Ministers’ Letter

‘Happy is the one whose delight in the Lord, He is like a tree planted beside water channels; it yields its fruit in season and its foliage never fades.’  (Psalm 1:1 – 3)

Dear Friends,

This year, we have had one of the hottest summers on record in the UK. We went for almost two months with hardly a drop of rain.  The ground became scorched, grass turned brown, flowers and bushes withered.  Farmers struggled to feed their livestock and many crops withered.  The rivers and reservoirs became so dangerously low that most parts of the country were declared to be in drought.

As I write this article, the rains have at last arrived, and already my garden lawn is showing signs of green life again.  Though I’m told that the hose pipe ban is likely to stay in place for some time to come!   

I actually love the changing of the seasons.  The end of summer, now gives way to autumn, one of the most beautiful seasons of the years.   Surely, the most spectacular symbols of autumn are those gorgeous autumn tree colours.  Look around you and soon you will see our trees turn from green to colours of gold, amber, bright red and a profusion of other colours.  A walk through the woods on a sunny autumn day can be very rewarding and exhilarating.  I thoroughly recommend it!

 Inevitably, as the season goes on, this beautiful foliage falls to the ground where it begins to rot and loose all of its colour.  Scripture often uses the analogy of horticulture and falling leaves to describe the transient nature of the world in which we live.  We are told that all of us will one day like those falling leaves which pass from this world.  Yet the Psalm I quoted above strikes a rather different note.  The righteous man or woman, we are told is like a mighty tree, planted in the right place where it is well watered, he or she produces great fruit and like an evergreen tree, never loses its foliage.  I would suggest that the foliage in question here are the fruits of faith, fruits such as love, peace and faith.  These are fruits that come from a life spent close to God and they are fruits which continue to give life and sustenance to our world long after we pass away.

As we enter the autumn season, as we return to tasks we had put aside over the summer months, I pray that the good Lord will give us all the strength and wisdom to work for those fruits that endure forever and build God’s kingdom here on earth.  

Yours sincerely

Richard.
(Revd Richard Grocott, Superintendent Minister.)