Trinity Church Abingdon
Serving God, serving each other, serving community.
Trinity is a joint URC / Methodist church. It is an active member of the Church in Abingdon – a thriving ecumenical project.
Minister’s letter for May 2022
Dear Friends,
‘Now is the month of Maying’ was a popular tune arranged in different ways for the recorder ensemble I used to be part of. The ‘Fala-la-la-la’ lyrics would often amuse us. Yet the joyful, playful tune was infectious. It nearly always lightened our spirits and once the tune was in our heads, it was often difficult to budge.
As I write on a gloriously sunny day, with a refreshing breeze, that lightness of spirit seems so appropriate to accompany Eastertide as we continue to celebrate our Risen Lord Jesus. It is also a season where baptism requests are coming in and the planning for weddings is coming together. All of a sudden, these parts of our ministry at Trinity seem to be coming all at once. It is a great privilege and a joy to be part of them. There is sadness too of course, deaths and funerals remain part of our lives. Yet even in these, it is good to hear laughter and a desire, perhaps stronger than ever, to celebrate life.
Perhaps May is one of those months, where the joy of living is echoed in nature as much as it is in our lives. The sound of lawn mowers becoming more familiar again after winter months. As many of you know, I would never describe myself as a gardener, but I do enjoy being surprised and delighted in some of the complexities of colour and design that I see in the world around me. I’m reminded of the hymn, “Jesus is Lord, creation’s voice proclaims it.” and indeed it does seem as if creation really does shout it out as loud and as vibrantly as it can. Just take some time to look around the garden at Trinity – a feast for the eyes!
We know that there are testing times ahead of us as a Church, and we are facing these with as much care and prayer as we can. We also know there is much in the news that can dampen our mood, not least the horrific stories from Ukraine. Yet, despite these more depressing things, the image that comes to my mind is taken from another hymn, it talks about the Spirit of God dancing through the ordinariness of our lives.
My prayer is that we will know and experience the dancing of God’s Holy Spirit in our lives that we, with all creation, can proclaim to the world, ‘Christ is alive! And the universe must celebrate!’. May we be God’s people, full of his peace, full of his joy and full of his compassion. May God bless us, that we might bless others.
Every blessing
Rev Ian
The following worship material has also been provided by Trinity Church, Abingdon, for worshipping at home.