Met’ are in a mess with the resignation of its Commissioner. Parliament is in a mess too; nobody there seems to know what the truth is, and some don’t even seem to know what truth is (There’s a subtle difference between the two.) Just who can we trust?
Look further across Europe and into the potential conflict with Russia. Go across the pond to the USA and wonder what is happening in the aftermath of the presidential election. Everywhere there are issues to be addressed – the economy, education, waiting lists in our hospitals, climate change, energy charges … You could add to this list from a personal perspective. It seems endless. Is there anywhere across our world where there isn’t a mess of some sort?
Some of you may remember the radio programme, ‘Desert Island Discs.’ A well-known person used to be asked: ‘If you were to be cast away on a desert island, which eight gramophone records would you choose to have with you, assuming, of course, that you had a gramophone and an inexhaustible supply of needles?’ Even on a desert island you’d get into a mess without those needles!
But enough of the mess. What about the remedy? As Christians we believe that God made the heavens and the earth and He was pleased with the end result: it was very good. We have made the mess because we have ignored God’s instructions as to how to live.
But – and here is the remedy for the mess – God hasn’t given up on us. Because He loves us and wants the best for us, He has sent His Son Jesus to bring us into a right relationship with Him. As we follow Jesus, we can know forgiveness and be empowered to live as He intended us to. Then we can say to God: “That’s another nice mess you have got me out of.”
January 2022: Think well. Speak well. Do well.
by The Reverend Mark Williams, Vicar of Littlehampton, St Mary & St. James
Let me begin with a question. What, locally, connects names such as Catherine, Martin, James, Mary, Augustine and Flora? The answer quite simply is that they are the saintly names associated with various churches and roads in the community. There are several more of course and if you take a walk around St. Mary`s Church, you will see the emblems carved in stone of saints Peter, Paul, Nicholas, Margaret and Hilda.
Such saints as these have stories that go back many centuries. Some of them we know much about because much has been recorded about them. Our knowledge of many others is far more sketchy. What we think we know about others come from stories which are the result of various myths, legends and folklore. For the vast majority of saints however, whom the church often refers to as the great cloud of witnesses, nothing is written and we can only imagine and surmise perhaps their wonderful deeds. Yet all are remembered as saints.
When I was growing up, a very simple definition of a saint was that they were ordinary people who did extraordinary things (for God). In essence people just like any of us. Flawed in many ways and yet always striving to be and do better. It is in that ordinariness that we can perhaps find inspiration for our own lives. It was Nelson Mandela who said “I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.”
One of the things that many of us have learned or had reaffirmed through the course of the Covid pandemic is the extraordinary lengths that some people will go to in order to help others. Not for their own gain, but simply because they want to help and make others’ lives better. So many of us have benefited from the saintly qualities that have been exercised, many offered in small and unheralded ways. Their example an inspiration to us all.
`Think well. Speak well. Do well` are words attributed to St. Camillus. An unlikely 16th century Italian saint whom it is said was a gambler with a bad leg and a bad temper, because the hospital where he went for treatment kicked him out for being troublesome! But he managed to change his ways and, so the story goes, ended up spending his time caring for plague victims.
Such qualities have undergirded the lives of saints ancient and modern. May we also `Think well. Speak well. Do well`
Such saints as these have stories that go back many centuries. Some of them we know much about because much has been recorded about them. Our knowledge of many others is far more sketchy. What we think we know about others come from stories which are the result of various myths, legends and folklore. For the vast majority of saints however, whom the church often refers to as the great cloud of witnesses, nothing is written and we can only imagine and surmise perhaps their wonderful deeds. Yet all are remembered as saints.
When I was growing up, a very simple definition of a saint was that they were ordinary people who did extraordinary things (for God). In essence people just like any of us. Flawed in many ways and yet always striving to be and do better. It is in that ordinariness that we can perhaps find inspiration for our own lives. It was Nelson Mandela who said “I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.”
One of the things that many of us have learned or had reaffirmed through the course of the Covid pandemic is the extraordinary lengths that some people will go to in order to help others. Not for their own gain, but simply because they want to help and make others’ lives better. So many of us have benefited from the saintly qualities that have been exercised, many offered in small and unheralded ways. Their example an inspiration to us all.
`Think well. Speak well. Do well` are words attributed to St. Camillus. An unlikely 16th century Italian saint whom it is said was a gambler with a bad leg and a bad temper, because the hospital where he went for treatment kicked him out for being troublesome! But he managed to change his ways and, so the story goes, ended up spending his time caring for plague victims.
Such qualities have undergirded the lives of saints ancient and modern. May we also `Think well. Speak well. Do well`
December 2021: The Christmas Wreath
by Rev Martin Seymour, Littlehampton Baptist Church.
We often see them hanging on the outside of front doors. Some are handmade, others shop bought. Some are real foliage; others are not and can just be squashed into a box with other decorations and brought out again next year.
In a church near you, since November 28th this year – the beginning of Advent – the Christmas wreath has 5 candles. Usually four are white and the fifth is red. Beginning four weeks before Christmas Day, a candle is lit every Sunday and the fifth is lit on Christmas Day.
What is the meaning of this tradition? At our church, Littlehampton Baptist Church, the four candles are symbolic for Hope, Love, Joy, Peace and the fifth is the Christ Candle.
At a time when the entire planet has felt the effects of unprecedented illness, many are struggling to fend off feelings of hopelessness, loneliness, anxiety, and sadness at what is usually one of the happiest times of the year. So, it is good to be reminded that in Christ we have Hope, Love, Joy and Peace.
Speaking as the Pastor of a church and as one of your Town Chaplains, it’s good to listen. It’s good to spend time with residents, of any age, of any culture, of any faith or no faith. It’s good to hear what is uppermost in their concerns: the anti-vaxxers, those keen on conspiracy theories, the “They’re out to get us” brigade, those sympathetic to the “insulate Britain” movement and those who are questioning of it, those who are Anti-Capitalist and Anti-Globalisation and those who fear Totalitarianism. If you look hard enough you can find a movement against anything in 21st Century Britain. When I meet anyone who has very strong views, it’s good to listen, to be sympathetic to their views, compassionate to their passion and generous with time until they run out of words, ideas, and facts that they believe, truly believe. So we listen sympathetically and with grace.
Christmas is a very special time. We get too busy, we may spend too much, and we must get that last gift for that distant Aunt we have not seen for years. But the very best gift to each other is “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22).
We all have so many differences of opinion, thoughts, and ideas. How would it be if we all had one aim this Christmas and on into 2022 and beyond – to have one ideal, that of a baby born in a stable, born to die so that we might live. Jesus simply said “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another”.
Your Churches Together in Littlehampton wish you all a blessed and peaceful Christmas.
In a church near you, since November 28th this year – the beginning of Advent – the Christmas wreath has 5 candles. Usually four are white and the fifth is red. Beginning four weeks before Christmas Day, a candle is lit every Sunday and the fifth is lit on Christmas Day.
What is the meaning of this tradition? At our church, Littlehampton Baptist Church, the four candles are symbolic for Hope, Love, Joy, Peace and the fifth is the Christ Candle.
At a time when the entire planet has felt the effects of unprecedented illness, many are struggling to fend off feelings of hopelessness, loneliness, anxiety, and sadness at what is usually one of the happiest times of the year. So, it is good to be reminded that in Christ we have Hope, Love, Joy and Peace.
Speaking as the Pastor of a church and as one of your Town Chaplains, it’s good to listen. It’s good to spend time with residents, of any age, of any culture, of any faith or no faith. It’s good to hear what is uppermost in their concerns: the anti-vaxxers, those keen on conspiracy theories, the “They’re out to get us” brigade, those sympathetic to the “insulate Britain” movement and those who are questioning of it, those who are Anti-Capitalist and Anti-Globalisation and those who fear Totalitarianism. If you look hard enough you can find a movement against anything in 21st Century Britain. When I meet anyone who has very strong views, it’s good to listen, to be sympathetic to their views, compassionate to their passion and generous with time until they run out of words, ideas, and facts that they believe, truly believe. So we listen sympathetically and with grace.
Christmas is a very special time. We get too busy, we may spend too much, and we must get that last gift for that distant Aunt we have not seen for years. But the very best gift to each other is “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22).
We all have so many differences of opinion, thoughts, and ideas. How would it be if we all had one aim this Christmas and on into 2022 and beyond – to have one ideal, that of a baby born in a stable, born to die so that we might live. Jesus simply said “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another”.
Your Churches Together in Littlehampton wish you all a blessed and peaceful Christmas.
November 2021: Losing and regaining our “muchness”
by Mark Rodger, Curate, All Saints Wick and Lyminster Churches
I recently watched Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. Near the beginning Alice is shown a scroll which shows her slaying “Jabberwocky”, the evil dragon. She immediately thinks it’s a case of mistaken identity. Absolom the caterpillar seems to agree, replying “No, she’s not hardly Alice.” But as the film progresses we discover that the issue isn’t mistaken identity, but that Alice has lost her “muchness”.
As I watched the film I wondered if the same could be said of me. We all travel down life’s rich and varied roads, sometimes thrilled at the joys, sometimes battered by disappointments, making both good and bad choices. But it’s worth asking, “Who have I become? Have I lost my muchness?”
CS Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia, wrote “There are no ordinary people. Even the dullest person you can talk to may, one day, be a creature which you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare.”
He was saying that we are all created in the image of God, on a road to recovering our lost God-likeness or else gradually losing our “muchness” and becoming something quite the opposite of the God of beauty, love and joy.
In Burton’s film Alice regains her muchness gradually, as she realizes who she is. This question of who we are is important. But I want to suggest that we only find out who we are when we find out who’s we are. When I discovered that there was a God who loved me, who left heaven for me in the person of Jesus, and who was prepared even to die for me and defeat death by rising again, things began to change. His death had absorbed the corruption in my heart, something which I was powerless to deal with and which was trying to destroy me. Not only that, but his resurrection was transfusing new life into my heart, even restoring the God-likeness that had been so diminished.
Towards the end of the film Absolom tells Alice, “I said you were Not Hardly Alice. But you’re much more her now. In fact, you’re Almost Alice.” For me, there’s still a long way to go, but I know who’s I am – God’s – and, who I am, His child, and I’m more Mark than ever. I wonder, where are you on the journey?
As I watched the film I wondered if the same could be said of me. We all travel down life’s rich and varied roads, sometimes thrilled at the joys, sometimes battered by disappointments, making both good and bad choices. But it’s worth asking, “Who have I become? Have I lost my muchness?”
CS Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia, wrote “There are no ordinary people. Even the dullest person you can talk to may, one day, be a creature which you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare.”
He was saying that we are all created in the image of God, on a road to recovering our lost God-likeness or else gradually losing our “muchness” and becoming something quite the opposite of the God of beauty, love and joy.
In Burton’s film Alice regains her muchness gradually, as she realizes who she is. This question of who we are is important. But I want to suggest that we only find out who we are when we find out who’s we are. When I discovered that there was a God who loved me, who left heaven for me in the person of Jesus, and who was prepared even to die for me and defeat death by rising again, things began to change. His death had absorbed the corruption in my heart, something which I was powerless to deal with and which was trying to destroy me. Not only that, but his resurrection was transfusing new life into my heart, even restoring the God-likeness that had been so diminished.
Towards the end of the film Absolom tells Alice, “I said you were Not Hardly Alice. But you’re much more her now. In fact, you’re Almost Alice.” For me, there’s still a long way to go, but I know who’s I am – God’s – and, who I am, His child, and I’m more Mark than ever. I wonder, where are you on the journey?
September 2021: Why are so many buildings today so ugly?
by Rev. Rory McClure, Parkside Evangelical Church
I was in Chichester Cathedral yesterday. The sun was shining in through the stained-glass windows, casting its fuzzily projected colours across the pews and onto the stone-flagged floor. The altar was dressed with the extravagance of a medieval monarch and all was surrounded with a grandeur to rival nature. The organist was peacefully playing a Bach prelude. Unquestionable beauty.
Beauty has been an important expression of the Christian faith ever since Mary took a pound of very costly perfume and anointed the feet of Jesus. Back then (like now) the self-righteous moralists asked, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor?” For the past two thousand years Christians have been helping the poor. The first hospitals, the first attempts to organise famine relief for the poor, or to advocate for the rights of the poor, or to end slavery – all these came to us by the self-sacrificial generosity of Christians. Yet they also sought to feed the poverty of souls through beauty. Their earnest desire was to give outward expression to what they felt within as they worshipped Jesus. They wanted others to experience outwardly the reality of what they were feeling inwardly, and they used architecture, sculpture, paintings and music to achieve this.
But what happens to a culture that believes that the very idea of God is irrelevant? What happens when the most talented believe that all that exists is merely physical matter controlled by physical forces? Now that our culture worships a new holy trinity – consisting of avoiding death, paying taxes and honouring ‘the bottom line’ – how has beauty fared? We are almost a century into this experiment and, judging by our architecture and arts, we’ve failed to find anything that will lift our souls out of the mundane and up into the sublime. Most architecture is boring, functional and cheap. And when money is occasionally thrown at a project, architects normally give us a “challenging” monument to the shocking, the different or the bizarre. And as for modern art…
We live in a world that falls easily into ugliness. Thankfully, most people are still intuitively drawn to the architecture and towns which were built in our Christian past. Like Mary’s oil, those houses, banks, churches and cathedrals remind us that beauty is possible, but only if our culture is willing to sit at the feet of Jesus again.
Beauty has been an important expression of the Christian faith ever since Mary took a pound of very costly perfume and anointed the feet of Jesus. Back then (like now) the self-righteous moralists asked, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor?” For the past two thousand years Christians have been helping the poor. The first hospitals, the first attempts to organise famine relief for the poor, or to advocate for the rights of the poor, or to end slavery – all these came to us by the self-sacrificial generosity of Christians. Yet they also sought to feed the poverty of souls through beauty. Their earnest desire was to give outward expression to what they felt within as they worshipped Jesus. They wanted others to experience outwardly the reality of what they were feeling inwardly, and they used architecture, sculpture, paintings and music to achieve this.
