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.

Dear Friends – this month by Barry Milner

As we move into autumn we give thanks and marvel at the breath-taking display of colour in our beautiful part of the world.

The two Church Services with the highest attendance in October were midweek!

On Tuesday 4th October all the children from All Saints’ Primary School, together with their staff, parents, grandparents and carers filled our Church. The children gave us a wonderful Harvest service. They reminded us that the word HARVEST contains the letters of the word STARVE and SHARE. (One little boy also realised they contain VEST.)

On Thursday 6th October the Church was filled again by Westgate Primary School. The focus of their service was climate change and the need to improve our stewardship of God’s world.

Both schools assigned their generous donations of non-perishable products to Otley Food Bank. Together they donated 26 crates of food!

On Tuesday and Wednesday 11th and 12th October, groups of toddlers from Monkey Puzzle nursery came to Church wearing their yellow gilets, to bring their harvest donations for the Food Bank.

St Joseph’s Primary School, Pool CofE Primary School and Askwith Primary School have also kindly donated their harvest produce to Otley Food Bank this autumn.

Jesus taught us to care for the needy and vulnerable and we give thanks for these kind donations and for the care and interest of the staff and the children.

In Mathew Chapter 25 in the parable of the sheep and the goats Jesus tells us, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’.

On behalf of Otley Food Bank, we are most grateful for these donations. In previous years, harvest donations would go into our incoming stock room and be used over the next few months. Such is demand now that these donations went straight into the main stock area and much has already been distributed.

We pray for the day when the Food Bank will be no longer needed, and everyone will have the resources to provide for themselves.

In this harvest season we think especially of Ukraine.

Ukraine is a major grain producer and exporter, the ‘bread basket’ of Europe and the developing world. We give thanks that, through the diplomatic work of the UN, grain shipments have resumed, allowing space in the silos for the farmers to harvest their crops this year. It is estimated that the effect of the Russian invasion will reduce the harvest from 86 million tonnes in 2021 to 50 million tonnes in 2022. We pray that this shortfall will be dealt with fairly and that the poor will not suffer.

The 6 months guaranteed period for Ukraine refugees in this country is coming to an end and we pray that the refugees will be able to move on and be housed on a more permanent basis. Jesus and his family were refugees, and He would understand. As Christians we need to not only offer help to all refugees but also oppose all the situations which create refugees.

We see the effects of climate change affecting harvests around the world, either by flooding destroying crops as in Pakistan or drought preventing them growing in the first place as in the developing famine in Somalia. As these changes increase – affecting food prices even in this country – we need to remember that the poor around the world will be the first to feel these effects. We have created the pollution, but they are paying the price.

We are living in a time of growing uncertainty both political and financial but as we look forward to the season of Advent and begin to plan for the celebration of Christ’s coming into the world let us remember that He came to bring Good News for all.

Barry

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.

How are you with change?

It’s holiday season when many of us will go away for a change of scene – “a change is as good as a rest”, the saying goes although I am hoping for both!

Many of our young people are preparing for change as they say goodbye to old classes, familiar  teachers and maybe even schools.

I learnt a long time ago that I enjoy change – if I have instigated it! I am excited by it if I have control over it. I am less happy when change is imposed upon me. Taking myself out of my comfort zone to embrace new experiences and new challenges is one thing. Being pushed out of my comfort zone is quite another!

Last November we had, as a Church, to face up to the change of Graham and Janet leaving Otley. We felt the pain of loss but then had to settle into the new normal. But we knew it was a temporary norm and we looked forward with anticipation to welcoming a new vicar. Things have been put on hold and we concentrate on supporting each other and encouraging those who have stepped up to fill the gaps. We have, I think, done ok!

But now we know that it is Aaron Kennedy who will be our new vicar, we must prepare to welcome him and his family to Otley.

So, very soon it will be all change again. As the family prepare to leave their current home, their church and their friends, can we prepare for their arrival? Can we prepare our hearts to welcome and embrace the changes that will and should be coming? Let us look forward to change which will undoubtedly benefit us all, and not keep saying, “but Graham always did it like this…”

In times of unrest, perhaps you comfort yourself with the knowledge that God does not change. Hebrews 13 vs. 8 reminds us that, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever”. Malachi 3 vs. 6 says, “I the Lord do not change”.

And whilst it is true that God does not change, our knowledge of Him, our experience of Him and our relationship with Him does and should change. As we learn more, grow more and experience more the God we thought we knew and understood will change. That can feel scary. But that is why we are in community with each other so   we can uphold each other in uncertain times.

I am hopeful that under Aaron’s ministry we will change, and our knowledge of, and our relationship with God, will also change. I hope we will try new things and will embrace new opportunities for mission and growth.

