November is the month for remembering all our loved ones who have gone before us.  When we lose a loved one we so often hear from other folk the words, "Time is a great healer".  Although kindly meant, experience does not bear this out - time itself does not heal.  Of course, the passing of time makes our loss seem more bearable as we slowly adjust to living without our loved one.  But always remaining is the pain of losing the one we love so much.

Frances Shand Kidd following the tragic death of her Daughter, Her Royal Highness Princess Diana, said in an interview, "I know that grief has no agenda and no timetable.  I also know that the ache will never go.  But there will be kinder, gentler days.  And although my life will never be the same again, it will still be good".

To share a living faith with our loved ones is to know that death for them  has not been the end of life, but in our Lord Jesus Christ they are raised to live with him for ever.  For to those we love at their passing from this world he said, "Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened and I will give you rest".  For them pain, suffering and tears were at an end as they passed to rest eternally in him.

And these very same words are addressed to us who are left to bear the pain of loss.  As we come to him we bring the pain of our loss and he carries it with us, giving us rest from bearing the heavy burden of loss.  But the pain will never completely leave us in this world until at last we in turn hear him speak those words to us, "Come to me...",  and in that glorious moment we are reunited with our loved ones for evermore. How true these words:

Time is too slow for those who wait,

Too swift for those who fear,

Too long for those who grieve,

Too short for those who rejoice,

But for those who love, time is eternity,

Time doesn't heal, but eternity does.

Soon Christmas preparations will be in full swing.  What does Christmas mean?  What does it mark?  Everybody knows it's the anniversary of the day Jesus was born.  It's his birthday.  It commemorates and celebrates something we have all done: been born.

Of course, unlike us Jesus was also the Son of God who existed before the world was made.  God made the world through him and for him and at Christmas we remember that Jesus was entering the world that he had made.  But Christmas isn’t really when Jesus entered the world.  It’s just when Mary and Joseph and the shepherds first saw him.  He had come down from heaven about nine months earlier and had lived and grown in Mary’s womb before he was born.  Mary could feel the baby kicking and moving long before he was seen on that first Christmas day.  In fact, babies in the womb develop a heartbeat before they are four weeks old.  Modern science can literally see the development of the baby from its early embryonic state right through the nine months until birth. 

Every year on March the 25th we reach the point where it is exactly three months after Christmas.  But that day is also nine months until the next Christmas.  That, really, is the day to remember and celebrate God’s son coming into the world.  He was born on Christmas day but he had been developing silently in the dark of the womb for nine months before that.
 

God’s Samurai

360 aircraft in two waves carried out the attack at Pearl Harbour; and leading them was 39 year old Commander Mitsuo Fuchida, Japan’s Top Gun pilot. Radioing back the success code word, “Tora Tora Tora,” the attack left over 4000 casualties. “It was the most thrilling exploit of my career”.

He was at Hiroshima the day before the Atomic Bomb dropped, and he was on the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay to witness the Japanese surrender. He was bitter and broken-hearted. His military career over, and he returned to his home village to farm.

Fuchida observed American missionaries feeding the starving and teaching the way of Christ. He read a pamphlet “I was a Prisoner of Japan”, saw himself mirrored in it, and in 1949, turning from his Shinto beliefs, he accepted Christ. A year later he met with its author Jacob DeShazer, a bombardier on the ill-fated Doolittle raid, and they became lifelong friends. In 1959 he toured America under the Worldwide Christian Missionary Army of Sky Pilots.

One of his talks was “From Pearl Harbour to Calvary, My Testimony”. It was the story of the crucifixion that grabbed him, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”  Fuchida said he was “impressed that I was certainly one of those for whom Jesus prayed”

In December 1966, he was invited to Pearl Harbour on the 25th anniversary of the attack, visiting the war memorial over the sunken USS Arizona, and where he apologised.

He said, ”I would give anything to retract my actions at Pearl Harbour… Instead, I now work at striking the death-blow to the basic hatred which infests the human heart and causes such tragedies. That hatred cannot be uprooted without the assistance from Jesus Christ. He is the only answer for young people today.”

This Sunday is Remembrance Sunday

Every commonwealth Country will take time out to remember those who for the greater good, in service of their country, surrendered their lives. 

There is no greater sacrifice.

This Sunday in Tamworth, St Editha’s Church leads the way, with the spectacular and moving 11.00am parade service.  Many faithful folk from this great town, line the streets to pay respects, and support, not only the Royal British Legion, but many uniform organisations, who make the day so colourful, and so moving. 

