The Vicar's Letter (this letter written by Reverend Stephen Burge) has been appearing in the villages Focus magazine since August 2002
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Vicar's Letter

July 2022

Reverend Stephen Burge, Associate Priest of the Church of St Mary The Virgin, Eaton Bray with Edlesborough.

It doesn't seem that long ago that we were chiming in the New Year, but here we are already in July with Carnival time upon us! Looking through the programme for this year's Carnival it is amazing how many different things are going on, from craft and book stalls to BBQs, from a tug of war to bird of prey, as well as classic car displays, live music and our very own royal procession - it's all very exciting!

The Carnival is such a wonderful time because we all come together as a community to celebrate and have fun. After the covid pandemic, but also now with issues around the cost of living there has never been a more important time for us all to come together, to support each other and to be a community. Throughout his ministry, Jesus taught about the importance of including everyone in the celebration of God's love, as well as the need for us to look out and look after those who are in difficulty, especially those who may have been forgotten and left behind. St Peter and important figures in the early Church, also recognised the great benefits of being in a community: being together not only helps our spiritual lives, but by working together we are also able to help others more effectively and in greater numbers. A big part of our Carnival is the fact that it raises money for charities, both locally and nationally. So, by joining in the fun, we will also be helping others.

This year's Carnival also has a theme: Love our Planet. This carnival time I encourage you all to think about our planet and our local environment. In Genesis, it says that when God created the world, he looked at what he had created and saw that it was good. Over the years, humans have made the planet less good, polluting the waters, harming wildlife and their habitats, and pumping harmful gases into the atmosphere.

I think we can all ask ourselves what can we do to help make our local environment better? The effects of pollution will have an impact on many generations to come and God calls all of us to try and do what we can to help create a better world for the children of tomorrow.

So this Carnival time I hope that you have some time to enjoy the festivities, and that you can join in with all the fun. But, as you tuck into some homemade cake or enjoy the live music, I hope that we can remember the power and value of coming together as a community. I hope that you we can all find a moment to think about some of the people in need that our charities will be supporting. And I hope that, come rain or shine, we can all give thanks for our beautiful world and think about those things that we can do to make our environment and our world a better place for all.

Rev'd Stephen Burge

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About the Vicar's Letter

The Vicar's Letter has been appearing in the villages Focus magazine since August 2002.

The Rev. Peter Graham also used to publish The Vicar's Letter in the parish magazine of 1964. Please see the area for these.