Jubilee

1988 was an interesting year on Goldsworth Park. 

For much of it, the builders were hard at work on the new St. Andrew's Church building. In October, with the job done, and most arrangements in place, there was the dedication of the building and commissioning of the people.

So, this year, 25 years on, is our Silver Jubilee.

We have plans in place to mark this special year, some of which will be unveiled on this coming Sunday. Make sure you don't miss out!

While the Bible doesn't have any Silver Jubilee celebrations, it does focus on the Jubilee Year, which was to be marked every 50th year. 'Set this year apart as holy, a time to proclaim freedom throughout the land for all who live there. It will be a jubilee year for you, when each of you may return to the land that belonged to your ancestors and return to your own clan. This fiftieth year will be a jubilee for you. During that year you must not plant your fields or store away any of the crops that grow on their own, and don’t gather the grapes from your unpruned vines.' (Leviticus 25.10-11)

The key blessings of this special year were to be freedom for all slaves - freedom throughout the land for all who live there. That freedom will have made so much difference for those who had afllen on hard times in the past years. They would not be trapped in poverty, but given a fresh start again. There was no such thing as privately owned land, and all land was a gift, given, on trust, to the ancestors. So in the Jubilee Year, all families were to return to their roots, and recall God's generosity, and remember his gracious provision again. It seems that people had to take a break from their normal agricultural work, and trust God to provide for their needs - as they had had to learn, while in their wilderness wanderings.

My prayer is that in this coming year we all learn to trust our generous and gracious God more deeply. Some of this deepening in trust will come about when we learn from our own spiritual and family history. This takes time, but that is the gift that all of us have. How will we use our time?
Best wishes,

Richard