Beauty surrounds us, but we usually need to be walking in a garden to know it - Rumi
Saturday was the hottest day of the year so far with temperatures in the 90◦ Fahrenheit but nevertheless the Church Summer Fete went extremely well. All the visitors seemed to enjoy the entertainments whilst spending money on the various stalls. After all the hard work put in to it, it was a truly happy day! And that is the point. In organising any event like this there will be ups and downs, perhaps arguments, disputes as to how things should be done. Yet the joy on the children’s faces, the obvious enjoyment of the visitors, (and the contribution to Church funds!), makes all that hard work worthwhile and enlivens the spirits of those who have put up the marquee, manned the stalls all day, or marshalled the car parking in the sweltering heat and tidied up afterwards. The marquee now needs to be dismantled and stored away for another occasion and the church ground cleared of rubbish but with everybody pulling together the job will be done and the joy of another great Summer Fete shared over a welcome cup of tea and a cake.
My message to all who worked so hard to make this a special occasion, and to all our visitors, is a great big Thank You. Now, as the Fete brought joy to so many we might ask ourselves “Who brings joy into my life?” Here I recall an old hymn we used to sing many years ago: Give me joy in my heart, keep me praising, Give me joy in my heart, I pray. And since joy is infectious, that leads on to the question “How will I bring joy to someone today?” Joy is a gift of the Holy Spirit which is impossible to keep to ourselves. St Paul reminds us that sharing our joy with others will help to lighten their burden. ‘In the same way you also should rejoice and share your joy with me.’ Philippians 2:18. So, Share the Joy!
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AuthorI am an Authorised Local Preacher in an Anglo Catholic parish church, in the Diocese of Essex UK Archives
February 2022
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