Letter From The Vicarage - January 2012

Dear Friends,

 "A cold coming we had of it. Just the worst time of the year for a journey, and such a long journey…

So famously begins T.S. Eliot’s Journey of the Magi.  On January 6^th we celebrate the Epiphany, the coming of the wise men who were led to the Christ Child by following a star.  We normally concentrate on the gifts which they brought – gold, frankincense and myrrh, but this is primarily a story about a journey. 

They are mysterious people.  Did they come as tradition says from Persia, modern day Iran?  Did they come from different places?  Were there three of them because three gifts are mentioned, or were there more?  How did they arrive – on camels or horses? We don’t know.

What the story does tell us is that they travelled a distance and it was not an easy journey, as it wouldn’t be in those days.  There were no motorways or fast cars.  For anyone travelling a long way there were many hazards, from robbers to rough terrain.

The wise men followed a star and they travelled a long way to see Jesus.  It is an example to all of us as we tread out on another type of journey – the long journey of 2012 with all the hazards and difficulties we may meet along the way.  Nevertheless it is right that we follow the star of our dreams and aim for a definite goal.  It gives us hope and encouragement.

We are going to celebrate Epiphany on Friday 6^th January at Saint Peter’s Cookley at 7.30pm.  It is going to be a joint service with Wolverley and the Kidderminster Team.  Come and join us.

And I wish you all well as we travel together into the unknown, following our own star as we journey through 2012 and hopefully find the Holy Child in the most unexpected of places.

Yours,

Geoffrey

From the Parish Registers

Christenings

Esmé Paige Laker at Cookley –  20^th November

Oscar James Stafford-Hill at Wolverley – 4^th December

Funerals

Warren Preene at Wolverley - 30^th November

Duncan Ross – His ashes interred at Wolverley after funeral service in Australia - 6^th December

Cheryl Page-Horrocks at Cookley - 9^th December

Paul Duke at Cookley - 15^th December

Pat Beard at Wolverley - 16^th December

Raymond Shuck at Wolverley - 23^rd December