Benefice of St Mary’s Chard, Combe St Nicholas,
Wambrook and Whitestaunton
22nd November 2020
Christ the King
Dear Friends
And so we come
to the final Sunday of the Church year, when we proclaim Christ to be the
universal sovereign and Lord of heaven and earth.
It has been a
difficult and challenging year for all of us. I know that many of you have been
isolating or have loved ones that are isolating and that is incredibly
hard. Being separated from family and
loved ones has been the hardest part of this year, and we may have to bear such
things for a while longer. Mick and I
became grandparents for the first time two weeks ago. However, our new grandson and his mother are
both in Spain and we do not know when we will get to see them ‘in the
flesh’. But we are filled with
thankfulness that baby Austin Michael has arrived safely and that he and our
daughter are well.
So there has also
been great joy this year. I have had
some amazing encounters with people this year, and I have seen so many of you,
and others in our community, stepping up and offering help and support to the
more vulnerable and isolated.
In fact, when I
read our gospel for this week I was proud to say that many of you have
participated in feeding the hungry and visiting the sick as Jesus told us to
do, as well as delivering prescriptions and service sheets, shopping for and
staying in touch with those who are on their own by phone and email. And, most importantly, you have been praying
for one another, for our community and the world. You have done so much this
year and it is a sign of your commitment to one another and to your faith in
Christ.
I have found
myself wondering what kind of world our new grandson will inherit and it would
be easy to be filled with foreboding.
However, as we celebrate the feast of Christ the King today, the
beautiful thing is that this Christ who is sovereign over all of creation also
cares for every single one of us, and that he feels our pain and our joy, and
knows the secrets of our hearts. At this
time, when it would be easy to fall into cynicism and despair he comes to give
us hope, and wants us to be bringers of hope to others. He calls us to care for the hungry, the sick
and the prisoner.
So let us
remember that the same God who knows the name of every star also came to us in
the form of Jesus Christ and longs for the sick to be healed, the broken to be
mended and the outcast to be welcomed.
He wants us all to know him and be filled with the hope and joy that
only he can bring, whilst also dwelling with us in our sadness, anxiety, and
brokenness.
So, let us
declare that Christ is King and Lord of all creation and also King of our
hearts.
Whatever the
next few months bring, we can be sure that just as he holds the stars in his
hands, so he also holds us. And he will
not let us go.
Blessings
Ann
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