Rector’s Letter

We are all really delighted to learn recently that members of local churches, including our own Sue Elsey, are to go forward for training to ordained ministry. We congratulate them and assure them of our support and prayers as they take up this new direction in their calling. This wonderful news may be a prompt to us all to consider the ways in which God could be calling us to live out our Christian lives in his service: either in the church or in the wider world. As we continue to journey through Lent, a time of reflection and preparation for the joy of Easter, let us consider the many callings God has bestowed upon each of us. Just as the Apostle Paul describes the church as a body with different parts in 1 Corinthians 12, we each have unique roles to play within the body of Christ and in our daily lives. The body of Christ is made up of many members, each with distinct gifts and functions. Paul emphasizes that all parts are vital, no matter how seemingly insignificant. Just as the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” each part of the body is crucial for its overall function.

This picture Paul gives us is helpful when we think about how, within the church, God calls us to different roles and responsibilities. Some are called to be ordained ministers, others to lay ministry such as being a Readers or a Pastoral Visitor. Some are called as musicians and singers, young church leaders, flower arrangers, administrators, sidespeople, cleaners and church wardens. Each role contributes to the overall mission and ministry of the church, and no part is more important than another. Our callings are not limited to our roles within the church. Our vocations in the world – our jobs and careers – are also ways in which God calls us to serve him and others. Whether we are, or have been in our working lives, teachers, engineers, administrators or carers; if we are involved in volunteering or caring for others in informal ways: God uses our gifts and talents to make a difference in the world. God gives honour to all parts of the body, that includes his valuing the work we do in our daily lives. Our work can be an act of worship, a way to love our neighbours, and a means to build the Kingdom of God.

As we continue our Lenten journey, let us remember that we are all called to be the hands and feet of Christ, both in the church and in the world. If we feel that God may be calling us to a different role perhaps in church, perhaps in our work in the community, perhaps in our working lives this is something I’d encourage us to explore with God and perhaps by talking to others in the church including to our
ministry team, to our church wardens or to me. May we all embrace our unique callings with joy and humility, recognizing that each part of the body is essential and honoured by God. As we anticipate the celebration of Easter, may we also look forward to the ways in which God will continue to use us, His people, to accomplish His purposes in the world. For, as Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 12:27, “Now you
are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”

With my prayers and very best wishes