JULY MESSAGE FROM THE VICAR
Rev’d Alison Way – 01793 739044 – alisonway@tiscali.co.uk
Priest in charge of the benefice of Woodhill
The Vicarage, Wood Street Clyffe Pypard, Wilts, SN4 7PY
Holistically
Adverbs are part of our every day speech that describe how we are going to do things! At the annual parochial meetings of the parishes within the benefice of Woodhill this spring, I talked about concentrating on three adverbs during 2010. The third and final adverb we touched on was holistically and in particular working to promote wholeness. This means working together so everyone can fulfil their potential and can express their unique gifts and talents as God has given them, so we experience the ‘abundant lives’ Jesus envisages for us (see John 10:10 for more details – Jesus said ‘I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly’).
Though in the benefice we had put an emphasis on promoting wholeness in our worship as we welcome some new worship leaders, at the root of it is the reality that things go best for us as individuals when we are following the way that God has for us. This means also living lives in balance without too much stress or too little, and taking time to take care of ourselves in body, mind and spirit. We promote our own wholeness as individuals and a community when our faith is really worked out in our lives and visible (and informing all the choices we make). Faith needs to be acted on and central to truly live holistically. This means we live for God, first, foremost and uppermost in our hearts and in response to God’s generous love for us.
Living holistically and in tune with our whole selves in relationship with our loving God is liberating and deeply inspirational, and I hope 2010 will continued to be marked by thankfulness, prayerfulness and seeking wholeness.
With love in Christ, Alison Way
