A message from the Rev’d Amanda Collinson

Posted by Admin on 31 January 2018, 3:12 pm

Amanda Collinson

Priest-in-Charge

St John the Baptist Church

Northwood.

Tel: 01983 294913

Hello there!

I am a girl of the 80s – I was not a fan of the clothes (I have never been a follower of fashion but golly I reached some shocking levels in that decade!) but I really loved the music. One of my favourite singers was, and indeed thanks to a brilliant comeback a year or so ago, is Rick Astley. The former ‘Stock Aitken and Waterman’ protégé, famous for his ginger hair and clean-cut image has turned into a brilliant 50-year-old and his last album is a real favourite of mine. Some of the lyrics to one of his hits last year are as follows: ‘Who do you love, when it all comes down to this? Who do you love, who do you love?’ A great song, with great lyrics – I heartily recommend it!

I spoke about what I believed in my last parish magazine article, now in this month when shops remind us that we should show our love overtly with an expensive card and present I ask you what or who do you love? For me my answer would be I love my crazy family and I love spending time with them, I love going to the theatre, I love chocolate, I love swimming (should do more of this one and less of the one before!), I love the sun shining through the window on a crisp winter’s day, I love a walk in the woods, I love crusty bread with homemade paté and chutney…. I could go on and on!

And the reason for me giving you this list? Well sadly we are more likely to tell people what we don’t like than what we do like – we are very quick to say if we disagree with a commentator or politician, if we wouldn’t want to eat a certain food, or do a specific activity, but more reluctant to show our support for something or someone, say what makes us smile, feel good about ourselves. Yet again we find that the default we seem to lean towards is the negative and we end up not sharing what we love or like with people around us.

Lent starts for Christians in the middle of this month (yes Easter is very early this year!) and many of us will try and do something for the 40 days of Lent. Tradition has been to give something up (another negative!) but research has proved that you are more likely to fail if you try and STOP doing something rather than trying to do something NEW…. it’s like our subconscious saying ‘you are going to fail this, there is no point in trying.’ So, I am not going to give something up this year, but take up something new instead – if you like doing something for Lent, think about doing the same this year, you may be more successful than you have been before!

And I am saying all this because we need MORE LOVE and LESS NEGATIVITY in the world. It is not just the nights that are dark, the world seems to be a dark and dangerous place at the moment, with so much hatred, fear and sadness. We need to sort that out, and we all can do our bit. I saw a billboard on Facebook recently that said, ‘What this world needs is a group hug!’ – it is absolutely right! Hugging may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but a hug says I care, a hug says you are not on your own, a hug gives you strength when you feel weak.

How can you give ‘a hug’, show some love to people around our village? Smile as you pass them on the street, hold that door open, perhaps even start a conversation on the bus or at the Doctors surgery – you may be the first person they have spoken to in days! Small things can do great things….

I am going to end as I began – with some lyrics from a song. John Lennon once sang ‘Love is the answer, and you know that for sure; Love is a flower, you’ve got to let it grow.’

In this month, during which the world goes love mad for one day, make sure you love and care for more than 24 hours. Do your bit to give the world the hug it desperately needs and be as positive and caring as you can be! It will give you and those around you so much joy and light.

Wishing you a loving month!

.
Rev’d Amanda.

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