Sunday Letter

 All Saints Sunday, from this moment on until the beginning of Advent we are entering the period of celebrating and reflecting on the reign of Christ here on earth and in heaven. The reading from the Gospel will be the beatitudes, beginning: blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. We reflect on the blessed of those who have tried in the race of life to follow Christ against all the adversities that have come upon them, the struggles and the delights, this year has certainly been a trial for many. 

The one thing I will really miss this Sunday is being able to sing out lustily the wonderful hymn “For all the saints” It is one of those rousing hymns which you either love or inwardly groan at how long it goes on for, all 11 verses if you have the full version, because it was written as a processional hymn with plenty of time to sing it all as the procession moved through the Cathedral. 

1.For all the saints, who from their labours rest, 

Who Thee by faith before the world confessed, 

Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.

 Alleluia, Alleluia! 

2. Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress and their Might;

 Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well fought fight; 

Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light. 

Alleluia, Alleluia! 

3. For the Apostles’ glorious company, 

Who bearing forth the Cross o’er land and sea,

 Shook all the mighty world, we sing to Thee: 

Alleluia, Alleluia! 

4. O may Thy soldiers, faithful, true and bold, 

Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old, 

And win with them the victor’s crown of gold. 

Alleluia, Alleluia! 

5. For the Evangelists, by whose blest word, 

Like fourfold streams, the garden of the Lord, 

Is fair and fruitful, be Thy Name adored. 

Alleluia, Alleluia!

 6. For Martyrs, who with rapture kindled eye, 

Saw the bright crown descending from the sky, 

And seeing, grasped it, Thee we glorify. 

Alleluia, Alleluia! 

7. O blest communion, fellowship divine! 

We feebly struggle, they in glory shine; 

Yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine. 

Alleluia, Alleluia!

 8. And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long, 

Steals on the ear the distant triumph song, 

And hearts are brave, again, and arms are strong. 

Alleluia, Alleluia! 

9. The golden evening brightens in the west;

 Soon, soon to faithful warriors comes their rest; 

Sweet is the calm of paradise the blessed. 

Alleluia, Alleluia! 

10. But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day; 

The saints triumphant rise in bright array; 

The King of glory passes on His way. 

Alleluia, Alleluia! 

11. From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest coast, 

Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host, 

Singing to Father, Son and Holy Ghost: 

Alleluia, Alleluia! 

There you go, sing in the kitchen, the garden, the bath, wherever you would like. As you do though remember the Author, William Walsham How who was ordained in 1847. He became Suffragan Bishop in east London in 1879 and Bishop of Wakefield in 1888. Called both the "poor man's bishop" and "the children's bishop," He was known for his work among the destitute in the London slums and among the factory workers in west Yorkshire. He wrote a number of theological works about controversies surrounding the Oxford Movement and attempted to reconcile biblical creation with the theory of evolution. He wrote many hymns for children in his time too. Then look at the words of the hymn again, he knew what it was to minister amongst the blessed of Christ’s words, those who knew poverty of material things, but the richness of faith and God’s love would have sung out in his heart, as he rejoiced in those who had come to find peace and safety in the arms of a loving God. 

Then we take a moment to give thanks for those who have been an influence in our journey of faith, those who have loved us, nurtured us and allowed us to be who we are today.

 I have added here a piece from the spirituality of conflict website that I hope will allow you to reflect on how this year has been too. 

Sequoias and Tattoos by Alex Wimberley 

One of the things our friend Glenn* left with us is the image of the sequoia seed. It was a symbol he wanted to carry with him always, and so he had it tattooed on his leg. It’s a pine cone, but not from an ordinary Christmas tree. These little seeds, packed into palm–sized cones, become in time the giants of the redwood forests in California, with trunks as wide as lorries. Glenn not only found inspiration in the sheer grandeur of these trees, whose roots run back for thousands of years, but in their witness to hope. 

Sequoia seeds open with the heat of forest fires. In the clearing that fires create, sequoias take root – taking advantage of the exposed sunlight and the enriched, ashen soil. They are a living reminder that some things endure beyond our devastating moments. One imagines that in the aftermath of the horrific and sobering forest fires of this past summer (the wake–up call nature is giving us), there are cones of ancient trees popping open, witnesses to nature’s resilience and to our short–sighted environmental priorities. And witnesses to the idea that even in the midst of disaster, there can come the start of new and magnificent life.

 As we reflect this All Saints’ Day on what endures even through disaster and crisis and beyond the reality of death, we look for new shoots of life. This year has been a disaster for so many – hitting, as is often the case – the most vulnerable the hardest. It has revealed longstanding discrepancies of injustice we can no longer ignore. The pandemic has exposed inequalities that cannot continue. And yet there are – even in and because of the fractures that have been exposed – places where the enduring strength of empathy and compassion can take root in heated soil, and create the possibility of a better and more just world. 

In taking inspiration of those who have lived faithfully, we trust that we can discover new ways of being from our better relationships with one another. On issues of race, class, climate justice, borders and nation, and so many other difficult conversations, it will be in honest, human connection that we will find a better world and hold on to what is divine. 

For what is of God will endure. And God is with us in community.

 info@spiritualityofconflict.com 

Alex Wimberly is the current Leader of the Corrymeela Community. He is interested in how the Christian motif of reconciliation manages to be divisive. *Glenn Jordan (1964-2020)

 Glenn was a community activist and public theologian, and a Springsteen fan looking for a moment when the world seems right. Glenn brought a keen interest in the process of community renewal and was the creative spark behind the innovative Skainos Square in Belfast. He was interested in the power of story to create newness and transform conflict, and brought a love of language, place, art and relationship to all his work. He was a beloved member of the Spirituality of Conflict team. He died in June 2020. 

Corrymeela is a community based in Northern Ireland which worked throughout the troubles and into today to help understand and resolve conflict. Their work now enables communities across the world to find ways of communicating, hearing each other’s stories and working from the common shared base. This website is a source for those searching for hope in conflict, whatever that maybe. 

We are going to begin having flowers again in St Mary’s Chard, as Maureen is still isolating please can you contact Kath Lee if you would like to help. 

Also this Sunday’s Service will be live streamed from St Mary’s as we endeavour to hone our skills for Remembrance, if you watch on line please would you be kind enough to offer me any feedback you think may be helpful. This should work as the link https://www.facebook.com/events/395661275144095, you don’t have to be on use Facebook to access it and it will not sign you up for Facebook either. 

 Be Blessed Rev Georgina 

Each morning and each evening 

let the peace of the Father, be ours. 

Each day and each night let the peace of the Son be ours. 

Each dawn and each dusk 

let the peace of the Spirit be ours. 

Let the blessing of the three in one be ours; 

both now and for ever. Amen. Carmina Gadelica