However ALL Tamworth Christians, support this very Important day, all having time together, to worship the living God, and pay respects.  

Jesus observed, 

“Greater Love has no Man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

In time of agony, extreme circumstances or utter despair, only then do we discover who our real friends are.

I know who my friends are. And My friends are vital to me. And with deep friendships, the bond is eternal.

Friends are what make life rich and meaningful, in giving of ourselves to others, we find out what joy is.

Christians believe God has taken time out to secure our own individual friendship with Him. God is there for us, when times get tough.  It is historically recorded that Jesus the Son of God, was crucified. Our Bible records that He came back to life, but why did Jesus die? And how does that work? 

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

If we invite Jesus to be Lord of our lives, He becomes a friend who will never leave or forsake us.

His death was a bit like a payment on our behalf, so that even though we are not perfect yet, we still can be real friends with God, spend now, and eternity with Him.

See you on Sunday.

What does it take to be a world Champion? If we listen to the interviews of world champions immediately following their success, we invariably hear that they credit their achievements to the dedicated commitment and efforts of their support team or back room team of people with so many different talents combined to achieve that one goal. We saw evidence of this recently in interviews with Jenson Button, who won the Formula 1 Driver’s World Championship 2009, and Ross Braun who gained the Manufacturers title.

Everyone is unique with gifts and talents of one kind or another and yet we are dependent on one another. I believe our Great Creator God fashioned us all into individuals who can work together to achieve great things, creating a body of people which He tends and nurtures with overwhelming love providing for all our needs, truly a blessing for which we can give thanks.

It seems desperately unjust that even with all the wealth of the created order there are still many in our world deprived of the basic necessities of life. What a pity that as people who have the gifts and abilities to achieve greatness by effort and team working, the affluent countries of our world cannot extend generosity to benefit those in dire need.

In the Bible we are reassured in St Paul’s letter to the Ephesians ‘…the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work’. I believe this extends beyond individuals to societies, governments and nations. I urge you, therefore; don’t be a lone voice stand together with others and do something positive to make a difference.

As a keen follower of sport, I was delighted when recently I was able to travel to the O2 arena to watch the World Gymnastic Championships, second only in importance to the Olympic games.  The precision of the tumbles and twists on the floor; the strength and the balance on the rings; and the swings and the flight on the high bar, never cease to amaze me.  Each routine lasts for between one and two and half minutes and then it is over.  Everything hangs on that short performance.

Yet I know for a fact that the gymnasts had put years of effort, blood, sweat and tears into training just in order to be able to take part in the competition.  They had their eyes set on the goal a long time before they reached it.  But with single-minded determination they had arrived.

In the Bible, in his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul uses sporting imagery to talk about discipline in the Christian life.  He emphasises that we should run the race of life with our eyes on the goal.  Running in such a way to win a prize.  A prize that will not fade and die, but one that is eternal.  Paul is talking about a purpose and a direction in life.

As I look at the world today and see the economic, environmental, ethical and many other problems that surround us, it seems to me that the world often lacks a direction.  People are unsure what they are doing in life and for many life is just living one day after another.  Although Christians are far from perfect, trying to follow a leader like Jesus who tells us, “I am the way, the truth and the life” gives us a direction and a purpose in life.  Why not join us in the race for life?

Rev Jim Trood

Come back every day for the best results

Some computer games train my brain and my body by encouraging me to undertake mental and physical activities. It then tells me what my brain and fitness ages are. If I’ve missed a day or more, the computer notices and encourages me by telling me I was missed and also reminds me to ‘Come back every day for the best results’.

Whatever our mental capacity or fitness age is, it’s also good to have a holistic indication of our well-being for other aspects, including our emotional and spiritual lives. One test is a personality indicator which can show what our personalities truly are.

Our spirituality is often examined by contemplation or prayer. The labyrinth is a contemplative tool. The most famous version is found in Chartres Cathedral in France. Different designs can be found around the world, temporary ones in churches or versions on the internet.

You follow the winding path to the centre of the labyrinth, where you can just relax and find peace, before returning along the same path back into the world energised and spiritually fitter. Prayers said regularly whether read or created by saying what’s on our minds affirm our relationship with God.

If we want a true picture of our fitness in these areas we need regular testing. Like the computer programme suggests we should ‘Come back every day for the best results’. What harm can it do? It might even do you good, and make you feel better.

