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You can listen to recorded sermons by the minister here  

Dear friends 

I think I will offend no-one if I say our church is mostly one of ageing people beset with many of the problems associated with old age, especially health.  Ageing can produce not just the physical health problems many of our members carry, but other, more deep seated issues.  There is a loss of independence and mobility, and even our sense of self worth can suffer.  Friends and loved ones pass away, but our sense of loss can include a feeling we might be losing ourselves.  Our society very much values the young, and often treats the elderly as a problem to be solved.

It is not so in the Bible.  It is interesting that many important players in the Biblical story are elderly, Abraham, Moses, and Samuel.  In the story of Jesus the elderly play a key part, especially in the role of faithful waiting and hoping for the Messiah’s coming.  We have Zechariah and Elizabeth, Simeon and Anna, and the tradition that Joseph was himself not a young man.  Although not specifically stated I have always felt that Jesus’ close friends, Mary, Martha and Lazarus were not young, and we have Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea amongst those who first believed in him.

I am very aware of the alarm and even despondency in our church concerning the changes in ministry when I leave.  I wonder if much of this alarm is rooted in a worry that life is slipping away, that things are changing and leaving us behind.  We want what we have always had because we need stability, certainty and things around us to be stable.

What we are facing therefore is not simply a practical problem of losing an ordained minister.  Instead we are dealing with the spiritual issues of growing old.  These are the essential questions of all religion; “who am I?”, “what does it all mean?” and “where does it all lead to?” in the midst of a suffering world.  You are not alone therefore in facing these questions and feeling uncertainty. 

Of Simeon we are told, “This man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him.  It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.”  (Luke 2:25–26 NRSV)  His old age was characterised by hope, expectancy, faith and forward looking.  This is far from the attitude many have today that in old age everything is behind us . In the Bible old age points towards the future, and towards God’s salvation.  Do we need to rethink growing old in our own church?  Can we be witnesses to something wonderful and yet to come as Scripture encourages us to do?

During the summer I had a conversation with Angela O’Malley, who is the area representative for Methodist Homes for the Aged covering Gerrards Cross.  As well as traditional homes they have a growing “Live at Home” Scheme.   Angela is coming to our Annual Church Meeting on 18th October to speak to us about this work, about MHA’s concerns for our area, and about how we can possibly partner one another in serving our community.  To me this seems a sensible and God given opportunity to develop the kind of forward looking team ministry the Circuit is developing, and I hope you will come and join in the discussion.  This is an important area of ministry where our congregation has a lot of expertise and as I have said before, a great potential to do God’s work.  We can be people of hope, no matter what our age.

 Every blessing

Nigel