All together now...

That's one of the things that I most enjoyed about the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations last month.  It felt like we were all together.

All together at the lighting of the Silton beacon (with dramatic rocket launched ignition!).   And all together at all sorts of other events: parades and church services, picnics, street parties and teas all over the United Kingdom.  It was a wonderful way to celebrate our Queen’s 70 year reign.

We discovered again that when we are all together with a common purpose, the whole is, as they say, greater than the sum of the parts.  We do more together than ever we could apart.

Some of us come prepared.  Some of us come and something spontaneous occurs.   Some of us come and find ourselves simply being present there, and valued for that.  The ministry of just ‘turning up!’

And on the other hand it is good to have time away, time apart - holiday or holy day time.

The two go together well - time to be with others and time to be by ourselves.   Normally there is a balance which is healthy and wholesome. So as we look back fondly to the memory of the Platinum Jubilee weekend and forward in anticipation towards some sort of holiday or refreshment time, whether quiet days, or days out, or weeks away, by ourselves or in the company of smaller groups may we find that these too are good for us.

And if you are feeling like it has all gone a bit too quiet, there will always be opportunity each Sunday morning to gather at St Nicholas with a common purpose and make a joyful noise!

God bless

Love Peter

Canon Peter Greenwood