A message from the Rev’d Amanda Collinson

Posted by Admin on 30 January 2019, 2:19 pm

Amanda Collinson

Priest-in-Charge

St John the Baptist Church

Northwood.

Tel: 01983 294913

HELLO THERE!

So, if I had to ask you what are the guarantees in your life, what would they be? What can you hold on to when everything else is falling away? The saying goes that there are only two things you can guarantee – taxes and death! But joking aside when there is so much turmoil in the world, unknowns, inconsistencies in our lives…. we all need something strong and secure to hold on to.
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And I would say what we can all hold on to is love – the love you have for family and friends, for animals, for dear loved ones no longer with us, for creation around us and just as important the love that they all show you. The world can feel a dark place at the moment, many of you may have struggles, money may be tight: showing and sharing love is free and actually not that hard…. but what does love look like to you?
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Do you remember the little cartoon couple in the late 60s and early 70s who have different words after the statement ‘Love is….’? I cannot believe our parents allowed us to have posters, cards, and pictures with these two naked children pretending to be grown-ups on them! This couple was the creation of New Zealand cartoonist Kim Casali (née Grove) in the 1960s. Googling this I found to my surprise that the picture with its thought provoking words is still published every day, except Sunday! Crazy. I spent a good half hour looking through the drawings, trying to pick my favourite….and it was hard I tell you, but here is the one that took my eye: Love is……something science still can’t quantify!
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So, going back to my question: what does ‘love’ look like to you? For my youngest the sentence would be: Love is…. playing football with me until it is dark. My eldest it would be: Love is……understanding Minecraft. For those of you who don’t understand that last one – ask your grandchildren! Mine would be – Love is……a lie-in with breakfast in bed! Ohhhh, this could be fun to ask family and friends…. Focus, Amanda, I need to finish this article first!!!!
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Just as diverse as the little cartoon was and continues to be, you can show love in so many different ways: from helping a stranger, looking out for a neighbour, remaining calm around someone who winds you up, giving up precious free time…. the list is endless! Have some spare food or clothing? Give it to Foodbank. Available to help neighbours? Join the Good Neighbour Scheme. Enjoy reading? Volunteer to be a reader in a local school or nursing home.
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And that is the best thing about it – you can change someone’s day in a matter of seconds through a smile or spend an hour drinking tea with a lonely person. Sharing love does not need planning, can cost nothing, can happen anywhere and most importantly can be beneficial to both the receiver as well as the giver.
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So, what is stopping us being more loving to one another? Fear? Embarrassment? Society acceptable norms? Busyness of our lives? Opportunity? Whatever it may be, we must try and overcome the hurdles that are in front of us and make our community as loving as it can be.
Just as we expect people to do the job they are paid to do, we should, in a way, expect each of us to live up to being truly human. Humanity – a word for the qualities that make us human, such as the ability to love and have compassion, be creative!
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We may only have 28 days this month, but the task is simple: show love. As the hymn says, as Nat King Cole sang and the front page tells us – Let there be love!
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Wishing you a blessed and loving month!

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Rev’d Amanda

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