Message

The message and comment from one of the clergy that is published in Heslington Outlook

Baby Abigail Sophie Eckersley was born on 18th June in Newcastle. She is our fourth grandchild, but the first Eckersley of her generation. Both mother and baby are now doing well, but the birth was an emergency Caesarian and our daughter-in-law lost five pints of blood and had to have a transfusion. Most of the action was happening in the middle of the night and so we were more or less unaware of all the pros and cons of various courses of action which the medical staff no doubt had to weigh up. Had the birth been taking place in a less well-equipped place, the outcome would have been very different.

John, my husband, reminded me of other births in our family which could also have ended in trajedy but didn't. We have much to be grateful for in the advances made in the care of mother and child during childbirth. The 'Thanksgiving for the Gift of a Child' service, which we offer to new parents who bring their babies to church, uses the words,"We thank you for all whose support and skill surrounds and sustains the beginning of life". Certainly, I wanted to thank God for this expertise.

On the phone, our son spoke in wonder about the child. He picked out various family likenesses that he could already see in her little face. But of course Abigail will be uniquely herself - God's gift to the world. She already has a place in our family just by virtue of being born into it.

Each of you reading this will, I hope, have had someone gaze at you in wonder and amazement when you were born. Each of you will, I hope, have a place in a family or circle of friends just because you are who you are. Each person has the potential within themselves to be a blessing to those around. Everyone's life story is different, but all of us start like Abigail.

Nancy Eckersley

I have had a request to keep the following message from Rory on the website because several people have found it both profound and helpful - Webmaster.

Dear friends,

It is a strange thing living in a country that has been at war since early in 2003 and it seems as if it will be for some time to come.

When we fight, we do so for what we believe to be right and good, for ourselves, for others and usually as a last resort. People on different sides of the same conflict are equally convinced that their reasons for fighting are legitimate and even praiseworthy.

Violence destroys life, whatever form it takes. People suffer and the lasting legacy of armed conflict takes years and decades to be erased from the landscape, but it seems never to leave the hearts and lives of those caught up in it as it happens. It has been horrible living with the images and stories of the suffering in Iraq, in Sudan, in Afghanistan, in Pakistan. And closer to home in the recent past, in Northern Ireland and in my homeland, South Africa.

Why mention these places specifically? Because a common thread runs through them all. All this violence is committed in the name of God. The problem is that in many cases both sides think that God is on their side. That there is some divine sanction that makes fighting right. Religion and faith are the cornerstones of these conflicts. Well, God simply has no favourites. The sooner the world realises that the better.

The song that the angels sang to the shepherds that first Christmas was one of peace and goodwill amongst all people. God arrived into humankind with a message of reconciliation, of healing and friendship. This is God's deepest desire. Anyone who says that they act violently on behalf of God must be measured against this. Human history tells us how wrong they can be.

The world we live in needs peacemakers. Not politicians and diplomats who negotiate tolerance, but those who help us find each other, respect each other, give life to each other. Jesus tells us quite clearly that within the Christian faith, we are these people. We cannot ignore this as we celebrate our way through the Christmas season. Whatever each of us believes to be true about God, the challenge remains the same. Are we up for it?

Take care.

Rory