Articles - From the Curate

I recently paid a visit to The Alnwick Garden; it is an interesting place and is still being created with much vision. It is a venture that is supporting the local economy, employing disabled people and is also child friendly. It provides a good role model for other enterprises.

Its centrepiece is a The Grand Cascade, a tumbling mass of water that changes shape at regular intervals. It has a number of different garden areas and each spoke to me in some way about our faith journey. The ornamental garden was a mass of beautiful flowers with quiet places to sit and enjoy different fragrances. It reminded me of our need to be exposed to beauty and how we can be renewed by God's creation and by simply spending time quietly in his presence.

The Poison Garden was kept locked and we were only allowed in with a staff member. It was surprising how many well known plants are indeed poisonous and this made me realise how easy it is for us to be complacent about those things in the world that can bring pain and misery into our own lives and the lives of others. The most dangerous plants were kept behind bars, a reminder that there are some places where we should fear to tread.

The Bamboo Labyrinth was a moving maze and it was easy to get lost. I kept close on the heels of the person in front! However, perhaps we always need to remember that our faith journeys are individual, that we can't walk in anyone else's path and that we can trust God to guide us and show us the way forward.

The Treehouse was literally built in a tree with rope bridges and walkways in the sky, in some places it felt really solid but in others one felt rather wobbly and insecure, I no longer probably need to make the faith analogy!

The summer is a time when many of us are able to relax a little and when we can make time to explore new places. Wherever you find yourself over this holiday period I hope you are reminded afresh in some way about your journey with God and that you return refreshed and are renewed in body, mind and spirit.

© St Edmund's Church, Roundhay