From the Rectory June 2023

I write this letter on Ascension Day and it’s rather lovely because finally we can see some blue skies above Great Yarmouth. It feels like we have had an awful lot of greyness coupled with the cold wind blowing off the North Sea in recent weeks making fairer skies all the more welcome
 
Ascension Day frequently leaves us looking up at the sky and wondering what happened when Jesus left the disciples and was parted from their sight by clouds. The mechanics of the situation are not explained in the scriptures but they are left in no doubt that Jesus had gone: gone from them into heaven
 
A key question left for the disciples was all to do with their identity. So much of what they stood for during three years of Jesus earthly ministry was absolutely wrapped up with their identity in Jesus. Realizing that Jesus was no longer with them probably resulted in a bit of an identity crisis: What do we do now? What are we actually doing? Who are we doing it for?
 
Many people can face times in life when they feel bereft or as if they have lost a bit of identity. This can come through a change in work or finally making the move to retirement after many years of being organized and identified by work. So often we ask others, “so what do you do?” It really is a staple of conversation
 
Sometimes that change in life can be caused by the shift of family circumstances as the young leave home, or a new relationship is formed or we are parted from a loved one in bereavement. At the same time, I don’t want to think that every change is a bad change; on the contrary changes in identity can be a good thing such as finding a fantastic new job or a wonderfully enriching new relationship
 
The disciples changed their identity. The disciples (meaning “one who learns”) became the apostles (“one who is sent”). The renaming of them gives a major clue to their new identity because now it is all about the sending out and carrying the Good News far and wide; to the ends of the earth and to the end of their days
 
We too can claim that same identity as the previous children of God. It is an identity which some struggle to realize is true for them and even when understood, still takes a lifetime to fully comprehend

with every blessing, Simon

Rev Canon Simon Ward
Team Rector, Great Yarmouth Parish

this article courtesy of Parish Life

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