St Peter Glascote Heath

Confession is good for the soul, or so they say! So here goes: I would rather watch just about anything on the ‘box’ other than BBC’s Songs of Praise, which often gets me a little hot under the ‘dog’ collar. There! It wasn’t that bad was it? I’ll not bore you with all my reasons.

However, I was recently intrigued to read, in one television guide, that there was to be a guest appearance of outspoken feminist comedien Jo Brand, whose comedic style and content is hardly in line with a Christian ethos. What could she say? What would she say? Songs of Praise at last grabbed my attention!

In fairness, she did not pretend to be something that she was not. As a fledgling novelist, she spoke of her love of Dickens (the programme’s theme that week!) and suprisingly informed us that she plays a church organ, thus the reason for her guest appearance. However, in her 5 minute slot she opened a window on her own spiritual thoughts, admitting that, although essentially an agnostic, she had a great affinity for Jesus, who she claimed was ‘a great bloke’ and a ‘bit of a socialist.’ Some sensitive souls might have found her words offensive, after all Christians worship Jesus as God incarnate and Saviour of the World, but I didn’t find her words troublesome at all. For what she was saying, in her own inimitable way, was that she saw something in Jesus. He was someone who looked after the weak and vulnerable, who had a heart for the poor and downtrodden and who taught the religious not to pass by on the other side of the street.

There are many people like Jo Brand, who might not have anything to do with formal religion but are fascinated with Jesus. He was indeed a ‘great bloke,’ there’s no denying that, but we cannot stop there, for if he was who he claimed to be, God’s own Son, then everything he said concerning this life and he next needs to be evaluated carefully by us. What do you think about Jesus?  

If you would like a free ‘no-strings attached’ copy of John’s Gospel to make up your own mind, please send an email to admin@tamworth-elim.org.uk or telephone 302434 and I’ll pop one in the post to you.

When do you ask for help?

On holiday recently, our driver had an encounter with a wasp as he was driving along a gravel road.  The wasp won – one sting on the face, and tyre off the road while it happened … and a bonus point to the wasp when the driver tried to get the car on the road, and it slid down a sandy bank..  Driver’s reaction was good - “I’ll get something to put under the tyres and we should be good to go,”  but have you tried building a sand castle with dry sand?  Another look convinced the driver it was an impossible job for him, he needed the local tow truck.  That did it, but not easily, so it was the right time to ask for help.

When life gets really busy, I feel overwhelmed and know I need help.  I make a  “to do” list, then pray briefly, telling God how I feel, asking for his help, and reminding myself of his priorities – God first, family second, work next, and the stuff I just fancy doing last.  On returning to my list, usually the order of the things has changed – I allocate time for each thing according to priority, and that makes sure the important things get done.      

What’s common in these situations? Knowing when to ask for help.  We are encouraged to be independent, but can’t always be, and there’s no shame in that!  God knows what we need before we ask, and he longs to give us good things – he doesn’t want to see us off the road, or our lives stressed.  They are challenges, but with the help of God, and others, we can get through, just ask.  And I’m sure you’d try to help if a friend needed you! 
 

IF THERE IS NO SILENCE HOW CAN WE HEAR THE NOISE

One morning as I was standing outside my back door, I was struck by the silence, becoming aware that the noise and songs of the birds, which were nesting at the top of the house, had gone.  They have, after a very busy time of nesting and hatching, migrated yet again.  Yet despite the silence there was the noise of the day beginning to emerge, the noise of cars and of the people starting their daily chores.  In the midst of the silence I became aware of the immense activity that takes place in the lives of people throughout the day, and I wondered what exactly we are busy about. 

In all the great religious traditions there is the invitation to contemplate, to be still and quiet so that we may hear the inner voice of God calling us to be present to the day and the life that we live.  In the midst of very active lives it can be difficult to have space where we can be still, where we can be present to ourselves, to others and to God.  We can be so busy living that we forget the very life we have is gift, and as gift, we are invited to share it with those we meet on the journey of the day.  I think it is good for us to ‘rest a while’ on our lives journey as we live very busy and fast lives.  Upon fulfilling the task entrusted to the disciples, they returned to Jesus and he said to them “come away to a lonely place and rest a while”.  It is good for us to rest, to ponder the day we have lived or the day ahead, so that we may recognise that we are gift.  Let us enrich each other’s lives, by the gift we are today, so that we may grace the world with our presence, recognising that the world in which we live is Gods gift to us. 

