Letter from Aaron Kennedy – Vicar of Otley Parish Church

All of us have a different relationship with the monarchy, and there is a wide spectrum of views, and that’s OK. But as Christians this is a moment in our national life – whether you are dyed in the wool lover of the monarchy, a republican anti-royalist, or something in between – to pray for the United Kingdom; for God’s blessing on us, and for wisdom for the King in his new reign.

The coronation itself is also a moment where the somewhat wobbly relationship between church and state really comes to the fore. The King will be crowned at Westminster Abbey as part of a service of Holy Communion. While the establishment of the Church of England is also for some a divisive issue, for Christians this event undoubtedly represents a precious and not-to-be scorned opportunity to preach the Good News, pray for all who witness it, and for the future of our nation. This is not a Christian country. It never was, in my view. It was partially Christianised, at best. But whether or not you can agree with me onthat, we must all agree that the influence of Christian faith in public life is waning.

So many divisions! And yet, at the heart of the service of Holy Communion we have a coming together. A comm-unity in and through the person of Jesus Christ. In Jesus the world sees the vast and wonderful love of God; before Jesus we acknowledge his holiness, his breath-taking goodness, and our sin; and through Jesus we are reconciled to God, and one another. The words “Though we are many we are one body, because we all share in one bread” encapsulate this reality perfectly.

And this, of course, is the kind of King that Jesus is. It is the nature of earthly Kings to lord it over those they rule, but it is not so with Jesus (despite his being the Lord of all), and it is not to be so with his followers. Jesus is enthroned on the cross. On the cross he is revealed in all his strange and wonderful majesty: the Creator of the world, who defeats death and sin and opens the way for all people to re-enter the garden of God’s holy presence… hangs dead, beaten and bloodied and naked for the love of us. Let us pray, whether we like the monarchy or not, that King Charles III will be this kind of King. That he will love and serve with self-sacrifice and love – as all Christians are called to do.

And let’s also pray for this wonderful country we live in. As Christians we should celebrate the reign of Elizabeth II, and her quiet, faithful Christian witness over so many years. I don’t think we can fully appreciate the positive influence she had on us (imperfect though she was); let us pray that King Charles may have absorbed more of her way of life and faith than we may guess. Our national life, while deeply blessed and privileged, is nonetheless at times fraught with division and injustice. And as Christians, while giving thanks for all that is good, we should always be calling politicians to the standard of the highest law of love.

Letter from Aaron Kennedy – Vicar of Otley Parish Church

I don’t know what comes to your mind when you hear the word “sabbath”, but I was raised in a Christian home, and we observed sabbath as a family. Certain rules applied, the chief one being “no TV!”. My studious older sister would do her homework, but my brother and I would often get pretty bored, and then up to no good.

And to be honest that word “bored” is the dominant memory I have of keeping sabbath as a child.

So, why, I hear you ask, am I seeking to introduce the idea of sabbath keeping at Otley Parish Church? The story of sabbath is written into the fabric of the universe, and most human cultures, but the word itself is not used in the Bible until the book of Exodus. God has just liberated the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt where they had worked without a day off from one year to the next. God was determined not only to free them physically from slavery, but spiritually also. It is no good being a free people who are still trapped in fear, still not believing that they were, as God had told Moses to say to Pharoah, his “first born son” – desired, beloved, cherished and protected by powerful, trustworthy, loving Father God.

At the heart of the wisdom of sabbath is the idea that only God can set us free. And that outside of his freedom we are never free. Many in our world do not believe this; a great many doubt the goodness and trustworthiness of God. And that is painful for us, but what should cause us much more concern is that while many of us believe that God is good with our minds, not all of us are actually free from slavery in practice.

Many of us carry, as it were, the weight of the world – burdens that our not ours to carry. Many of us are stressed, anxious and fearful. Many of us are unable to forge a healthy relationship with our smart phones and many of us are oppressed by a magnetic sense that we must read all the news, scroll through all the social media feeds, and keep up with YouTube and podcast content. Pornography too is a massive problem for Christians, as it is now so easily accessed through the super-computer in our pocket. And many of us see no other way to live. We have accepted our fate, and live lives of quiet desperation.

We are, in short, slaves, and willing slaves at that.

While practicing sabbath is going to be a wonderful liberation for some of us, it is going to be hard for most. We will run up against the stories we actually believe, rather than the ones we consciously think we believe. We may start out on our practice and then, like the Israelites, regret our newfound freedom and wish to back in Egypt. We may give in to the temptation to grumble and complain. We may realise that, despite many years of going to church, God is not actually the Lord of our lives, and that we rather like being in charge.

This Lent I hope that our teaching and practice of Sabbath will shine the light of God’s truth in our lives. I pray that the old stories of unconscious belief – the lies of the evil one will fall away. I pray that the ingrained habits of our bodies that lead us to continue living in slavery will be broken and that new, lifegiving habits will begin to form.

Sabbath is about stopping, resting, delighting in and worshipping God. It is his gift designed to free us, as only he can, from the inevitable slavery of spirit in life outside of his Kingdom.

I warmly invite you to join me on this experiment in living in the way of Jesus.

