Janet`s May 2018 letter to the Community

              Janet’s letter to the Community

 

Dear Friends

I recently took a train journey to Birmingham.  As the train got beyond the outskirts of London I noticed with renewed force the beauty of the English countryside.  Having time to ponder on a train journey, I got to thinking about the creation story in the first chapter of the Bible.  While we no longer take this story literally, it is nevertheless an important story in the shaping of our attitudes and approach to the world we live in.  We notice that, at each stage of the creation of the physical world, we have the words, “And God saw that it was good.”  God loves the world he has made.  He approves of it.  He has made it beautiful, for our enjoyment and for his, and I was making the most of it on my train journey.

But there is something more.  The last stage of this story tells of the creation of human beings, male and female.  And after this, “God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.”  As our news is full of stories of exploitation, cruelty and senseless violence, it can be difficult to remember that human beings are the pinnacle of God’s creation.  Every single human being is loved and valued by God more than “galaxies of new-created worlds.”*  The worth of human life is incalculable.

What a terrible contrast with the reports we’ve had in the last few days of an increase in violent crime in our city; reports of mostly young people caught up in a culture of retaliation and revenge, driven by fear, hopelessness and lack of self-worth.  We pray for both victims and perpetrators and for a break in the cycle that will enable meaningful change. 

And for ourselves, may these events renew our commitment to respect and cherishing of human life, made in the image of God, and even more beautiful and amazing than the stunning English countryside!

With every blessing,

Janet

* A phrase from the American spiritual writer A.W. Tozer

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