United we stand, divided…

 United – I could be talking about Manchester or Newcastle or any other football team. Or Bush and Blair, trying to keep a front of common policy while we wonder about the reality. Or the campaign to prevent the expansion of Stansted. Or in the face of the tragic murders in Suffolk, the sense of being united in the face of fear and loss which folk in Ipswich are experiencing. Different situations where people are publicly uniting to support one another against a common threat or opponent or cause. 

There’s a bit of a threat facing the Christian Church at the moment. For example, the notion that we should stop celebrating ‘Christmas’ in public places – offices, shops – and call it ‘Winterval’ or something similar, in case the link with Christianity causes offence to other faiths. Yet people of other faiths don’t seem to have a problem at all. They, as far as I can see, expect Christians to celebrate their faith in the same way that they celebrate theirs. They are almost surprised when ‘Christian' Britain seems to want to deny it. For many years, this country has been known as ‘Christian’. Yet we seem to have gradually lost the courage to be known individually as Christians. It’s common knowledge that church attendance – the opportunity to be different and counter-cultural – has been declining. Yes, people are still serving God by ‘doing good deeds’, and that’s important and contributes to the well-being of the community – but you don’t have to be a Christian to ‘do good’. People’s faith has always tended to be something they kept to themselves and didn’t talk about in public. But church-going was the outward demonstration of commitment to serving God, offering each other support and encouragement specifically as Christians, being united once a week in order then to go out into God’s world and serve him for the rest of the week.  

So as this New Year begins, maybe we can consider, if we call ourselves Christians, how we want to show our unity. Two specific opportunities to do so are coming up. One: the Ash and Quin Valley Team, which consists of the parishes of Albury, Braughing, Furneux Pelham, Little Hadham, Much Hadham with Perry Green and Stocking Pelham, is celebrating its first birthday as a team with a shared service in Much Hadham on 21st January at 6.30 pm. Two: on 4th February, the Anglicans and Methodists of Braughing are uniting to share Communion at 11.15 am at St Mary’s. Both services mark our oneness in Christ. Divided or overtaken by cultural threats and changes, the Church risks falling. United, it will continue to stand  - to serve God and his people. What do we want for our communities– and how will we work for it? 

With my best wishes and prayers for 2007,

Jeanette