A few Sundays ago we learnt a new song:

We are not made for the harbour
We are made for the sea
Though at times it’s wild and cold and dark,
It’s where we are meant to be.
You launch us out as a Father
Though we may be tossed about,
But your presence in the storm
It walls us in and calls us out.

Let us be sea people and not harbour people here at OPC.

I love the C.S. Lewis quote from The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.  Susan asks of Aslam, “Is he quite safe?” Mr Beaver replies, “Who said anything about safe? Of course he isn’t safe. But he is GOOD”.

In this next season let’s remember we love and serve Jesus who isn’t safe but who is very good. Let us be willing to embrace the changes that are up ahead and let’s get ready to give Aaron, Grace, Gabriel and Clement, an OPC welcome as we look forward to growing in the knowledge and love of Jesus with them.

Jackie Hird

Dear Friends

As the May blossom and spring bulbs give way to roses and summer bedding it is hard to believe that war has returned to the European continent.

We give thanks that Ukrainian refugees are already being welcomed to our small market town of Otley and let us offer what support we can to the hosts and their guests. We pray that peace will return to Ukraine and to all war-torn countries around the world.

As we enter the period between Ascension Day and Pentecost we are asked to take part in the ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ prayer initiative. Let us join with fellow Christians in praying for the Kingdom.

Father, we thank you, not only for being our Creator, Sustainer and Saviour, but also through Christ’s life, death, resurrection and ascension you have declared him to be Lord.

We thank you that because of Christ’s ascension his ministry to us is no longer restricted by the limits of an earthly life. Now he has been lifted up we can be assured of his presence with each of us at any time, in any place and whoever we are.

A recent programme on Radio 4 featured the poet and priest George Herbert. He lived from 1593 to 1633 and became an ordained minister near Salisbury after studying at Trinity College, Cambridge.

The last poem he wrote, sent as a handwritten manuscript to a friend and not published in his lifetime was simply called ‘Love’:

             LOVE bade me welcome; yet my soul drew back,
Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack
From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning
If I lack’d anything.

             A guest, I answer’d, worthy to be here:’
Love said, You shall be he.
I, the unkind, ungrateful? Ah, my dear,
I cannot look on Thee.
Love took my hand and smiling did reply,
Who made the eyes but I?

             Truth, Lord; but I have marr’d them: let my shame
Go where it doth deserve.
And know you not, says Love, Who bore the blame?
My dear, then I will serve.
You must sit down, says Love, and taste my meat.
So I did sit and eat.

It is an unusual religious poem, it never uses the word ‘God’ but simply ‘Love’. How would our faith change if we did the same?

Some four hundred years later, can we learn from George Herbert how to reconnect with God and with our neighbour? Do we need to phone the person we have grown distant from; do we need to write to the person we had a row with; do we need to say sorry to someone or tell them we love them? Have we stopped thinking about the moral consequences of how we spend our money; trash things too easily; forget those who are unseen; confuse compassion with justice?

In George Herbert’s words, “Teach me, my God and King, in all things Thee to see”.

A minister, Mark, used a recent personal experience to illustrate this. In 2015 he was asked to preach in the reconstructed Frauenkirche in Dresden. Returning to the railway station after his visit, the taxi driver asked him why he had wanted to come to Dresden.

Mark replied, “Because my grandfather was the navigator of a Lancaster bomber and I know that on 14th February 1945 he flew over Dresden as part of a bombing raid. He could never talk to me about it.” The taxi driver was quiet for some time then replied, “That was the night my mother died”. He pulled the taxi over, turned the engine off, then turned to Mark, put out his arm and said, “and now we shake hands”.

The taxi driver did what Love does in the poem, ‘smiling, he took my hand’. The taxi driver knew the facts, the horrors of that night. But he knew more; he had become wise. We can be loyal to the past but how can we be loyal to the future?

George Herbert knew when Love stretches out a hand, new life takes shape and a fresh answer to that question is opened up.

In all conflicts around our troubled world, let us pray that there are people who will be humble and wise enough to stretch out a hand in reconciliation.

Love and blessings,

Barry

Dear Friends

We are now into the sixth month of the vacancy – the period without a Vicar. The process of appointing a new Vicar has been going on throughout that time and we all had the opportunity to contribute to the Parish Profile. The PCC also produced the Parish Brochure (information about OPC and the Otley area that is sent out to potential applicants) and had various meetings with the Bishop and others from the Diocese. The post was advertised in early April and applications close in early May, with interviews to be held on the 23rd May. Please continue to pray for those involved in the final stages of this process. Whilst we are keen to get a new Vicar in post as soon as possible, Bishop Nick has made it clear that it’s more important to get the right person – even if that means we have to delay things further after the first round of interviews. So while we hope to have someone in post by September we could conceivably be waiting rather longer than that!

