From the Rector – July 2026

What really matters?

One of the joys of human life is our experience of things which move or please us, things which matter to us. We probably all have favourite places, favourite views, favourite music, favourite food and so on. Special people are precious to us. The smell of the sea may bring sweet childhood memories back to us. Special mugs or tea towels may recall a particular holiday, and a treasured photograph may mean so much, especially as we get older and look back with thankfulness or longing. If we are fortunate enough to have religious faith, there may be churches or other sites which stir deep passions for us. Lovers of poetry or literature will know by heart the passages which inspire them.

As a Christian there are parts of the Bible which carry great meaning for me, which are able to express in just a few words a sense of what is truly important for me about my faith. The passage to which I return most often is from St Paul’s letter to the Galatians (Chapter 3:28) where he says, ‘There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.’ When Paul wrote this around 50AD it was a revolutionary statement. In his time, men and women were not equal, and there was a world of difference in the way slaves were treated compared to freemen in the Roman Empire. Jews were separated from Greeks by a great number of rules and barriers. All this was washed away in the early church, and it is no wonder that thousands of people quickly joined the first Christians, who had such love for one another despite apparent differences. Today there are deep divisions between people in our communities, and in our world, deep fears and barriers which separate us from one another in all kinds of ways. Vested interests stir up mistrust.

There has been violence on our streets and some people live in fear of the aggression and hatred of others. Although Paul’s words were written specifically about the church community, for me they are also a prophetic vision of what the world could be like if we put away our fear, overcome our divisions and accept other people as they are. For me, this inclusiveness and openness of heart to other people is what really matters, both in the church and in the world at large. Overcoming the things which separate us from others may not be easy, but treasuring our shared and richly varied humanity opens for us the beautiful possibility of new relationships, a better understanding of ourselves and a joy we never knew before.

Revd Ralph Williamson – Rector