But what happens to a culture that believes that the very idea of God is irrelevant? What happens when the most talented believe that all that exists is merely physical matter controlled by physical forces? Now that our culture worships a new holy trinity – consisting of avoiding death, paying taxes and honouring ‘the bottom line’ – how has beauty fared? We are almost a century into this experiment and, judging by our architecture and arts, we’ve failed to find anything that will lift our souls out of the mundane and up into the sublime. Most architecture is boring, functional and cheap. And when money is occasionally thrown at a project, architects normally give us a “challenging” monument to the shocking, the different or the bizarre. And as for modern art…
We live in a world that falls easily into ugliness. Thankfully, most people are still intuitively drawn to the architecture and towns which were built in our Christian past. Like Mary’s oil, those houses, banks, churches and cathedrals remind us that beauty is possible, but only if our culture is willing to sit at the feet of Jesus again.
August 2021: Is there any hope?
by Roger Purdom, Retired Church Pastor
Each time we turn the news on, or read our newspapers, there seems no end to tragedy upon tragedy – the ongoing pandemic, fires, earthquakes, floods, climate change and killings (among other things) across the world. Someone asked me last week: “Is there anywhere I can take my family to a safe and secure place?”
There is so much uncertainty, so much fear, so much anxiety. Is there an answer to this question? Yes, there is.
For the last ten days Littlehampton Churches Together have run their Summer Camp at the Lodge Hill campsite. This is the 19th year of this camp for children aged 9-11 from our local primary schools. We normally run just one camp for up to 48 children. The supervising team is made up of local young people and adults, many of whom had been at the camp when they were in their primary school.
But this year we were overwhelmed by the number of applications. We soon reached the 100 mark! We were able to run two camps, the first with 60 children and the second with 48. There were children from all the local primary schools in the Littlehampton group of schools.
We make it very clear that this camp is a Christian-based camp, because we wanted to share with the children and young people attending that there is an answer to the needs we see around the world. Our theme this year was ‘Growth’ and we had team names which were linked to that – Team Hope; Team Love; Team Life; Team Trust and Team Courage.
For some on camp, their experience of real, genuine love is lacking. So we thought about how much God loves each individual – God is love.
Who can we trust? We used the story of Joseph, who was given a rough time by his brothers and his master when he was a slave in Egypt. But he trusted God in every situation.
Is there really any hope? Yes, there is - we can put our hope in God. He has never, nor will ever, let us down.
And because God is love and can be trusted, He gives us real hope and life, as Jesus promised when He said: “I have come to give life in all its fullness.”
All this gives us courage to face the future, because we know we are not on our own.
There is so much uncertainty, so much fear, so much anxiety. Is there an answer to this question? Yes, there is.
For the last ten days Littlehampton Churches Together have run their Summer Camp at the Lodge Hill campsite. This is the 19th year of this camp for children aged 9-11 from our local primary schools. We normally run just one camp for up to 48 children. The supervising team is made up of local young people and adults, many of whom had been at the camp when they were in their primary school.
But this year we were overwhelmed by the number of applications. We soon reached the 100 mark! We were able to run two camps, the first with 60 children and the second with 48. There were children from all the local primary schools in the Littlehampton group of schools.
We make it very clear that this camp is a Christian-based camp, because we wanted to share with the children and young people attending that there is an answer to the needs we see around the world. Our theme this year was ‘Growth’ and we had team names which were linked to that – Team Hope; Team Love; Team Life; Team Trust and Team Courage.
For some on camp, their experience of real, genuine love is lacking. So we thought about how much God loves each individual – God is love.
Who can we trust? We used the story of Joseph, who was given a rough time by his brothers and his master when he was a slave in Egypt. But he trusted God in every situation.
Is there really any hope? Yes, there is - we can put our hope in God. He has never, nor will ever, let us down.
And because God is love and can be trusted, He gives us real hope and life, as Jesus promised when He said: “I have come to give life in all its fullness.”
All this gives us courage to face the future, because we know we are not on our own.
July 2021: The Gift of Music by
Tom Robson, Vicar of All Saints Wick and Lyminster Churches
One of the things that we've missed most as a Church during the lockdowns has been not singing together. I'm sure that's true in other settings as well, not just in churches. I love music. Both my mum and her mum were music teachers and so I've grown up with it. I did everything from making indiscernible noises through a recorder in primary school to wanting to be in a band as a teenager to getting old enough to go out to gigs and concerts and enjoy the sounds of people who are masters of their art.
There's something about music which can captivate us like nothing else. And it's so diverse. Travel around the world and you can experience all different kinds of traditional music. But wherever you go, you will hear music of one sort or another.
I often see the power of music when I take a funeral. The choice of music is so important because it communicates a lot about the person who died. It's more than just a nice thing to have. It's often the point in the service that people feel the strongest emotions - happy and sad - as the music evokes memories, feelings and often tears. For me as a Christian, that's not an accident - that's by design. Music is a gift that I believe we were made to enjoy - playing, singing, listening - in any of the ways we can appreciate it.
I think that must be why it’s been so hard to give that up for a while. Music moves us and unites us in a unique way. Over lockdown we’ve been sharing a reflection each week from one of the Psalms - the ‘Bible’s Hymn Book’ as it’s sometimes called. And what I’ve noticed is that these are not simply songs of praise, they are often songs about praise - inviting God’s people to use the gift of music to praise the one who gave it to them. In his book on the Psalms, C.S. Lewis said, ‘I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment.’ That is, I believe, part of the reason why we have been given music - to complete the enjoyment of our praise.
I hope an improving situation means we’ll be able to sing safely and to support more and more live music again. What a gift music is, and, for me, something for which I am very grateful to God indeed.
There's something about music which can captivate us like nothing else. And it's so diverse. Travel around the world and you can experience all different kinds of traditional music. But wherever you go, you will hear music of one sort or another.
I often see the power of music when I take a funeral. The choice of music is so important because it communicates a lot about the person who died. It's more than just a nice thing to have. It's often the point in the service that people feel the strongest emotions - happy and sad - as the music evokes memories, feelings and often tears. For me as a Christian, that's not an accident - that's by design. Music is a gift that I believe we were made to enjoy - playing, singing, listening - in any of the ways we can appreciate it.
I think that must be why it’s been so hard to give that up for a while. Music moves us and unites us in a unique way. Over lockdown we’ve been sharing a reflection each week from one of the Psalms - the ‘Bible’s Hymn Book’ as it’s sometimes called. And what I’ve noticed is that these are not simply songs of praise, they are often songs about praise - inviting God’s people to use the gift of music to praise the one who gave it to them. In his book on the Psalms, C.S. Lewis said, ‘I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment.’ That is, I believe, part of the reason why we have been given music - to complete the enjoyment of our praise.
I hope an improving situation means we’ll be able to sing safely and to support more and more live music again. What a gift music is, and, for me, something for which I am very grateful to God indeed.
June 2021: Comparison and the Crows
by Paul Sanderson MBE, Chaplain, The Littlehampton & Sir Robert Woodard Academies
A few weeks back I set off full of optimism, and with a good friend, to cycle the South Downs Way in one long weekend. With a rucksack on my back, full of camping and cooking equipment, it was a wet Winchester that welcomed us early on the Friday morning. One hundred miles away, Eastbourne was waiting for us. We started the first climb, and it was clear this was going to be tougher than we thought. The downhills were so good but the uphills were hard, with more bike pushing than bike riding. When a walker overtakes you, it’s time to start to reassess your plans.
Day 2 and at a water stop, a group of 3 cyclists pulled up to top up. ‘How far are you going today?” seemed to be the question to ask. “All the way in one day!” came the reply. They were fitter than us, lighter than us and keen to get going. But we were enjoying yet another break! I could have gone into comparison mode. Thoughts of “I am rubbish” and “I am not as good as them” could have brought us down, but we laughed at ourselves and cheered on the all-in-one-dayers. In the end we got halfway, saw some great views, had lots of fun in the sun and came home happy with what we had achieved.
Much of my work as Chaplain is to support people who feel rubbish. Through conversation it’s clear that comparison has often made them so. Other people’s social media photos can make us feel ugly, or overweight, compared to their edited image. Lifestyles portrayed as glamorous and full of happiness can lead to our normal lives being seen as dull. Even comparing the number of so-called ‘friends’ we have following us, or of ‘likes’ for our posts, get the doubt and fear working. Why do we struggle to be the “me” that we are? Why do we try to be someone else and not ourself?
There was once a crow who loved life and was happy with himself until one day he saw a beautiful dove. He flew over and said: “Dove, you must be so happy. You look so beautiful. The dove replied “Well, I was until I saw a robin. With its redbreast and its beautiful voice, that robin must be so happy”. So, the crow, looking for happiness, flew and found a Robin. “You are beautiful” said the crow; “you must be so happy.” The robin replied “Well, I was happy until I met a Peacock. My goodness, peacocks are so beautiful.” So, the crow flew to the zoo and found a Peacock. “Wow, you are stunning!” said the crow; “you must be so happy.” But the peacock said “well, people say I'm beautiful and they put me in this cage. But I look out to the sky and see the crows flying free and I wish I was a crow”.
Can we climb the hill of comparison and find fulfilment in who we are? Can we ride this life of highs and lows and be more of who we are – and not who someone else is?
Day 2 and at a water stop, a group of 3 cyclists pulled up to top up. ‘How far are you going today?” seemed to be the question to ask. “All the way in one day!” came the reply. They were fitter than us, lighter than us and keen to get going. But we were enjoying yet another break! I could have gone into comparison mode. Thoughts of “I am rubbish” and “I am not as good as them” could have brought us down, but we laughed at ourselves and cheered on the all-in-one-dayers. In the end we got halfway, saw some great views, had lots of fun in the sun and came home happy with what we had achieved.
Much of my work as Chaplain is to support people who feel rubbish. Through conversation it’s clear that comparison has often made them so. Other people’s social media photos can make us feel ugly, or overweight, compared to their edited image. Lifestyles portrayed as glamorous and full of happiness can lead to our normal lives being seen as dull. Even comparing the number of so-called ‘friends’ we have following us, or of ‘likes’ for our posts, get the doubt and fear working. Why do we struggle to be the “me” that we are? Why do we try to be someone else and not ourself?
There was once a crow who loved life and was happy with himself until one day he saw a beautiful dove. He flew over and said: “Dove, you must be so happy. You look so beautiful. The dove replied “Well, I was until I saw a robin. With its redbreast and its beautiful voice, that robin must be so happy”. So, the crow, looking for happiness, flew and found a Robin. “You are beautiful” said the crow; “you must be so happy.” The robin replied “Well, I was happy until I met a Peacock. My goodness, peacocks are so beautiful.” So, the crow flew to the zoo and found a Peacock. “Wow, you are stunning!” said the crow; “you must be so happy.” But the peacock said “well, people say I'm beautiful and they put me in this cage. But I look out to the sky and see the crows flying free and I wish I was a crow”.
Can we climb the hill of comparison and find fulfilment in who we are? Can we ride this life of highs and lows and be more of who we are – and not who someone else is?
May 2021: Line of Duty
by Reverend Martin Seymour, Littlehampton Baptist Church.
The drama Line of Duty, written by Jed Mercurio, has certainly captured the nation’s interest, as it recorded the highest viewing figures since 2002. It had everything: mystery, betrayal, prominent favourites falling prey to AC-12 police corruption investigators. A “Line of Duty” bingo card exists, with phrases like “Burner Phone”, “Mate”, “Hastings like the Battle” and of course “Mary Mother of God and the wee donkey”. As they get used, they get crossed off the bingo card.
The storylines pay tribute to true events, like the Steve Lawrence and Christopher Alder deaths, except that they use the character name Lawrence Christopher. Jill Dando, an investigative reporter, is replaced by a character called Gail Vella who is shot. Instead of Jean Charles De Menezes, shot in error by anti-terrorist police, we have police bursting into the wrong flat and a father holding a baby is dispatched. Jimmy Saville is in the mix; all storylines inspired by true events.
So if you like drama, betrayal and intrigue, try the Bible, written and inspired by the Holy Spirit. Each writer brings their own memories and understanding; they each see things from a different angle. Our Gospel Bible writers consist of a doctor, a Jewish theologian and persecutor of Christians, a young man, son of a widow, and an apostle who had been a tax-collector. The writing styles are different. We see Jesus as a King, as a Man, as the Suffering Servant and as God.
If you want drama to match anything Jed Mercurio might use, how about going straight to an actual event. Here are some teasers: Stephen is stoned to death, and who do we see holding the stoners’ coats but Saul of Tarsus who becomes the Apostle Paul; James is put to the sword, and Peter and John are questioned by the first century “AC-12” – The Sanhedrin. If you want wads of corrupt money, well there is a sorcerer named Simon, who tries to buy his way in. Then there is the death of a married couple who tried to hold back some finance, and later lied about it. All of this and we are only in the first few chapters of the story of the birth of the Church at Pentecost. The Book of Acts, only one of the 66 books of the Bible. In all good bookshops today.
But for all of the Bible writers, the point was that “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
(John 20:31)
Not so much Line of Duty, but Lion of Judah, Jesus the Christ.
The storylines pay tribute to true events, like the Steve Lawrence and Christopher Alder deaths, except that they use the character name Lawrence Christopher. Jill Dando, an investigative reporter, is replaced by a character called Gail Vella who is shot. Instead of Jean Charles De Menezes, shot in error by anti-terrorist police, we have police bursting into the wrong flat and a father holding a baby is dispatched. Jimmy Saville is in the mix; all storylines inspired by true events.
