Revd Graham’s weekly message:
This is weekly message number 176! This number holds, what I would call, a special memory for me. It was the number of the bus service that we used to get from Cardington into Bedford; similarly it was the bus service that brought us to both Sandy and Biggleswade, calling in at Cople, Willington and Moggerhanger. My father also knew one of the bus conductors; his name was Gus. As a young boy he always struck me as an “elderly” person but seemed to know what he was doing (and yes, they had bus conductors in those days).
It is funny how the mind sometimes remembers these things, and yet there are occasions when we struggle to recall events of a more recent history. As I write the message for this week, I celebrate being the Rector of your Benefice for five years, and it doesn’t seem that long at all. It has a been a difficult five years in some ways because of the Covid pandemic, and some of the things we have been through together such as the death of Queen Elizabeth the Second, and the Coronation of King Charles the Third. As we continue through the season of autumn, it brings with it a period of remembering. On Sunday in All Saints church, Great Barford, we are holding a memorial service as we particularly remember those who have passed away in the last twelve months, but also close family and friends in years gone by. There will also be an opportunity to light a candle as a way of remembering. And in a few weeks we will recall those who gave their lives in past conflicts on Remembrance Sunday (12th November).
I pray that as we remember we also give thanks for all the lives of those we knew and those who sacrificed themselves for us. May God give you his peace as we remember and as we give thanks for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
With God’s peace and blessing
Revd Graham