Unexpected absence!

Have you ever failed to be at a place where you were expected?  Maybe unforeseen circumstances kept you from a friend’s wedding?  Or purposely you’ve missed a funeral unable to face the pain? But people would have been expecting you!

The Bible includes accounts where the absence of Jesus is unexpected. For example, the two sisters of Lazarus, Mary and Martha, pleaded with Jesus to heal their dying brother (John Ch. 11).  It would have been reasonable to expect Jesus to go with them immediately, but He simply said, ’This sickness is not fatal,’ and stayed where He was for four days!

Or take, for example, the plea from an official, as his young child fell sick and was in danger of death.   Twice the man pleaded with Jesus to ‘come’ and heal his son (John Ch. 4).  However, Jesus didn’t go with the man, He simply sent him away with these words: ‘Go home. Your son lives.’

Reflecting on these situations, Jesus’ absence may seem inappropriate.  Nevertheless, He was able to show the extraordinary power of His Word.  He proved to the sisters of Lazarus that His promise was true, and to the official that His Word was just as effective as His personal presence.

Today, Jesus no longer walks on the earth, His residency is in heaven.   But we still have His Word recorded in the Bible.  Jesus’ words can bring strength and hope to our difficult circumstances.  Why not pick up a Bible and begin reading, today?

At this time of the year in Polesworth we remember our Patron Saint. She is Saint Editha, who came here nearly 1200 years ago. Polesworth’s Saint Editha founded the Abbey and shared her way of life with people all around. We know that she made a great impression. She was known in Tamworth and gave her name the lady who became Tamworth's Saint Editha. These saints were inspirations in their time and their names live on.

Even today we can be inspired by the saints. We remember the faithful prayers of Polesworth's Saint Editha and the willingness of Tamworth's Saint Editha to offer herself to the Viking in marriage. Both were seeking to bring peace for their families and communities. They thought first of others and then of themselves. They did God’s will and found their peace in following Jesus’ way of life. Their message to us is that we can do the same.

Peace is a gift and it is nurtured by forgiveness, understanding and mercy. Peace depends on the way we live. We can contribute forgiveness. We can contribute understanding. We can contribute mercy. Pray to choose the right way to live — and to understand the pilgrim way which is the way of peace. Jesus leads us to live this way of life and to know its peace. Can we promise to play our part and promote peace by the way we live? Are their opportunities for us to show forgiveness, understanding and mercy?

 

Fr. Philip
Polesworth Abbey
 

The sound of thwacked  balls and grunting is the background noise as I write this. Wimbledon again! It’s strange how some sporting events take centre stage even though we may not be fans of the game for the rest of the year. I remember being glued to the TV during Wimbledon fortnight when I was growing up.  Thinking back I am not sure whether it was interest or there was nothing else on! But perhaps the good thing is that though we may not be a tennis star  it reminds us that physical activity of all sorts should be part of a healthy life.

Wise people down the ages have reminded us that a healthy life is not just about “body”, but mind and spirit as well.

For many people today any thoughts about faith or belief in a God  can be just “seasonal”,  such as Christmas or some other significant point in our or family’s lives, a wedding, a child’s baptism, or sadly a funeral. The writer of a book in the bible called “Ecclesiastes” tells us that “for everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven”. Life’s twists and turns remind us that we need to take our “spiritual” side seriously. It cannot be just left if we are to have the full life that God our father and creator has promised us.

Never mind the racquet – now where did I put my golf clubs?

Revd Henry Lewis
Methodist Minister, Tamworth

"Find a happy place, find a happy place" - words that I say jokingly really to others when I find myself getting stressed or things are not going as expected! It reflects I suppose the need to escape just for a bit all the angst that may be going on, to stay calm, not be overwhelmed.

Wouldn't that be lovely, if as soon as we wished we could be transported to a place that was simply just very nice to be in; click our heels together, say the words "there's no place like home" and there we are back in the comforting and homely.
Perhaps though, that is not just wishful thinking.

There has been some talk recently of people taking holidays at home – is it possible that we can take a mini-holiday in normal life? Possible to take even just a brief pause from what is giving us grief, enjoy some stillness, some silence, to listen and look at what is all around us. Absorb some peace. Ask God to help us as we take this pause. God is not far away, but close at hand, there in a heart beat to refresh and strengthen us.

