Rector’s Letter – Summer 2017

Dear Friends

As I write to you (now mid May), in a week of lovely weather, the TV has been dominated by the exploits of President Donald Trump. It seems as if, nearly on a daily occurrence, he makes some outrageous statement, some political blunder or fires an employee. The story is unwinding on CNN and Sky as well as on Capitol Hill.

I’m wondering will he survive his Presidency, will he be impeached! One of the headline comments that Trump makes is “Fake News”, it seems a good way to write off any criticism of his actions, seeming to place himself in some sort of moral high ground with the press. Wikipedia (The online font of all knowledge!) defines Fake News as: 

“a type of yellow journalism that consists of deliberate misinformation or hoaxes spread via the traditional print, broadcasting news media, or via Internet-based social media. Fake news is written and published with the intent to mislead in order to gain financially or politically, often with sensationalist, exaggerated, or patently false headlines that grab attention”.

As we finish our Confirmation Classes for both adults and young people, one of the sessions was on spreading the “Good News”. ‘Gospel’ is the old English wording of good news and it has struck me that in the days after the resurrection of Jesus the early disciples had real difficulty absorbing the “good news” that Jesus was alive – especially dear old doubting Thomas!

The message of Jesus is as real and relevant as it was in 33AD and just as it touched the struggling, broken and hurting people of His day, it still touches people’s lives today – for the GOOD! Each Sunday – Resurrection Day – we celebrate the Good News of Jesus’ love for a broken world – his love for you. Fake watches, fake diamonds, fake T Shirts and fake DVD’s and now even fake news! Is there anything real in this world – what can we believe. Heb 9:12-14

“ Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.”

This is the message I centre my life on, I have found it to be real and lasting. Each morning a loving heavenly Father meets me with His love! Now that is Good News! One of my favourite hymns sums the Good News so well:

I will sing the wondrous story of the Christ who died for me; 

how he left his home in glory for the cross on Calvary:

Yes, I’ll sing the wondrous story of the Christ who died for me,

sing it with his saints in glory, gathered by the crystal sea.

I was lost, but Jesus found me, found the sheep that went astray,

threw his loving arms around me, drew me back into the his way.

Ian R Gamble

Rector