So if you like drama, betrayal and intrigue, try the Bible, written and inspired by the Holy Spirit. Each writer brings their own memories and understanding; they each see things from a different angle. Our Gospel Bible writers consist of a doctor, a Jewish theologian and persecutor of Christians, a young man, son of a widow, and an apostle who had been a tax-collector. The writing styles are different. We see Jesus as a King, as a Man, as the Suffering Servant and as God.
If you want drama to match anything Jed Mercurio might use, how about going straight to an actual event. Here are some teasers: Stephen is stoned to death, and who do we see holding the stoners’ coats but Saul of Tarsus who becomes the Apostle Paul; James is put to the sword, and Peter and John are questioned by the first century “AC-12” – The Sanhedrin. If you want wads of corrupt money, well there is a sorcerer named Simon, who tries to buy his way in. Then there is the death of a married couple who tried to hold back some finance, and later lied about it. All of this and we are only in the first few chapters of the story of the birth of the Church at Pentecost. The Book of Acts, only one of the 66 books of the Bible. In all good bookshops today.
But for all of the Bible writers, the point was that “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
(John 20:31)
Not so much Line of Duty, but Lion of Judah, Jesus the Christ.
April 2021: Fundamentally Human
by The Reverend Mark Williams, Vicar of Littlehampton, St Mary & St James
“Every human being has a basic instinct: to help others out. If a hiker gets lost in the mountains, people will coordinate a search. If a train crashes, people will line up to give blood. If an earthquake levels a city, people all over the world will send emergency supplies. This is so fundamentally human, it`s found in every culture without exception. Yes, there are those who just don`t care, but they`re massively outnumbered by the people who do.” So says astronaut Mark Watney, the character played by Matt Damon in the film The Martian, as he finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet; whilst millions of miles away, on planet Earth, so many come together to work for his safe return.
Rather closer to home during these months of COVID restrictions we`ve seen stories - locally and nationally - of the countless acts of people going ‘above and beyond’ to help out those who have been struggling in so many spheres of life, and of the benefits that have been achieved. They’ve worked not for their own ends, but simply for the betterment of others.
We`ve been reminded in these last weeks too of other examples of service. The message of Easter is one of selfless, loving service. Jesus, whose words “I came not to be served but to serve”, shows what true service is when first of all He takes on the role of servant in washing the feet of His disciples at the Last Supper, before He gives of Himself completely through His death on the Cross on Good Friday. It`s why serving is one of the most important principles of the Christian faith. “Love one another.” “Encourage one another.” “Help one another.” “Support one another.” “Counsel one another.”
Qualities undoubtedly illustrated too in the life of dedicated public service that the late HRH The Prince Philip gave to his wife, the nation, the Commonwealth, young people, the environment and so much more. Foregoing his own ambition to willingly live a life of service.
Is it too much to hope that perhaps one of the long-lasting, positive legacies of our experience of COVID will be a continuing, and even greater, awareness of the needs of those less fortunate than ourselves? Whether we are people of faith or not, helping each other out is fundamentally human. As the late President Ronald Reagan once said: “We can`t help everyone, but everyone can help someone”
Rather closer to home during these months of COVID restrictions we`ve seen stories - locally and nationally - of the countless acts of people going ‘above and beyond’ to help out those who have been struggling in so many spheres of life, and of the benefits that have been achieved. They’ve worked not for their own ends, but simply for the betterment of others.
We`ve been reminded in these last weeks too of other examples of service. The message of Easter is one of selfless, loving service. Jesus, whose words “I came not to be served but to serve”, shows what true service is when first of all He takes on the role of servant in washing the feet of His disciples at the Last Supper, before He gives of Himself completely through His death on the Cross on Good Friday. It`s why serving is one of the most important principles of the Christian faith. “Love one another.” “Encourage one another.” “Help one another.” “Support one another.” “Counsel one another.”
Qualities undoubtedly illustrated too in the life of dedicated public service that the late HRH The Prince Philip gave to his wife, the nation, the Commonwealth, young people, the environment and so much more. Foregoing his own ambition to willingly live a life of service.
Is it too much to hope that perhaps one of the long-lasting, positive legacies of our experience of COVID will be a continuing, and even greater, awareness of the needs of those less fortunate than ourselves? Whether we are people of faith or not, helping each other out is fundamentally human. As the late President Ronald Reagan once said: “We can`t help everyone, but everyone can help someone”
March 2021: Where Heaven and Earth Meet
by Joe Gisbey, Assistant Leader, Arun Church
I recently re-watched the 1994 movie Forrest Gump, the story of an ordinary guy’s extraordinary life. Gump constantly puts others first and is especially committed to protecting his childhood friend and ally, Jenny. In a poignant moment of the film he recounts the beauty that he has found in the moments of darkness. At one point he recalls, “The desert, when the sun comes up… I couldn't tell where heaven stopped and the Earth began.” There is something timeless and beautiful about the concept of the desert, that we intrinsically long for in the core of our being, and yet also dread and desperately try to avoid.
In Jesus’ day, the wilderness was seen as the place to meet God. It reminded them of their honeymoon period with Yahweh. The Hebrew word for ‘wilderness’, midbar, means ‘the place of speaking’. The root ‘dbr’ gives birth to the words d’bir (‘flock’) and d’bar (‘sanctuary’). The wilderness is where God gathers His flock into His sanctuary, so that He can talk to them. Ironically it is in the silence and the solitude, the removal of the unnecessary, that we both see clearly and hear God. As the 4th cent. Patriarch of Alexandria, Fr Dioscuros, put it: “In the desert, in the pure clean atmosphere, in the silence – there you can find yourself; and unless you begin to know yourself, how can you even begin to search for God?” So before any great miracles, signs or wonders in the life of Jesus, we see the Holy Spirit lead him, where else, but into the desert.
Conversely the wilderness also came to be seen as enemy territory, the place of demons. So we shouldn’t be surprised that here Jesus also faces off with the enemy of mankind, Satan. Every time the temptation comes, Jesus, knowing who he is and where he is going, is able to fend off every attack with the truth of God’s greater reality, “It is written”. (Matt 4:4)
The global pandemic has felt like a wilderness, dry, arid and broken. We have been forced to face off with the demons of time .And yet this has also been a time of beauty, of refining, of stepping into simplicity in this place of speaking. It is here where ‘when the sun rises’, you can’t tell ‘where heaven stops and earth begins’.
As we step out of this season of Lent and into Resurrection Sunday (the event that changed everything), just as Jesus ‘returned in the power of The Holy Spirit’ (Lk 4:14), may we know God’s power filling us afresh for this next season of Resurrection. And may we be a place where Heaven and Earth meet.
In Jesus’ day, the wilderness was seen as the place to meet God. It reminded them of their honeymoon period with Yahweh. The Hebrew word for ‘wilderness’, midbar, means ‘the place of speaking’. The root ‘dbr’ gives birth to the words d’bir (‘flock’) and d’bar (‘sanctuary’). The wilderness is where God gathers His flock into His sanctuary, so that He can talk to them. Ironically it is in the silence and the solitude, the removal of the unnecessary, that we both see clearly and hear God. As the 4th cent. Patriarch of Alexandria, Fr Dioscuros, put it: “In the desert, in the pure clean atmosphere, in the silence – there you can find yourself; and unless you begin to know yourself, how can you even begin to search for God?” So before any great miracles, signs or wonders in the life of Jesus, we see the Holy Spirit lead him, where else, but into the desert.
Conversely the wilderness also came to be seen as enemy territory, the place of demons. So we shouldn’t be surprised that here Jesus also faces off with the enemy of mankind, Satan. Every time the temptation comes, Jesus, knowing who he is and where he is going, is able to fend off every attack with the truth of God’s greater reality, “It is written”. (Matt 4:4)
The global pandemic has felt like a wilderness, dry, arid and broken. We have been forced to face off with the demons of time .And yet this has also been a time of beauty, of refining, of stepping into simplicity in this place of speaking. It is here where ‘when the sun rises’, you can’t tell ‘where heaven stops and earth begins’.
As we step out of this season of Lent and into Resurrection Sunday (the event that changed everything), just as Jesus ‘returned in the power of The Holy Spirit’ (Lk 4:14), may we know God’s power filling us afresh for this next season of Resurrection. And may we be a place where Heaven and Earth meet.
February 2021: Where is God when it hurts?
by Roger Purdom, retired Church Pastor
C.S Lewis was someone who knew what pain was. He lost his mother when he was a young boy, and his Dad seemed to ignore him emotionally. He suffered from a respiratory illness through his teenage years. He fought and was wounded during World War I. In 1960 he buried his wife who had died from cancer. This, more than anything else, caused him unbearable pain. In his book, The Problem of Pain’, he wrote: ‘Pain insists on being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience but shouts in our pain: It is His megaphone to the world.’
Today is no exception in terms of the pain that so many millions of people around the world are
feeling. We are ready to criticise the government, the scientists and anyone else who might get in the way. We are grateful for the work that all involved in the NHS are doing. We applaud the
schools for giving of their best to support the children of key workers as well as engaging in home-learning for others. We say ‘thank you’ to all those who are working on behalf of their communities. We look at the daily statistics to see whether they are coming down, so that there is more chance that the lockdown might be eased sooner rather than later. We are appalled at those who blatantly disregard the rules and guidelines and put others in danger. We long for the new normal, whatever that is going to look like.
Let’s pause and ask: “God, where are you? What’s going on?” And we get no answer, or so it
seems. Then we hear a voice which says: “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted
among the nations.”
For Christians, we believe that God is sovereign. We might think we are in control, but we are not. The Creator God has intervened in his world by sending his Son, Jesus, to show us how to live. But he paid with his life because people didn’t want to listen to him. Christians believe he came back to life and is alive today.
We are coming into the period of Lent. Let’s use this time for reflection about who Jesus is and what he has done for us all, and follow him as we travel on each day. He is worth following.
Today is no exception in terms of the pain that so many millions of people around the world are
feeling. We are ready to criticise the government, the scientists and anyone else who might get in the way. We are grateful for the work that all involved in the NHS are doing. We applaud the
schools for giving of their best to support the children of key workers as well as engaging in home-learning for others. We say ‘thank you’ to all those who are working on behalf of their communities. We look at the daily statistics to see whether they are coming down, so that there is more chance that the lockdown might be eased sooner rather than later. We are appalled at those who blatantly disregard the rules and guidelines and put others in danger. We long for the new normal, whatever that is going to look like.
Let’s pause and ask: “God, where are you? What’s going on?” And we get no answer, or so it
seems. Then we hear a voice which says: “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted
among the nations.”
For Christians, we believe that God is sovereign. We might think we are in control, but we are not. The Creator God has intervened in his world by sending his Son, Jesus, to show us how to live. But he paid with his life because people didn’t want to listen to him. Christians believe he came back to life and is alive today.
We are coming into the period of Lent. Let’s use this time for reflection about who Jesus is and what he has done for us all, and follow him as we travel on each day. He is worth following.
January 2021: Ordinary and Extraordinary Lives
by Tom Robson, Vicar of All Saints Wick and Lyminster Churches
Last year in All Saints we read the story of Jacob from the first book of the Bible. Jacob, as you may know, was the father of Joseph who clearly had a love for fashion with his gift of the amazing multi-coloured coat. And, like his son Joseph, Jacob’s story is extraordinary.
Now, I know that a common question would be: what relevance would this man’s story have for today – thousands of years later and thousands of miles away. How can it make any difference to me?
And yet, as I read Jacob’s story, it touched on many things that we experience. Jacob has a strained relationship with his brother and his Dad. He has challenges in his relationships and difficulties at work, including a manager who works him too hard. He wrestles with God and sometimes makes rash decisions that he later comes to regret. We may live thousands of years later, but some things never change!
Jacob’s life is both ordinary and extraordinary. He goes through the same challenges and enjoyments that we do – although in a different culture and context. In that sense, he is just an ordinary guy – not a great hero – and by no means perfect.
But, at the same time, his life is also extraordinary. He is given the name Israel, still defining a people today. It will be through his family line that Jesus would be born, more than one thousand years later. He encounters angels and hears from God that through his offspring, the whole world would be blessed.
At the start of this new year, may I ask you a question: does your life feel ordinary or extraordinary?
Of course, we’re all unique so there isn’t really anything that could really be called ordinary anyway. But, what if our lives were also given to us so that we could be part of something bigger?
What if we can be part of a story that reaches further back and further forward than we tend to imagine? What if we could live our lives knowing a God who can use us for extraordinary things, just as he did with Jacob?
I know they’re big claims and on the surface it just doesn't seem likely. But why not look a little deeper? You might be surprised at how we can have a solid and informed faith in God’s extraordinary purposes.
Now, I know that a common question would be: what relevance would this man’s story have for today – thousands of years later and thousands of miles away. How can it make any difference to me?
And yet, as I read Jacob’s story, it touched on many things that we experience. Jacob has a strained relationship with his brother and his Dad. He has challenges in his relationships and difficulties at work, including a manager who works him too hard. He wrestles with God and sometimes makes rash decisions that he later comes to regret. We may live thousands of years later, but some things never change!
Jacob’s life is both ordinary and extraordinary. He goes through the same challenges and enjoyments that we do – although in a different culture and context. In that sense, he is just an ordinary guy – not a great hero – and by no means perfect.
But, at the same time, his life is also extraordinary. He is given the name Israel, still defining a people today. It will be through his family line that Jesus would be born, more than one thousand years later. He encounters angels and hears from God that through his offspring, the whole world would be blessed.
At the start of this new year, may I ask you a question: does your life feel ordinary or extraordinary?
Of course, we’re all unique so there isn’t really anything that could really be called ordinary anyway. But, what if our lives were also given to us so that we could be part of something bigger?
