Rectory Ramblings…

The Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.’ (Genesis 2:18)

One of the amazing things about village life is the strength of communities and families that have stayed together, for many generations. Sadly, for many families in our society, my own included, this is not the case. Freedom to travel and changes to the way we work has meant families are widely dispersed, in some cases around the world. Maintaining relationships with those we love has become more difficult, I have a regular and recurring appointment in my diary. Once a month I drive for a couple of hours to meet up with my father for lunch. We put next month’s lunch date in the diary before we part. We have to do it that way or we never see each other. For many people, computers, the internet and social media have made staying in touch with friends and family in other countries is easier, But personally I don’t do Facebook. I used to, but I found that I was spending so much time with new “internet friends” across the world that I would probably never meet face to face that I had little time left for real life friends and family.

The church has taken some tentative steps Into this brave new world, blogging vicars and internet churches do exist and some are even moderately successful, but Christianity is primarily a community religion. It cannot be any other way. Christmas and Easter are celebrations that God who created the universe made himself part of it, going through human birth, life and death as one of us, in order to draw us closer to himself. The foundation for a healthy community is that human beings are social animals who thrive on physical contact with each other. That’s how God made us to be. After Jesus rose from the dead, he didn’t shout at his disciples from on high. They recognised him when he stood among them, and when they ate together. Gathering for Holy Communion is at the centre or the church’s worshipping life and you can’t really share a meal with someone over the internet. This is why, in spite of all that social media offers us in being able to lead busy social lives on our own, we must remember to switch it off occasionally. We need to walk or, if we must, drive, to meet up with family and friends. It is part of what makes us the human beings that God designed us to be, and we are healthier and happier when we do so.  

Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ … Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.  (John 20:19-20)

Revd Eddie