Unfading Glory

May 2020

Right now news is going out of date more quickly than milk.  If you are looking for up-to-date information about our village church then it is best to go to our churches’ website:  www.burtonandholmechurches.org

As I write, the churchyard remains open but the church building, in accordance with Church of England instructions, is closed.  Our Sunday service has moved online and you are very welcome to join us there.  You will find the video of the service on the welcome page of our website each week and (for those who would like to be able to join in with the hymns, songs and prayers) there is a service sheet which you can download from our website and print out.

Some of our church members are vulnerable and so they are staying isolated but making great use of the phone as a tool for encouraging other people.  Others of us are able to be out and about if needed so if you think that I, or another church member, might be able to help you, in any way, please do phone or email me.

In February we held our first Lego Builders event and filled Burton Memorial Hall with lots of Lego-loving families, 1000s of Lego bricks and a great brick-building buzz.  Andy Werner from Trinity Church Lancaster brought all his Lego expertise and one of his brilliant home-made stop-motion Lego videos to introduce us to Mark’s Gospel.  We can’t hold another event while we are confined to our homes so Lego Builders has gone online.  The latest video, with some great ideas for activities at home, is on our website here: www.burtonandholmechurches.org/children-and-young

Someone said the other day that an appropriate symbol for human life would be flowers – they are springing up all around us right now with vibrant colours and amazing designs and yet they will quickly fade.  Our timescale is longer but our lives are frail too. 

“As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field;
the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.” 

Psalm 103:15-16

We try to convince ourselves that this is ‘natural’ but we can’t make our peace with it, nor should we.  Easter is an annual reminder that it doesn’t have to be this way.  There is one Man whose days are not like grass or flowers: he lived, died and lives again.  His resurrection life neither fades nor dies.  He has told us that he longs to share his new life with us as his gift to us, but that we can only take hold of the new when we are willing to let go of the old.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,” said Jesus “and I will give you rest.”

Matthew 11:28

Sincerely

Graham Burrows