What if we can be part of a story that reaches further back and further forward than we tend to imagine? What if we could live our lives knowing a God who can use us for extraordinary things, just as he did with Jacob?
I know they’re big claims and on the surface it just doesn't seem likely. But why not look a little deeper? You might be surprised at how we can have a solid and informed faith in God’s extraordinary purposes.
December 2020: Where to find comfort and joy this Christmas
by Mark Rodger, Curate at All Saints, Wick
Where do you find comfort and joy?
We were asking some locals this question recently for some short videos we’ve been making for social media.
“Children, grandchildren, music, flowers and the sunrise” said one local.
“What brings me comfort?” someone joked. “Alcohol!”. We all laughed.
But beyond the banter, we long for comfort and joy. Right?
This year has been tough for all of us in different ways. We’ve faced uncertainty. We’ve felt pressure in our relationships, jobs, health, finances and, to be honest, in everything. Perhaps, that’s why we’ve been putting up our Christmas trees in mid-November – to reach out to get some comfort and joy into our hearts.
But what if our desire for comfort and joy is telling us something – that we were made for a comfort and joy beyond anything we’ve ever experienced… yet.
I say “yet” because even the good things – family, friends, good food or TV and the best of Christmas – don’t last. Could it be that this desire for comfort and joy was never meant to be fulfilled in these people, things and holidays, but somewhere else?
In the Christmas story the angels interrupt some shepherds. “Don’t be afraid” the angels say. “I’ve got good news that will bring great joy for everyone! A powerful saviour has been born.”
“That’s crazy”, you say. “A baby? A powerful saviour? Unlikely! How’s that good news of joy?”
It seems unlikely, but the Christmas story makes the claim that the baby Jesus is going to rescue the world, not just from all the bad stuff that happens to us, but from the bad stuff within us which damages us and others. Not only that, but He’ll provide the vaccine that won’t just deal with COVID-19, but death itself.
The Christmas story is a key chapter where the creator God Himself enters the stage. Scandalously he arrives as a baby, vulnerable, soon becoming a refugee who will later die on a cross. This God knows what it’s like to endure suffering. But amazingly He chose this, in order to provide the vaccine to defeat death, restore our hearts to love Him and others perfectly and in the final chapter bring us into a restored world, with Him ruling it perfectly.
That’s what gives me comfort and joy.
Find out more at allsaintswick.org.uk/comfortandjoy or your local church
We were asking some locals this question recently for some short videos we’ve been making for social media.
“Children, grandchildren, music, flowers and the sunrise” said one local.
“What brings me comfort?” someone joked. “Alcohol!”. We all laughed.
But beyond the banter, we long for comfort and joy. Right?
This year has been tough for all of us in different ways. We’ve faced uncertainty. We’ve felt pressure in our relationships, jobs, health, finances and, to be honest, in everything. Perhaps, that’s why we’ve been putting up our Christmas trees in mid-November – to reach out to get some comfort and joy into our hearts.
But what if our desire for comfort and joy is telling us something – that we were made for a comfort and joy beyond anything we’ve ever experienced… yet.
I say “yet” because even the good things – family, friends, good food or TV and the best of Christmas – don’t last. Could it be that this desire for comfort and joy was never meant to be fulfilled in these people, things and holidays, but somewhere else?
In the Christmas story the angels interrupt some shepherds. “Don’t be afraid” the angels say. “I’ve got good news that will bring great joy for everyone! A powerful saviour has been born.”
“That’s crazy”, you say. “A baby? A powerful saviour? Unlikely! How’s that good news of joy?”
It seems unlikely, but the Christmas story makes the claim that the baby Jesus is going to rescue the world, not just from all the bad stuff that happens to us, but from the bad stuff within us which damages us and others. Not only that, but He’ll provide the vaccine that won’t just deal with COVID-19, but death itself.
The Christmas story is a key chapter where the creator God Himself enters the stage. Scandalously he arrives as a baby, vulnerable, soon becoming a refugee who will later die on a cross. This God knows what it’s like to endure suffering. But amazingly He chose this, in order to provide the vaccine to defeat death, restore our hearts to love Him and others perfectly and in the final chapter bring us into a restored world, with Him ruling it perfectly.
That’s what gives me comfort and joy.
Find out more at allsaintswick.org.uk/comfortandjoy or your local church
November 2020: Why do leaves change colour in Autumn?
by Rev. Rory McClure. Parkside Evangelical Church
Every autumn we enjoy the final, glorious burst of colour in the trees. The richness and diversity of these colours never fails to impress us, but why don’t all leaves on all trees just turn brown instead? As you know, leaves use green chlorophyll to turn sunlight into energy to help the tree grow. As the days shorten and grow colder, the leaves become less and less useful to the trees. Then, as the chlorophyll stops working, it starts to break down revealing other pigments that the green often masks. In this way the yellow carotenoids and flavonoids and the orange carotenoids become more and more obvious, producing those delightful autumn displays. But why do leaves turn red in autumn? The chemistry is well understood; in autumn sugars start to concentrate in the leaves and a new pigment called anthocyanin is created. However, the mystery is why would the tree waste energy in such an extravagant way? Trees need all the energy they can conserve to keep themselves going throughout winter, so they can produce new leaves in summer. But why would some trees throw away valuable energy resources when they need them most?
Where does this wasteful extravagance come from? And why do we find the fiery colours of autumn leaves so intensely beautiful? After all, colourful leaves aren’t exactly useful for our survival, are they? Scientists will freely admit that they don’t have the answers for everything, but mysteries like this are often what drives scientists to do more research.
Christians are used to living in the face of mystery. We don't pretend to fully understand the Trinity or why God tolerates evil, but the fact we don't understand everything doesn't mean we don't understand anything. St. Paul tells us “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen...” (Romans 1:20) So our intuitive delight in the beauty of autumn is yet another confirmation that we were created in God's image to enjoy the beauty He designed into nature. We see His love of beauty, His delightful sense of colour and His astonishing creativity on display every autumn? And the extravagant wastefulness of red autumn leaves? That leads us to marvel all the more in the extravagant wastefulness of God's love for us in Jesus Christ.
Where does this wasteful extravagance come from? And why do we find the fiery colours of autumn leaves so intensely beautiful? After all, colourful leaves aren’t exactly useful for our survival, are they? Scientists will freely admit that they don’t have the answers for everything, but mysteries like this are often what drives scientists to do more research.
Christians are used to living in the face of mystery. We don't pretend to fully understand the Trinity or why God tolerates evil, but the fact we don't understand everything doesn't mean we don't understand anything. St. Paul tells us “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen...” (Romans 1:20) So our intuitive delight in the beauty of autumn is yet another confirmation that we were created in God's image to enjoy the beauty He designed into nature. We see His love of beauty, His delightful sense of colour and His astonishing creativity on display every autumn? And the extravagant wastefulness of red autumn leaves? That leads us to marvel all the more in the extravagant wastefulness of God's love for us in Jesus Christ.
September 2020: Pain by the Pool
by Paul Sanderson MBE, Chaplain at The Littlehampton Academy
The holiday was booked way back in October so when we arrived at the accommodation, one warm Greek night, the welcome I received caught me off guard.
“Hello, my name is Russ, what’s yours?” said a holidaying Brit putting out his hand as I tried to find my room. “Paul from Littlehampton, hello” was my tired reply.
The next day it was clear Russ was the happy regular known by all, as he had been coming for 18 years. That evening I introduced him to my family.
The next day returning from my early morning walk, I could tell something was wrong. It wasn’t just the ambulance parked at a funny angle; you could feel a sombreness in the air. I found the boss and I could see tears in his eyes. “It’s Russ”, he mumbled. “He died of a heart attack in his bathroom this morning”. We paused together to let the reality sink in.
I explained my job, a chaplain, and if I could help, please ask. I can listen, I can sit with people, I can pray. So, the day unfolded with no music around the pool and quiet whispers amongst the adults while the children splashed away. Word got out and people came over and talked to me about Russ. The stories, the laughter, the loss.
I had my own moments too. I started to think about what I took for granted. These moments we have been given; this gift called life. Russ was in my life for 24 hours, but I will never forget him, and the hand shake we had and the brief chats around the pool.
One of the lessons of Covid is that every interaction is special. Many missed times with family and friends, laughter, hugs, handshakes. And some still do. Do we make the most of every interaction with another person? Are we too busy for a hello? Do we have time to listen to the answer to a ‘How are you?” There is a quote from a children’s film that goes something like this: “Yesterday is history and tomorrow is a mystery but today is a gift. That’s is why it’s called the present”. I made the most of my moments with Russ. Will I do the same today with all whom I come across? Will you?
“Hello, my name is Russ, what’s yours?” said a holidaying Brit putting out his hand as I tried to find my room. “Paul from Littlehampton, hello” was my tired reply.
The next day it was clear Russ was the happy regular known by all, as he had been coming for 18 years. That evening I introduced him to my family.
The next day returning from my early morning walk, I could tell something was wrong. It wasn’t just the ambulance parked at a funny angle; you could feel a sombreness in the air. I found the boss and I could see tears in his eyes. “It’s Russ”, he mumbled. “He died of a heart attack in his bathroom this morning”. We paused together to let the reality sink in.
I explained my job, a chaplain, and if I could help, please ask. I can listen, I can sit with people, I can pray. So, the day unfolded with no music around the pool and quiet whispers amongst the adults while the children splashed away. Word got out and people came over and talked to me about Russ. The stories, the laughter, the loss.
I had my own moments too. I started to think about what I took for granted. These moments we have been given; this gift called life. Russ was in my life for 24 hours, but I will never forget him, and the hand shake we had and the brief chats around the pool.
One of the lessons of Covid is that every interaction is special. Many missed times with family and friends, laughter, hugs, handshakes. And some still do. Do we make the most of every interaction with another person? Are we too busy for a hello? Do we have time to listen to the answer to a ‘How are you?” There is a quote from a children’s film that goes something like this: “Yesterday is history and tomorrow is a mystery but today is a gift. That’s is why it’s called the present”. I made the most of my moments with Russ. Will I do the same today with all whom I come across? Will you?
August 2020: The Bigger Picture
by The Reverend Mark Williams, Vicar of Littlehampton, St Mary & St. James
I’ve been wearing glasses since my earliest days in school. My specs are the first thing on in the morning and last things off at night. Without them the old adage `can’t see further than the end of my nose` is very real. I still remember vividly, even now, my experience as a youngster of receiving a new pair of glasses which had much stronger lenses and walking down the streets of my home town with my parents, pointing out to them signs on shops and other everyday things as if they had suddenly appeared from nowhere. All of a sudden – a new perspective.
The arrival on the seafront of the Littlehampton Giant Wheel in recent weeks has given many the opportunity to gain a new perspective on our own locality. With so much fine weather, we have been blessed with views from the wheel that have been far reaching. It`s given a rare opportunity to see new vistas, a bigger picture. And what a difference seeing the bigger picture can make when so often we are caught up in living life in our own short-sighted bubble.
The Gospels in recording the life of Jesus relate for us how He – despite all that was going on around Him, and often at times when He could have been forgiven for having other priorities – was able to see the bigger picture. Meeting the needs of those in society who were vulnerable, marginalised or otherwise shunned; of many who otherwise would have been left out or ignored. His compassion for them, often in the face of protestations from those around Him, changing lives, bringing new hope, bringing a new perspective.
Amidst the difficulties and challenges that so many have experienced in recent months and indeed continue to face because of Covid-19, it has been so refreshing and encouraging to learn of the so many (often seemingly insignificant) acts of kindness that have been offered – in many cases by relative strangers to those in need. Compassionate acts that have gone beyond words to so many; deeds that have made a real impact, both for those who receive and those too who give.
Someone once said: “We can only see a short distance ahead, but we can see plenty there that needs to be done.” As 2020 continues – with all the uncertainties that persist and play such a significant part in our lives – may our eyes be constantly open to the bigger picture, so that we may see and respond to the needs of those less fortunate than ourselves.
The arrival on the seafront of the Littlehampton Giant Wheel in recent weeks has given many the opportunity to gain a new perspective on our own locality. With so much fine weather, we have been blessed with views from the wheel that have been far reaching. It`s given a rare opportunity to see new vistas, a bigger picture. And what a difference seeing the bigger picture can make when so often we are caught up in living life in our own short-sighted bubble.
The Gospels in recording the life of Jesus relate for us how He – despite all that was going on around Him, and often at times when He could have been forgiven for having other priorities – was able to see the bigger picture. Meeting the needs of those in society who were vulnerable, marginalised or otherwise shunned; of many who otherwise would have been left out or ignored. His compassion for them, often in the face of protestations from those around Him, changing lives, bringing new hope, bringing a new perspective.
Amidst the difficulties and challenges that so many have experienced in recent months and indeed continue to face because of Covid-19, it has been so refreshing and encouraging to learn of the so many (often seemingly insignificant) acts of kindness that have been offered – in many cases by relative strangers to those in need. Compassionate acts that have gone beyond words to so many; deeds that have made a real impact, both for those who receive and those too who give.
Someone once said: “We can only see a short distance ahead, but we can see plenty there that needs to be done.” As 2020 continues – with all the uncertainties that persist and play such a significant part in our lives – may our eyes be constantly open to the bigger picture, so that we may see and respond to the needs of those less fortunate than ourselves.
July 2020: Worrying Times? Stay Positive!
by Steph Fuller, Arun Church
I think we are now all very familiar with a particular set of words and phrases we never expected to be hearing quite so frequently: pandemic, unprecedented, lockdown, new normal, shielding, isolation. It’s a given that during this strange and unpredictable season, many of us will be experiencing feelings of anxiety, confusion, loneliness and worry, and it’s tough when we can’t have the comfort of being together.
