St Mary with St Alban

August 2010

I've been enjoying Rev, the recent comedy series on the BBC. Not that church life in Teddington bears much similarity to that in the inner-city parishes of the East End. And the archdeacon prowling around in the back of a black cab is certainly unlike any archdeacon I've ever known. But I've enjoyed the semiserious portrayal of a vicar struggling with all the various demands put upon him, both in the parish and in his personal life. The need to be both worldly-wise and ever-gracious at the same time is something that most vicars struggle with and it is good to see a sympathetic and human portrayal. Despite his naivety and many flaws, I end up wanting to give the Rev. Adam Smallbone a cheer at the end of each episode!

Most vicars find taking funerals a very meaningful aspect of the job. It is partly because we are needed and valued for the way we can support the mourners and conduct the service. But it is also a great privilege to be alongside people at a very significant time and share in the celebration of a life. You quickly realise that every life is remarkable and I often learn things about people that I wish I'd known while they were still with us.

One recent funeral I took was of someone who was passionate about poetry. She left strict instructions for her funeral. This included reading the poem Prayer by George Herbert (1593-1633). I was very grateful to be reminded of this classic. It provides a whole string of images for thinking about prayer which I invite you to reflect upon. Here is just the first verse:

Prayer, the Church's banquet, Angel's age.
God's breath in man returning to his birth,
The soul in paraphrase, heart in pilgrimage,
The Christian plummet sounding heaven and earth;

Conscious that many people find it helpful to pray in quiet churches, we have taken steps to keep St Mary?s open between 9am and 5.30pm most days of the week. We invite you to drop in and spend a moment enjoying the peace.

We are also developing a leaflet with suggested prayers to help people pray and reflect. Do please make suggestions, either by leaving a copy in the „Prayers? envelope at the back of church or e-mailing bnjcarthew@yahoo.co.uk

Best wishes

Joe Moffatt