A Letter from Rev’d David Pierce

David, a servant and shepherd of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, to the church of St. Mary the Virgin North Shoebury. Grace to you, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

This may seem a strange way to start a letter, but it was with greetings in this style that St. Paul began his letters to the early churches that we now read in the New Testament.  Paul would then proceed to share news of other churches, encourage, admonish and teach those early Christians, helping them to grow in faith and understanding of the power and love of Jesus.  We are the successors of those churches.

If Paul was writing to us, I wonder what he would have said?  Of course, Paul knew these churches very well, he knew their leaders and their members, and the letters were written not to be read, but to be heard.

As I start my ministry here, it will take a while to get to know everyone and find out how “it all fits together”.  It is a new start, and I hope we are going to move forward together as we grow and learn in much the same way those early Christians did.

As we anticipate and prepare to celebrate once again the birth of the Christ Child, let us also in this period of Advent look at how this may change our lives.  I wonder, just what does the birth of Jesus mean for us today?

I am looking forward very much to sharing in this ministry with you all in and at St. Mary’s.

God bless,

David

December 2018