 

Revd Louise Shaw
Vicar, St Pauls

Be Yourself – You don't have to be like anybody else!

So goes the title of a great song for primary age children by Fischy Music. As I sang along at assembly it occurred to me that we adults need to hear this advice every bit as much as children. For while its truth might be self-evident it is still something we constantly have to learn and relearn. Indeed I would go further and say that most of society's ills – selfishness, greed, jealousy, infidelity, carelessness – are rooted in a fundamental insecurity concerning who we are.

I wonder, have you ever played the game, 'What single thing would I change if I ruled the world?'  My own simplistic answer would be to banish most advertising, which fans the flame of our insecurity by constantly peddling the dual lie – that we are unlovely, inadequate, dissatisfied and unhappy – but that if we buy this or do that then all will be well. I naively imagine a world in which we do not constantly compare ourselves to those around us, in which we work for things we need, in which we save our intellect, our money, our energy and our passion for things that are worthy of our desire.

Living in the imperfect world of advertising, celebrity culture, and events manipulated by the media our best protection is faith in a perfect God who created you to be you and me to be me and who loves and treasures us both.

This weekend we celebrate the 100th Father’s Day.

I remember a story I was told about a very proud new father who was determined to do everything by the book and so asked the midwife “And what is the best time to wake him in the morning?”    We don’t need to teach our children everything – but there is a great deal that they will learn and the most intimidating fact is that they will learn most by observing and then imitating their parents – in fact they have a knack of catching us out in our bad habits!

Think about the example that your own father set – and the example that you are setting for your children.  You may be grateful for it, or maybe you are working hard to be a good father in spite of it.  You may be a father separated from his children but working hard to be a part of their lives, or fathering someone else’s and caring for them as if they were your own.  Maybe you are not a father, but value the next generation as all our children.  What we all need is a good role model; someone who can demonstrate what a good parent needs to be and do – and it’s not about the most expensive, but the most valuable gifts we can give – life, love and laughter, respect and discipline, compassion and forgiveness; and always being there for them.

Our Father’s heart and arms are always open for us.  Thank God.

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Revd Sue Rowley
St Pauls Fazeley & St Barnabas Mileoak

Out here in the villages bordering Tamworth we're gearing up to the various summer events.  Whether its Open Village, Open Gardens, Summer Fayres, Flower Festivals, Church Festivals, or some of the more novel ideas being dreamt up these days they all share a common feature.  The community gathers together to work, rest and play. 

There has been a lot of talk and some media hype about the economic downturn in recent months.  But the truth of the matter is some haven't been affected at all and some have had their lives completely wrecked.  Those who have invested based on quality advice have suffered alongside those who made rash decisions.  It feels like a contagion: some catch the life-threatening disease and some seemingly immune—no rhyme nor reason!  Some have had to close down their business alongside others’ which have thrived; the heartache for small family businesses of laying off people can be unbearable.  Then last week there was the utterly tragic story of the couple who threw themselves off the cliff with their recently dead son; they couldn’t bear the suffering.  These all share a common feature.  The loneliness and isolation of an individual.

These are just two parts of the same world.  Yet as Christians we see this as the world God made and loved.  God’s love is shown in all that is wonderful and is shown to all who suffer.  We too, as communities, can share with each other in joy and friendship, and love those who hurt.

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Revd Simon J Lumby

You will probably have had enough of different coloured leaflets popping through your letter box over the past few weeks.  Labour, Conservative, Lib Dems. and the Green Party, to say nothing of UKIP, the Jury Team and several others.  To add to the mix some are asking that your vote for them in the County Council and others for Europe. Some are even asking you to vote for them so that they can bring us out of Europe!  The good news is that today will mark the end of all that … at least until we have a General Election probably sometime next year!

Despite the furore about MP’s expenses I really do think that most of those seeking our votes are honest and sincere people, but human and prone to mistakes.  Their blurb tells you what they have already done in representing us or what they would like to do if you will first vote for them! What is important is that we make the effort to cast our votes – it is our right in a democratic country. 

When you think about it we spend a lot of time ‘voting’.  For example, there are the television votes for ‘Britain’s Got Talent’, ‘Dancing on Ice’, etc.  Then there are life’s bigger votes, for our life-long partners, our choice of husbands or wife and the schools our children will be educated in.  We vote in life for the things we want and need, and sometimes we might even vote in favour of others in a selfless way by choosing to give money or time to them instead of ourselves.

