Blessings from the Vicarage

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Dear Brothers and Sisters,

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I’ve been pondering for some time now about the village scarecrow festival, after I announced that, because King Charles III is the Patron of the Benefice of Frensham, I would make scarecrows of both King Charles and Queen Camilla. But the theme, as you all know, is ‘Heroes and Villains’, and there are some that might consider the King and Queen in one category or the other, depending on whether they are royalists or not!

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I have always admired the royal family because of the Queen: her Christian faith, her dedication to her role, her work ethic, and most of all her service and utter loyalty to the British people and the Commonwealth. And it seems that King Charles and Queen Camilla have continued in the same vein, albeit presently round his schedule of chemotherapy treatment. He may not be out and about in public, but of course is still continuing with his ‘red boxes’ daily to keep up with all affairs of state, the Commonwealth and world concerns.

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Working through having cancer treatment? Most people would find this impossible because treatment utterly saps all energy and motivation. But with great (and necessary) support King Charles is still dedicated, working, serving and utterly loyal to us all, whether we care or not. When one considers that most people of his age are (hopefully) enjoying a restful retirement focusing doing things that enrich their own lives, both King Charles and Queen Camilla since the Queen died, have worked tirelessly and continue working to enrich other people’s lives. In my book, that makes them both heroes.

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Sometimes though, it’s easier to name and shame the villains of this world rather than see and appreciate the heroes. And that makes me wonder what other scarecrows there will be, whether there’ll be more heroes or villains - fictional or real ones from history. I wonder if there will be any effigies of Darth Vader, the wicked witch of the west, Voldemort, Cruella de Vil; or Nero, Genghis Khan, Ivan the terrible, Hitler, or Rasputin or any current villains you might care to think of or name!

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Fiction and indeed the scarecrow festival aside, the trouble is that vilifying people, even when they have done real and actual heinous crimes and harm against humanity (and the planet), does not always aid recovery from trauma or grief or the emotional/cognitive development of humanity. Harbouring continual hate does not help a person evolve into maturity, understanding and wisdom, but can keep them in the chains of depression and despair.

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Judas Iscariot is still vilified by some Christians for his betrayal of Jesus Christ, which led to Jesus’ suffering and gruesome death nailed to the cross. But Christianity would not exist, had Judas not handed him over to the authorities to be tortured and killed, so could there be something else to do with Judas’ story that is relevant for our learning and development?

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Remember, Jesus said on the cross, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do”? Even though Judas thought he knew what he was doing, ultimately, he didn’t; and actually, when he realised, he repented, but could not

live with what he did and so committed suicide.

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God, through Jesus Christ’s life and experiences, knows firsthand our frailties and fallibilities. God knows that our egos, insecurities and addictions can get the better of us and sometimes, in extreme cases can turn us into gruesome villains… Sadly, these villains do not often repent because their egos’ insecurities and addictions won’t let them.

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Nevertheless, God in Jesus came to save the day for everyone - both heroes and villains, and to particularly offer the opportunity for repentance and freedom from all that keeps us in captivity. By Jesus’ total obedience to God’s revelation of Being through him, and by his heroic journey through suffering, death and resurrection, he enables us to be heroes, sharing God’s grace, love and goodness in this troubled world.

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Yours in Christ and with love and prayers,

Jane