“The vicar only works one day a week!”

It’s an old joke. I much prefer the new ones that Paul, the manager of our shop, comes up with every time I walk in. His jokes on my lack of activity are excellent and I love our banter. Much less funny is when people say, ‘I know how busy you are.’ Even less funny when they say, ‘I didn’t ring you because I know how busy you are.’ Somebody once said that the phrase ‘a busy pastor’ should shock us as much as ‘an adulterous wife’ or ‘an embezzling banker’. So how do you work a 50-60 hour week, as most vicars do, and not be ‘busy’? And, of course, it’s not just vicars. Everyone is busy today. If we had to choose an adjective to characterize 21st century life, I think ‘busy’ would top the list. Is there anything we can do about it? I’ve come across two things recently: one practical and one much more fundamental.

A practical thing. C.S. Lewis used to say that only lazy people work hard. If we let others decide what we will do instead of resolutely deciding for ourselves what it is right for us to do, we will be rushed off our feet.

A more fundamental thing. We can pray. If we pray, it won’t necessarily transform the number of hours we put in, but it will transform us. Being ‘busy’ doesn’t have much correlation with how much we do. Being ‘busy’ is about being inwardly rushed. We can be inwardly rushed and not have much to do at all but still seem ‘busy’. But when we pray we create space within, space in which to become aware of the rhythms that God intends for our life; space in which to begin to move in time with those rhythms. It may not change the hours we put in but it will change what God puts into us during those hours. Somebody once said, ‘I pray for fifteen minutes every day, except when I know I’ve got a lot to do; then I pray for an hour.’ I’ve not yet come across a labour-saving device that really does; I wonder if this might be it?

***

The Village Barbeque was a great success. The sun shone (until it started raining again), the food was delicious, and it was lovely to see people from every part of our community enjoying spending time together. Thank you to all those from St. Swithun’s who worked so hard, and provided such wonderful food, to give the village such a great afternoon.

Amazingly, the sun shone throughout the Village Service on the Green. This was because we told the story of Noah and the Flood and built an ‘ark’ out of umbrellas. Guaranteed it would stay dry! Again, it was great to see well over 150 people celebrating the life of our village and, in particular this year, giving thanks to God for Iqbal and Masuma and their wonderful service of our community in the Post Office over 25 years.

Tim

Very Ordinary Men

From the May Bathford Parish Bulletin

Dear Friends,

I want to tell you one of my favourite true stories; it concerns a school inspection - not in Bathford but in India of a school for poor and orphaned children run by a Christian Charity.

When the inspection was announced the governors, Head, teachers and children all prepared very carefully for the two crucial days; nothing was left to chance, they had a reputation to keep up.

The Inspectors duly arrived on a lovely sunny day. As they entered they were greeted by a small boy with an infectious smile sitting on a wall welcoming them. They were touched but thought no more about it at the time. The inspection went very well - even the Inspectors seemed very pleased. They had observed all the classes being taught, interviewed all the teachers and discussed future plans for the school with the Head and Governors. On the final afternoon they all met for a wash - up and preliminary report. Just before the discussion ended, the Chief Inspector had a sudden last question; there was just one thing he could not understand and it concerned the small boy on the wall. It did not seem appropriate that he was there. The Head smiled and much to the Inspectors amazement advised that the little boy was the most important pupil in the school. "You see", he said, "although he is severely handicapped, including deaf and dumb, he is the 'Welcomer' who greets the children as they arrive, often sad and anxious. His smile and wave is infectious and makes us all happy". The chief inspector commended the little boy in his report.

What is so moving and true about the story is that it reminds us that we can easily fail to recognise the value of another person because we are looking with a limited perspective. Many in our communitymight be overlooked, but God knows them - and of course, so do their families (for example those caring for a sick or elderly relative).

We have recently been celebrating the Ascension when Jesus returned to Heaven and the Coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to empower the disciples to carry on the work of the Gospel. On that first day some three thousand were baptised, the very beginning of the Church worldwide.

Those first disciples were just very ordinary men, not among the "great and good" but God knew what he was doing when he called them.

