As we read those words, it’s impossible not to feel the depth of John’s concern that the reader should take what he has written seriously. John had been one of the witnesses to what Jesus did and said and Luke had seen what happened since Jesus was raised from death. And they both want to be sure we believe their testimony and continue what they started so that the sacrifice made by Jesus and his followers was not for nothing. So what does this all mean for us in our present generation? We feel at times that it’s a real struggle to take the Message of Jesus to our communities and draw people into the church. But it can’t be harder for us than it was for
those early Christians and for the many Christian martyrs down the ages. So what’s the difference? It’s surely that they did everything In the Power of the Spirit. Jesus knew that his disciples were fallible people with ordinary human traits and that they would be unable to carry on what he had started without help. So at the end of his life on earth he promised to send the Holy Spirit to help and guide them and all others who followed them. As a result, those guys had it in abundance – and we could have it too if we want it and ask for it. So what are we waiting for?
In the Garden – October Autumn has arrived, quietly so far, and the farmers are busy sowing their crops for next year. The hedges are laden with blackberries and sloes, maybe signs of a hard winter to come, and I have noticed late hatchings of blackbirds and robins, enjoying the autumn harvest of berries. There has also been a sudden influx of house spiders, notably in the baths and sinks but also seen scuttling across the carpet. They come every year and there are various herbs one can put down to discourage them, but I always use a few conkers placed in the corner of a room. The leatherjackets, or Daddy Longlegs, are hanging from the ceilings but are quite harmless and provide food for the birds too. My theme this month is about gardening for wildlife, and caring for them over the hard winter months. Spread some fallen leaves under
your shrubs and onto flower beds where they can slowly rot down into a mulch, providing food and shelter for invertebrates and thus blackbirds and thrushes. Don’t be in a hurry to cut back all your hedges but leave seeds from ivy and hawthorn and put out high energy foods such as fat balls on your bird feeders. Try not to disturb your compost heap through the winter, it might be a haven for a hedgehog. Clean out your old nesting boxes ready for spring, they provide a shelter on cold nights for birds and ponds too need cleaning out. Clean out the greenhouse and put up insulation; prepare to move tender plants into it before the hard frosts strike. Spray roses that were badly affected by blackspot and mildew in late summer and clear up fallen leaves to stop spores lingering. CK
The Dever–October 2021 13
