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Dear friends
A friend of ours used to tell us about the small chapel in rural Buckinghamshire where he grew up. Painted on the wall behind the communion table was a huge mural of all the saints, from Peter and John and Mary Magdalen, right through to Mother Theresa. A bit strange for a Methodist chapel, you might think, but of course, it included George Whitefield, John and Charles Wesley! And he said that when the congregation came to the communion rail, the effect was to complete the circle, so that the congregation in that time and place were joined as one with the whole company of heaven in celebrating the communion feast.
We are entering Kingdom Season, which runs from All Saints Day on 1st November to Christ the King Sunday, the week before Advent Sunday. Kingdom Season is a time of remembrance. It includes not only All Saints, but All Souls and Remembrance Sunday. It is a time to recall that Christ's Kingdom transcends time and space and includes all who love God on earth and in heaven, just as that little chapel so powerfully illustrated.
From our perspective, death is the great divide that cuts us off from those we love. But in Kingdom Season we remember that we are still connected to them through the love of God, which holds both earth and heaven within its eternity. Relationships of love do not end with death. We can discover this in the Eucharist; while we celebrate it here in time, we are made participants in the heavenly feast in eternity. At the Lord's Supper we are in communion with all those whom we love but see no longer. For me, this powerful connection, made physical in bread and wine gives me great strength:
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2
Dan and I are already into our advent, in a sense, as the expectation and anticipation of the birth of our child grows. Although I shall not be working as your minister for the next year, we are looking forward to beginning our family life as members of this church family, and continuing to become your friends.
Anna.
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