Best wishes,

Gerry Miller

Sabbath

From the May Bathford Parish Bulletin.

Dear Friends

As you read this I will be beginning a month of what is known as ‘study leave’. (I will be studying, I promise!) The prospect of this time and how to use it have caused me to think a bit about the whole idea of ‘Sabbath’. The word ‘Sabbath’ means ‘rest’. It is fascinating how there is universal medical consensus about the importance to our physical and psychological health of regular periods of rest; and there in the Bible’s account of creation we find ‘Sabbath’ - one day of rest in every seven. It’s almost as if a loving Father knows what is best for his children!

But the idea of ‘Sabbath’ is far richer than simply stopping what you normally do for a day a week. Nor does it mean cramming into that one day all the thousand and one things that need doing around the house and in the garden which we can’t do any other time because we are so busy at work! (I’m definitely guilty of this one.)

In the Bible’s account of creation the seventh day is the day of ‘rest’ - the day when all the wonders of creation are to be enjoyed in relationship with the God who made them. And, interestingly, in the way the Bible tells the story this seventh day has no end. In other words, this is the way things are meant to be; this is what it means to be human - living in God’s amazing world in relationship with him.

Of course, that’s not the way things are any more; and elsewhere in the Bible the ‘Sabbath’ is described as the day to remember what God has done to ensure world in relationship with the God who is our Creator and our Saviour.

Such are the pressures of living in this world that if we don’t take one day out a week to remind ourselves of these things and to enjoy them, it’s not just our physical and psychological health but our very identity as human beings that will suffer. ‘Sabbath’ is a gift from a loving heavenly Father. It’s one day in the week designed to help us live all seven days in the week as proper human beings.

I’m looking forward to my ‘Sabbath’. I recognise what a great privilege it is to have a month in which to study and reflect on what it means to be the child of a heavenly Father who is my Creator and my Saviour. I hope I will return better able to live and share these wonderful realities with the community in whose life I am privileged to share. I hope also that you will be able to find a ‘Sabbath’ time in your week. I know you won’t regret it!

I look forward to seeing you in June.

With my best wishes,

Tim Ling

Vicar At St Swithuns

What is St. Swithun’s for?

Tim's letter From the April 2008 Bathford Bulletin

If St. Swithun’s didn’t exist, would we need to invent it? What is St. Swithun’s for? What part does it play in the life of our village?

First of all St. Swithun’s exists to help us to worship God, drawing on the strengths of the past and incorporating some of the new approaches and wonderful new hymns of the present. An interesting balance to try and achieve!

But worship of God has to be real and Sunday is not meant to be an escape from the rest of the week. So we try our best to make our services relevant to life as we all know it.

But Sunday is not just for the already convinced. To worship God you have to know God and so we try our best to make our services accessible to those who are thinking about faith but not yet sure what they think about it!

And worshipping God is not just for grown-ups, it’s for children too. And so we run groups on Sundays for children from 0-14 (and for older teens on Saturday evenings) where they can explore the Christian faith in fun and exciting ways that make sense to them. At present we have over 50 children doing just that at least once a month.

But worship is about a lot more than church services and church is about a lot more than Sunday. So throughout the week we run a series of groups where people can come and explore the Christian faith together and how it applies to the lives they are leading.

At least once a year we run a course specifically for those wanting to explore what Christians believe. The next of these will take place in the autumn.

But Christianity is not just about understanding faith, it is about living faith and the church is not just about being an individual, it is about being part of a community.

And so a vitally important part of what a church is for is to be caring for one another. That’s why small groups are so good, because you can get to know a small number of people well.

That’s why we run a monthly men’s group and a monthly women’s group where people can enjoy being together, sharing similar concerns and supporting one another.

That’s why we run a monthly Parenting Course where parents can encourage and support one another. That’s why many church members are involved in visiting people in the parish.

But the church is not just about ‘us over here’, it’s about being a part of the community. That’s why we run a monthly service for Bathford’s more senior citizens in the Community Room. That’s why we put on a community lunch in the Parish Rooms for 5 weeks during Lent. That’s why we put on open air services in the heart of the village during the summer and hold a barbecue for the whole village. That’s why we pray regularly for every aspect of our community and its life. That’s why I’d love to hear from you if you think there are ways in which the church could be serving our community or if there is something you would like us to be praying for.

