St Mary's, Highley

Judge Not?

The scandal of the sub-post masters continues to unfold; as I write this, the latest revelation is that people at Fujitsu, the company that supplied the software to the post-office, were always aware that it had faults. It also seems incredible that nobody at the post-office suspected this when the number of sub-poster masters being investigated reached getting on for 1000. There are calls for repercussions for those in authority, especially at the post office.

I can understand the anger of a person wrongly convicted who wants justice and I have no problem with those who have been found to be negligent or worse having proportionate action taken against them. I do however have some unease at the way there seems to a rush to judge and condemn some individuals before due judicial process has taken place, particularly when the cheer-leaders are politicians who seem to be chasing popularity rather pursuing justice. Jesus condemned those who condemned others without first reflecting on their own shortcomings. Humility is a virtue and my personal opinion is that the court of popular opinion is not always the best forum for justice.

Rev David Poyner

Friendship

As I write this (12th January), I see that in the church’s calendar today we commemorate Aelred of Hexham, Abbot of Rievaulx Abbey in Yorkshire, who died in 1167. Aelred is chiefly noted for his writing on friendship; the value of a deep relationship between two people. Friendship, as a virtue, has been elevated above love; and there is something special about a bond that draws two people together, so they feel that they gain from being in each other’s company. This of course can have sexual aspects; their have been attempts to portray Aelred’s attraction to his closest friends as such, but these seem to me to be misguided. Whatever Aelred’s sexuality, he celebrates the way two people gain strength and can even find a new, mutual identity as they celebrate each other’s company. As a person not in a relationship, I am especially dependant on those who offer me friendship and  that carries me in good and bad times. Aelred saw in our human relationships a model of what he considered to be the ultimate friendship; that between Christ (or God) and the individual. As a Christian, I agree with this, but even those who do not call themselves Christians can celebrate the joys of friendship.

Rev David Poyner

Here Comes the Sun

We can apparently anticipate a new sight in the sky for the next couple of weeks; a bright orange disc. For those who have forgotten, this is called “the sun” and it seems to have been largely absent for the last month of rain and gloom. Sunlight is welcome, both for our physical and mental well-being; there is something very enlivening about a bright winter day, with the sun shining through the bare hedges and trees and the promise of better weather ahead.

The return of the sun coincides with the Christian festival of the epiphany, on January 6th. This celebrates the visit of the wise men to the infant Jesus, but it is more than a chance to sing “We three kings” and the time to take down the Christmas decorations. The wise men were not Jews and yet they were called to worship the infant Jesus and the word epiphany has the meaning of a revelation of God’s light to all humanity. It is not easy to find causes for optimism in the world at the moment, but just as the days lengthen and become brighter, the sun increasingly shines throughout the day, epiphany reminds us to look out and celebrate in that whatever sustains us spiritually.

Rev David Poyner

They said there would be snow at Christmas

Greg Lake’s 1973 song , “They said there would be snow at Christmas” has now received the ultimate accolade, in getting a choral setting and being played on Classic FM along with assorted carols. It has thoughtful words, as it charts the experience of the writer as he discovers how much of the Christmas is an illusion; he had rain at Christmas not snow, he saw through the disguise of Father Christmas and he dismisses as a fairy story his belief in “Israelite”. The final verse is more positive;
“I wish you a hopeful Christmas
I wish you a brave new year
All anguish, pain and sadness
Leave your heart and let your road be clear”

However, the last two lines end on what he would see as a final attempt at honesty:
“Hallelujah, Noel be it heaven or hell
The Christmas we get we deserve”

I wish that you have found hope over the last week of Christmas and that will allow you to be brave in the coming year. But, as a believer in the Israelite, I take issue with these final two lines. We do not get the Christmas we deserve, we are offered hope because Christmas is a gift, given to us regardless of what we do, think or act.

Rev David Poyner