Rector’s Letter for December 2024

November 30, 2024 Uncategorized

St Andrew’s Day, 30^th November 2024

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

Rector’s letter for December 2024

Personal Notes

Today we enter the season of Advent and the start of a new liturgical year. This liturgical year the gospel of Luke takes centre stage. As there are 24 chapters in Luke, if you read a chapter a day starting on 1^st December, you will complete a reading of it on Christmas Eve. Those of us who gathered online to read Luke’s gospel over four sessions found it nourishing and enlightening. It was so much better than hearing small sections Sunday by Sunday. Why don’t you give it a go?

As last year, but even more so, there are real tensions in the minds of so many, including me, about celebrating the birth of the Prince of Peace in Bethlehem when in Gaza and the West Bank there is no peace; not just an absence of peace but an asymmetrical war with so many women and children dead and continuing to die, compounded by restrictions on food, water, electricity, and health care and the continual destruction of housing, civil and health infrastructure. Rev Munther Isaac in Bethlehem reported last week that an additional gate and roadblock has been set up between Bethlehem and Jerusalem, further hindering the free movement of the citizens of the West Bank by the occupying Israeli Defence Forces. Last year, Rev Munther Isaac changed the nativity scene in his church, showing the baby Jesus in a pile of rubble rather than in a manger. Rev Munther Isaac said, “If Jesus were born today, he would be born under the rubble in Gaza”. Sadly, the same could be said this Christmas, too. And there are real concerns about the attitude of the incoming administration in the USA to the Occupied Palestinian Territory. One of the individuals being nominated for a key role in foreign affairs refuses to use the word ‘Palestine’ or ‘Palestinian’ but refers to the region as Samaria and Judea. I would suggest we must not ignore the very real and massive gap between the Christian ideal of hope and peace in our world, and the reality of the situation in the lands we call holy. Maybe part of our response is to proclaim the good news of the birth of Jesus even more confidently, and reflect individually on how we are to pray for the situation, how we are to study and learn more about the situation rather than behave like the three wise monkeys, and then decide how Jesus would call us to act, as we seek to follow his way of living. This approach is well-proven and echoes the Cursillo way of Christian discipleship; prayer, study and action. If you wish to know more or want to know what other activities are going on in Scotland about the situation in Palestine, then please let me know. There is a WhatsApp group for Episcopalians and one more generally for Christians interested in the issues in Palestine, that I can tell you about. In my November letter, there were links to many resources, too.

In an attempt to read a theology book that does not emanate from the usual stable of white male or female authors that dominate my bookshelves, I was recently recommended (by more than one person, in different places, in quick succession – surely a nudge to take notice) to read a book by Cole Arthur Riley who is an Afro-American female writer. I am reading ‘This Here Flesh’, which was published in paperback earlier this year. In this book she tells stories from her family’s history over many generations that explore the rituals that connect us with our belongings, dignity and liberation. It explores how we gain the capacity to rest, to have the space to regain the ability to wonder and to heal. She argues that our humanity is not an enemy to faith but evidence of it. I am about two-thirds of the way through reading it, and as you would expect, her family’s background and experiences are dissimilar in so many ways to mine as a white aging male, part of a majority group in our own lands. Because of that it is a refreshing read and opens ideas about dignity, lament, belonging and justice, amongst many other subjects, from a different perspective. The chapter on justice which I have just finished made a big impact on me. To quote just one small section:

‘It is not that society needs good judges so much as that we must become honest judges, capable of understanding our own hand in the injustices that we have been charged to address. You cannot tell the story of injustice without telling the story of power. It requires integrity to become honest about how our power systems and our position in the world affect our capacity to do justice. Which is to say, that justice can never be severed from mercy.’

The Advent season is a time of preparation, of intentional waiting, for the coming of our Lord. December can be a busy and frantic time of preparing for the festivities and present-giving and sharing. I pray we may all find time to slow down and create some space to also contemplate and prepare for God-with-us to be amongst us once again.

News and new things happening

Peter Woodifield

We are glad to have Peter back and assuming his duties once again.