The other day, whilst catching up with an episode of The Sewing Bee on iPlayer, I heard one of the contestants comment: ‘some people will say the future is bleak, but in fact the future is what we make it’. This really resonated with me; we can have hope and remain positive, no matter what situation we find ourselves in. The Bible is full of characters who’ve chosen faith and hope over worry and despair. Think of Joseph, who was left for dead by his brothers, sold as a slave and unfairly imprisoned. What about Job, who was dealt the roughest cards ever as a result of Satan’s outrageous challenge to God that without his privileges and blessings, he wouldn’t be a loyal God-fearing man? And then there’s Esther, who showed unwavering faith when she risked her own life to protect her people from annihilation.
But perhaps the most relevant just now is Paul, who spent much of his later life in his own private lockdown; captured and imprisoned in Jerusalem under constant guard, unable to have contact with those whom he loved. Paul makes the most of his time in isolation, writing letters of encouragement to the Church which have given incredible comfort to Christians around the globe.
There is a lot to worry about right now. But worrying doesn’t lead to anything good; it’s anti-productive. Worry doesn’t change your situation; it merely aggravates your sense of unease and powerlessness. Here’s what Paul had to say on the matter: ‘Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down…’ (Philippians 4:6-7)
Right now, it has never been easier to explore Christianity and Church; you can do it from the safety of your own home. Why not check out how your local church is meeting online and try it for yourself? And if you’re interested in finding out more about this Jesus chap, try an Alpha course online too.
The other day, whilst catching up with an episode of The Sewing Bee on iPlayer, I heard one of the contestants comment: ‘some people will say the future is bleak, but in fact the future is what we make it’. This really resonated with me; we can have hope and remain positive, no matter what situation we find ourselves in. The Bible is full of characters who’ve chosen faith and hope over worry and despair. Think of Joseph, who was left for dead by his brothers, sold as a slave and unfairly imprisoned. What about Job, who was dealt the roughest cards ever as a result of Satan’s outrageous challenge to God that without his privileges and blessings, he wouldn’t be a loyal God-fearing man? And then there’s Esther, who showed unwavering faith when she risked her own life to protect her people from annihilation.
But perhaps the most relevant just now is Paul, who spent much of his later life in his own private lockdown; captured and imprisoned in Jerusalem under constant guard, unable to have contact with those whom he loved. Paul makes the most of his time in isolation, writing letters of encouragement to the Church which have given incredible comfort to Christians around the globe.
There is a lot to worry about right now. But worrying doesn’t lead to anything good; it’s anti-productive. Worry doesn’t change your situation; it merely aggravates your sense of unease and powerlessness. Here’s what Paul had to say on the matter: ‘Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down…’ (Philippians 4:6-7)
Right now, it has never been easier to explore Christianity and Church; you can do it from the safety of your own home. Why not check out how your local church is meeting online and try it for yourself? And if you’re interested in finding out more about this Jesus chap, try an Alpha course online too.
June 2020: Who is My Neighbour?
by Tom Robson, Vicar of All Saints Wick and Lyminster Churches
During lockdown, no doubt we all will have shared and heard a lot of stories - from Disney+ to newspapers, to catching up with friends and family online. When you think about it, we’re very often telling and listening to stories.
About 2,000 years ago, Jesus told a story that you probably know. It’s fairly simple, it only has a few characters, and it can be retold in just a few minutes. It’s known as the story of the Good Samaritan.
You can tell how influential that story has been by the way that the phrase ‘Good Samaritan’ has entered our language. What was originally the name of someone from Samaria, in what we call the Middle East, has become associated with acts of kindness and with the charity that bears its name.
And yet, at the time Jesus told the story, the phrase ‘Good Samaritan’ was itself controversial. I don’t have time to go into the history, but there was real antagonism between many of Jesus' fellow Jews and their neighbours, the Samaritans.
So, for Jesus to tell the story of a man - attacked, beaten and mugged - ignored twice by religious people from his own nation, only to be rescued by a Samaritan, was shocking. This Samaritan bandaged him up, carried him on his donkey and paid for his respite at a local inn. It’s a story that we often re-tell. The message ‘be kind’ is as relevant today as it has ever been.
But, as you read it in Luke’s Gospel, you see that Jesus is using it to answer a question - ‘Who is my neighbour?’ Then, having told the story, Jesus fires a question back: ‘Who was a neighbour to this man?’
The power of the story is not just the instruction to be kind. It is a radical and difficult call to love those whom we find it hardest to love. To reach out across divisions and heal the wounds. To look beyond ethnic, political or other differences and see people made in the image of God. It is, as Jesus explained, to love your neighbour as yourself and to see everyone as your neighbour.
It is also a picture of God’s love. At his cost he came to love people like us - people who, if we’re honest, aren’t always that loveable. For the times we’ve walked by, perhaps even the times we’ve contributed to the pain, he did not pass by. He chose the cross. And he invites us to turn and put our trust in him.
About 2,000 years ago, Jesus told a story that you probably know. It’s fairly simple, it only has a few characters, and it can be retold in just a few minutes. It’s known as the story of the Good Samaritan.
You can tell how influential that story has been by the way that the phrase ‘Good Samaritan’ has entered our language. What was originally the name of someone from Samaria, in what we call the Middle East, has become associated with acts of kindness and with the charity that bears its name.
And yet, at the time Jesus told the story, the phrase ‘Good Samaritan’ was itself controversial. I don’t have time to go into the history, but there was real antagonism between many of Jesus' fellow Jews and their neighbours, the Samaritans.
So, for Jesus to tell the story of a man - attacked, beaten and mugged - ignored twice by religious people from his own nation, only to be rescued by a Samaritan, was shocking. This Samaritan bandaged him up, carried him on his donkey and paid for his respite at a local inn. It’s a story that we often re-tell. The message ‘be kind’ is as relevant today as it has ever been.
But, as you read it in Luke’s Gospel, you see that Jesus is using it to answer a question - ‘Who is my neighbour?’ Then, having told the story, Jesus fires a question back: ‘Who was a neighbour to this man?’
The power of the story is not just the instruction to be kind. It is a radical and difficult call to love those whom we find it hardest to love. To reach out across divisions and heal the wounds. To look beyond ethnic, political or other differences and see people made in the image of God. It is, as Jesus explained, to love your neighbour as yourself and to see everyone as your neighbour.
It is also a picture of God’s love. At his cost he came to love people like us - people who, if we’re honest, aren’t always that loveable. For the times we’ve walked by, perhaps even the times we’ve contributed to the pain, he did not pass by. He chose the cross. And he invites us to turn and put our trust in him.
May 2020: Power for the asking
by Roger Purdom, Retired Church Pastor
An Anglican bishop was booked to visit a Church of England primary school. One of the teachers thought he would get the children in his class to learn the Creed and recite it to the Bishop when he visited their classroom. Each child was given a section to learn and all the practices went very well. The day for the Bishop’s visit arrived and he eventually came to their classroom. The children stood in a row and off they went. “I believe in God…”; “I believe in Jesus Christ…”
Everything was going well but then there was silence and the teacher tried to encourage the next child in the line to speak, without realising there was a gap in the line. Suddenly a voice said, “the boy who believes in the Holy Spirit isn’t here today.”
For many people, Pentecost will come and go – whether we are in lockdown or not – and not much thought will be given to it. Yet, for the Christian, it is a very important day which is celebrated every year, 50 days after Jesus came back to life on Easter Sunday. Following His resurrection, He spent time with His disciples, preparing them for the day when He would go back to heaven and send His Holy Spirit to help them live the Christian life. For the church and for each Christian the day of Pentecost is an important day, although we cannot celebrate it together this year as we would normally. However, that won’t stop us celebrating the day, this Sunday.
The disciples were all together in an upper room, waiting for something to happen which Jesus had promised them. Then, suddenly, there was a noise like a violent wind blowing and they saw what seemed like tongues of fire coming on them. Then they started to speak in different languages and their lives were changed forever.
This Day of Pentecost is the birthday of the Christian Church when the disciples and other believers started to tell the world about Jesus and how He can change lives.
The Christian Church today has a message of forgiveness, reconciliation and lasting hope because our lives have been changed by Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit living inside us. This hope is offered to anyone who invites Jesus to be part of their life - we all need some real hope today.
Everything was going well but then there was silence and the teacher tried to encourage the next child in the line to speak, without realising there was a gap in the line. Suddenly a voice said, “the boy who believes in the Holy Spirit isn’t here today.”
For many people, Pentecost will come and go – whether we are in lockdown or not – and not much thought will be given to it. Yet, for the Christian, it is a very important day which is celebrated every year, 50 days after Jesus came back to life on Easter Sunday. Following His resurrection, He spent time with His disciples, preparing them for the day when He would go back to heaven and send His Holy Spirit to help them live the Christian life. For the church and for each Christian the day of Pentecost is an important day, although we cannot celebrate it together this year as we would normally. However, that won’t stop us celebrating the day, this Sunday.
The disciples were all together in an upper room, waiting for something to happen which Jesus had promised them. Then, suddenly, there was a noise like a violent wind blowing and they saw what seemed like tongues of fire coming on them. Then they started to speak in different languages and their lives were changed forever.
This Day of Pentecost is the birthday of the Christian Church when the disciples and other believers started to tell the world about Jesus and how He can change lives.
The Christian Church today has a message of forgiveness, reconciliation and lasting hope because our lives have been changed by Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit living inside us. This hope is offered to anyone who invites Jesus to be part of their life - we all need some real hope today.
April 2020: To ‘wash one’s hands” of a matter
by Rev Martin Seymour, Littlehampton Baptist Church
An exasperated parent might be frustrated and shout at their child, ‘I’m fed up with telling you. I won’t tell you again. I wash my hands of it all’. The expression ‘to wash your hands of the matter’ originates from the trial of the Lord Jesus Christ. At this Easter time, as we are all encouraged to wash our hands and take responsibility for our actions, we are reminded of this recorded moment in history when the washing of hands meant the exact opposite: to take no responsibility.
In the bible we witness Pilate’s weakness. Pilate did not wish to see Jesus crucified, as he knew he was guilty of no crime. But Pilate caved into popular demand. Wishing to exonerate himself, the bible records, ‘when Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying “I am innocent of this man’s blood”... “It is your responsibility” he said …. Then … Pilate delivered him to be crucified.’
Pilate appears somewhat cowardly, lacking the courage of his convictions. He ‘washed his hands’ of Jesus, symbolically demonstrating that he was innocent of his murder. He could have prevented Jesus’ crucifixion, but he didn’t. If the Jews had rioted, the Roman Emperor might have removed him from office for failing to keep order. So Pilate looked after ‘number one’ and succumbed to popular demand for Jesus’ crucifixion. In so doing, he kept in with both the Jews and the Emperor, and gained an infamous place in world history as a coward.
Are there any spiritual lessons to be gained from Pilate’s famous ‘washing of his hands’? Yes, there are. Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor in Judea from AD 26-37. The evidence for this is contained both within and outside the Bible. Pilate was a contemporary of Jesus, the Son of God, and held office during this time of world history.
This meeting between Christ and Pilate reminds us of the historical reality of the Christian faith. Washing our hands is very important for us as we live through this Coronavirus pandemic. It should concentrate the mind about the saving acts of God in Christ. The Christian faith is no mere artistic invention but a matter of truth. Christianity is based on historical facts, not mythological fables. History records Pilate not listening to his own conscience and being recorded as weak.
I have never known a time such as the one we are all living through right now. We all have our own personal story. Are we weak? Are we making the right or wrong decision? Are we washing our own hands of the Christian truth of Jesus Christ?
Have a Blessed and Happy Easter.
In the bible we witness Pilate’s weakness. Pilate did not wish to see Jesus crucified, as he knew he was guilty of no crime. But Pilate caved into popular demand. Wishing to exonerate himself, the bible records, ‘when Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying “I am innocent of this man’s blood”... “It is your responsibility” he said …. Then … Pilate delivered him to be crucified.’
Pilate appears somewhat cowardly, lacking the courage of his convictions. He ‘washed his hands’ of Jesus, symbolically demonstrating that he was innocent of his murder. He could have prevented Jesus’ crucifixion, but he didn’t. If the Jews had rioted, the Roman Emperor might have removed him from office for failing to keep order. So Pilate looked after ‘number one’ and succumbed to popular demand for Jesus’ crucifixion. In so doing, he kept in with both the Jews and the Emperor, and gained an infamous place in world history as a coward.
Are there any spiritual lessons to be gained from Pilate’s famous ‘washing of his hands’? Yes, there are. Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor in Judea from AD 26-37. The evidence for this is contained both within and outside the Bible. Pilate was a contemporary of Jesus, the Son of God, and held office during this time of world history.
This meeting between Christ and Pilate reminds us of the historical reality of the Christian faith. Washing our hands is very important for us as we live through this Coronavirus pandemic. It should concentrate the mind about the saving acts of God in Christ. The Christian faith is no mere artistic invention but a matter of truth. Christianity is based on historical facts, not mythological fables. History records Pilate not listening to his own conscience and being recorded as weak.
I have never known a time such as the one we are all living through right now. We all have our own personal story. Are we weak? Are we making the right or wrong decision? Are we washing our own hands of the Christian truth of Jesus Christ?
Have a Blessed and Happy Easter.
March 2020: Do We Need to be so Dazed and Confused?
by The Reverend Vanessa Baron, St Mary Magdalene, Lyminster
There are daffodils, primroses and violets outside my window as I write, and I saw my first lambs yesterday. All of them heralds of Spring, my favourite season of the year. The green, earthy smell of primroses is the most exciting scent I know, promising warmth, sun and laughter. But instead, today, we are discovering what it means to live with new terms like ‘social distancing’ and ‘self-isolation’. Social life as we have known it has closed down. We are used to being able to control things, but now we cannot tell what the immediate future holds for us. Our security has gone and, understandably, many people feel alone and fearful.
