View from the Vicarage GOLD RUSH As I write the British athletes are being welcomed home after their hugely successful efforts representing Great Britain at the Olympics in Tokyo. Despite an Olympics without spectators it was a huge spectacle which we all enjoyed through the eye of the TV or internet. The 22 gold medals were a wonderful tribute to the hard work of so many dedicated and committed athletes over the past five years. After Brexit and Covid and all the uncertainty engendered by those events over the past two years, winning those gold medals in Tokyo sets a new standard of achievement for us all. The Bible speaks of gold many times. It speaks of refiner's gold and how the unwanted aspects of the mineral are removed in the refiner’s fire. It likens this process to the working of God in our lives removing those qualities and trends which are unhelpful. Our inner selves being refined until we are made more into the image that God has planned for each one of us. “I will refine them like silver and treat them with gold, they will call on my name and I will answer them” the prophet Zechariah says. The refining process brings us to a position where we will want to call on the name of the Lord and worship him.
Gold is a precious commodity. The community we used to work amongst in north India kept all their riches in gold attached to them. The women would pierce their ears and noses with gold rings, with gold bangles around their ankles and wrists. They literally carried their riches around with them day by day, a visible security against the cost of sickness and the unforeseen in the future. Most of us do not have access to gold in this way but yet we can admire and give recognition to those who have represented us abroad. September begins a new era in our spiritual life together in the Dever valley. Joined by South Wonston and planning for more integration, this is a key time for opportunities to engage with the Christian faith and to unravel those streams of gold that run through scripture. We embark on a course helping us to pray starting on September 21st and continue with our online Men’s breakfast with Prof John Wyatt speaking on Saturday 25th September. Contact ‘coordinator.upperdever@hotmail.com’ for details. As we relish the happy memories of the Olympics may we all be encouraged that as God’s people we can strive towards being like gold but realise as part of that process there may be hard times for us to endure as we pass through the refiner’s fire. John Rennie 11.08.21
The Dever–September 2021 5