And church is not just about being part of Bathford, it’s about being part of the whole world. That’s why we support many practical projects in this country and throughout the world.

On Sunday, 20 April we are holding our Annual Meeting as part of our 10am service. Why not come along and find out more about your village church?

Gain the Perspective

Tim's letter from the March Bathford Bulletin

There is a surprising moment right at the very end of the film, ‘A Bug’s Life’ (you can see the level of high culture that exists in our house). The camera pans out and out and you see that the world of the ants in which the whole film has been played out is actually a tiny part of an area of scrub land in a park by a road on the outskirts of a major city with sky scrapers stretching away to the horizon. Only now do you see that there is so much more than their little world; only now do you gain the perspective to make sense of all that has happened.

The resurrection of Jesus is like the camera panning out and showing us that there is so much more to life than just this life. If this life is all there is, then it is frankly impossible to make any sense of so much of the pain and injustice that so many people experience. The resurrection of Jesus enables us to gain perspective on all that we experience in this life. The resurrection of Jesus is the light of the world to come breaking in to this world enabling us to see more clearly. The resurrection of Jesus offers a challenge to those for whom this life ‘works’ and who have ended up thinking that this life is all there is. The resurrection of Jesus offers comfort to those for whom this life does not ‘work’, who have known little but illness or sadness or disappointment for years and years. The resurrection of Jesus shows us the life of the world to come - a life in which people with resurrection bodies like his will finally enjoy life in all its fullness and in which there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain. The resurrection of Jesus shows us that we are not foolish to think in this way.

The apostle Paul, who so knew what it was to suffer, once wrote these words:

‘For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.’

It is the resurrection of Jesus that shows us what we hope for and that can guarantee that our hoping will not be in vain.

Happy Easter!

Tim

The Good Shepherd

At the moment I am aware of a number of people who are facing really hard times in their lives. For many, their battles have been going on for a very long time; for some, they will not get any easier in the future. I am struck by the depth of care and love that others are showing to these people in their suffering. Indeed, some of them have said to me how they have been overwhelmed by the concern shown to them. Long-term suffering is, of course, extremely hard to bear and to make sense of. More often than not, no sense can be made of it at all; it is a mystery, to be endured not explained. And many of us, I know, are profoundly inspired and challenged by the way in which our friends do face their troubles or suffering with remarkable patience and endurance; and yet also with great honesty, acknowledging the exhaustion, the temptation to despair that the struggle with suffering so often entails.

In the season of Lent we remember particularly the sufferings of Jesus: not just the 40 days in the wilderness without food, but the suffering that characterised the whole of his life on earth and that culminated in his death on the cross. His was a persistent, long-term suffering: the sinless one, devoted to serving all whom he encountered, yet bearing the pain of insult, rejection and hatred year after year; all the while knowing that his suffering would not lift but only intensify; the gathering cloud of Calvary steadily growing over him.

For those whose daily walk is a battle with pain or trouble or despair, there can be deep comfort in the knowledge that he who said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you’, is one who knows what it is to suffer and to go on suffering; that he is the Good Shepherd who offers to walk with us through the darkest valley, his rod and his staff to comfort us.

But his experience of those 40 days in the wilderness also has much to teach us about how to deal with suffering and the temptations of mind and body that assail us because of it. Jesus met his temptations by standing on the solid ground of Scripture. He found strength and perspective in the words of God in the Bible. It is far from easy to do this when you are suffering; but then I don’t think anything is easy when you are suffering.

The apostle Paul, who also knew what it is to suffer, wrote of those same Scriptures, ‘everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.’ This is where Jesus found his hope, in the Scriptures. It was a hope that enabled him to endure the cross; it was the hope of Easter.

May God bless you this Lent.

Tim

The Finest Hour

Dear Friends,

‘Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world … will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age… Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties and so bear ourselves that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, ‘This was their finest hour.’

