Dear Friends
As Rev’d Eileen says in her letter today, the last two weeks have not been very kind to us electronically. I’ve discovered that even long held addresses have been sent by my BT server into a very remote spam box, one I didn’t even know existed until it was found by Andy, even the Bishop got moved. It’s all been something of a challenge, especially to my patience. The ability to wait patiently is a theme running through the Advent season. We are called to hold the mystery of God’s love in our hearts. the coming of Jesus brings the hope of God into a troubled world. The Jewish community had waited a long time for the promised Messiah, so long in fact that many had decided God had become dormant, God was a rumour. Then “when peaceful silence lay over all the earth, and night was in the midst of her swift course, from your royal throne, O God, down from the heavens, leapt your almighty Word”. Wisdom 18:14-15. I might add in God’s time and at God’s choosing. We are called to watch and wait in patience.
Simon
p.s. Sainsburys Chiswick have invited us to sing carols at their store on Wednesday 21st December from 7pm. It’s a wonderful opportunity to publicise who we are, where we are, and what we are. We will hopefully be able to raise a little more money for our promise to help St Simon and Jude build their church on the land we bought for them some years ago. I hope you will be able to join us.
Dear Friends
The past week has been frustrating for Fr Simon and me in terms of electronic communication. His email has gone haywire and my iPad is brain dead. So apologies to those we have kept waiting for replies to emails. But what first world problems, and how utterly trivial these issues are compared with events further afield.
It is almost too painful to watch the news as we see events unfold, and the subsequent destruction, gradual starvation and desolation of the people in Aleppo, Mosul and the Yemen. The terrorist atrocities and murder of innocent people in Cairo and Istanbul, and the collapse of a cathedral killing many Christians in Nigeria. Please do keep these situations in your prayers, and respond as generously as you can to requests for donations to the charities which are asking for our financial support. We give thanks for all those people who work for the aid agencies and often risk their lives in order to bring some comfort and relief to people trying to survive and recover some semblance of normality in their lives.
With every blessing
Eileen