At Lyminster church last Sunday we read Psalm 23: ‘The Lord is my shepherd’. King David had been a shepherd as a young man and I’ve no doubt he was remembering some of his experiences as he wrote this song – searching for patches of grass for the sheep; pulling them back with his shepherd’s crook; trying to keep them safe.
The Psalm is a gentle reflection on the Lord God as a shepherd, but more than that, on God as MY shepherd. And what does this shepherd do? In the first place he cares for the sheep; he understands their needs and so leads them to ‘lie down in green pastures’ and by ‘still waters’. So David, despite all the practical difficulties of his life, can say ‘I shall not want.’
But more than that, this shepherd is a companion, who walks alongside his sheep ‘through the darkest valley’ or, as the old version says, ’the valley of the shadow of death.’ He doesn’t abandon them to their fate but stays by them. As we approach Good Friday, we remember that this shepherd Jesus faced that dark valley himself – he knows what it is to face the threat of death.
The Psalm ends on a note of hope, as the image changes from that of a shepherd to the host, preparing a feast for his guest, laying the table and pouring out the wine. ‘Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me’ says David, but then he looks ahead: ‘And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.’ The good shepherd who has cared for us will not let us go. We may be fearful, but each one of us can make him MY shepherd, certain that he will never leave us or forsake us. ‘Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for you are with me.’
At Lyminster church last Sunday we read Psalm 23: ‘The Lord is my shepherd’. King David had been a shepherd as a young man and I’ve no doubt he was remembering some of his experiences as he wrote this song – searching for patches of grass for the sheep; pulling them back with his shepherd’s crook; trying to keep them safe.
The Psalm is a gentle reflection on the Lord God as a shepherd, but more than that, on God as MY shepherd. And what does this shepherd do? In the first place he cares for the sheep; he understands their needs and so leads them to ‘lie down in green pastures’ and by ‘still waters’. So David, despite all the practical difficulties of his life, can say ‘I shall not want.’
But more than that, this shepherd is a companion, who walks alongside his sheep ‘through the darkest valley’ or, as the old version says, ’the valley of the shadow of death.’ He doesn’t abandon them to their fate but stays by them. As we approach Good Friday, we remember that this shepherd Jesus faced that dark valley himself – he knows what it is to face the threat of death.
The Psalm ends on a note of hope, as the image changes from that of a shepherd to the host, preparing a feast for his guest, laying the table and pouring out the wine. ‘Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me’ says David, but then he looks ahead: ‘And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.’ The good shepherd who has cared for us will not let us go. We may be fearful, but each one of us can make him MY shepherd, certain that he will never leave us or forsake us. ‘Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for you are with me.’
February 2020: Living is about Loving
by Paul Sanderson MBE, Chaplain at The Littlehampton Academy
Have you ever thought why love equals pain? Why is something so amazing, like love, the cause of so much personal suffering and distress?
Recently, in my role as chaplain, I have listened to many stories of grief, spoken with teared-stained eyes. It’s not just death that causes grief. When we lose anything we love, it can hurt so much. When friendships end or parents split up or homes are moved from, the love we have is stretched, torn and sometimes broken.
I try and help people manage their grief by thinking about being in the sea with its waves and its calm. When emotion comes and you feel lost and tossed in the hurt and pain, it’s like a big wave crashing over you. Then you find the surface, catch your breath and experience the calm between the waves. Sometimes this peace can last a while, and then suddenly another wave comes and the emotions return. Both feelings are ok and part of the love / pain process. Sometimes the gaps get longer and the waves get smaller, but it’s very rare that you ever forget about it all.
You cannot get an x-ray for heartbreak; but something is happening somewhere and it hurts. Yet it’s at the heart of who we are: we cannot help but love. We learn that it might hurt, but we still do it anyway. Where does this ability to love and be loved come from? Why is it easier for some than others? Who teaches us to love? Big questions that humanity has wrestled with for centuries.
Many people of faith talk of an experience of unconditional love. A love that attaches no rules or regulations, but just loves because it is love. Many like me believe in a higher power or a God that loves, no matter what. A God that cannot love us any more or any less. Hard to take at first, but if we let it sink in, it can bring so much peace when, all around us, love is letting us down. As we approach Lent, a period of fasting and reflecting, it’s a great time to go without what we love and realise the loss this will cause us (But then go back to it in 40 days!) This might give us the tools we need to handle some of the bigger challenges life will throw at us. We will carry on learning that living is about loving, and all that love brings.
Recently, in my role as chaplain, I have listened to many stories of grief, spoken with teared-stained eyes. It’s not just death that causes grief. When we lose anything we love, it can hurt so much. When friendships end or parents split up or homes are moved from, the love we have is stretched, torn and sometimes broken.
I try and help people manage their grief by thinking about being in the sea with its waves and its calm. When emotion comes and you feel lost and tossed in the hurt and pain, it’s like a big wave crashing over you. Then you find the surface, catch your breath and experience the calm between the waves. Sometimes this peace can last a while, and then suddenly another wave comes and the emotions return. Both feelings are ok and part of the love / pain process. Sometimes the gaps get longer and the waves get smaller, but it’s very rare that you ever forget about it all.
You cannot get an x-ray for heartbreak; but something is happening somewhere and it hurts. Yet it’s at the heart of who we are: we cannot help but love. We learn that it might hurt, but we still do it anyway. Where does this ability to love and be loved come from? Why is it easier for some than others? Who teaches us to love? Big questions that humanity has wrestled with for centuries.
Many people of faith talk of an experience of unconditional love. A love that attaches no rules or regulations, but just loves because it is love. Many like me believe in a higher power or a God that loves, no matter what. A God that cannot love us any more or any less. Hard to take at first, but if we let it sink in, it can bring so much peace when, all around us, love is letting us down. As we approach Lent, a period of fasting and reflecting, it’s a great time to go without what we love and realise the loss this will cause us (But then go back to it in 40 days!) This might give us the tools we need to handle some of the bigger challenges life will throw at us. We will carry on learning that living is about loving, and all that love brings.
January 2020: Where does the time go?
by Roger Purdom, Retired Church Pastor
Not long ago we were having a break and thinking about Christmas. And then it was into the New Year and back to work, back to college or school and to many other things as well. The shops are now back to normal – whatever that might look like. The tree has gone. The decorations have been put into the box and stashed away somewhere. The cards have been recycled. The annual letters have been stored – maybe to be re-read at some later date. The annual letter from our Bank manager about our spending has arrived. The adverts are now about summer holidays. Life goes on.
For some people the Christmas period wasn’t particularly exciting or fulfilling. Maybe there were times of sadness. Maybe there were times when families didn’t get together as in previous years. Maybe there were periods of illness. Maybe there were periods of loneliness. Maybe there were times when people had to go to work as usual.
For people around the world there have been enormous pressures, whether the bush fires across Australia or the tensions with Iran or the issue of climate change – or numerous other concerns which never make the headlines. And at the end of this month the UK will no longer be a member of the European Union. So many changes. Is there anything that we can hold on to, in the ever-changing scenes of life? The answer is ‘Yes’.
That was the message of Christmas, which is not just for Christmas but for every day of our lives. ‘God with us’ was the message which rang out around the world because the baby born in the manger in Bethlehem was God being born in human skin. The verse of that well known carol says it so well – ‘He came down to earth from heaven, who is God and Lord of all. And His shelter was a stable; and His cradle was a stall. With the poor and mean and lowly, lives on earth our Saviour holy.’
And although He was crucified when in his early thirties, we believe He came back to life again and has made this promise to all who commit their lives to Him and follow Him: “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
‘God with us’. We can hold on to that, every day of our lives. Have a great year.
For some people the Christmas period wasn’t particularly exciting or fulfilling. Maybe there were times of sadness. Maybe there were times when families didn’t get together as in previous years. Maybe there were periods of illness. Maybe there were periods of loneliness. Maybe there were times when people had to go to work as usual.
For people around the world there have been enormous pressures, whether the bush fires across Australia or the tensions with Iran or the issue of climate change – or numerous other concerns which never make the headlines. And at the end of this month the UK will no longer be a member of the European Union. So many changes. Is there anything that we can hold on to, in the ever-changing scenes of life? The answer is ‘Yes’.
That was the message of Christmas, which is not just for Christmas but for every day of our lives. ‘God with us’ was the message which rang out around the world because the baby born in the manger in Bethlehem was God being born in human skin. The verse of that well known carol says it so well – ‘He came down to earth from heaven, who is God and Lord of all. And His shelter was a stable; and His cradle was a stall. With the poor and mean and lowly, lives on earth our Saviour holy.’
And although He was crucified when in his early thirties, we believe He came back to life again and has made this promise to all who commit their lives to Him and follow Him: “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
‘God with us’. We can hold on to that, every day of our lives. Have a great year.
December 2019: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
by The Reverend Mark Williams, Vicar of St Mary & St. James, Littlehampton
Whether watching a quiz show, listening to the news or even reading a magazine, we are constantly bombarded with surveys and their results. Although we may have an abundance of surveys today, they are nothing new. They`ve been in existence for one purpose or another down through the centuries. It was, after all, because of a survey – a census – that Joseph took the heavily pregnant Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and it was there that the infant Jesus was born.
One evergreen survey that never fails to appear at this time of the year is the listing of the most popular Christmas songs. We`ve probably got our own favourite songs, just as we may have favourite Carols. The list is almost endless of artists who have produced songs to mark the festive season. Most of these songs make little mention of the birth of Christ. But that doesn`t mean that the sentiments of the songs – and indeed their titles – can`t point towards the true `reason for the season`.
What we celebrate at Christmas is not just some Fairytale of New York set In The Bleak Midwinter. This is a story about the Power of Love. Mary and Joseph may not have been Driving Home for Christmas, or having to travel 2000 Miles. But having made their way on a Little Donkey, it was in the Little Town of Bethlehem that Love Came Down at Christmas. It`s unlikely that it was a White Christmas and, if the people of Bethlehem had been asked “Do They Know It`s Christmas?”, they may have thought it was Just A Winter`s Tale. There may not have been much in the way of Jingle Bells, or Mistletoe and Wine but, as the Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night (that Silent Night), Hark the Herald Angels sang that Mary`s Boy Child was born. It was the Saviour’s Day.
Stop the Cavalry. Don`t Be Lonely This Christmas. Your local church invites you to Step into Christmas and hear God`s message to you: All I Want For Christmas Is You. May this Christmas, perhaps more than Last Christmas, be the time when we truly receive the gift God wants to give us – His heart. So Come All Ye Faithful. Have a Wonderful Christmas Time. And may the message of Christmas bring Joy to the World.
One evergreen survey that never fails to appear at this time of the year is the listing of the most popular Christmas songs. We`ve probably got our own favourite songs, just as we may have favourite Carols. The list is almost endless of artists who have produced songs to mark the festive season. Most of these songs make little mention of the birth of Christ. But that doesn`t mean that the sentiments of the songs – and indeed their titles – can`t point towards the true `reason for the season`.
What we celebrate at Christmas is not just some Fairytale of New York set In The Bleak Midwinter. This is a story about the Power of Love. Mary and Joseph may not have been Driving Home for Christmas, or having to travel 2000 Miles. But having made their way on a Little Donkey, it was in the Little Town of Bethlehem that Love Came Down at Christmas. It`s unlikely that it was a White Christmas and, if the people of Bethlehem had been asked “Do They Know It`s Christmas?”, they may have thought it was Just A Winter`s Tale. There may not have been much in the way of Jingle Bells, or Mistletoe and Wine but, as the Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night (that Silent Night), Hark the Herald Angels sang that Mary`s Boy Child was born. It was the Saviour’s Day.
Stop the Cavalry. Don`t Be Lonely This Christmas. Your local church invites you to Step into Christmas and hear God`s message to you: All I Want For Christmas Is You. May this Christmas, perhaps more than Last Christmas, be the time when we truly receive the gift God wants to give us – His heart. So Come All Ye Faithful. Have a Wonderful Christmas Time. And may the message of Christmas bring Joy to the World.
November 2019: Oh No! Not another Election!
by Rev. Rory McClure, Parkside Evangelical Church
If you're fed up with the shenanigans in Westminster over the last few weeks... few months... few years... your heart probably sank at the thought of another election. If so, you're not alone. Thousands of years ago the psalmist wrote, “Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD.” (Psalm 2:1–2) This frustration with rulers is a surprisingly common theme in the Bible, so take heart. God has been dealing with our complaints about our leaders for a long time.
Perhaps this is why the psalmist warns us, “Do not put your trust in princes [or other political leaders], in mortal men, who cannot save.” (Psalm 146:3) Yet the Bible also tells us to “give thanks for all men” and to pray for “all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” (1 Timothy. 2:1-2) Praying like this helps us not to fall into cynicism about our country because we have so much thank God for. Compared to most of history and most of the world, we can live peaceful and quiet lives if we want to. For all of England's faults, few of us would want to live anywhere else.
So rather than placing our hopes in political solutions that we have little influence over, we look to another King and another Kingdom – King Jesus and the Kingdom of God. What matters most to us are the things that we do have influence over – our marriages and children, our friends and neighbours and living in a clean and safe town. These are things that Westminster has the least influence over but they are also what King Jesus is most interested in. That's why church life is so important to Him. Simply attending church on a regular basis helps us to join with like-minded people so that our influence is combined with their influence and with God's influence. By supporting one another we can build stronger families and friendships and pool our resources and talents for the benefit of our community. So, on 12 December do go and vote according to your conscience, but also vote with your feet and get involved in your local church. I'll leave it for you to find out which will make the bigger difference in your life.
Perhaps this is why the psalmist warns us, “Do not put your trust in princes [or other political leaders], in mortal men, who cannot save.” (Psalm 146:3) Yet the Bible also tells us to “give thanks for all men” and to pray for “all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” (1 Timothy. 2:1-2) Praying like this helps us not to fall into cynicism about our country because we have so much thank God for. Compared to most of history and most of the world, we can live peaceful and quiet lives if we want to. For all of England's faults, few of us would want to live anywhere else.
