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Hillside Parish Magazine

January 2010

From the Vicar

I’ve got a new torch at last! Over the summer the batteries leaked in my old one and ruined it, so I’ve been stumbling around in the dark for months as I visit folk who live beyond the reach of streetlights or go up to church for evensong. Now I confidently carry my one million candlepower, rechargeable, quartz halogen spotlight, so stepping in puddles and searching for keyholes and light switches are all in the past (I hope!).

As someone used to bright city streets (I always notice the glow of Teesside when I am at the northern end of the benefice) I’m still getting used to the deep dark of the countryside. Last winter I had to put brighter bulbs in the car headlights. But one advantage of the dark is the way you can see the stars on clear winter nights. I don’t know the names of many of the constellations but when I am stargazing these words often come to mind: “The spacious firmament on high …”.

I’ve just looked them up and realised that they’re from an old hymn which goes on:

With all the blue ethereal sky,

And spangled heavens, a shining frame

Their great Original proclaim.

Then they jump to the daytime and continue:

Th’unwearied sun, from day to day,

Does his Creator’s powers display,

And publishes to every land

The work of an Almighty Hand

The wonders of God’s creation are all around us, near and far away. They are within us as well as on the outside, although we may not always be aware of them. It’s good to take a moment to look around, inside and out, and to reflect and to give thanks for all this goodness.

And of course the dark nights are already beginning to grow shorter. The shortest day is already behind us and we are at the start of the New Year, a new decade. Thoughts are turning towards all the opportunities and possibilities which this brings – spring flowers, warm days, summer holidays, time to relax in the sun with family and friends. And there are all the other hopes and plans which accompany every New Year, every new start - and all the fears and the uncertainties too. For “new” is not always “better”, change is not only for the good.

Yet we know that time moves on and that “to grow is to change”. (This quotation from Cardinal Newman continues “to be perfect is to have changed often”.) We know also that God is in all things. For the birth of Jesus reminds us that God is with us, sharing in our joys and our sorrows. Again, it is good to take a moment to reflect, to give thanks and to commit the future into God’s hands.

And perhaps also to remember the words which we heard just before Christmas. Words of the prophet Isaiah which are quoted again in St.Matthew’s gospel and which can help us to understand Christ’s presence in the world and its meaning for our lives day by day:

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
Those who lived in a dark land, the light is shining on them.

May the knowledge and the love of God light up your path in the year ahead.
With my prayers and best wishes for 2010

Ian Houghton