October message

This is the 10th edition of the Coronacle! What was intended as a short term means of communication has become a new ‘normal’. This is normally a busy time in the church’s calendar: Harvest, our Patronal Festival, St Luke, All Saints, All Souls, Remembrance, Christ the King… and before we know it,

Advent and Christmas. All these festivals will be marked but this year will be very different from our ‘normal’. Although Harvest will feature in church the main celebration of harvest will be on our YouTube channel. Most of it was recorded on a farm! Remembrance Sunday will be marked but we are still awaiting guidance from the Royal British legion as to what might be possible. Our All Souls service where we invite all those for whom have taken funerals over the past 12 months will not be possible this year, even though it is

probably more needed this year than ever. What might be possible for the Advent - Christmas season: Christingle?? Carol services??? Midnight mass?

Perhaps a crib service recorded for YouTube in a stable?

So much of what we would normally do seems impossible. The text for this month is from one of the readings from our Patronal Festival. Paul reminds the church in Corinth of the difficulties and hardships he and his companions faced. When we look at the life of St Denys and his companions we find a similar litany of difficulties and hardships. In fact, the entire story of the

early church could be summarised as one of challenges, struggles, and

difficulties. The ‘good news’ that they proclaimed stood in stark contrast to the reality of their everyday lives: imprisonments, beatings, executions… and yet, they continued to proclaim the good news of God’s love made manifest in Jesus. The story of St Denys reminds us that even after Denys was

decapitated he continued to preach until at last, through loss of blood, he fell and died. The Basilica of St Denys in Paris marks the spot of his death… some distance from Montmartre, the site of the execution.

This year we face significant challenges, but we will continue to proclaim the good news of God in Christ. We will be more creative. The way we do things will have to be different and we may feel a sense of loss about some

services we love. However, the message is still the same: God is with us and loves us more then we can tell.

Fr Philip