Articles - From the Vicar

The end of my summer comes with the Oval Test Match, always the last England cricket fixture of the season and always a melancholy affair as I contemplate eight months without Test Match Special on the radio. However during September's Oval Test against South Africa my unbounded admiration for the commentators, Henry Blofeld, Christopher Martin-Jenkins and co., took rather a knock when I heard them musing several times on air about the possible meaning of a large 'Drop the Debt' banner that had been unfurled from a block of flats neighbouring the Oval for the benefit of the television cameras. I was so agitated that I emailed the programme to tell the commentators all about the Jubilee 2000 coalition and the continuing campaign by many non-governmental organisations to press for debt relief on behalf of developing countries under the slogan 'Drop the Debt'. My email was not read on air but perhaps the commentators now know which debt that banner referred to.

I wrote last month about the importance for Christians of integrating what we say and what we do, of practising what we preach. Writing emails or letters is important, but even more important is looking at the way in which we lead our lives as a whole and asking ourselves if we are commending the Gospel to others through our lifestyle, the choices we make about what we buy and so on. It is not possible for all of us (or indeed many of us) to make our feelings known at events like the World Trade Organisation meeting in Cancun last month; but deciding to buy fairly traded coffee or chocolate on a regular basis is an achievable goal for most of us. Have a look at our monthly Traidcraft Stall for other ideas.

For Christians the motivation behind social justice is not merely a matter of conscience. It springs from the scriptural understanding that
in serving others we are serving Jesus Christ, deepening our relationship with the one whom we claim as our redeemer and extending the boundaries of his kingdom of justice, joy and peace.

© St Edmund's Church, Roundhay