The words of Winston Churchill to the House of Commons on June 18th, 1940.

This month we remember this ‘finest hour ‘and all those who contributed to it; an ‘hour’ which in reality stretched from 1939 to 1945. We remember, too, those who fought for freedom through the dark hours of the First World War; and we remember all those who have given so much, even their lives, in conflict in the cause of our freedom. We remember them and give our grateful thanks to God.

Several months later, in February 1941, with the need for American support in the war now desperate, Churchill spoke to the American people on the radio: ‘We shall not fail or falter; we shall not weaken or tire. Neither the sudden shock of battle, nor the long-drawn trials of vigilance and exertion will wear us down. Give us the tools and we will finish the job.’

They were given the tools and they did finish the job. It is this that we remember and give thanks for today.

And yet today, with on-going war in Iraq, with the continuing sacrifice of our service men and women, with the reality of the unseen war against terrorism, we know that the job is not yet finished.

What tools could possibly be sufficient to finish this job, to rid the world of war once and for all? Surely not the tools of war? If they were to have prevailed, would they not have done so by now?

The Bible reveals to us a God who has promised to finish the job. The tools He used were a wooden cross, a hammer and some nails and he turned them against his own Son.

The finest hour took place on the cross at Calvary when Jesus gave his life to defeat the forces of evil. The war is not yet over but the decisive battle was fought and won on the cross outside Jerusalem.

As we continue to wait for the Victory Day, the hour is often dark, the waiting costly. At those times, the words of Churchill on June 12th 1941 could really apply to us, encouraging us to continue looking to that cross on which Jesus died:

‘Lift up your hearts. All will come right. Out of the depths of sorrow and sacrifice will be born again the glory of mankind.’

With my best wishes,

Tim Ling, Vicar at St Swithuns

Worth another look?

Dear Friends,

A few years ago I went back to my old school to have a look round.

Everything looked smaller than I remembered it, especially the chairs!

Of course, nothing was smaller; it was just that I had grown.

There were a lot of familiar things, just as I remembered them: the art and technology block (where I discovered I was never to be an artist), the science labs (not my strong point), the games pitches (that’s more like it), the staff room (where we once kidnapped a teacher during rag week), the headmaster’s study (let’s not go there!).

I particularly enjoyed seeing the languages department where I took my first faltering steps in French. I wondered what my teachers would think if they knew I’d ended up being a French teacher; not to mention what my RE teachers would think!

And then there were lots of things I saw that day which weren’t there in my day: interactive white boards, DVD projectors, computer suites. I can think of some of my friends who might quite have liked school if they’d had all of this when we were there!

Anyway, all this got me thinking: what would it be like to go back to church if we haven’t been for a while?

Some people’s memories of church are pretty negative. But there have been lots of changes over the years. It might be worth another look.

For others, there are things about church that they used to love - much-loved hymns, familiar prayers. Many of these things are still there.It might be worth another look.

And what about the meaning of it all? Might this be worth another look? I mean, we carry on growing physically after we leave school and we carry on growing in our knowledge and understanding of many of the things we learn at school; but what about our spiritual understanding? Have I revisited spiritual matters as an adult? If not, might it be that things would look quite different today from how I remember them all those years ago? Is David and Goliath just an exciting story for children to act out? Or does it have something to teach us about the nature of reality, about what God is doing in the world? And have I gone back to look at it again, through adult eyes, to see what I think of it today? Might it at least be worth another look?

But even if I wanted to, where would I start? How can I go back after all these years?

Well, we’re making Sunday, 30th September a ‘back to church’ day - a chance for anyone who’s been wondering about giving church another try to do just that. Perhaps you’ve not been for a few months, a few years, a few decades. Why not come back to church and see for yourself what’s changed and what’s still the same? Why not come back and see what it looks like now compared to what it looked like then? Why not have another look?

With best wishes,

Tim

History is all about the future...

Dear Friends,

‘I had an amazing time on St. Swithun’s Day this year - even though for the first time the weather defeated us and we couldn’t hold the village service on the green!

