Dear Church Family,
As we head towards the end of our “Harvest Week”, I am greatly encouraged by the visible offerings that have accumulated around the altar at St Peter’s this week. The teachings of Jesus are clear around how we should view our own possessions and wealth. In this Sunday’s Gospel reading from Luke 12, Jesus says this:
“Do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds…and do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying.”
Luke 12: 22-24, 29

It is hard not to worry – which is why Jesus says, “Don’t worry” and “do not fear” frequently. We need reminding! In a world with a 24-hour news culture, we are bombarded with information about everything that is going wrong with the planet. We should, of course, be concerned around matters of injustice, poverty, and corruption. However, we can find ourselves in a terrible place if we take on the weight of these things on our own, without remembering we have a saviour. Jesus comes to us in our brokenness, he comes to join us in the day-to-day messiness of our lives. Our hope is never in our own ability to deal with the problems of the world or in our own strength – our hope can only lie in fully trusting in the redeeming power and love of the Lord. In teaching us not to worry about food and clothing, Jesus is opening up the way for us to grow in faith and trust that God will take care of us.
In a recent reflection from the Society of Saint John the Evangelist (SSJE), Br Nicolas Bartoli highlighted how we might allow ourselves to grow in trust:
“Our contemplative tradition teaches us that the purest way of knowing God is through “unknowing.” Unknowing means letting go of our attachment to thoughts and feelings, as well as attachment to memories of the past and anticipations of the future. When we “unknow” all things, we rely only on God, coming to rest in the Divine Nothingness of God’s eternal Presence where we find God’s Truth, Beauty, and Goodness.”

The Desert Father, St John of the Cross also taught people to enter into this place of unknowing as a way of living in “pure hope”. Only by letting go of our worries and concerns are we able to enter into the love and life of God. We must try and empty ourselves in order that the Holy Spirit can fill the space!
So let’s be a people who are not worried so much about our own needs, but about the needs of others. Let’s respond to Jesus’ teaching about sharing our food with the poor:
“Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none, and whoever has food must do likewise.”
Luke 3:11
Whether you decide to donate some food, some money to Christian Aid’s Autumn Appeal, or both, I pray that you can empty out a little more of yourself to allow a little more of God in. Happy Harvest everyone - and thanks be to God!
All Saints Day - Sunday 1st November
Invitations to our All Saints Day memorial service have been sent to families we have served through funeral ministry in the last year. This years’ service will be a “virtual” one – streamed on our Facebook page at 6pm. Families are invited to watch along, join in with prayers and light a candle alongside everyone else who is watching. If you would like to join in with the service, then head to www.facebook.com/huttonparish at 6pm on 1st November. If you would like the name of a loved one read out and remembered at the service then please get in touch with Dawn in the Parish Office: 01277 262864 or office@huttonparish.com
This week's pew sheet can be downloaded here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/yq96bccnnbkmlxp/newsletter%2011%20October%202020.pdf?dl=0
As ever, please do get in touch if there is anything I, or the leadership team, can help with.
With every blessing,
