Making My Heart Sing

Wednesday evening made my heart sing. Looking out into St Martin’s from the front and seeing all those people, so many of you from so many different parts of the last twenty years of my life, was something I will never ever forget. It felt overwhelmingly special- the music, the food, the art, the poems, the words and most of all the people and friendships that have filled my life in this open and wonderful church. I came home overflowing. This is such an incredible community- full of generosity, kindness, and love for God and I was more aware than ever what a privilege it is to belong here. In the Gospel, Jesus preaches ‘The kingdom of heaven is coming and now is’. We often focus on the stuff in our world which we are anxious about and fear, but there are times when we more than glimpse the kingdom of God is not just a future event, but now is- embodied in each one of us, in the music of our souls, in the love and kindness we share, in the life of the Spirit and in the wonder of Christ we follow. To see you was to feel to feel so full of gratitude for you, this church and for God. There is a psalm which describes the beauty of that friendship and unity in this way:
Behold how good and wonderful it is
to dwell together in unity.
It is like the precious oil upon the head,
running down …
It is like the dew of Hermon
running down upon the hills of Zion.
For there the Lord has promised his blessing:
even life for evermore. Psalm 133
Charles de Foucauld used to say, ‘If that is what the disciples of Jesus are like how I long to meet their master’. So many of you, in so many ways- in struggle and in joy- have shown me Jesus. Thank you all so much. Thank you from the bottom of my heart and my thank you becomes my prayer. I would like to end by quoting the words of Dom Hélder Câmara:
Of all your lessons, Master,
one is so important
I forget about the rest …
Teach me to reach for the infinite,
the light, which on the horizon,
helps heaven come down to earth
and earth rise up to heaven.
Revd Richard Carter

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