30th January 2022: Letter from the Locum Minister Rev Marion Paton

Dear Friends,
Isn’t it good to be able to sit down to a cup of tea/coffee and a chat again after the service? I hope those of you who share in this service at home will be able to do the same. If Covid has taught us anything, it is just how important human social contact is, especially for those who live alone. Sadly though, I know quite a few people who have become so nervous about human contact because of the virus, that they are now reluctant to leave the confines of their own homes. And I know from my own experience, how reluctant I was to mix with people I didn’t know after the lockdowns. And yet, being separated from other people for long periods, whilst it might protect from the virus, does cause significant problems. So, whilst we need to be careful, human company is essential for our well-being.
We only need to look at the gospels to confirm this. Jesus loved to be with the people, and much of his ministry was amongst the crowds who gathered to see and hear him. He enjoyed the wedding feast at Cana, and he travelled and worked with his close friends, the disciples. But more than that, he had special friends that he visited when life was particularly difficult for him. We think of Martha and Mary and Lazarus, to whom he went in times of real need. And of those disciples who went with him to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane, as well as of his disappointment when they couldn’t stay awake to keep him company, and of his anguish on the cross, where he felt completely deserted and cried out ‘My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?’
Of course, our friendship with Jesus is especially important and needs to be nurtured, and the quality of our friendship with Jesus will bring out the best in us. But there are times when, in the words of a wise old minister who was a great fried of mine, ‘friends do need to have a skin face’. Yesterday, I was discussing a wedding with two people from different states in America. It was great to be able to talk to them and to see their faces, and I know modern technology has helped so many people during the past two years. But it is not the same as the real thing. So, as we share our refreshments after the service, let us give thanks for the opportunity to do so with people with a skin face. And let us remember that the best of friends are the ones who bring out the best in us.
With love and blessings,
Marion