Vicar's Letter

BOAST nothing but the Cross of Christ, for it has won your victory! 

“For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.’ 

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.”

(Corinthians 1.18–25)

My Dear Flock, 

I write this as I prepare for my holidays in South Africa. Usually I’m very excited to have some sun, but to be fair, I’ve had plenty of that. I am excited to see friends and have a break and some time to contemplate the last, almost 4 months, which have been wonderful and I’m still beaming from the welcome, kindness, support and gifts of you all. 

It was also lovely to see so many of you at my home for the Housewarming party, I hope it was only the first of many events, and if you weren’t able to be there this time, there will be plenty of opportunity in the future. 

I generally enjoyed my time in education – school, college, university – and I like the way the school system gives a good structure. I thought on leaving University (just a few years ago!) that the shape of life would change. But it wasn’t long before I ended up teaching in China, a little later going to Priest-School, and then spending so much of my priestly years as school chaplain and governor, and on the 1st September I will again be in schools to lead some staff in their training day and kick-off the year ahead for them. 

I write this towards the end of the summer holidays. While I’m only beginning to think about my holiday, there’s also an element of the getting “back-to-school” feeling as a new academic year draws upon us. I hope that we can all bring our school backpacks or working items along on Sunday 7th September as we bless these and give thanks for our daily working (and resting) lives. 

In the middle of September - there is a rather interesting feast day on the 14th September which is the ‘Exaltation of the Cross’ – generally known as ‘Holy Cross Day’. It always feels special to me, as the Church I was born and brought up in, and baptised into was ‘Holy Cross’, in Lincoln and indeed the date of September 14th is both the day of my baptism (I shan’t say how many years the anniversary is) and September 14th is the date which is engraved on the engagement ring that I still wear (and that’s another story!). 

Of course we must proclaim the Cross EVERY DAY OF OUR LIVES. Paul’s passage above is an extraordinary guide to us of the cross, and echoing his further words of those in Galatia – may we “never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” 

The cross can be a difficult symbol to represent our faith – An instrument of shameful death as he carried up our sins in his body to the tree, and yet it has become for Christ a throne of glory, and to us a victory sign of love and joy which gives us life. But we must adore it, for through it, HE has redeemed the world. 

May you always boast in His cross. His and Your Victory!

With love and blessings,
your Shepherd

Fr Tommy