“Repay no one evil for evil…..live peaceably with all.  Never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”  If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.   Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”  Romans 12: 17—21

We don’t have to go too many days without coming across a    story of revenge – some variation on the spurned lover who cuts off the sleeves of their ex’s clothes and gives their silver car a coat of red gloss paint.  Many books and films are driven by a revenge-type plot, building up the tension until the bad guys gets their comeuppance, with the sense of relief that brings.  There seems to be endemic in humans a  desire for personal justice that is powerful and potentially deadly.

But God wants us to find different ways of dealing with vengeance; different ways of handling people who wrong us.

It feels like passive acquiescence, but it’s not.  The negative commands in the Bible: ‘do not repay anyone evil for evil’, ‘do not take revenge’, ‘do not be overcome by evil’ – are balanced with positive ones: ‘be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone, live at peace with everyone’, ‘leave room for God’s wrath… feed [your enemy]… give him something to drink’, ‘overcome evil with good’. These actions require us to be proactive; they place the initiative with us.

That makes sense. Most of us have to work hard at not coming back with the snide comment, not wanting to get ahead of that car that undercut us, not firing off that passive-aggressive email.  Revenge keeps evil in circulation, whether in a family or on a motorway or between nations.

Loving our enemies in tangible ways (‘feed him…give him something to drink’) seems so counter-intuitive.  And it is.  But no less counter-intuitive than what we see in the cross, the supreme demonstration of God’s love for us, even ‘while we were God’s enemies’ (Romans 5:10).  It’s there we see a different way of             responding to hostility.  In seeking to overcome evil, how could we not expect to be called to do the same?

Antony Billington writing in www.parishpump.co.uk

Here at St Peter’s, we have been very fortunate.  For the last 24 years we have had a dedicated and committed priest in Bill Henderson and in his wife Viv.  Together they have made a wonderful team dedicated to bringing the Gospels to life in the church and supporting the community here in Stanley.  Things haven’t always been easy or run smoothly but they have stayed committed to the idea of “love thy neighbour”, the challenge set by Jesus and brought to us through the Bible.

With much sadness, on March 4th, Bill   presided over his last service here at St Peter’s as he prepares for a well deserved retirement.  That day marked the end of one era and the beginning of another.  For Bill and Viv, a chance to explore new areas in life and an opportunity to spend more time with family.  For the church, we have entered into what is usually called an Interregnum, which means a time between priests, the period between one priest leaving and another being appointed.  This period often referred to as the vacancy, can be a challenge to the church and its congregation.  Continuing to meet the teaching of Jesus without the support of a priest can at first seem daunting.  The truth is that Interregnum often lead to a church discovering what is really is, and the challenge helps us grow.

The church congregation is much like a large family and like many families, we have our ups and downs.  The scriptures tell us that where two or more are gather in Christ’s name, then he is there also.  To us, this means that we are never alone in what we do as a congregation and as individuals. Jesus walks with us in our daily lives, not just on a Sunday when we meet together to give thanks and worship. Because of this we, as the family of Christ have an all knowing and all loving father, ready to guide us whenever we wonder from the right path.  The Interregnum, the vacancy, whatever you might want to call it, is a chance for all of us to become stronger together as a family and to explore together the next era, as we grow, to meet challenges with a new and strengthened vision for the future.

Rev David Teece

It is a very strange feeling beginning to write my last magazine   letter here in Stanley.  I am grateful for the many messages of encouragement about the opportunities in retirement.  Time to visit family and friends and do the things that full time work makes impossible.  Never the less there is also a real sense of loss too.  Being a vicar is an extraordinary privilege.  One has an opportunity to come alongside people and families at the most significant times in their lives.  It has been wonderful to see God at work as we have prayed and struggled together over the years.  I will miss the community that we have become so much part of.  Thank you to all those who been part of our journey together

One of the most disturbing aspects of the world around us is the prevalence of violence; whether it is the suicide bomber or a school massacre.  Even in many films and cartoons there is a theme of violence that in the end wins the day.  There are ’good’ guys that win and ’bad’ guys that need to be destroyed.  A Theologian called Walter Wink has written of the ‘myth of redemptive violence’, that is the idea that violence saves.  So for some people the answer to school massacres is more guns in school with teachers being armed.  There is the terrible image of gun fights in crowded class rooms.  Wink traces this idea back to the Babylonian creation story, that tells of a violent battle between gods, that leaves some victorious and dominant.  In contrast to this, Genesis tells of a     creation that is made out of love and made well.  In the beginning a place of Peace and beauty, though it is then messed up.

In the story of Jesus we have a stark contrast to the idea that victory comes from violence.  At Easter we remember that Jesus chose to use his power not to bring violent victory, but to choose powerlessness and allowed himself to be killed.  His saving act was then vindicated by his resurrection.  So when Jesus challenges us to take up our cross and follow him, he is calling us away from a reliance on violence to a radical response to conflict that is non violent and that seeks to build relationships with each other rather than fight.

This is difficult but has a deep logic.  Violence begets violence, and it is easy to see the danger of a never ending cycle of tit-for-tat that continues to escalate.  By contrast, a response that creates a relationship of trust and a growing understanding can result in genuine peace.  We can see that ’evil’ is just as much part of us as our enemy.  My prayer for our community and our world is that we can follow Jesus in this way of Peace.

Rev Bill Henderson