Let the Exodus begin!

Letter from Aaron Kennedy – Vicar of Otley Parish Church

Putting the “Christ” back in “Christmas”?

This phrase was so overused in my youth that I think we all lost touch with any sense of what it means. Latterly, it seems to have been reduced to making sure your chocolate advent calendar has a picture of the nativity on it.

But ought we to bring back this catchy phrase, perhaps reinvented a little?

“Putting the Christ back in Christmas” means connecting how we celebrate, with why we celebrate. This of course means finding ways to tell the Christmas story afresh for this time and for new generations, but it means more than that as well. It means celebrating in a way that is in keeping with our vocation as Christians to care for the world we live in and all the people in it, and our calling to live simply and with self-control.

Even those of us who are usually striving to live lives that are environmentally friendly, generous and ethical, can find ourselves tempted to abandon these principles in the festive season, as we seek to make things special for ourselves and our loved ones with lots of presents, excessive food and drink, and glitzy decorations. But does that really do justice to what we’re celebrating? A saviour born to a poor family who would become refugees? A God who loved the world so much that he was born here to save it?

Perhaps a more Christ shaped Christmas means finding a way to celebrate it that isn’t at the expense of other people, or the earth. With that in mind here are a few suggestions:

• Re-use your Christmas decorations rather than buying new ones – especially plastic ones – as plastic will be here for life not just for Christmas!
• Buy organic and local if you can – to reduce the impact your food has on the environment and the species that live in it. Cook a little less meat, and a few more local veggies.
• Try to resist the urge to buy new clothes, especially if you’ll only wear them once or twice. The fashion industry is one of the biggest contributors to climate change and modern slavery!
• Choose recyclable wrapping paper (the less shiny stuff, with no sparkly bits), and send less Christmas cards.
• Look for palm oil free mince pies!

An eco-friendly, ethical Christmas doesn’t have to be more expensive! Simple can still be special. Consider one really thoughtful gift, rather than a shower of presents, or cooking only what you think might actually be eaten, rather than over-catering and wasting food.

If you’re able to, please be generous to churches and charities this Christmas. Many are having a hard time at this time of year, and resources are needed to keep everyone safe, warm and able to rejoice.

This year be kind to the planet, give to the poor, cherish your loved ones, spend time with the lonely, embrace those who are grieving, pray for those you find it hard to get along with, because that’s where you’ll really find Christ this Christmas.

Letter from our Vicar – Revd Aaron Kennedy

Greetings OPC!

I thought I would share something of my personal story in this, the first of my letters for In Touch. However, I first want to thank everyone who contributed to making last weekend’s services happen so smoothly – from all who were involved in the big church clean and tidy, to Kevin, Barry and all on the technical side, to the musicians, singers and bellringers, to those who baked and cooked and generously laid on the wonderful food that kept us going all the way until Sunday lunch! There has been such a warm and generous welcome, and it is unsurprising that as a family we are already feeling so relaxed and welcome here. So, thank you, one and all!

Please consider this a conversation starter.
I am going to be doing my best in the coming months and years to listen you all, to learn your names (please be patient!), to hear your individual stories, and learn the collective story of OPC, and throughout it all I’ll be looking for the fingerprints of our good God and asking for his guidance for us as we seek to move forward in his strength. But here’s something of my, and our, story, to get the conversation(s) started.

I am 40 years old this year, but it all began in 1982 in London/derry, Northern Ireland. I was raised as a Presbyterian Christian in the north coast of County Antrim by my wonderful parents, Arthur and Eva, along with my brother and sister, Niall and Emma. One of my great hobbies (apart from rugby) has been playing the drums, so after my secondary school education I had some music training in Scotland before returning home to Northern Ireland briefly. I discovered I didn’t have the temperament (or natural talent, if truth be told) for the life of a musician, and it was at this time that many questions began to emerge about my Christian faith; it was a difficult time, and quite lonely, with the needful answers not presenting themselves. I had to resolve these questions, so I decided to go to university to study theology. This led me to a season of great doubt and even unbelief in God, as I took the opportunity to read the perspective of the so-called masters of suspicion (Marx, Nietzsche, Freud), and many of the post-modern theorists. It was a time of growing older (if not up) for me, and of learning to set aside much of my previous identity which was painful for my parents I think, and many of my older friends too. I was far from God, but he wasn’t far from me, and when my very own Project Self ran aground and I felt I had run out of steam entirely, I began to cry out to God once more. And he was, of course, so gracious and forgiving, and I have always known since then that I am held by God, that I am living the story that he wants to tell with my life.

Perhaps some of that has reminded you of Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son. It does for me too, and that story has indeed been a guiding force in my life. And, cutting a long story short, the next chapter of my life has been one of an abundance of blessing being poured out – as it were, the fatted calf being killed, and many unlooked-for good things having been given to me. As I returned to God, Grace entered my life, and I began a journey of discernment about ordination. Both have borne wonderful fruit in our fabulous children, Gabe and Clem, and the privilege of a hugely fulfilling priestly ministry.

We all very much look forward to seeing what God wants to do in and through us, in this next chapter, as members of Otley Parish Church.