CLERGY LETTER
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| Revd. Jenny Driver | |
By the time you read this I hope that all operations will have been carried out and I will be back in action; I have been really overwhelmed by the support, prayers and cards from so many of you – so thank you. When injury or debilitating illness strikes us it is not just the pain or the illness that we find ourselves having to cope with in our already fragile state but it can also bring about an opportunity for self – discovery, a learning curve that leads us to a better understanding of ourselves, of others and of God. When we are ‘ill’ we often have to allow others to care for us; something that goes against the grain for those of us who are fiercely independent! Allowing someone to look after us can make us feel vulnerable and weak without control of our world or what happens in it. I felt frustrated that I couldn’t care for or minister to others and had to be the one cared for and ministered to, but it struck me that by holding on to my independence and not allowing others to care for me I was actually preventing others from exercising their own Christian ministry and sharing the love of Christ; both essential elements of our individual Christian journey. If we don’t allow ourselves to be cared for and nurtured by others we literally provide an obstacle to someone on their personal journey – fierce independence is not necessarily a good thing when you think about it from that perspective! Learning curve number 2 – Illness or injury can separate us from our faith community, our church family and from corporate worship which can lead to us feeling isolated and alone; God can feel very distant at a time when we so want Him to be close. Imagine a mobile phone; when it is charged it can go anywhere, receive and make calls to others, it can keep us in contact with others wherever we are and use all sorts of applications that keep us informed and in control of our world. When the battery runs down someone has to plug it in to the mains recharge it. We can’t use it to communicate with others; as it gradually recharges we can start use it but with limitations, we can only use it as far as the lead stretches, we are constrained and can do nothing about it until it is charged, effectively it controls our use of it. When we are ill we are a bit like that mobile phone when our batteries run down leaving us feeling weak and useless. We are constrained by our illness and can only do as much or go as far as our illness allows us to, how and when we communicate with others is affected which can leave us feeling isolated, alone and out of control. We need someone to ‘connect us’ to the mains, keep us ‘connected’ to our source of energy and care for us until our batteries recharge and we feel sufficiently energised and restored to be able to work effectively and continue on our journey. Over the years I have met many people who say to me ‘I don’t go to church but I am a Christian’; living a Christian lifestyle, following a good moral code, showing kindness and care to others is a good thing to do. Acts of compassion and kindness come from somewhere deep inside us, dare I say a sign of God working through us whether we realise it or not, whether we acknowledge God’s part in it or not. Being a Christian involves acknowledging God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit and that God works through us to be, if you like, his eyes, ears, mouth and hands on earth, following the example and teaching of Jesus and allowing the Holy Spirit to inspire that moral code in us, allowing us to carry out those acts of compassion and kindness deep within. We can’t do this on our own merit – we need the strength of our faith community, our church family to sustain us. If we are to be effective on our Christian journey we need to pray with others, worship with others, teach and also be taught, listen to and be also heard; personal faith both survives and grows when it is nurtured and exercised in community - our ‘good deeds’ glorify God rather than glorify us. The church community is the power source that we need to recharge our batteries if we are to live a truly Christian lifestyle. I am gradually ‘recharging’ and hope to be operational in the near future and back amongst those who have supported, cared, nurtured and prayed for me, enabled me to stay connected to the power source and who have helped me to develop a deeper knowledge of myself, enabled me to experience the love of others and the realisation that we are never alone or isolated –God is always there, it’s just that sometimes we can’t see him. Jenny Driver |
FAITH AND WORSHIP