One of the most important things that Barry and I have to ensure as Churchwardens during this time of vacancy is that our church doesn’t deviate from the general way things were done during Graham‘s time. Sometimes that can create a little tension but it is important that any significant changes, if indeed there are any, await the arrival of the new Vicar.

However, it’s important to note that, while we can’t have significant changes taking place at this time, we do want to maintain the same direction of travel. We don’t want to stagnate as a church during the vacancy and it has been important to get some of the pre-Covid activities and ministries back into action. It is also really good to continue to encourage many members of the congregation to take part in leading, producing content for and taking part in ourworship services and in other activities and ministries throughout the week. This is something that Graham was very keen to build on.

We have just passed through the Easter season and the great celebration of Jesus conquering death and rising to new life and all that that means for us as redeemed children of God, able to start living life in His eternal Kingdom. The theme of new life is always emphasised in an earthly sense at this time of year also, as we go through spring and move into summer with so much new growth and new birth around us in God’s creation.

In the same way that we don’t want church life to stand still, we don’t want our own personal relationship with God to stagnate either. As we consider Jesus’ gift of new life and a new future through His work on the Cross, and as we look towards new growth and new life in the physical world it’s a great opportunity to take stock of our own personal spiritual development – to see which areas need to have new life breathed into them through the power of the Holy Spirit. Do we need to spend a bit more of our prayer time listening for what God might be trying to say to us? Perhaps to spend more time in reading the bible or praying – simply spending more time with Him. Perhaps God wants us to be involved in a new area of ministry within the life of our church – or beyond. Isaiah 43:19 – ‘See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?’ If God is bringing us to a place of refreshing and renewal, then He will ensure that we have the necessary resources within us to do that to which He is calling us.

As Jackie said to us in her Easter Sunday talk, ‘The resurrection is personal – it’s for each one of us – and we can experience a new coming alive again in the Spirit. And when we really know’ (in our hearts not just in our heads) ‘that the risen Lord Jesus Christ really loves each one of us, it changes our whole lives.’

As we pray for the appointment of our new Vicar and for the new chapter that it will bring in the life of Otley Parish Church, let us also pray for ourselves that, in this time of post Easter new life, God may each day fill us anew with His Holy Spirit – that we may be channels of His love and grace to others.

Kevin Keefe

Dear Friends Letter from Jackie Hird
(Licensed Lay Minister at Otley Parish Church)

We are privileged to be living in Britain and to have such distinct seasons. Whilst climate change is causing some worrying changes in our weather, the seasons still help us mark time and help give rhythm to our lives. Which is your favourite season? Do you enjoy the starkness of winter, wrapping up against the cold? Maybe it’s the colours of Autumn you love. I am ‘summer sun’ all the way! But if its springtime for you, then you will be in your element now, as it is officially spring with the daffodils and crocuses to prove it! We have even had some lovely spring sunshine.

Along with the seasons we also have the Festivals that help our spiritual journeying. We have experienced the light in the darkness at Christmas, and now we are in Lent getting ready for Easter.

It feels like over recent years we have had far too much Good Friday horror and Easter Saturday waiting. After the disruption and disharmony of Brexit came the fear and loss of the Covid Crisis. Just as it felt like we were beginning to emerge from that, we are plunged into the dreadful situation in Ukraine. How we long for Easter Sunday resurrection joy when we declare ‘He is risen. Hallelujah’. We want for everything to be made right, made whole again, and for the pain to go away.

But as we look at that first Easter when Mary finds that Christ has risen and death has been overcome, we see that outwardly the circumstances of the disciples hadn’t changed. They were still living as oppressed people, under Roman occupation. That didn’t end with the resurrection. Some would go on to suffer great persecution, even death. Their lives were not changed on the outside but they were changed on the inside. Christ’s resurrection didn’t change their circumstances but it did change their destiny. The journey remained hard but the destination was different.

They experienced hope that wasn’t dependent on what was happening on the outside but was from knowing that they were loved by Jesus, loved enough that he died for them and that He overcame death that they may have eternal life.

We too can know that whatever is going on in our circumstances we can live in the reality of Easter Sunday every day. Eternal life is not just for when we die, it is from today – from now.

Writer Henri Nouwen says, “This is the enormous revolution, that in this fleeting, temporary world, he comes to plant the seed of eternal life… it is the life of the Divine Spirit within us… Become aware of this mysterious presence and life turns around”.

May you know the hope and joy that is found in Christ this Easter, and join us as we proclaim, He is risen indeed, Hallelujah!