A message from the Rev’d Amanda Collinson

Posted by Admin on 27 May 2013, 11:30 pm

Amanda Collinson

Priest-in-Charge

St John the Baptist Church

Northwood.

Tel: 01983 294913

Email: revamandacollinson@virginmedia.com

HELLO THERE!

.
For me June is a month of mixed feelings: both mine and my husband’s birthdays are in June, it’s the month my Mum makes the family Christmas Cake (she likes the fruit to be properly pickled!), it’s the month we remember and thank God for our Dads, it’s the month of the longest day and it starts getting dark again and we are already on the downward slope to Christmas! And now we are on the Island I can add the IOW Festival to that list……I must admit, I am intrigued to see how the Island changes during this festival – no doubt this intrigue will only last a year!!!! What we would have expected is some half decent weather….but if May is anything to go by I will not be putting away our winter coats and woolly hats just yet! From a church point of view it is a quiet month – the festivities of Easter, Pentecost and Trinity have all been celebrated and commemorated and there is now quite a long period without a significant service (St John’s patronal festival is an exception on 23rd June!) and I see it as a time for a good clean in the church: we have time to reflect on what we do and don’t do, what we would like to do, how we could be more helpful to the community we live in….and I do this not only from a church point of view but also from an individual perspective.
.
I am sure everyone is aware of the colourful plastic wristbands people wear nowadays – the most well-known is probably pink for breast cancer and yellow for prostate cancer, however how many of you know that Christians have some too? There are many different ones, in different colours but they all normally have a small word on them – FROG (fully rely on God), ASAP (always say a prayer) and GOLF (God offers love and forgiveness) are just three examples. My favourite though is WWJD – What would Jesus do? And whilst you may find very twee it is a great thing to have in the back, and forefront, of your mind in everything you do. Want to kick your brother because he has taken your favourite Lego figure….all the way through the ages to wanting to shout at the driver of the noisy car outside your house that has just woken you from your afternoon nap: we all have times when we want to do something which is not very Christian, because we are frustrated, angry, sad, unwell….but the saying always applies to all: What would Jesus do? Now don’t get me wrong, there are some times when I am sure Jesus would have been just as frustrated as you (he did turn over tables, talk to people he shouldn’t have, broke laws: he may have been perfect, but he was controversial as well – that’s why he is such a great example for me!!!) but he was without question godly in every action he did. And so I return to the question – what does it mean to be a Christian? What I can quickly say is that it is not as simple as going to church every Sunday…that would be like saying a cinema goer is a Movie Director – it involves much more than that!
.
It is obviously important to come to church and worship him – that is what we were instructed to do by Jesus, but he also told us to go out into the world and do his work, to speak to people less fortunate than ourselves, to help those in need, to deepen friendships and fellowships with each other…..I could go on but this is meant to be a one page article! And so I will be using this month and probably the next to see where I am being as Christ-like as I can and where I really need to sort myself out. Have I steered off the right path in any part of my life? What can I do more in the community? Who would really appreciate a visit? Who or what do we need to support in our area? Because if I try and do these type of things, as well as leading services, reading the bible and regularly praying, then I won’t be a half-bad Christian. You may smile that I’m not going for perfection – trust me, I’m human, I won’t achieve it, so there’s no point trying! And whether you are a practising Christian or not perhaps WE ALL could spend a bit of time over this next month or two having a ‘spring clean’ in our lives and see what we could improve on, start doing or even stop doing, how we could help the community or perhaps just give a smile to a stranger instead of walking past them.
.
As a large supermarket’s strap line says – Every little helps!!!
.
With every blessing for a reflective, productive and cleansing month!
.
Rev’d Amanda