Julie's Jottings for November 

“Peace is not made by force. It comes by understanding.”   This was something said to me recently, not in the context of the different wars going on in the world, though this would be relevant to those wars. Rather, the context was in response to the resolution of an argument, which was only achieved when the people involved really listened to each other.
November is a time when we think about what peace means as we remember the sacrifices people made during World Wars, to bring peace to our nation. It makes us thankful for our freedom and thoughtful about what we value in our national life. We may find ourselves questioning what humanity has learnt about peace?
A child said, ‘I know how to stop people arguing.’ I said, ‘Great, tell me how.’  He said, ‘Get everyone to play sleeping lions. When they all shut their eyes together, everything is quiet.’ 
At St Mary’s we meet regularly on Monday and Thursday mornings for prayer. This month we will be praying for peace in our world and community. Prayer is often a time when we close our eyes, but unlike the sleeping lions game, the aim of prayer is not to make us quiet, but more attentive and alert to what our role in positive change and peace bringing might be. Do join us at 8.30am in the church on Mondays and Thursdays to pray for peace in our world.                                                                                       Rev Julie Norris
                          

Reflection for the month - November

 The more I know……….the less I know

“The more I know, the more I know the less I know”.  These words, attributed to wise old Socrates, sum up much of what we still experience centuries after they were first spoken. Seemingly astounding discoveries here on earth and of worlds out in space, and almost unbelievable developments in technology, medicine and other sciences serve to remind us just how much there is to know and what little chance most of us have to know, let alone understand, the smallest part of it.
Does the same apply to our spiritual lives and beliefs?  “I believe in God the Father Almighty” These words have not changed in two thousand years even though with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and through the wisdom of many holy men and women our understanding of the goodness, the love and the merciful nature of God has greatly increased. Our belief and trust in our Creator have likewise been confirmed, but how are we ever to, ‘know’ God. The answer is that we have Jesus, but who was Jesus? When Jesus asked his immediate followers who people at large thought He was Peter, spoke up ‘You are the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God’. Jesus commended him for that but said that was not Peter but God the Father giving voice to the truth of his identity.
Jesus spoke always of the authority given to him by his Father, yet he also declared that he and his father were one.  His disciples however still wanted to see the Father.  As gently as he could Jesus explained that who had seen him had seen the Father. What a wonderfully reassuring message that is for us as we have come to know more and understand that all of Jesus’ acts of compassion, the miracles, the parables of love, mercy and forgiveness were directly those of God, Our Creator, our loving and caring Father in whom we can believe and trust with complete confidence.