From the Vicarage                                                         Increase text size to: Large | Normal

Try Something New

Laying a new drain across the road in the centre of Bramley has sometimes resulted in long tail-backs of traffic as far as the end of Birtley Rise.  When this is so I walk to the church at a brisk pace, feeling good if I manage to overtake vehicles.  The benefits of this exercise are probably outweighed by inhaling obnoxious fumes.  I overtook a large Sainsbury`s delivery lorry with the caption on the side Try something new?  The supermarkets constantly offer us new foods, fresh, frozen chilled or processed, from every corner of the world.  We`re fortunate this is so although the food miles, carbon footprints and enormous waste should concern us.  

This caption struck me as highlighting a characteristic of contemporary society with so many new, improved, rebranded products or services offered to us. This is especially true of technology. One cannot be a Luddite and try to halt the march of progress these things usually have a very limited life, giving them a transient value.   I don`t want to be negative but it strikes me that effective marketing and persuasive advertising can whet our unlimited appetite for more and lead us to feel restless, dissatisfied and going from one “high” to another— a new restaurant, fresh holiday destination or city-break, the latest mobile, DIY tool or kitchen gadget.   It`s not easy for parents, for children are targeted and they naturally want to have the things most of their peer group have. One leading international marketing manager said that by the age of eighteen months children are brand aware and by three years brand committed. 

The church is seeking new ways of reaching out to people, of communicating and teaching the faith and of building up the life of Christian.  communities.  Alpha Courses have been effective in doing this.  We`re finding fresh ways of worshipping but this means drawing from our rich worship resources from the past as much as using contemporary music and words and modern technology.   In the words of a hymn, God is ever old and ever new.  His unchanging love and mercy have been shown to us in Jesus but each encounter with him in worship, prayer or reflection is something new, through which discover the lasting values that should never be discarded.

John