Hope - Faith - Love

If you walk past the church, you will notice our new banner; a colourful rainbow with the words Hope- Faith- Love emblazoned across the top. These three words come from St Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 13, where he tells us that “faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.” 

We chose to put the word 'Hope' first because that is what we feel the Christian story offers people. But it is a hope borne out of love. The love of God within which we were each created; the love of God through which we are sustained each day; the love of God which dwells in each caring and kind gesture. This type of love is like a ripple in water, it moves ever outward. And I think this is important because, of course, coronavirus and lockdown have affected people all over the world.

Christian Aid week (10-16 May) is our opportunity to turn our attention particularly to our brothers and sisters overseas. Lockdown has given many of us the time to take stock- of our blessings and our difficulties; of those we rely on and those we support. Let us now think of those in our world whose daily lives include struggles we can barely contemplate. The ongoing struggle to find and use safe and clean water, to have enough food; to wear suitable clothing; to enjoy safe shelter; to have medical care; to benefit from schooling. Jesus tells us that when we care for the “little ones,” by which he often meant the most vulnerable, we care for him. And if we can share something of the love God has shown us, we offer hope of a different future to all God's children.