A Living ChurchyardThe PCC has agreed that, as a trial this year, an area of grass in the south-west corner of the churchyard will not be cut, to encourage the myriad of wildflowers that grow there and the benefits to wildlife that follow.
So far there have been primroses and speedwell as well as the usual profusion of daisies and dandelions, so watch that space!
Friendship
What a beautiful thing friendship is.
In the autumn of 1966, I met a chap called William King at St Luke’s College, Exeter. Kindred spirits we were, and have remained the best of friends ever since. Our faith is a common denominator, as is our love of music and the natural world. We all have a similar experience of ties made with others, and the wonderful thing in today’s Gospel is that Jesus calls his followers friends.
An old adage states that friends are ‘the family we choose’. Jesus here is calling ‘friends’ – chosen and appointed to join Him in witnessing to the Kingdom.
Unlike servants, friends don’t merely follow orders but put themselves out for one another, and enjoy spending time in each other’s company, As part of this friendship with Him, Jesus commands us to love one another, reflecting the love that God has for Jesus and that Jesus has for us. This mutual love releases joy, and the ability to act sacrificially, encouraging others into a lasting relationship with the Father.
….and Jesus I have promised to serve thee to the end:
O give me grace to follow
my Master and my Friend.
John Marsden
The Vine and the Vine-GrowerI was pondering a new hobby – owning a vineyard! Sell some wine, drink some stock, make some money! However, it’s not that simple.
Grapevines take great care and time. It takes three years to produce fruit, even six with some. Vines should be pruned and trained to grow along a trellis or wires.
Vines grow best in the dirt that other plants dislike; rocky hillsides with low yielding soils. It takes many vines to make one good bottle of wine. It’s expensive to start a vineyard and takes many years before the owner sees a return on their investment. Suddenly, it’s not so attractive!
Is it unusual then, that something so difficult would be the example Jesus used when talking about the relationship between God and His people?
Not really, because these are the perfect type of fields to demonstrate God’s relationship with His kingdom.
Think about it:
We’re difficult to tend. We’re like that low yielding soil, full of rocks and like a steep hillside .We take careful pruning and time before we produce good fruit. We’re costly.
Despite this God, the faithful vineyard owner, cares for us lovingly and with patience. He works the soil and prunes us, the branches intertwined with the vine itself that is Jesus, perfectly to produce fruit for the kingdom.
Revd. Neil Redeyoff,
Rector of The Parish of Holy Trinity and St Oswald’s, Finningley, with St Saviour’s, Auckley
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