Recently I was reminded in a book that every time a preacher opens his or her mouth, they should be asking you to vote for Jesus.  The end result is that we should be building together, not a party political system, but the Kingdom of God. 

Those who know their church leaders will be shrewd judges of their integrity, honesty and resolution in asking you to vote for Jesus in the everyday decisions you make.  Encourage them and turn up and your local polling booth (or should I say, Church), this week-end.

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Revd Mike Harris
Vicar of Amington

Everyday I walk, my dog, not much fun in the cold or rain, but great on the warm days we have been enjoying.  It’s easy to feel happy on days like that. I do feel close to God out in the country, while listening to the sounds of nature.

One of the miracles of our humanity is our own individual character. The trouble is, that, like the weather, we are changeable things. We are affected by all sorts of things and especially by other people. We are all created in God’s image but we are also fallen humans. When we do quarrel it is all too easy to look at things only from our own point of view. Indeed it is natural to do so. Actually if we stop to think about things rationally, often what irritates us about someone else is really what we recognise in ourselves but often ignore as much as we can.

Jesus was right when he talked about getting rid of the plank in our own eye then we would see to get the speck from someone else’s. Nice to know he had a sense of humour.

It is important; to speak our truth but to remember we are all fallible. Things are rarely only someone else’s fault. We need to be ‘loving and forgiving.’ But also to go a stage further – and it’s a hard stage - to acknowledge our own shortcomings, so that we can love other people but try to be a gentle with ourselves too.

I once heard Princes Diana say something that has stayed with me. We should all aim, ‘to show kindness in another’s trouble and courage in our own.’

Not a bad guide for life.

Revd Rowan Davies
Wigginton

The financial crisis, the Tsunami, famines in various parts of the world, wars in Africa, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Nations in financial collapse and even in wealthy countries we see people who are destitute and hungry. We see the problems in every country, we see the needy at every hand. Banks are going bankrupt yet we have seen huge bonuses paid to directors and MPs abusing the expenses system.

The ordinary man in the street sees the wars, poverty, selfishness, greed and is being told that the nation is bankrupt and that the firms that they work for can no longer keep them employed. They are faced with going home in despondency and saying to the family “It’s not my fault”.

The ordinary man is often the victim of the situation and struggles to put food on the table and to make ends meet. It is then the ordinary man that has to start rebuilding his life after major disasters. The ordinary man often asks the question “why? We often look for someone to blame and often it is God who takes our abuse and accusations.

The prophets of old were accused and stoned for such things as people took their vengeance and anger out on the servants of God. In Jesus’ day he warned the people of the days ahead; so they would be warned and not taken by surprise, as we read in the latter chapters of Matthew’s gospel, Mt.23 v 36, 37 “I tell you the truth, all this will come upon this generation. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often have I longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.”

Don’t let us refuse God’s invitation and love in these hours of Grace. Let us not look for someone to blame but let us respond to his invitation.

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David Shearer
Coton Green Church

"There are no atheists in fox-holes!" someone once said, and indeed many people pray in all sorts of situations, but no means as severe as the fear of imminent death! People praise too at all manner of wonders from the birth of a baby to the sight of a mountain peak or sunset. And yet it is also true that fewer people go to church or build any sort of relationship with God which would enrich every part of their lives. Partly this is because the church seems distant from peoples' everyday concerns, it uses language and symbols that do not make sense or seem very strange in today's world; but the need for someone beyond interested in us, able to involve in our concerns remains for the vast majority of people.

As a Christian I cannot imagine life without this sense that God is involved with me and mine, and involved with us, all the time. The longer I live the more it makes sense that God is so involved that He intends a relationship with us which he began in creation and continues by finding a way to bring us into heaven. As heaven has to be perfect and we are not, the Christian belief that God has found a way to deal with our wrongness and make us fit for heaven makes sense too.

This good news can be read in the Bible and experienced by anyone who commits to God's answer in faith. It's not a set of rules and it's not about church; it is about praying and reading God's self revealing and trying it out as a way of life for yourself. Any Christian can tell you more about their own experience indeed every Christian believes God has commanded us to share the experience we have. Do try it for yourself.

 

Revd Michael MacLachlan
Resident Minister of Drayton Bassett and of Canwell

With 20 million other people, I have watched the YouTube video of Susan Boyle's stunning performance on Britain's Got Talent.

