By Revd Lucy Austin
On Monday afternoon more than a hundred and fifty, maybe up to two hundred people gathered at the Church of St Peter and St Paul in Stokenchurch to celebrate and give thanks to God for Dave Crozier, his life and what he meant to each one of them.

Many too, in different places near and overseas, would join in online because Dave had touched their lives with his humour, his genuine love for humanity and his lively wit.

For those whom he had briefly met as well as those whom he knew for most of his life none remain unmoved by his leaving to go to his eternal home. The service of thanksgiving was, in itself, an overwhelming tribute to the person who leaves a legacy few could ever hope to match.

The singing was glorious! All three carefully chosen hymns of praise carrying deep meaning in their words:

O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer’s praise….
My gracious Master and my God, assist me to proclaim,
to spread thro’ all the earth abroad the honours of your name.

O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer’s praise….
My gracious Master and my God, assist me to proclaim,
to spread thro’ all the earth abroad the honours of your name.

In Christ alone, my hope is found, He is my light, my strength, my song;
This Cornerstone, this solid ground, …..
My Comforter, my All in All, Here in the love of Christ I stand.

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation, And take me home,
what joy shall fill my heart! Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And there proclaim: “My God, how great Thou art!”

Dave’s elder brother Peter spoke of their childhood, particularly mentioning that in his view ‘Dave never forgot anything from age 16 going forward.’ Dave certainly did do well at school but Peter also remembers that he struggled with languages. His Latin teacher wrote: “Hardly a linguist. Tries hard.”.
Dave’s second PhD was later to be achieved in the Nigerian language of Chisingini, the first having been in Biochemistry.

Dave’s eldest son John told with feeling of his father’s gift and love for teaching – whether helping with homework or tutoring students it was always with kindness and compassion. He said that many children think that their Dad is wonderful, knows everything and can do everything. But, John said, all the Crozier children believed that to be true of their Dad. He was also fun to play with, no matter what game you wanted.

The grandchildren supported that view as well, although none of them actually knew Dave before he had become ill with emphysema. Joel, the eldest grandson, said that he had asked his siblings and cousins each to describe Grandad in a single word. The results were revealing: faithful, considerate, patient, intelligent, loving, extraordinary. Dave’s family meant a great deal to him and he loved to spend as much time as possible with them.

The final tribute – on Dave’s work with Wycliffe – came from Matthew Harley. He spoke of the life of faith Dave lived all his days. An example of as godly man who enriched the lives of those around him. Matthew went on to read his own poem, written for Dave, entitled ‘The twinkle in his eye’. A small part of it follows:

Your bronchial trees were shedding their leaves and it couldn’t be reversed.

Breathing was often a struggle.

You endured it all so gracefully with Liz ever by your side

Trusting God there was an answer to the question ‘Why?’

And knowing always He was the one …. who put that twinkle in your eye!

Heather Ford Lark, who co-ordinated the service, gave a short reflection based on the reading from St Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonian Christians. She emphasised that grieving is a necessary part of loss but that we, as Christians, do not grieve as those who have no hope. We believe and hope in Jesus who will take us all home, to be with Him forever.

So we can pray: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you; the Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you and give you peace”.

With love and many blessings

LucyA

By Heather Ford Lark
For me, September is like the start of a new year, with the school holidays ending, students of all ages back at school, colleagues back from their holidays, new routines, and a definite fresh feeling in the air.

A little late summer warmth lingers on, especially in the afternoons this past week, but the early mornings and evenings are cooler and bring with them a different rhythm. When I go out to the car in the morning, there are often several spider webs spun across the wing mirrors, as the spiders seek a warmer nook. They are especially active at this time of year.

September has neither the extreme heat of summer nor the frosty cold of winter, but is a like a gentle in-between time.

There are still a few tomato plants ripening on my plants, and the surprise that a green pepper growing slowly on my plant for many weeks has now turned a beautiful shade of red. There are still several runner beans hiding between the leaves, even a few late bean flowers emerging, and windfall apples for crumbles.

At the same time, I am enjoying seeing beautiful shiny conkers on the ground, some still in their prickly green cases, and no two exactly alike; scattered acorns, the ones not already hidden away by squirrels for the winter. I notice the gentle changes in the colours of the leaves, both on the trees and a few rustling underfoot. Many trees are full of berries, a different beauty from the flowers borne on those same trees earlier in the year. All these remind me of the Creator and his wonderful generosity towards us and to all his creation.

A season of transition from summer to autumn, September is also a chance to reflect on God’s faithfulness through the rhythms of the seasons, through the changing phases of life. We are reminded that “for everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). September demonstrates that change need not to be faced with apprehension, but rather embraced as part of God’s design, with a beauty of its own.

September can bring with it a renewal of energy after languid summer days– I think there’s something about this month that encourages – at least for me- planning and starting new projects.

I am partway through painting one of the bedrooms at home, giving the room a fresh look, and I’m planning with a good neighbour what I can plant in October to provide us with some veg and fruit in the spring. Part of the joy is the anticipation of green shoots eventually emerging from the soil and growing to maturity.

And yesterday I started my ordination training near Oxford, along with 15 other new ordinands. A fresh start this month. Whilst I will still be contributing in the ways I normally do at church, what a joy it is to be starting a new course, meeting new people, learning new things about God, myself and others, and seeing Him at work. And having an expectation of what He wants to do!

It is a fitting time to recommit to prayer, to the Bible, and to our community, letting the quieter pace draw us closer to Christ, so the joys of September can become for us a season of spiritual harvest too.

By Revd Mark Ackford

As you may know yesterday there was a parish trip to Coventry Cathedral, 28 pilgrims on a journey to a place of remarkable reconciliation, hope and renewal.