So rather than placing our hopes in political solutions that we have little influence over, we look to another King and another Kingdom – King Jesus and the Kingdom of God. What matters most to us are the things that we do have influence over – our marriages and children, our friends and neighbours and living in a clean and safe town. These are things that Westminster has the least influence over but they are also what King Jesus is most interested in. That's why church life is so important to Him. Simply attending church on a regular basis helps us to join with like-minded people so that our influence is combined with their influence and with God's influence. By supporting one another we can build stronger families and friendships and pool our resources and talents for the benefit of our community. So, on 12 December do go and vote according to your conscience, but also vote with your feet and get involved in your local church. I'll leave it for you to find out which will make the bigger difference in your life.
October 2019: The Real Meaning of Hallowe'en
by Fr Carl Davies, Parish Priest of St Catherine’s Littlehampton and St Joseph’s Rustington RC Churches
I have noticed that when the Brexit deadline of 31st October is mentioned on the news that
reference has sometimes been made to its being the date of Hallowe’en - as if this were a
bad omen that would spell inevitable disaster! This has made me wonder if those who have
noticed this coincidence know the real meaning of Hallowe’en.
The word Hallowe’en is a contraction of the words All Hallows Eve (or All Saints Eve) and is
the name given to the day before All Saints Day which occurs each year on 1st November.
On this day Roman Catholics all over the world, and many other Christians besides, attend
church to remember and honour our Christian ancestors - many of whom died for their
Christian faith - and who, we believe, live with God in Heaven.
This formal annual commemoration of All Saints is old and can be traced to the 4th century.
It became more firmly established when the Pantheon in Rome was consecrated as a Christian church in the early 7th century. From that time onwards there was an annual commemoration of All Saints, initially held on 13th May. It was Pope Gregory III, a century or so later, who moved this commemoration to 1st November, to tinge with the Christian hope of eternal life a pagan festival that fell each year on 31st October. This pagan festival marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter and became much associated with darkness, doom and gloom, and death. Bonfires were lit and costumes worn to ward off ghosts. It is these things, these remnants of that pagan festival, that today still much inform the popular imagination about Hallowe’en, and yet the pagan festival had nothing to do with Hallowe’en. The pagan festival would have had its own name and Hallowe’en is of Christian origin.
So in short then, Hallowe’en is not about ghosts and ghouls, doom and gloom, and death,
but about hope, the hope of eternal life in the world to come after a life lived here on earth,
as God has taught us.
reference has sometimes been made to its being the date of Hallowe’en - as if this were a
bad omen that would spell inevitable disaster! This has made me wonder if those who have
noticed this coincidence know the real meaning of Hallowe’en.
The word Hallowe’en is a contraction of the words All Hallows Eve (or All Saints Eve) and is
the name given to the day before All Saints Day which occurs each year on 1st November.
On this day Roman Catholics all over the world, and many other Christians besides, attend
church to remember and honour our Christian ancestors - many of whom died for their
Christian faith - and who, we believe, live with God in Heaven.
This formal annual commemoration of All Saints is old and can be traced to the 4th century.
It became more firmly established when the Pantheon in Rome was consecrated as a Christian church in the early 7th century. From that time onwards there was an annual commemoration of All Saints, initially held on 13th May. It was Pope Gregory III, a century or so later, who moved this commemoration to 1st November, to tinge with the Christian hope of eternal life a pagan festival that fell each year on 31st October. This pagan festival marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter and became much associated with darkness, doom and gloom, and death. Bonfires were lit and costumes worn to ward off ghosts. It is these things, these remnants of that pagan festival, that today still much inform the popular imagination about Hallowe’en, and yet the pagan festival had nothing to do with Hallowe’en. The pagan festival would have had its own name and Hallowe’en is of Christian origin.
So in short then, Hallowe’en is not about ghosts and ghouls, doom and gloom, and death,
but about hope, the hope of eternal life in the world to come after a life lived here on earth,
as God has taught us.
July 2019: A Picture-Perfect Paradise
by Tom Robson, Vicar of All Saints, Wick and Lyminster Churches
The other day I was asked to give a talk on paradise. It was quite a challenge. I wonder what your image of paradise would be. Golden sandy beaches? Panoramic mountain views? In Wembley to watch Brighton lift the FA Cup?
I'm often asked about heaven - ‘What’s it going to be like?’ ‘How can you believe in a place no-one's ever seen?’
In the Bible’s last book, Revelation, there’s an unfolding picture of what eternity will be like - at least, what Christians believe it will be like. Rather than the common image of fluffy clouds and golden-winged angels strumming harps, it actually describes a new heaven and a new earth. It’s a picture of the real world but free from any death, damage, and decay.
And yet the Bible’s focus isn’t really on what it will look like. The focus is on being with the God who, Christians believe, made us, died to bring us forgiveness, and who invites us to share in his eternal life.
And that makes sense to me. I could book a holiday to the most picture-perfect place on earth. But if I went without my family and friends, it would hardly feel like paradise. The moments in my life that have come closest to perfection haven’t been about where I am, they’ve been about who I’m with.
I believe that we were made to know our creator and to enjoy his perfect love forever. Even when we each decided we’d be better off without God, he didn’t leave us to discover how bad a choice we’d made. Instead he came to restore that relationship with him, at his cost. We can’t earn our way to paradise, but we do need to receive the offer of being reunited with him. When the thief crucified alongside Jesus turned and said to him ‘Remember me’, Jesus replied ‘Today you will be with me in paradise.’
Isn’t that such an amazing statement that it deserves a proper investigation? I know it’s not easy to believe, but when we trust who he is and all that he’s done, it becomes the greatest, most perfect gift.
I’ve spent nearly my whole life on the Sussex coast, and it is still my favourite place to be. It’s closest to paradise when I’m enjoying it with the people I love. And that is a taste of the joy I believe any of us can have when we trust Jesus for fullness of life now and eternal life with him.
I'm often asked about heaven - ‘What’s it going to be like?’ ‘How can you believe in a place no-one's ever seen?’
In the Bible’s last book, Revelation, there’s an unfolding picture of what eternity will be like - at least, what Christians believe it will be like. Rather than the common image of fluffy clouds and golden-winged angels strumming harps, it actually describes a new heaven and a new earth. It’s a picture of the real world but free from any death, damage, and decay.
And yet the Bible’s focus isn’t really on what it will look like. The focus is on being with the God who, Christians believe, made us, died to bring us forgiveness, and who invites us to share in his eternal life.
And that makes sense to me. I could book a holiday to the most picture-perfect place on earth. But if I went without my family and friends, it would hardly feel like paradise. The moments in my life that have come closest to perfection haven’t been about where I am, they’ve been about who I’m with.
I believe that we were made to know our creator and to enjoy his perfect love forever. Even when we each decided we’d be better off without God, he didn’t leave us to discover how bad a choice we’d made. Instead he came to restore that relationship with him, at his cost. We can’t earn our way to paradise, but we do need to receive the offer of being reunited with him. When the thief crucified alongside Jesus turned and said to him ‘Remember me’, Jesus replied ‘Today you will be with me in paradise.’
Isn’t that such an amazing statement that it deserves a proper investigation? I know it’s not easy to believe, but when we trust who he is and all that he’s done, it becomes the greatest, most perfect gift.
I’ve spent nearly my whole life on the Sussex coast, and it is still my favourite place to be. It’s closest to paradise when I’m enjoying it with the people I love. And that is a taste of the joy I believe any of us can have when we trust Jesus for fullness of life now and eternal life with him.
June 2019: You can walk a different path from the one our world presents
by Flix Gillett, Arun Church
Are you a citizen of the United Kingdom? Or would you say you’re a citizen of England? Or a citizen of Europe? Or a citizen of the world? Citizenship is so closely linked to our sense of identity. It informs our attitude, our behaviour, our view of the world we live in. It informs the principles with which we align ourselves.
Nearly two thousand years ago a man was writing about a different kind of citizenship that transcended countries and nations. He summed it up in the phrase ‘citizen of heaven’. Is this you? Are you a citizen of heaven? What does that even mean? Even further back in history another author wrote: ‘eternity is in the heart of mankind’.
When I consider these phrases, I start thinking about the temporary nature of our world, our society and the concerns that bombard us every day. Television, magazines, newspapers, advertising, politicians and social media are insistent on telling us what particular topics we must concern ourselves with: Brexit, gender fluidity, Trump, Love Island! It’s so easy for our culture to dictate our values and those subjects that we should either be championing wholeheartedly or conversely champing-at-the-bit about!
But isn’t there something in you that yearns for more than this world offers? Something that wants to smash the ceiling of mediocrity and the cyclic nature of being fed issue after issue of someone else’s agenda? Eternity is in your heart. You have a destiny that transcends the temporary and repetitive nature of our world. We were built for more than this!
Yes, we definitely need to consider and wrestle with the topics of our day, and not disengage with our community. But these issues are just that: ‘of our day’. Another well-known phrase is ‘this world (or country) is going to hell in a handcart’. If that is so, then let’s get out of the handcart!
Christ’s Kingdom has always prioritised those timeless and unfashionable principles of peace, integrity, hope, charity, love and justice. In those values there is no flaw, and the only agenda is to make our world whole again.
You may be a citizen of the United Kingdom, but if you’re a follower of Christ you’re also a citizen of something bigger and far more eternal than simply a green and pleasant land. You can walk a different path from the one our world presents. This isn’t religion, this is citizenship.
Nearly two thousand years ago a man was writing about a different kind of citizenship that transcended countries and nations. He summed it up in the phrase ‘citizen of heaven’. Is this you? Are you a citizen of heaven? What does that even mean? Even further back in history another author wrote: ‘eternity is in the heart of mankind’.
When I consider these phrases, I start thinking about the temporary nature of our world, our society and the concerns that bombard us every day. Television, magazines, newspapers, advertising, politicians and social media are insistent on telling us what particular topics we must concern ourselves with: Brexit, gender fluidity, Trump, Love Island! It’s so easy for our culture to dictate our values and those subjects that we should either be championing wholeheartedly or conversely champing-at-the-bit about!
But isn’t there something in you that yearns for more than this world offers? Something that wants to smash the ceiling of mediocrity and the cyclic nature of being fed issue after issue of someone else’s agenda? Eternity is in your heart. You have a destiny that transcends the temporary and repetitive nature of our world. We were built for more than this!
Yes, we definitely need to consider and wrestle with the topics of our day, and not disengage with our community. But these issues are just that: ‘of our day’. Another well-known phrase is ‘this world (or country) is going to hell in a handcart’. If that is so, then let’s get out of the handcart!
Christ’s Kingdom has always prioritised those timeless and unfashionable principles of peace, integrity, hope, charity, love and justice. In those values there is no flaw, and the only agenda is to make our world whole again.
You may be a citizen of the United Kingdom, but if you’re a follower of Christ you’re also a citizen of something bigger and far more eternal than simply a green and pleasant land. You can walk a different path from the one our world presents. This isn’t religion, this is citizenship.
May 2019: Up, Pup and Away!
by Rev Martin Seymour, Littlehampton Baptist Church
Our Dog Bayley is very protective of his air space over his garden. Seagulls, Pigeons Sparrows, Aeroplanes, all get the same treatment. They are barked at and chased! We are thinking of getting him a steel helmet and an anti-aircraft gun.
I don’t think Bayley understands the concept of flight, and why his chase of anything
airborne must stay as a ground-level endeavour. I have explained it to him many times, as he hits another wall on take-off! As Bayley and I walked recently, we noticed some trucks from Barnsley in the Banjo Road Car Park. They were full of homing pigeons. Bayley knew they were there. He could not believe he had found some humans who had the same ambition as he, to catch pigeons and drive them hundreds of miles away.
I asked the drivers when the pigeons would be released. I wanted Bayley to experience the skies filled with flight. I explained to Bayley they would not be hanging around, but finding their way home. He absorbed the information excitedly and celebrated the news by dropping his ball at my feet.
The moment came and the pigeons launched for freedom. Bayley did not know which way to chase; they flew this way and that. No matter how fast Bayley ran, he could not get lift- off. As the pigeons grouped creating swathes of artistic curves and waves in the skies above us, I joined Bayley in just watching the flying squadrons, all in harmony, first curving overhead towards the East Beach Café, then another swarming change of direction as they flew overhead and made a kind of question-mark shape over Fitzalan Rd. They had to head north – as if, as one, they knew the way home, and as one, they went. Pigeon Loft owners wait for their precious champions to get home, knowing the challenge for their pigeons, their determination to finish the race and the joy of welcoming them home.
We are all born into this life, and maybe we get blown off course, have some tough times, suffer some anguish and sorrow and joy, but eventually we hear those words on our spiritual Satnav: “I am the way the truth the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Then we know our way home and follow Jesus. God wants us all to come home to Him after our life’s journey, through all of our trials and adventures. God waits for you to turn to Him through His Son Jesus “so that none shall perish” (John 3: 16).
Hear all about it in a church near you.
I don’t think Bayley understands the concept of flight, and why his chase of anything
airborne must stay as a ground-level endeavour. I have explained it to him many times, as he hits another wall on take-off! As Bayley and I walked recently, we noticed some trucks from Barnsley in the Banjo Road Car Park. They were full of homing pigeons. Bayley knew they were there. He could not believe he had found some humans who had the same ambition as he, to catch pigeons and drive them hundreds of miles away.
I asked the drivers when the pigeons would be released. I wanted Bayley to experience the skies filled with flight. I explained to Bayley they would not be hanging around, but finding their way home. He absorbed the information excitedly and celebrated the news by dropping his ball at my feet.
