Vicar's Letter
April 2016
Easter is done and dusted, most of the chocolate has been consumed (probably all of it!) and the children are back at school. January and February flew by and I cannot believe that my Extended Study Leave is over. When I've finished this letter I must settle down to write a report relating to my research into Rural Mission and Ministry in the Diocese of Brecon and Swansea.
It was both an education and a privilege to meet people who minister in villages and communities that seem to be a million miles away from many of the facilities that we sometimes take for granted in our villages which are in such close proximity to Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard.
As I travelled around the rural areas my 'satnav' went into meltdown on more than one occasion. I put it down to the narrow, winding, hilly roads and a dearth of signs in some places. The scenery was beautiful, rounded hills in all directions and lots of sheep, of which I am very fond. On a sunny day driving over the moors between Builth Wells and Brecon with the Beacons beyond was glorious. The road was excellent and with very little traffic and no potholes there was a sense of peace. This rural scene took me back to the poetry I studied for A Level English Literature, particularly some verses from William Wordsworth's Ode (Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood). Here are some excerpts with my apologies to Mr Wordsworth - it is a very long poem...
There was a time when meadow, grove and stream,
The earth, and every common sight,
To me did seem
Apparelled in celestial light..................
The Rainbow comes and goes,
And lovely is the Rose,
The Moon doth with delight
Look round her when the heavens are bare,
Waters on a starry night
Are beautiful and fair;
The sunshine is a glorious birth,
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About the Vicar's Letter
The Vicar's Letter has been appearing in the villages Focus magazine since August 2002.
The Rev. Peter Graham also used to publish The Vicar's Letter in the parish magazine of 1964. Please see the Vicar's Letter area for these.