The old cathedral was destroyed on the 14th of November 1940, the night of the Coventry blitz and after the bombing, the cathedral’s provost, Richard Howard, wrote “Father Forgive” on a charred wall, symbolising a commitment to forgiveness and peace. In the days that followed, two powerful symbols emerged from the ruined cathedral. Two burnt roof beams – which had fallen in the shape of a cross in the rubble – were bound together and placed where the altar had been and three medieval roof nails were formed into a cross, which became the original Coventry Cross of Nails.

During the BBC radio broadcast from the cathedral ruins on Christmas Day 1940, Howard declared that when the war was over, we should work with those who had been enemies “to build a kinder, more Christ-like world.” The Cross of Nails quickly became a potent sign of friendship and hope in the post-war years. This was especially true in relationships with Germany, and the developing links between Coventry and the cities of Kiel, Dresden and Berlin. In September 1947 a Cross of Nails was presented to St Nikolai Church, Kiel, Germany, a symbol of peace between former enemies.

And so began the moral and prophetic vision of Coventry cathedral’s ministry of reconciliation something that remains to this day at the centre of the cathedral’s raison d’etre.

Beside the ruins of the old cathedral, the new cathedral now stands, designed by Sir Basil Spence and consecrated in 1962, it rises as a beacon of reconciliation, hope and renewal. Its modernist design, in sharp contrast to the medieval remains, represents a determination to move forward without forgetting the past. The physical connection between the old and new structures expresses the continuity between remembrance and regeneration.

This physical connection is the one thing that struck me most profoundly of all. The jagged, open structure of the old cathedral ruins are in stark contrast to the clean lines and uplifting spaces of the new cathedral building, illustrating for me the passage from destruction to hope. In a sense two buildings joined by a bridge, one which physically and metaphorically links the past and future. With the use of natural light, open spaces, and modern materials in the new cathedral all contributing to a feeling of openness, transparency, and trust in humanity’s capacity for renewal.

Today, Coventry Cathedral remains a living symbol of peace, reconciliation, and the enduring human spirit. Its message is as relevant now as it was in the aftermath of war: that out of destruction can come hope, and from forgiveness, a new beginning. Through its architecture, art, and mission, the cathedral continues to inspire people from all backgrounds to seek understanding and to build a more peaceful world.

By Judy Taylor
Recently on Facebook there have been some beautiful pictures of local early morning sunrises or sunsets. The skies have been deep pink merging into mauves and blues and often set against a silhouette of tall trees. The caption accompanying the photos is ‘beautiful but brief’. It reminded me of a time when there was a most beautiful sunset where I lived – the sky was just full of amazing colours and I so wanted to take a photo without the addition of trees and roofs so I drove a short distance to a place where I thought I would have a more complete uninterrupted view. However, by the time I got there the sky had changed, the colours were not so vibrant, the picture was fading. Afterwards, I do remember thinking about my rush to capture this picture and realising there was a lesson here. Enjoy the moment for however long or short it is because it is a window of something amazing and as soon as you try to change or hold it for longer, it will never be the same.

On seeing the Transfiguration of Christ, Peter wanted to make three shelters, or tabernacles, one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah, to preserve the moment and honour the divine figures present. His statement was a reaction of overwhelming awe and fear, a desire to make the spiritual high permanent but this was not God’s plan. Peter was chosen by Jesus together with John and James to witness this amazing revelation but this is what it was, a window into the glory of God and of his Son but, just for a brief moment, real life had to be returned to.

This is the time of year when what we see around us is beginning to change; some of the trees are starting to produce their glorious reds, bronze and orange leaves, the last flowers of summer are fading and dare I say, it there has occasionally been a change in temperature in the mornings. September can be a most beautiful month, the sun is often just warm with a golden light that only seems to be present at this time of year. We have the wonderful huge harvest moon as the month draws on but all the time everything is changing, slowing down, ready to rest. It is the natural cycle of nature at the end of one season in readiness for the next, and we can enjoy, marvel and give thanks for all these changes. I came across a lovely picture in words by Thomas of Celano who was an Italian friar of the Franciscan order which reads as follows:

“Francis of Assisi found a flowering meadow, there he preached: and he called upon it to praise the Lord, even as if it had been a rational being. In the same manner did he treat the sown fields and the vineyards, the stones and the forests, all the fair meads the running streams the green gardens, the earth, the fire, the air and the wind. And he counselled them all with upright purity of heart to love God and in a strangely hidden way he penetrated into the heart of each creature with his sharp-sightedness as though he were penetrating into the glorious freedom of the Son of God.”

The Garden of St. Francis sends us a powerful message about respect for the planet and all the life forms that populate it. It encourages us to hold onto a part of the garden within ourselves that is not cultivated, not guided by the rules of efficiency and results, but is open to contemplation and harmony. It reminds us of the interconnection between humans and the environment, providing a more harmonious view of our interactions with the natural world.

In a world full of chaos and uncertainty where everything is changing but not for natural or good reasons, where so many are displaced and there is no sense of rhythm or continuity, just existence, may we give thanks to God for this natural progression of the seasons, and cherish the beauty each one brings.

This is a child’s view by that prolific author Anon!

“I like the country because it is so peaceful. Out there the quiet just goes sliding along. God sews up the buds of flowers very tight and after a while He lets the sun and rain open the stitches. When waves come in on the beach they look like big open mouths ready to gobble up things. Sometimes they look like white, lacy arms hugging the whole world”.

Let us give thanks and care for the beauty of every moment, every day knowing God holds everything together in perfect harmony.