The moment came and the pigeons launched for freedom. Bayley did not know which way to chase; they flew this way and that. No matter how fast Bayley ran, he could not get lift- off. As the pigeons grouped creating swathes of artistic curves and waves in the skies above us, I joined Bayley in just watching the flying squadrons, all in harmony, first curving overhead towards the East Beach Café, then another swarming change of direction as they flew overhead and made a kind of question-mark shape over Fitzalan Rd. They had to head north – as if, as one, they knew the way home, and as one, they went. Pigeon Loft owners wait for their precious champions to get home, knowing the challenge for their pigeons, their determination to finish the race and the joy of welcoming them home.
We are all born into this life, and maybe we get blown off course, have some tough times, suffer some anguish and sorrow and joy, but eventually we hear those words on our spiritual Satnav: “I am the way the truth the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Then we know our way home and follow Jesus. God wants us all to come home to Him after our life’s journey, through all of our trials and adventures. God waits for you to turn to Him through His Son Jesus “so that none shall perish” (John 3: 16).
Hear all about it in a church near you.
April 2019: The Easter Story by Rev Naison Hove
Pastor of Littlehampton United Church and St Andrew’s Rustington
For some it begins with Ash Wednesday, with Christian traditionalists burning last year’s palm crosses and making crosses on their foreheads with the remains as a sign of fasting and a prayer for penitence. For others the Easter Story starts with Holy Week, beginning with Maundy Thursday - the Last Supper and the Washing of Feet. This runs through to Easter Sunday when Jesus rose from the dead, with the women who were so close to him visiting the grave only to discover an empty tomb. Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is risen! I want to pick up the story from this point.
What was really going on during the events that led to the last days of Jesus two thousand years ago in the Galilee region, in Jerusalem and within the Roman Empire? There is not a single answer to this question, but two ideals were involved: religion and politics. These ideals were at odds with each other. The political ideals of the day felt threatened by the religious ideals. The Jews felt that Jesus was a political threat to them and that His religion had come to destroy their political rule. The only way was to eliminate Him and bring an end to His movement. This led to His arrest after Judas Iscariot’s betrayal and His subsequent crucifixion.
What does this tell us then about the world of politics and the world of religion? Religion has got to challenge the politics of our time. The death of Jesus came about because of God’s plan. That plan was to redeem the Cosmos from sin. So without Easter there wouldn’t be any salvation. The Easter Story then reminds us of the redemptive act of God’s grace through the death and resurrection of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ.
Today the church worldwide is called to lead the celebration of Easter and point God’s people to love, peace and justice through the story of the Risen Christ. This is the religious ideal that Jesus Christ promoted during His ministry for three solid years. The church of today has to rise up to the challenge of the political and religious ideologies of our time.
Let me end by inviting the churches in Littlehampton to remain resolute to their calling in carrying out God’s Mission. God is calling the church, at Easter and always, to come and join Him where the people are and do his mission, by sharing His love, peace and justice, while feeding the hungry and offering shelter to the homeless.
What was really going on during the events that led to the last days of Jesus two thousand years ago in the Galilee region, in Jerusalem and within the Roman Empire? There is not a single answer to this question, but two ideals were involved: religion and politics. These ideals were at odds with each other. The political ideals of the day felt threatened by the religious ideals. The Jews felt that Jesus was a political threat to them and that His religion had come to destroy their political rule. The only way was to eliminate Him and bring an end to His movement. This led to His arrest after Judas Iscariot’s betrayal and His subsequent crucifixion.
What does this tell us then about the world of politics and the world of religion? Religion has got to challenge the politics of our time. The death of Jesus came about because of God’s plan. That plan was to redeem the Cosmos from sin. So without Easter there wouldn’t be any salvation. The Easter Story then reminds us of the redemptive act of God’s grace through the death and resurrection of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ.
Today the church worldwide is called to lead the celebration of Easter and point God’s people to love, peace and justice through the story of the Risen Christ. This is the religious ideal that Jesus Christ promoted during His ministry for three solid years. The church of today has to rise up to the challenge of the political and religious ideologies of our time.
Let me end by inviting the churches in Littlehampton to remain resolute to their calling in carrying out God’s Mission. God is calling the church, at Easter and always, to come and join Him where the people are and do his mission, by sharing His love, peace and justice, while feeding the hungry and offering shelter to the homeless.
March 2019: Introducing Myself to the Community of Littlehampton
by Martin Garratt, Leader of Trinity Church
This is my first opportunity to introduce myself to the community of Littlehampton. I recently moved here with my wife and family from Worthing with the sole purpose of starting a new church in the town. Trinity Church was launched in October 2018 with around 20 adults and we have been meeting for the past six months at River Beach Primary School at 10am each Sunday. It has been lovely to meet people from the town who have decided to join us each week. The welcome we have received has been wonderful and the other churches in the town have made us feel part of the wider Christian community. Our aim is to join them in sharing the love God has for the people of Littlehampton. As Trinity Church gets established in the town, we want to provide a place where people can gather to love and worship Jesus, grow to be more like Him and go out into the community to make Him known to others.
As with a new church, everything feels very fresh and exciting. As I write this article we are currently enjoying the hottest February ever, and flowers, birds and insects are starting to get ready for spring. Spring is such a wonderful time. We get to see new birth and renewal bursting out from what can often seem so dead, like blossom on what has been a barren tree for months. And at this time of year the church begins to prepare for the most significant celebration of the Christian calendar: Easter. We are reminded of the death and resurrection of Jesus, the ultimate example of new life bursting from what was dead. Having been crucified and buried in a sealed tomb, Jesus, on that first Easter Sunday, burst from the grave with resurrection power. He dramatically demonstrated that death no longer had a hold on Him.
This new life, found only in Jesus, is available to each one of us. Why not find out more about what faith in Jesus is all about this Easter by attending one of the church services planned across the town, or pop into the town centre on Good Friday, where you will be able to join us as we remember the events of that first Easter.
As the signs of spring become more and more visible, may each of us see signs of new life taking root in our own lives, as we take seriously the invitation Jesus gives each one of us - to be born again and to receive the gift of eternal life.
As with a new church, everything feels very fresh and exciting. As I write this article we are currently enjoying the hottest February ever, and flowers, birds and insects are starting to get ready for spring. Spring is such a wonderful time. We get to see new birth and renewal bursting out from what can often seem so dead, like blossom on what has been a barren tree for months. And at this time of year the church begins to prepare for the most significant celebration of the Christian calendar: Easter. We are reminded of the death and resurrection of Jesus, the ultimate example of new life bursting from what was dead. Having been crucified and buried in a sealed tomb, Jesus, on that first Easter Sunday, burst from the grave with resurrection power. He dramatically demonstrated that death no longer had a hold on Him.
This new life, found only in Jesus, is available to each one of us. Why not find out more about what faith in Jesus is all about this Easter by attending one of the church services planned across the town, or pop into the town centre on Good Friday, where you will be able to join us as we remember the events of that first Easter.
As the signs of spring become more and more visible, may each of us see signs of new life taking root in our own lives, as we take seriously the invitation Jesus gives each one of us - to be born again and to receive the gift of eternal life.
February 2019: Hope or wishful thinking?
by Rory McClure, Pastor of Parkside Evangelical Church
Would you be willing to go to jail because of something you hope in? Probably not, if you're hoping to win the lottery. Given that it is almost certain that you won't win the lottery, that would be absurd. Playing the lottery is more about wishful thinking than it is about hope. The sort of wishful thinking we engage in when we say, “I wish I was 25 again” or “I wish I could play for England.” Hope is very different. Pretending and wishful thinking ultimately end up in disappointment, but hope is based on something realistic. The more likely it is, the more people who have already seen that hope fulfilled, the more you and I can increase our hope.
St. Paul in the Bible was arrested because of the hope he had. In court he said, “I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead.” (Acts 23:6) This was no mere wishful thinking. Nobody would face trial and possible execution for something that was just “wouldn't it be nice if...” So what was the basis of Paul's hope? First and foremost, he met the Lord Jesus after He had been resurrected from the dead. Not only that, he knew that over 500 people had also met Jesus after He had risen from the dead. His hope was grounded in reality and that hope was so life- changing he was willing to risk imprisonment so that he could share that hope with others.
The Christian hope is not mere wishful thinking. It is based on the facts of history and on the eyewitness accounts of the people who lived through these things. That hope has repeatedly been challenged. Ironically, after 200 years of attack, doubt and criticism, Christians can be even more confident in our hope. Why? Because the facts have withstood the doubts. This Easter, Christians will be celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. On the Saturday after Easter (27 April, 6:30 pm), churches across Littlehampton will be inviting doubters and the curious to watch the Hollywood movie, The Case For Christ at Parkside Evangelical Church, St Flora's Road. The film tells the true story of a sceptical journalist trying to disprove Christ's resurrection and finding he can't. We'll even be inviting you to ask your questions after. Why? Because we want to share with you our hope and the comfort and strength it gives us. Now, isn't that better than just wishful thinking?
St. Paul in the Bible was arrested because of the hope he had. In court he said, “I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead.” (Acts 23:6) This was no mere wishful thinking. Nobody would face trial and possible execution for something that was just “wouldn't it be nice if...” So what was the basis of Paul's hope? First and foremost, he met the Lord Jesus after He had been resurrected from the dead. Not only that, he knew that over 500 people had also met Jesus after He had risen from the dead. His hope was grounded in reality and that hope was so life- changing he was willing to risk imprisonment so that he could share that hope with others.
The Christian hope is not mere wishful thinking. It is based on the facts of history and on the eyewitness accounts of the people who lived through these things. That hope has repeatedly been challenged. Ironically, after 200 years of attack, doubt and criticism, Christians can be even more confident in our hope. Why? Because the facts have withstood the doubts. This Easter, Christians will be celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. On the Saturday after Easter (27 April, 6:30 pm), churches across Littlehampton will be inviting doubters and the curious to watch the Hollywood movie, The Case For Christ at Parkside Evangelical Church, St Flora's Road. The film tells the true story of a sceptical journalist trying to disprove Christ's resurrection and finding he can't. We'll even be inviting you to ask your questions after. Why? Because we want to share with you our hope and the comfort and strength it gives us. Now, isn't that better than just wishful thinking?
January 2019: Prince Philip’s Great Aunt is an Orthodox Saint!
by Fr Carl Davies, Parish Priest of St Catherine’s Littlehampton and St Joseph’s Rustington RC Churches
I have just returned from a brief break in Jerusalem. It was my fourth visit to the city but the first time I had had the opportunity of visiting the shrine of the Grand Duchess Elisabeth of Russia. The Grand Duchess is a Martyr of the Russian Orthodox Church and her mortal remains are to be found in the chapel of the Convent of St Mary Magdalen on the Mount of Olives where they lie in a glass-topped sarcophagus.
The Grand Duchess was born Princess Elisabeth of Hesse in 1864. She was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, the elder sister of the last Czarina Alexandra and a great-aunt of our own Prince Philip. Like her sister she too had married into the Russian Imperial Family when she wed Grand Duke Sergei on the 15th June 1884 in the Winter Palace at St Petersburg. In 1891 she formally adopted the Russian Orthodox faith, having become increasingly absorbed in it since her marriage. Elisabeth also very quickly impressed the Russian people with her charitable works and her concern for the poor.
Sadly, in 1905 Grand Duke Sergei was assassinated when a revolutionary hurled a bomb into his carriage at the Kremlin. Somehow Elisabeth, and this is a measure of the sort of woman she was, was able to publicly forgive his assassin. Now a widow and with the marriage having been childless she was able to dedicate herself more fully to her charitable endeavours. To this end Elisabeth decided to leave the Imperial Court to become a Nun. She spoke of this as leaving one world for a “greater world”. She founded the Martha and Mary Home for the downtrodden in Moscow and having gathered around her a number of like-minded women, they were in due course consecrated as Sisters of Love and Mercy with Elisabeth as their Abbess. Their work of nursing and the relief of the poor continued.
The Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 led to Elisabeth’s arrest and transportation to Alapaievsk in the Urals where on the 18th July 1918, with another from the Convent and a number of the Romanovs, she was put to death by being thrown down a mineshaft. There they died slowly. A local heard them singing psalms for some time. When after the fall of Communism the mineshaft was reopened, Elisabeth was found to have fallen onto a ledge some 50 feet down. It was clear from her remains that she had died clutching an icon of Jesus to her breast.
The Grand Duchess was born Princess Elisabeth of Hesse in 1864. She was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, the elder sister of the last Czarina Alexandra and a great-aunt of our own Prince Philip. Like her sister she too had married into the Russian Imperial Family when she wed Grand Duke Sergei on the 15th June 1884 in the Winter Palace at St Petersburg. In 1891 she formally adopted the Russian Orthodox faith, having become increasingly absorbed in it since her marriage. Elisabeth also very quickly impressed the Russian people with her charitable works and her concern for the poor.
Sadly, in 1905 Grand Duke Sergei was assassinated when a revolutionary hurled a bomb into his carriage at the Kremlin. Somehow Elisabeth, and this is a measure of the sort of woman she was, was able to publicly forgive his assassin. Now a widow and with the marriage having been childless she was able to dedicate herself more fully to her charitable endeavours. To this end Elisabeth decided to leave the Imperial Court to become a Nun. She spoke of this as leaving one world for a “greater world”. She founded the Martha and Mary Home for the downtrodden in Moscow and having gathered around her a number of like-minded women, they were in due course consecrated as Sisters of Love and Mercy with Elisabeth as their Abbess. Their work of nursing and the relief of the poor continued.
The Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 led to Elisabeth’s arrest and transportation to Alapaievsk in the Urals where on the 18th July 1918, with another from the Convent and a number of the Romanovs, she was put to death by being thrown down a mineshaft. There they died slowly. A local heard them singing psalms for some time. When after the fall of Communism the mineshaft was reopened, Elisabeth was found to have fallen onto a ledge some 50 feet down. It was clear from her remains that she had died clutching an icon of Jesus to her breast.