A greeting

Dear friends

“Peace be with you” we say to one another.  It is a formal liturgical greeting in our services, when we will often add “(The) peace (of the Lord) be (always) with you.” This greeting not only goes back to the earliest church, but it reflects one of the deepest human desires – in the end, we tire of war, its destruction and waste, and we long for peace. There is an almost identical phrase that is used in the arabic tradition: “salaam alaikum” – Peace be upon you. Israel’s great king David laments living among violent neighbours in Psalm 120:7 – “I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war.”

Jon Sopel famously described the USA as “a foreign country where they speak English”. In similar vein, it is almost impossible to stress how different Iranian society is from that in the UK. There are several ethnic groups, with the majority being “Fars” (who speak “Farsi”), the historic Persian people making up about 60% of the population. There are large minorities of Azerbaijanis (16%) and Kurds (10%). These historical peoples are then overlaid with a thick monocultural carapace (“crusty shell”) of the (Shia) Islamic theocratic regime, which is screwed firmly in place by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The IRGC’s sole duty is to “protect the regime” – (rather than to protect the people), in other words, to keep the crust in place. We saw this in operation in January, with the bloody suppression of the protests by the people against the regime, when thousands were killed. The IRGC is also heavily involved with “exporting” the (Shia) Islamic revolution. Iranian funding for proxies in Gaza (Hamas), Lebanon (Hezbollah) and Yemen (Houthis) is well known. We struggle sometimes with Israel’s recent behaviour, but we are not ourselves under missile attack from Welsh Nationalists, who wish our extinction, and are funded by Vladimir Putin.

The UK Government’s own assesment is that the severity of the security risk the Iranian regime poses to the UK and its citizens is real, increasing, and comes third after China, and Russia. The director of MI5 has reported about twenty potentially lethal Iran backed plots here in the UK in 2025. If you are interested (and it is reassuring to know that someone is at least thinking about this) a Government reasearch briefing was published in November 2025, and you can find it here.

It is also important to be aware of the antipathy that exists between Sunni (majority) and Shia (minority) Islam. There is no love lost between these two groups, which is why Iranian missiles have also been thrown at certain states in the Gulf. Iran sees itself as the “home” of Shia Islam, and it is also why some (Sunni) Gulf States will look the other way as bombs land in Tehran. It may also appear puzzling there have been demonstrations in Iraq in protest against the attacks on Iran, given the history of conflict that exists between these nations. However Iraq has possibly the worlds second largest Shia population and is home to two of Shia Islam’s holiest sites.

Again the difference between the UK and Iranian societies cannot be overstated. In the UK, generally, there is a “live and let live” approach to local affairs, which (although creaking) works as there is an underpinning of legislation based upon Judaeo-Christian values and norms. We don’t throw rockets at one another – we have the Six Nations, or the World Cup, or the Test match. Neither do we live in a police state which can do things to us, even murder, with impunity and without redress. In addition the Iranian Islamic regime has as one of its fundamental tenets the “reclaiming of the holy lands” – that is, a denial of Israel’s right to existence. Sadly President Obama’s “live and let live” approach to Iran was found wanting on October 7th 2023, and what we are seeing unfolding is the attempt to deal with the hydra that grew.

Worship Services for Sunday 8th March

9.30am Morning Prayer at St John’s Stoke Row with Canon Kevin Davies

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

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

Lent Reflections.

Join me this evening on zoom at 8pm for “Ten Minute Tuesday”. I’ll be reading extracts from Richard Foster’s book “Celebration of Discipline”, which explores some of the classical disciplines of the Christian life, with the aim to help us all on our spiritual journey as disciples of Christ. The zoom numbers you need are:  Meeting ID: 842 3186 5923 Passcode: 598598   If you’ve not used zoom on your computer for a while, perhaps run the program a little earlier, and check if an update is available.

In the garden the birds are responding with joyful song to the longer days. If you are out and about, especially in woodland, do take a moment, pause, and listen. (The dog will forgive you.) The blackthorn blossom gives us a bridal bouquet of purity and hope, the white blooms forming clouds of glory in the hedgerows. The green woodpecker attends to the ants under the turf (moss…) and tits and finches cluster round the feeders. Carrots have been sown in the raised bed, with a catch crop of radishes to start the growing season off. Broad beans and tomato seed are in pots on Aunty Molly’s table in the study, and soon it will be time to retrieve the old secondary glazing panels from the shed, which make an excellent ad hoc cold frame along the back wall. Apple trees are looking neat after their pruning, and the strawberry bed is in the throes of its annual once over. The rhubarb is waking up, stretching arms to the spring as if to say “Praise the Lord, I’ve had a great winter, with all that water, and its time to crack on!” If only we could say the same. Two jet trails run parallel white lines across the blue sky, and I wonder where they are bound. To war, or peace?

May God grant to all his people mercy and grace

Your Rector, Canon Kevin.