Peeblesshire Youth Trust Christmas Hamper Appeal at St Mungo’s

Many thanks to all who supported our appeal and enabled us to reach the target of 120 beverages; tea, instant coffee, and hot chocolate. We managed to achieve and in the last few days, exceed the target, which is wonderful. This will make a big difference to those in need this Christmas. May we pray for them all and pray that there may come a time when no such appeals need to be made.

St James the Less Fellowship Lunch – Sunday 1^st December

The collection at the lunch will be for our own fundraising at St James.

Carol Singing

There are many opportunities to join us to sing some Christmas carols outside of church settings in the coming weeks.

12^th Dec at 2pm at Whim Hall Care Home – please let me know if you are able to join me.
14^th Dec at 11am in John Street, Penicuik with Penicuik Churches Together. Just turn up and join in.
18^th Dec at 2pm at Aaron House Care Home, Penicuik, with Penicuik Churches Together – please let me know if you are able to come along.

St James’ Christmas Coffee Morning – Sat 7^th December

The Christmas coffee morning will be held in the church hall.

Vestry meetings and AGMs

The St Mungo’s Vestry met on 11^th November. The St James the Less Vestry met on 19^th November. St James AGM is on Sunday 1^st December. St Mungo’s AGM is on Sunday 12^th January.

Crescendo and Wednesday Choirs Concert at St Mungo’s – 24^th November

The concert on 24^th November was a sell-out, in fact there were several people standing at the back, as all the seats were filled. The concert was a great success, and the two choirs and guest soloists sang very well. I was most impressed with the two youngest soloists; both had great confidence and were very good. Many thanks to all who provided food for refreshments afterwards; there was plenty to go around, and it was very tasty. A special mention must go to Ros Kerry and her excellent pies! The proceeds from the concert will go to the Mission to Seafarers. It was lovely to welcome Rev Tim Tunley and Rona Finlayson from the Mission to Seafarers to the concert.

The concert was a great opportunity to welcome local people into the church and experience such a wonderful event. We shall look for other opportunities to do other events in the coming year.

The Crescendo Choir are looking for more people to join, and you will be warmly welcomed no matter whether you are a soprano, alto, tenor, baritone or bass. As you might expect, baritones and basses would be given an extra special warm welcome. Crescendo meets in St Mungo’s at 7 pm each Thursday.

Advent Group – ‘Who Are We Praying To? – Mondays 2^nd, 9^th, & 16^th Dec

To complement October’s preaching theme of prayer, in Advent this year we shall be running a discussion group using the York Course called, ‘Who Are We Praying To?’. It is being held in the church hall at 10:30. The first session was on 25^th November.

Tuesday afternoon Bible Study for all – Romans

We start the New Year by studying the Paul’s Letter to the Romans. Do join us and engage in this study, as we explore a unique letter, as it was to a community that Paul hadn’t initiated. We shall study this over eight weeks, completing the week before Lent. We shall take a break during Lent, when a Lent course will run.

Monday Evening Faith Development – The Bible in the Early Church

Starting on 13^th January we shall explore the Bible in the early church, based on the book of that name by Justo Gonzalez (ISBN 978-0-8028-8174-8). It would help to have a copy of the book. www.bookfinder.com is my usual place to find used copies of books. We shall explore the first six chapters, which is part one of the book. We may pick up part two of the book after Easter.

Revised Daily Offices

The Scottish Episcopal Church has produced a new experimental liturgy for the Daily Offices; Morning and Evening Prayer. The main change is the rota for the use of the psalms. Now all the psalms are allocated over a two-month programme. We shall use the new experimental liturgy from Monday 2^nd December.

In Other News…

I managed to attend the Diocesan Clergy Conference as I tested negative to COVID in time. I was quite tired, and the afternoon ‘free time’ was snoozing time for me. It meant I didn’t spend a small fortune at the House of Bruar this year! I am grateful for Peter to do the driving; I don’t think I would have managed it.

