June 2010 - Vol. 32 No. 6

The Revered Steve Osman writes:

Dear Friends

"And now, the time is near, and so I face the final curtain..."
Sadly, this will be my last letter for the Messenger, Parish Lines and Compass (though if you ask me nicely I may send you an update from my new patch!)
So what can I say on this auspicious occasion? Simple. Goodbye. Adieu. Adios.

No, I'm not showing off with my grasp of European languages, I'm simply saying the same thing three times. If you know your French and Spanish, you'll know that all three words carry the same message.

Rectors Goodbye = God be with ye; Adieu and adios = to God. In other words, all I'm doing is commending you into God's care. There's no better way to say farewell than to commit those you care about into God's hands. Leaving here is going to be very hard. After ten years we feel we have got to know folk well and over ten years we've been through a lot together. But this isn't the end of the story. We face new challenges, so do you. Personal life and church life will continue to change and develop for you and for us. In the adventures that lie ahead there is no better or safer place to be than being held securely in God's hands.

I'm aware that those of you reading this may fall into at least two categories. There will be some who have a strong Christian faith. I say to you, as I did to the youth groups at Lydia's farewell - keep the faith. Stay centred on Christ. Keep going with the regular disciplines of prayer and Bible reading. Look forward to new encounters with Jesus.

The other group are those of you who read this through curiosity, whose faith is barely formed or uncertain. To you I say, give church a try. If you want to find out more about faith, more about the God who has revealed himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, more about this adventure we call following Jesus, try looking in your local church. You'll find ordinary people with extraordinary stories.

Going back to Ol' Blue eyes' song quoted at the beginning, I hope I haven't done it my way, but God's way. I commend you all to following God's way, there's no better way to live. And there's no better place to be than safe in God's hands.

Goodbye! Or, for Christians, not just adieu, but au revoir. (Look it up!)