First of all we celebrated St. Swithun’s Day. We gave thanks for those who have met together on the site of our St. Swithun’s for many centuries to bear witness to the love of God; and we also celebrated the Golden Wedding anniversary of a couple married in St. Swithun’s on St. Swithun’s Day fifty years before!

Then I went to the exhibition put on by the Bathford Society in the Parish Rooms. It was fascinating, showing the changing face of the village over several centuries: the development of the roads, buildings and businesses and wonderful photographs of Bathford residents past and (looking younger) present!

After that I popped in to the British Legion’s Poppy Appeal launch - a happy event and an important part of the work of the Legion in helping us remember those who gave so much during two World Wars.

It was a day for history! What struck me most was just how dynamic history is. Looking at the photographs and maps, reading the articles, listening to the stories, you could see vividly how the present always arises out of the past; how, if we are to appreciate today and make the right choices for tomorrow, we need to understand yesterday. In a way, history is really all about the future!

That was certainly the case when Jesus was around. His arrival on the scene had been prepared for over 2000 years of history. He saw himself as a part of that history, arising out of it. Of the Scriptures that recorded this history he said, ‘I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them.’

Yet he also saw this history as dynamic, pointing forwards to the future. He said, ‘No one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined.No, he pours new wine into new wineskins.’ I have come to do a new thing.

For Jesus history was all about the future. It is our understanding of yesterday that equips us to enjoy the new thing that God has for us tomorrow.

This is why the Christian message, based in history, is always contemporary. It is our understanding of what God did for us in the past, 2000 years ago at Calvary, that equips us to enjoy the new things he wants to do for us in the future. History is all about the future because ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever.’

Tim Ling

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Loneliness is the greatest scourge of modern British society

From the Revd Tim Ling, Vicar of St Swithun’s, Bathford

Dear Friends,

‘Loneliness is the greatest scourge of modern British society.’

And, we might add, ‘busyness is the greatest tyrant’.

Last month a group of the St. Swithun’s church family went away for a weekend together to a place called Brunel Manor near Torquay, just a few minutes walk from the sea. There were 100 of us, aged from just a few months to well over 80. We had the most marvellous time. The sun shone, the food was delicious, the beds were comfortable, the grounds beautiful, we had four excellent talks from the Bible, and the children thoroughly enjoyed games & activities in their groups.

But perhaps the highlight of the weekend was simply being together. There was time just to sit and talk to people you may normally only get to say a few words to; time to walk in the gardens; time to go off with others to explore the treasures of the Devon countryside on Saturday afternoon; time to linger over a cup of coffee after meals; time for a night-time walk to the beach; time to discover that others were much better than you at tenpin bowling. It was lovely to see families enjoying their children together round the pool or in the sea when we all went to the beach; lovely to see young and old sitting chatting together in comfy armchairs; lovely to laugh together.

And there was lots of laughing; not least at the Saturday night revue, where masses of previously undiscovered talent came to light: there was poetry reading (including poems written by the reader and a deeply poignant rendition of that lost classic ‘Nelson’s farewell to his mother’(!)); the Goons were brought memorably to life again; fathers & sons, fathers & daughters performed together; and we heard the piano played in a way that put the ‘honky’ into ‘honky-tonk’!

Don’t get me wrong; we are far from perfect at St. Swithun’s. After all, people are people and we’re all the same, aren’t we - we have our good days and our bad. And a weekend away is not exactly the real world, either.

But having said all of that, it struck me that this is what Jesus was on about. Being a Christian really isnt about religion. Jesus hated ‘religion’. What he was on about was relationships - transformed relationships: people enjoying being with God and people enjoying being with one another.

This is what Christianity is all about: an end to loneliness away from God, leading to an end to loneliness away from other people. (And we all know how easy it is to feel lonely even when we’re surrounded by people.) A restored relationship with God leading to restored relationships with others - being part of a new community.

Okay, so a weekend away isn’t the real world; but it gave us a glimpse of what Jesus is on about. It showed us something worth aspiring to, something worth being a part of, something that can be for anyone. The church: it’s not about religion, it’s about relationships, it’s about community.

Tim Ling

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.