Words from Bede Circuit

Dear Friends,

November is a time for remembering – All Saints, Guy Fawkes, and of course Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday. Over the coming days, we will take time to remember the sacrifice of those whose lives were lost in war and conflict in the pursuit of peace and justice. Sadly, it seems, as nations of the world, that we have still not learned. Like me, I am sure you have been appalled by pictures from Afghanistan and stories of people facing famine and hardship, some even selling their daughters into marriage as only a short-term solution to buying food. Soon, we will be in Advent and remembering that God left the glory of heaven to be born as one of us; to be the bringer of peace and love, humbling himself to be born in the poorest of circumstances. How we need people to hear and understand our message of hope, peace, and love. 

Last week, I had a few days on retreat which was excellent. Using the title of “What shape is your soul in?” the retreat leader used scripture to help us to see how we have all been locked in through Covid-19 and how we must break free of our “stuckness”; a word I had never heard before! She guided us through a meditation on Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at a well in the middle of the day (John chapter 4:1-42). During the meditation, I imagined myself as that woman coming to Jesus and, as I lowered my imaginary bucket into the imaginary well, I suddenly felt incredibly thirsty, and was surprised when the words of an old Sunday School chorus came into mind: 

I'm feeding on the living bread, I'm drinking at the fountain head;
And who so drinketh, Jesus said, Shall never, never thirst again.
What, never thirst again? No! never thirst again.
What, never thirst again? No! never thirst again.
And whoso drinketh, Jesus said, Shall never, never thirst again.

It was a fond memory of singing with other children and booming out our “NO, NEVER thirst again!” However, I still cannot get those words out of my head! Annoying? Yes AND no! The meditation helped me on retreat to draw closer again to Jesus, the one who is always available to quench our thirsty souls. That, of course, is the purpose of any retreat time so I know it has served its purpose well. I was given time to reflect on the effects of being locked in and yet, in that “stuckness,” Jesus is ever present offering us His Living Water. So, as we take time to remember this weekend, let us not forget the One who made the journey from heaven to earth so that all people everywhere and always may know life in all its fullness and have their thirsty souls quenched. Let us commit ourselves to pray for His Peace to rule within the hearts of people everywhere. 

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: 
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

From “For the Fallen” (Robert Laurence Binyon 1869-1943)

Online Bible studies continue each Thursday night at 7pm. We are studying that fascinating, and sometimes bizarre, prophet Ezekiel so come and join in.

With every blessing, 

Rev Deborah Wainwright, on behalf of the Bede Circuit staff team