The Crumbling Centre

Dear friends,

We are continuing to witness the era of the self-purging Government. Politics appears to be now just a race to be the “least unpopular”. Please, please, if anyone is listening, we just want the “least incompetent”. The combination of generational national problems, an inflated and overblown media, and a febrile public blown here and there by social media (which itself may or may not be “influenced” by hostile agencies and individuals) has put the manual for effective Government through the shredder.  All we are left with is a bin bag of thin strips of code, and no-one with any capacity or experience to be able to hold it together, never mind make sense of anything.

The heat builds, both inside Westminster, and in the nation. Nature responds, cooking us like frogs in our own boiling pot. Never mind the politics, who is looking at the water levels? Who is looking out for children and teachers in school buildings which are not fit for purpose? Who is looking out for the nation’s critical infrastructure in yet another time of self-made hubris? Who  is watching the seas and the skies, looking up and out for our security? Who is tending this year’s harvest, and wondering if the growing grain can survive this fierce sun? How dare these people in Parliament think that what they are doing is any more important than what the rest of us do! Is anyone praying to God for mercy on us?

It is the time of the year when Church is cool. Deliciously cool, and refreshing, for body as well as soul. Checkendon Church is open every day. You are welcome to creep in and get out of the heat. Enjoy the stillness, and few moments out of the intensity of everything. Our services on Sunday are open to everyone. Here, we will offer our lives to God, giving thanks for Jesus, through whom alone salvation comes.

Worship Services for Sunday 28th June

9.30am Holy Communion at St John’s Stoke Row with Revd Kevin Davies

11am Holy Communion at St Peter and Paul, Checkendon with Revd Kevin Davies.

Midweek zoom service: Wednesday Evensong at 5.00pm  410 935 129

Nature Notes

Our service last Sunday celebrated the wildlife wonders of the churchyard. Late spring flowers carpeted the sward, and butterflies and bees added to the beauty. We looked at trees, plants, insects, and listened to the birdsong. How glorious it is!

In the garden the broad beans are glad of their shady corner, while the climbing beans are finding their situation too exposed in the hot sun. The lettuces have needed to have a shelter made for them, to prevent “cooking” and early bolting. The tomatoes and courgettes are growing fast, and everything is needing almost daily attention. The strawberry patch wars are over, with both sides exhausted and spent. The mice had the main part of the crop, while the gardener won early and late battles. The score in terms of strawberries was about 50:50, with carnage on both sides. The bird bath is now a vital water source, and the are hedges shady sanctuaries. The Tawny Owl has returned.

Pray for Simon, and also Paul, who are fighting cancer at this time, and their families, who are supporting them through their treatment. Pray for faith, hope, and love.

Pray too for Lily and Tawanda, to be married on Saturday. May their marriage be joyful, and lifelong.

May the peace of the Lord be with all His people.

Your Rector, Canon Kevin.

PS Respect the sun, especially in the middle of the day. If you do go out, cover up, use sunscreen and wear a hat. Do what the Ethiopians do – put up an umbrella. Even a black one will seriously cut down your UV exposure. The risk to you is that the strong ultraviolet radiation will smash apart genetic material in your skin cells and that this damage causes cancerous cells to grow. Incidences of skin cell melanoma in the UK are on the increase. I will say it again: respect the sun!