A message from Revd Lyn McRostie, Rector of Northwood

Posted by Admin on 22 April 2007, 12:00 am

Spring is definitely in the air. The fields by Northwood Rectory have been ploughed and I’m looking forward to seeing the crops which will soon be growing there. All the sights and sounds of new life have prompted me to have a clear-out. One of the things I’ve done is cull the pile of loyalty cards I seem to have accumulated. Almost everywhere I shop I’m asked ‘have you got our card?’ and it’s very easy just to fill in the form and then get all those points statements and free vouchers in the post. The trouble is, all those rewards are not really free. You have to spend in order to get something back and you also give away masses of information about yourself which can be used to encourage you to spend even more. The transactions are geared to make ourselves think well of ourselves; that we’re being smart shoppers, astute in our purchasing, but actually it’s a form of conditional love. All those shops will give us wonderful rewards provided we first prove our loyalty to them.

Some people think God’s love is like that. They think it has to be earned and they have to do something first and then God will love them. And then you’re in a no-win situation, self-defeating, because in that scenario you think you can never be good enough. Well who is? The reality of our human life is that we have all done things that we wish we hadn’t. The important thing is that we’re sorry, that we try not to repeat our mistakes. We don’t have to be perfect for God to love us or to be a Christian. The message of Easter comes through time and again; God’s love is a gift, freely given, there on offer at any time of our lives. God’s loyalty to us is constant. It doesn’t depend on our loyalty; it doesn’t depend on how often we turn away and then return; it doesn’t depend on what we spend. God will always be there. I hope and pray that you will also feel the church is there for you as well.

TWO NEW COLLEAGUES TO JOIN THE MINISTRY TEAM
I am delighted to announce that the Bishop of Portsmouth has agreed to the deployment of an Assistant Priest, The Reverend Keith Adlam and a Reader, Miss Rita Goddard, to minister across our parishes for a period of 3 years beginning in June 2007. Keith and Rita are each able to offer Sunday ministry and two weekdays for parish work. This is a real gift to us and will enable us to move forward in our mission and ministry. Keith’s wife Joan will also be joining us. As a trained Christian Listener and with a range of pastoral skills Joan will add to the expertise we have to resource us all in our different ministries. Please pray for Keith, Joan and Rita as they prepare for ministry amongst us. I am very excited at this development and look forward to some of our community project hopes being able to be taken forward with this additional ministerial support.

Lyn