There must have been the same number of words written about her. Most of them saying, 'Don't judge a book by its cover'. Her performance has challenged us to think about our society's obsession with outward style.

The Bible has always said that. "God doesn't see as humans see. Humans look at the outward appearance but God looks at the heart" it says in this story of God's choice of the shepherd boy, David, to be Israel's king. Yet some people have wondered whether there would have been the same shock and fuss if it had been a man, who while not being Mr Universe, had still sung magnificently?  Do we still think only glamorous, beautiful women can be talented?

At this time of Easter, we can reflect how radical it was for God to choose a woman's voice to spread the message of the resurrection. Mary Magdalene was the first person to meet the risen Christ and hear the command to 'Go and tell the others'. In those days women were not allowed to act as legal witnesses in court because they were not considered intelligent or trustworthy enough. Yet God used someone who was considered foolish and weak in the eyes of the world to do his work. And from that one woman's voice, the resurrection message was spread throughout the whole world. Even without YouTube.

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Pauline Warn
Methodist Minister

*Christianity destroyed. Government now defines Right and Wrong.*

The end of civilisation? Maybe! The Archbishop of York has spoken out boldly to challenge the current wave of persecution against Christianity. However, the bicentenary of Darwin's birth is a perfect opportunity for the many atheists who present television documentaries to make their anti-Christian views known: /'Darwin has shown us that those old beliefs in God can now be discarded in favour of scientific truth.'/ So they say! However, Darwin would never have made such a claim. His observations and conclusions were purely scientific.

As a scientist myself, I applaud what Darwin has given us and I wish these pseudo scientists would remember that science and theology are totally different spheres.

The truth is that deep down within all human beings there is a spiritual longing. We can try and suppress it, rationalize it or ignore it, but when our need is great enough it usually comes to the surface. Are we to be no different from the animals who know nothing of God? Ask yourself this: “Why do the atheists work so hard to destroy belief in Jesus Christ? What did he do or say that was bad?”

Christians are coming under attack in a way that has not happened in this country for a very long time and many will join them, taking the path of least resistance. Jesus said: "The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it." (Matthew 7:13-14).

Jesus also said, “Seek, and you will find.” 600 million people know that’s true! Are you one of them?

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Paul Harris
St Mary's, Atherstone

It’s amazing how the top news stories change so quickly. We are all now well informed about the world recession, the state of the economy, huge bonus payouts, MP’s expenses, and so on. Yet in the last couple of weeks the headlines have moved from these topics to the G20 summit in London; followed by The United States President’s tour of Europe; and as I was writing this article our TV screens were full of the tragic images resulting from the terrible earthquake in Central Italy. What will be headline news in, say a week’s time? No one knows.

We have just celebrated Easter and if ever there was an event that would have been headline news of the day then this would have been it. From the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday; the sharing of the Last Supper with His disciples; the arrest and betrayal by one of His own followers; the trial before Pilate; the gruesome events on Good Friday; the sadness in the hearts of Jesus followers at his death; and the amazing finale of that first Easter morning!

None of us know what will be headline news tomorrow or next week. But I do know that because of the Resurrection, Jesus has given us a hope for the future. Jesus’ own disciples were different people as a result of the resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus is not just something we believe in or celebrate as part of our Christian faith; it is the Christian faith.

Without it, we have no faith or future. As the song says, ‘Because He lives, I can face tomorrow; because He lives, all fear is gone; because I know who holds the future; and life is worth the living, just because He lives’…

Let the Risen Lord Jesus be your hope for the future to.         

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Paul Emmerson is the Associate Minister Elim Church, Glascote

EASTER HOPE 

In Britain increasingly we want instant solutions and we want pain & difficulty to be taken away immediately.

The G20 Leaders have met to try to find a solution to the Global economic crisis, but much as we all wish for things to be sorted out quickly, we know that we are facing a period of difficulty and hardship.

Christians are preparing to celebrate Easter and the resurrection of Jesus, but there can be no Easter Sunday without Good Friday. And Good Friday is not about avoiding suffering, or instant solutions. It is about ‘feeling, facing and living’ with the pain and the suffering.

Good Friday challenges us all to stay with the pain of the Cross of Jesus, the pain in our lives and the pain in the world around us. Only then will we be able to face the real difficulties of life.

