Jump in! Dear friends, Baby Vincent Kaye had a message for us all at his baptism service on Sunday. (No, not a verbal one!) He was just excited! Once he saw the water being poured into the baptismal bowl his arms and legs began to wave about. Laura, his mum, had to hold on tight. He looked to me as if he…

Sanctuary Dear friends, If like me you are wondering about what it might mean to offer to sponsor a Ukrainian refugee under the newly announced Government scheme, do have a look at the website www.sanctuaryfoundation.org.uk  . There is also a helpful video interview there. The important things to note are that, at the moment, “stuff” is not needed; money is and will…

Pray, and prepare Dear friends, It appears that Covid was just the rehearsal. Lessons we learnt during the last few years now need to be applied as the convulsions and violence in Eastern Europe send shock waves through the economy, and the infrastructure of the world order as it has been. Everything continues to change. We have learnt the priority of prayer,…

Naboth’s blood Dear friends, The first book of Kings, chapter 21, tells the story of how King Ahab covets his neighbour’s vinyard; ideally situated next to the palace, fertile and productive. Ahab wants to grow vegetables there. He offers Naboth, the owner, a fair price. Naboth refuses. It is his family inheritance, he says, so he will not sell. Ahab sulks. Jezebel,…

Dear friends In times of threat and upheaval Christians and Jews have both turned to the Psalms of David for comfort and hope. As the world powers eye each other and rattle swords, David’s prayers have a resonance for our time. “My eyes are turned towards you, O God, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; do not leave me defenseless. Keep…

Blues for Two Dear friends, It is “peak season” for S.A.D.  – or the “winter blues”. We’ve not seen much sun on the outside for a while. So our feel-good hormones are running low. When you add in winter illness, two years of Covid, frequent changes, upheavals at work, relational pressures and money worries it is neither surprising nor unexpected if there…

Food Bank February. Dear friends, February is upon us! Things can only get lighter from now on, although I am sure that both the winter weather and Covid will continue to darken things occasionally. Keep snug, and go cautiously; neither can last much longer. Certainly the Rectory Rhubarb has made its mind up about the winter side of things. More ominously on…

Team Service Dear friends, Don’t let the grey days get to you. Feed the birds! Phone a friend! Enjoy this version of Amazing Grace! Next Sunday (30th Jan) is a fifth Sunday, which gives us a chance to come together as a Team Ministry. Our shared morning service is at 10.30am at St John’s, Stoke Row. Revd Angela Linton and I will…

Pray for the Bishop Dear friends, Bishop Steven Croft (the Bishop of Oxford) revealed in a letter to clergy this week that he was briefly hospitalised with Covid a week before Christmas, and is still taking things rather slowly. Let us add our prayers to those of his family, and see if their weight can hasten his recuperation and recovery. In our…

Red Sky Dear friends, I write this as the sky over Checkendon turns from purple to a vibrant orange. The sun is doing his best to lift the mood, peeping over the horizon for a few brief moments at 8am before the rain and drizzle come again. Should we be comforted that there is still light and hope, or wonder what the…