From the Vicarage - September

“There is nothing new under the sun”

Has anything caused that phrase to spring to mind recently?

Was it when the promises of new political leaders sounded so appealing, until we realised we had thought that once (or how many times was it) before, and sadly been disappointed?

Was it when we heard that cargo pants were coming back in fashion, and the old V-neck was to be a new autumn ‘must’, and we realised that we still had both stuffed at the back of the wardrobe from last time around?

Was it when we overheard the children’s excited chatter about marbles and we remembered with nostalgia our own days of rolling marbles, picking up jacks or jumping over a skipping rope?

“There is nothing new under the sun”

The words from the Book of Ecclesiastes, an Old Testament collection of writings often attributed to the wisdom of King Solomon, can sound very much like the resigned words of an ageing man who sees only that life repeats itself in a rather tiresome, negative, even unproductive fashion… the same actions, the same desires, the same mistakes!

Other writings of Scripture prefer to celebrate the experience of ‘the new’.

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end.  They are new every morning….”

Those words, from the Book of Lamentations, remind us that there is a new gift each and every day; that we need not be limited or bound by the events or mistakes of yesterday.

It is perhaps because we so need to be reminded of that promise, and encouraged to grasp it, that we have three opportunities each calendar year to step into ‘the new’. September is the third.

The first is January - the gift of New Year. The second is April - the gift of Easter and Spring. September, a more mellow period of the year, is accompanied by a golden new beginning; a fresh start gifted us by the world of education.

I have cherished photos of godchildren holding up school book-bags for the very first time, wearing crisp white shirts, drowned by new coats which they are meant to grow into for a whole term! What I personally loved about the new school year were the new exercise books – all those fresh, clean, perfect pages waiting to be written or drawn on. No hesitant half- formed letters, no smudges, no mistakes – just a world of possibilities, a fresh start, a new beginning.

When you see a school child skipping along the road, waiting at the bus stop, or passing your window this September find in yourself some forgiveness for the old things which have returned and disappointed, offer some thanksgiving for the old things which have resurfaced and brought a smile of nostalgia, and commit to something new – a new project to undertake, a new idea to pursue, a new habit to develop, a new faith in the gift and possibilities of each new day…

Love & Prayers

Carolyn

The Reverend Carolyn A James