The Cross throws out a lifeline to those people whose lives have fallen apart, to those who are living in utter despair, and can’t yet respond to the Christian story with its joyous Easter ending. Those, who are not yet able to experience anything of new life and resurrection, need to come first to the Cross of Jesus, to the God who knows pain and loss in all its bitterness.

Indeed, we all need to meet with the God of Good Friday, before we can experience fully the God of Easter Day, and the risen Lord Jesus, who brings new life, forgiveness, reconciliation, peace, and hope, to a still disbelieving and doubting world.

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Easter is coming, are you ready?

OK, it is not quite here yet, but it is coming!  A time of endings, finality and death and a time of resurrection, hope and new life!  Easter seems almost to be a contradiction to our way of seeing things and yet the reality of endings and new beginnings is all around us.

For me and for Tamworth Baptist Church this Easter is definitely a time of endings.  Easter is my last Sunday working in Tamworth; I am leaving and heading off to pastures and pastorates new in Coventry.  So there is a great deal of sadness and finality about Easter this year.

Yet it is also a time of new beginnings and hope.  My family and I will soon be beginning a whole new life in Coventry.  But it is not just about me, for this is an exciting time for the church as they reflect on their life together and look to all the new things, and the new minister, God will bring.  So it is also a hopeful and exciting time.

There has to be endings for there to be new beginnings and we all need to experience the truth of Easter in our lives that we can have a new beginning with God.

Yet surely that is the message for next week?  Well right now I am getting ready for all the big changes that are to happen, and getting ready for all the busyness that Easter will bring.  Easter doesn’t just happen we need to prepare for endings and beginnings… and now is the time, as the final week is nearly upon us to prepare!

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Revd. Keith Neville
Minister Tamworth Baptist Church
 

Share & Care 

I watched those images of dying children in Africa from comic relief and look forward to the lovely images of little children giving thanks for mum’s this week and it makes me think of life and care and sharing responsibilities.

Every parent knows that when the children are small and want to help in doing a job, then the job is going to take longer than it would if they did it alone.

Take a little child helping Mum with the baking. There’s that bit of grubby dough which has been all over the kitchen table and onto the floor twice, if that gets put into the oven and baked, then Mum has to keep finding fresh excuses for not eating it. Then there are the kids who carry round their hammers and screwdrivers, following Dad round the house, to help him do odd jobs on a Saturday morning. Dad knows that the job is going to take a lot longer than if he did it alone. Yet parents love to have their kids `helping' them, as they call it, although it creates work rather than saves it. Have you asked why we feel like this?

It’s because just to have them there, doing it with them, sharing, learning, chatting, is a great experience for both. There is love, a two way sharing, an unaffected and undistorted communication in a task together. That is a partnership both enjoy.

Well, if we can see why parents have their little children allegedly helping them do things, then you can see why God wants us as partners.

This is why the Eternal,- Almighty God the Father, has called us to be fellow workers with Him caring for the creation, planet and people. And no matter how badly we do it, and how much longer it takes Him than if He just did it Himself, behind it all there is a job to be done, and God has said "Come on, we'll do it together". That's why our prayers for others do matter. That is why the greatest invitation we ever receive is to be `Fellow Workers with God'.

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David S McDonough
Vicar St Peter's, Glascote

Springtime more than any other season of the year reveals God's wonderful world. Our farmers who are concerned with earning their living from this world are experiencing the most difficult period in the recent history of the agricultural industry. Without doubt, social and economic forces are transforming rural England; and in recent years farmers and those in the ancillary industries have been hit by a number of serious changes which these forces have produced. Such have been the changes that it is true to say that farming families are facing their deepest crisis since the Second World War.

Among these forces are European policy decisions which influence support and prices; consumer confidence in food production affected by food scares such as foot and mouth; a huge decrease in farm incomes because of the current economic recession; urban politicians not understanding the rural scene; relentless form-filling and bureaucracy; the decision by many sons and daughters of farmers not to follow in farming; and an endless stream of criticism about farming methods.

As they face this deep crisis many farming families often suffer stress, and this is particularly true of those with smaller farms, such as the pig and sheep farmers. Of course, farmers do not usually "wear their heart on their overalls", and the long and demanding farming hours do not always allow them time to share their concerns with the community of which they are such an essential part.

So as you do your shopping please spare a thankful prayer for our farmers who, despite the deep crisis in which they find themselves, produce all we need from God's wonderful world.

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Revd Alan Wheale
St Chad's Hopwas

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