January message from James

Dear friends,

By the time you read this letter Christmas may have become a distant memory (and hopefully the snow too) but within the life of the Church there is one remaining celebration that harks back to the miraculous birth of Jesus. This is known as the Presentation of Christ in the Temple which marks the occasion 40 days after Jesus’ birth and typically takes place at the end of January or the beginning of February. The requirement in the Jewish Law was for the mother to be ‘cleansed’ following the birth of a male child. It was also the custom for parents to take their new born son to Jerusalem to ‘present’ or show him to God in thanksgiving for his safe birth. Hence Jesus is taken by Mary and Joseph to Jerusalem and ‘presented’ in the Temple where he is acclaimed by Simeon to be the salvation and light for all people.
We don’t know for certain what the family life that Jesus entered into was like, although the series called ‘Nativity’ shown on BBC1 just before Christmas gave a very good portrayal of how it might have been. What we do know however is that ‘the family’ has been a vital part of the fabric of society for a long time. Many Christmas celebrations will have centred on family meals and lots of people will have taken advantage of the festive season to visit their relatives. There is also the royal family which will come under increasing media attention as the wedding of William and Kate draws near. Then there is the family of the Church where people are joined with each other through a common faith in Jesus Christ.
None of these families are exclusive (as Kate’s marriage to William proves) and there are other ‘families’ such as the golfing fraternity which are united by a shared interest. Added to this are those people who have taken the word family more loosely and decided to spend time caring for other members of the human family regardless of whether they are related or connected to each other or not.
The longer I spend living in the parish, the more I appreciate the ‘family’ networks that exist with people looking out for the wellbeing of others out of a sense of friendship and love. This has a remarkable impact on the life of a village as people become connected to one another other than through ‘blood ties’. The good that each one of us does in care for others causes a ripple effect that makes the parish of Monks Risborough an attractive community in which to live.
While Mary and Joseph’s lives contained both heroic acts and great spiritual moments, ultimately we find the kind of love and community that God desires is in small, selfless acts of time and energy. Whether it’s helping someone to the shops, waiting with someone to share in their difficulties or taking a moment to send a card, the combination of these small acts makes a big difference on community life.

With my prayers and best wishes,

James



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