Welcome to Weobley & Staunton Joint Benefice

In our gospel reading for the third Sunday of Easter, the risen Christ appears to the disciples once again by the lakeside in Galilee. They have spent a night fishing, with no catch. At daybreak, he directs them to cast their nets to the other side of the boat, and they haul in a catch of 153 fish. This miracle is another sign of Jesus’ divinity and a startling reminder to us of his power to provide.

This is particularly important for us living in a time when governments, companies and the media tell us continually that we are living in age of austerity; that the fiscal tank has run dry. When these messages reach saturation point, it’s very easy to become convinced that we are living in a time of scarcity. And yet, if we consider our standard of living in comparison to so many people on our planet (and throughout history) we have far more than we actually need.

The problem is one of perception. When people start to believe in the doomsayers of scarcity, they stop being generous with their resources. This may well be one of the reasons our churches are under-funded and the Diocese of Hereford is now facing a one-million-pound operating deficit. Bishop Richard has issued a call to prayer on Monday 12th May, focusing on the meeting of this need. It could be that the answer to this prayer lies with us, and our decision to exercise faith and be generous.

Rev’d Philip

In our recent Lent course in Weobley we enjoyed delving deeper into the gospel accounts about the resurrection. One thing that shone out in many of the accounts is the way in which Jesus was unrecognisable to those who had been closest to him. Mary Magdalene thinks he is a gardener at the tomb. Two disciples trudge along the Emmaus Road for seven miles without knowing who walks alongside them. And Thomas only comes to full  recognition of Jesus identity when he has physically placed his fingers in Jesus’ wounds. The writer Esther de Waal observes that after the resurrection Christ presents himself to each person in a way, and at a time and place appropriate to each.  It is never a case of rejecting the ordinary (a lakeshore, a garden, a dusty road) but rather of penetrating through appearances, going beyond the familiar.

This holds true for us also. We may expect the risen Christ to be grand, remote or strange, when in fact He is present with us in everyday life. John’s gospel ends with Jesus’ appearance to the disciples in Galilee, preparing breakfast over an open fire while they are out fishing. It’s a wonderful, earthy depiction of Jesus presence in an ordinary task. The challenge before us is to be fully present in our everyday life, so that we experience the wonder of the resurrection as a daily reality. 

Rev’d Philip