Lose your life to save it.
For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. Matthew 16:25
Sometimes you need to lose your life, to save it. What does that mean?
Right now at my home, we are creating what I hope will be a haven of peace in our garden. But we are having to uproot some long-standing plants and put them elsewhere. Some of them may not survive, some I hope will, but whatever happens we will need to nourish them with love and care. Those with the deepest roots may sadly perish as they are cut off and too stuck to the one place and space. But hopefully some will thrive and survive in their new environment.
 We need to make room for the new and this always involves a bit of loss as well as gain. There are always things we have to say goodbye to when we decide to grow a vision or a dream. I have always dreamed of having a pool in my garden, a sanctuary where people can come and relax and be still and where we can invite family and friends to take some time out and choose to have a healthy lifestyle. And now this dream is becoming a reality. This is what moving things out and reordering the space is able to achieve. I also put in a gate to our inner garden only to find that it was so overgrown with weeds, and some quite beautiful looking creepers, but these need to be cut back in order to gain access to the space, or it will become somewhere that’s totally inaccessible - as this picture shows, beautiful but not fit for the purpose it was designed for, a place all can enter, a space for the whole family.
So today, I have been reflecting on my place as the new person on the block in Bassingbourn. What is the purpose of my time with you here, of being the vicar of your church, what is the greater purpose of that place of worship and my attachment to it? And what is being gained and what lost when there is a changeover in a church? How can we create something new and yet remain connected to all that has gone before. As Revelation says “Behold I make all things new”. How do we do that in a way that embraces change and the whole community too?
When a new leader comes into a church community it has to suffer the loss of the old style, the good that the previous person brought to the table and draw in strength and hope from a new approach where, hopefully, there will have some compensations in different areas. Each generation brings subtly different things with it and to the table.
As your priest I am here, and should be here for everyone in Bassingbourn and whether you have felt lost or at home before, our church is a wellspring of hope for all. I am here to remind you that you are loved, that you are precious and that you are known. That is my job and that is the job of the church, for you to be able to feel that sense of welcome and overwhelming love as you walk through our doors. I know the door is a bit stiff but behind and beyond it is a warm welcome to all.
As we move forward with our vision of hospitality and hope for the whole community, I wanted to encourage us to think about what the churches in villages were all built for?
I have a background in church history, so I know well for a start, that they are and always have been community buildings, the central aisles facing the altar (which looks East to remind us of Jerusalem) filled with light and life, with fetes such as the one we will have in September, with dancing and plays (Bassingbourn was one of the earliest places to put on Passion Plays - which in themselves were the earliest form of theatre). Bassingbourn has a rich history of the arts and continues to have a thriving and flourishing artistic community and so we want to celebrate that with you and for you. We want to put on exhibitions and have already done so, but we want to expand that. The Village College put on a wonderful display last Easter but we know there are many of all ages who would benefit for exhibiting in our space and we now have a curator who can organise those events for you.
All big dreams start with little steps, and in our case very little steps, the tots and toddlers group will start meeting in the church from September, we hope to have a coffee hub outside on those days, so those of you who don’t have kids as well as those who do, can sample some terrific barista blends by our trained staff…as you pass by. It may become more permanent as we raise funds for facilities.
These are all visions with your help and involvement which can become a reality, a thriving cafe church community in your midst.
We will still maintain the beauty and integrity of the building, but we need to add in facilities such as loos and running water as all old buildings now have and so you can come and feel at home here too.
I am excited what the future holds for us all both in the church family itself and beyond it in the village and surrounding villages.
Dare to believe that, whatever you thought before, you are welcomed, loved and known. Perhaps our worship is more modern than you like? Perhaps the thought of change in any way feels scary? Change can feel daunting, but without change we would never grow. A toddler group is a good place to start because, of course, children grow and change and we as a church and a community need to reflect this and be able to accommodate the new, whilst retaining the key elements of the old, in fresh ways that our relevant to the next generation in our midst, but incorporate all the core values we hold dear. If we don’t grow, we die.
So, this summer, let’s throw ourselves in at the deep end of life, so to speak, clear away the clutter, remove the vines which, although beautiful, may be stopping the gate from opening and so not allow us to even enter into the garden, the garden where we find, peace, joy, hope and life.
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16
Be Blessed!
Helen
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All age service next week 14th August - change of time!
