The Vicar's Letter (written by Reverend Joy Cousans, Vicar of St Mary's Church in Eaton Bray) has been appearing in the villages Focus magazine since June 2017
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Vicar's Letter

November 2022

Reverend Joy Cousans, vicar of the Church of St Mary The Virgin, Eaton Bray with Edlesborough.

My sister has bought me a new bread maker for my birthday, so I am enjoying trying out the different programmes and tasting the bread. With my bread maker it is important to follow the recipe precisely and to include sugar to react with the yeast and salt to give the bread flavour. Bread is the staple diet of many cultures throughout the world. This is still the case today as it was in Jesus' day.

Jesus in his teaching used images that were familiar to his audience. Images of seeds and harvest, of birds and flowers, of sheep and goats, of women making bread, and men building barns. He told stories (called Parables) as ways of teaching the truths of Christian living. The most famous of these is the parable of the good Samaritan.

In addition to teaching by parables, Jesus asked his listeners to think about common everyday items such as bread, yeast and salt. For example, in Matthew's gospel chapter 5 Jesus tells his followers: 'You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored?' The Greeks called salt 'divine' because of its importance in the ancient world. It was highly valued for its properties of preservation.

Before refrigeration, it was important to be able to keep food from going off. Salt was the commonest of all preservatives to prevent things from going bad. Also salt gives taste to food. You only need a small amount to flavour a whole dish. Jesus is saying that one of his followers can make a difference to a whole community in the same way as a teaspoon of salt flavours a whole meal. But if Christians do not live in a Christ like way, how can that saltiness remain?

There is a story of an American teacher employed in Japan on the understanding that during school hours he should not utter a word on the subject of Christianity. The teacher was true to his word. He never spoke a word about his faith to his students.

Yet his character was so attractive and his faith shone through in the way he lived his life that his students were keen to discover more. 25 of them entered the Kyoto Christian Training School and some of them went on to preach the Gospel which their teacher had shown them. All that time, he never uttered a word about his Christian faith.

Christians are to be salt to the world. Our task is to preserve and to reconcile. We are to 'add taste' to our communities, giving hope and meaning to others in need. We are to be those who uphold good values and who lift up our world and our neighbours to God in prayer. St Mary's has a prayer leaflet called 'Pray for the community day by day'. On each date of the month there are suggestions for prayer in three categories.

We pray for our village communities street by street, remembering those who live and work there. We pray for the church and the life of our community. And we pray for the wider world and its needs. If you would like a copy of the leaflet to guide your prayers, please get in touch. Or if you would like us to pray for you or your particular situation, let us know. This can be kept confidential if you wish it to be.

With all good wishes,

Rev'd Joy Cousans, Vicar of Eaton Bray with Edlesborough

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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.