Dear Friends,  When we meet or phone family or friends one of the first things we ask is how they are. We can now add a further query which is ‘have you had the vaccine yet? There’s no doubt one of the things to herald and rejoice at the start of this year is the number of vaccinations that have been delivered in our country; over 20 million as I pen this letter. What an absolute triumph of science and logistics to have produced several vaccines in under a year and delivered them. The sheer number of vaccinations given is a very positive step along the rocky road towards some sort of normality.

I wonder if the heroes of the day are now scientists, NHS staff and keyworkers who continue to serve and go the extra mile in these most testing times – let’s give them three cheers!

When one looks back it is amazing how our lives have been improved in these past few generations.  Can you remember the days when you got up on a winter’s morning to find ice on the inside of the bedroom window?   Central heating has given us warm homes and when one goes to a local supermarket the sheer amount of choice can be overwhelming; they reckon a large supermarket has something like 44,000 different items on the shelf, and that’s before you go online.

There is a flip side to the ever increasing standard of living, the ease of travel and the choice on the shelves, and that is the damage are we doing to the planet and animal world and do workers across the world get a fair wage.  In the first book of the Bible, Genesis, we are given the privilege of being good stewards of the world we live in. So how we live and develop as a human race comes with a great responsibility to think beyond what’s in it for me but rather what impact does my life have on this amazing world, and how can I leave it in good shape for future generations. As we continue to push the boundaries of what we can do as a human race we must bear in mind that just because we can do a new thing doesn’t mean we should do it without considering the possible side effects. A starting point is to recognize that we are not mini-gods, rather we are accountable to God for the way we use our God    given talents and the world’s resources.

For Christians, a good place for guidance are the two commandments  summarised by Jesus: the first is ‘love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and soul’ and the second is ‘love your neighbour as you would love yourself’. With these two commandments we should not go too far wrong as we live in an increasingly complex world and grapple with many questions and challenges that come our way. So as Lent continues, let’s give thanks for all those who continue to use their God given talents to push the boundaries of science and technology so they may be guided by God to build a world that reflects his goodness and grace and help us all to live a blessed life.

Take care and stay safe,

Rev Glenn Coggins, Vicar of  the United Benefice of Stanley, Outwood and Wrenthorpe and Alverthorpe.

It seems to me that many people were hoping that when 2020 ended and 2021 began that things would begin to change for the better.  This was reinforced by the pre-Christmas news that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine had been approved closely followed by the Oxford/AstraZeneca one.  The end was in sight, or was it?  Just when we though that we had turned the corner, a new variant of Covid-19 had been discovered on our own doorstep and we could see ourselves   heading back down into another lockdown and here we are.

In today’s world, pandemics are thankfully very rare.  Most of us in our lifetime have not seen the likes of Covid-19 even though there have been a few in the last 100 years, but all have been mild by      comparison. We have got used to having the freedom to do mostly whatever we want to do, and we take travel between continents for granted.  The easier travel gets for us, the easier it gets for the virus.

Plagues, wars and disease have been central to our way of life for thousands of years, but we don’t usually get wrapped up in them      personally.  Covid-19 has been different because it has affected everyone, everywhere in the world.  The reason why we have passed through those times is because of HOPE.  This is a gift that God gave us in   creating us in his image, and faith is the path to HOPE:

Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

Romans 5:1 “Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

However we may be affected by the virus; however inconvenient it may be, we will win through.  God’s love for us will always triumph.  Yes, there is pain and loss for many, but God waits at the end to embrace us in his love and asks us through faith to live in hope for a better future.

Revd David Teece
St Peters Church, Stanley and St Paul’s, Alverthorpe.