I attended the installation of Revd Daniel Muñoz Triviño at St Peter’s in Musselburgh on 20^th November. It was a lovely service and a good welcome for Daniel. I ask you to join me in praying that Daniel has a rewarding ministry and the congregation of St Peter’s flourish under his guidance. St Peter’s have had a few appointments of only a couple of years each, so a time of stability would be welcomed. I am sure Daniel will be able to provide this. And if you are interested, Daniel published a book in 2014, ‘Transformed by the Beloved: A guide to the spiritual formation with St John of the Cross’, which he gave me and I read then. I must find it on my bookshelves and have a read of it again.

The issues that have been highlighted in the Church of England following on from the Makin report, including the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, has thrown a further spotlight on issues of safeguarding and of coercive control. We must all remain vigilant, not just of harm to young people, but also to anyone who may be coerced by someone else. Unfortunately, coercion when coupled with spiritual power, can be a very damaging and distressing situation. Such abuse cannot be tolerated. We need a strong culture in our faith community that is aware of these issues and is open to anyone who wishes to disclose unease, with a default position that they will be taken seriously and that any concerns will be followed up. Protecting an institution’s reputation cannot be a factor, our first and only priority must be the care and protection from harm of each individual.

Nick Bowry

Regular Activities

Ministry in Care and Nursing Homes

Cowan Court, Penicuik: We have been part of a rota with the other Penicuik churches, visiting Cowan Court on a Sunday afternoon for the last year. We visit Cowan Court about once every 5 or 6 weeks. Our next visit is on 15^th December.

Aaron House, Penicuik: We are part of a rota with the other Penicuik churches, visiting Aaron House on a Wednesday afternoon at 2pm. As with Cowan Court we will visit once every 5 or 6 weeks. Our next visit is on 18^th December. If you able to join the team offering this ministry, please let me know.

Whim Hall, Lamancha: We visit Whim Hall Care Centre on the 2^nd and 4^th Thursdays of each month. Our next visit is on 12^th December.

If you are interested in supporting this rewarding ministry by being part of the visiting teams then please let me know. Normally three of us attend each time, so we can support and guide people through the service and have a chat afterwards with whoever attends. We use a simplified form of the Liturgy for Reserved Sacrament and sing a few well-known hymns. Your prayers are welcome for this increased activity in and for members of our local communities.

Bible Study for all

We hold our weekly Bible study at 2pm on a Tuesday afternoon, online, for up to an hour and a half. We have a break for July and August.

We come together with the common aim of exploring the texts, understanding their context, and just as importantly, exploring how it speaks to us and how it informs us today. We enjoy exploring our different understandings and learning from each other. Please do join us, we are always happy to include more people.

From 7^th January we shall be reading Paul’s letter to the Romans.

Monday Study Night

Starting back on 13^th January we shall be exploring the Bible in the early Church. We shall be using ‘The Bible in the Early Church’ by Justo Gonzalez, published in 2022, as the basis for our discussions. We shall explore Part 1, ‘The Shape of the Bible’ in the eight weeks prior to Lent. Please join us for these discussions.

Faith Development ‘Faith Books’

When we have a fifth Monday in the month, we hold a discussion at 7.30 pm about a book as a way of introducing people to different authors which may pique an interest to read more of their work (or not!). In looking for new or used books, I have often used www.bookfinder.com I am sure there are other search sites that will help people find the books on our reading list.

The books we shall be discussing in 2025 are:

31^st March: ‘The First Paul: reclaiming the radical visionary behind the Church’s conservative icon.’ By Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan (published by SPCK, ISBN 978-0- 281-06158-7).

30^th June: ‘Making Sense of God’s Love: Atonement and Redemption’, by Lorraine Cavanagh (published by SPCK, ISBN 978-0-281-06403-8).

29^th Sept: ‘A Rabbi’s Bible’ by Jonathan Magonet (published by SCM, ISBN 978-0-334-02506-1)

Morning and Evening Prayer

We meet online Monday to Friday at 9.00 am and at 5.30 pm. It is a good way to start and end our day, coming together for worship, with daily readings including the psalms; a good rhythm for worship in the Anglican tradition of saying the Daily Offices. Please do consider joining us.

If you wish to access the Daily Office liturgy with the daily scripture readings, go to the Provincial Website, www.scotland.anglican.org and place your cursor on the ‘Spirituality’ heading. A submenu appears and you can select the appropriate Daily Office from the right-hand side of the page.

