A MESSAGE FROM

DEACON ADRIENNE NIXON

November 2008

Dear Friends,

November, the nights are closing in, clocks have retuned to Greenwich Mean Time, winter is upon us. Some animals hibernate in the long dark months that are to come, and I sometimes wish that were possible for us too. Before the advent of electricity this did happen to a certain extent. People lived much closer to the conditions of the seasons and winter meant more time indoors relying on food harvested and preserved from the summer’s harvest.

The early Celtic people celebrated the feast of Samhain on the first of November. This was the first day of their New Year. They feasted on animals that they were not able to feed during the winter, and celebrations went on into the night, with fires burning to dispose of unwanted animal parts. They had a strong sense that the old was merging with the new, each being part of the other. The Christian tradition also uses this time of the year to remember the closeness of the Church on earth and in heaven as we celebrate All Saints Day on 1st November and All Souls Day on 2nd November.

Our whole history is shaped by what has gone before, and November is the month when there are days set aside for remembering the part that the past has played in our future. “Remember, remember the 5th November, gunpowder, treason and plot.” Fireworks and bonfires, whether we enjoy them, use them as an excuse to burn our rubbish, or are just glad when it is all over, they provide a reminder of an event in history which has helped to shape the present in this country.

The 11th November and the Sunday nearest to it are days when we remember in a much more solemn way the wars since the beginning of the twentieth century and all the people who gave their lives, or who were severely injured to enable us to have the freedom we have today. This is a difficult time as so many of us have experiences in our own lives, or those of our families, where war has altered the future that was expected, and a new has had to be faced. These are times when our faith is tested. Looking back however it is possible to see that God was in all the difficult times and that good has come out of tragic times. Individually and as a nation we try to use our memories to shape our future.

Throughout history people have passed on knowledge from one generation to another. See Psalm 78, and 1 Thessalonians as examples of how history is used to illustrate the effects of the behaviour of one generation on the lives of the next.

So, how are we going to use this month of remembrance? Are we as individuals and as a church able to look at the past, let go of things which may hinder us and take on new ideas which will help to make the future of God’s people one full of love and hope, one we will be proud to pass on knowing that God is in all that we do? We have a difficult task ahead of us, but we have a God who is always with us, ready to help and guide us whose message is worth passing on to future generations.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29 v 11. I pray that we will be open to where God is leading us, and be ready to put our trust in Him, so that his plan for us can come to fruition.

May God bless us and strengthen us in our task.

Adrienne

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