I circulated the Daily Intercessions booklet we use by email on 26^th February. If you would like a paper copy, please let me know.

Mid-week evening services on Zoom

On the first Wednesday of each month, at 7.30 pm, we hold a service of Prayers for healing online. If you wish someone or a situation to be prayed for, send an email to me or Marion Mather.

At 9pm every Wednesday evening we hold the service of Compline. Please do join us for this short service of calm and settling prayers before sleep.

Continuing our Mission: Leading Your Church into Growth Prayer

Each weekday morning, we pray for growth in our church. If you are not able to join us online for Morning Prayer at 9 am, can I encourage you to pray this once a day. The prayer is given below.

God of Mission, who alone brings growth to your Church,

send your Holy Spirit to give:

vision to our planning, wisdom to our actions, and power to our witness.

Help our church to grow:

in numbers, in spiritual commitment to you, and in service to our local

community, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

In Touch Magazine for St James the Less and St Mungo’s

In Touch is circulated to all on email and is issued in paper format to those who do not have email. The cost of a paper copy is £2 for an A4 version, and about £1.50 for an A5 version. We print a very limited number of paper copies to keep out costs down, and to reduce our consumption of paper. If you receive an email version but would also like a paper copy, please let Sue Owen know and we invite you to make a suitable donation (preferably by bank transfer rather than in cash) to cover the cost. The deadline for content to be submitted for the next issue is 2^nd February 2025. I would like to encourage you to submit something for inclusion in the magazine, a poem, a review of a book or a film, an article on a subject of interest. If you wish to submit an article, please send them to intouch@stjamesthelesspenicuik.org

Financial giving to St James the Less or to St Mungo’s

If you are able, can I ask you to prayerfully consider setting up a recurring monthly payment to the church via on-line banking, to contribute financially on a regular basis. Details of the bank accounts are given below for each of the churches.

St James the Less:

Monthly donation by bank transfer (include your name in the reference line when setting this up – only the Treasurer knows the name of the donor). Bank details are: St James Episcopal Church Penicuik, acct no 17117264, sort code 80-22-60. If you wish to make a donation by cheque, please make out the cheque to ‘St James Episcopal Church Penicuik’.

St Mungo:

Monthly donation by bank transfer (include your name in the reference line when setting this up – only the Treasurer knows the name of the donor). Bank details are: St Mungo’s Vestry, acct no 00817851, sort code 80-09-39.

Ecumenical Relations and Community Involvement Work

The Penicuik Ministers continue to meet every month in the Storehouse for a chat. Once a month the Penicuik Churches Together (PCT) has a joint Sunday evening service. The schedule detailing where the services are each month is on the PCT website. http://penicuikchurchestogether.org.uk/ I continue to meet with Revd Dr Tony Foley to discuss joint services and matters of mutual interest, in West Linton.

Diocesan and Provincial Activities

I have attended two meetings of the Diocesan Personnel Committee in November. I have spent time with the Vestries of both St Peter’s, Peebles, and St Andrew’s Innerleithen in my role as Interim Rector of Peebles. My role is to help them reach a place where they can create a congregational profile and define the criteria for appointing a priest at some point in the future. I meet the other Episcopalian priests in Midlothian once a month for a time of conversation and prayer, which helps us share ideas and support each other in our ministry.

The Ministry Team

We continue to meet monthly to plan for the coming months; planning services and faith development activities as well as exploring other aspects of what is offered to the congregations and to our local communities.

Zoom Links for Services

We have a regular pattern of services. Details of these are set out below. You can access them using the Zoom links.

Morning Prayer at 9 am, and Evening Prayer at 5.30 pm, Monday to Friday. (Zoom only)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/6289561588?pwd=aGtNeE1ZM3l1Tkluckp3bVJtZkRHQT09

Meeting ID: 628 956 1588 Password: 040775

St Mungo, Holy Communion at 10.30 am on Sunday.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/93417190423?pwd=K1ZoS0xKUWpRVENGTzFYL3NvakFHQT09

Meeting ID: 934 1719 0423 Passcode: 062021

St James the Less, Holy Communion at 10.30 am on Sunday.

Join Zoom Meeting