The Parish Magazine June 2023

the parish noticeboard — 3
What
makes
June
special?
The Midnight Sun in Norway
Mettesd, dreamstime.com
By Rev Dr Roger Roberts, pastor of the International
Baptist Church Brussels
June is the month of light — the month of the summer
solstice, when millions of people in northernmost Europe
stay out late to enjoy the sight of the midnight sun. To
have light and glory where there is usually darkness is
something we celebrate. We welcome it.
In John 9 Jesus said: 'I am the light of the world.' He wasn’t
comparing himself to the summer solstice, but preaching
at a Jewish occasion which celebrated light every bit as
much. It was the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:14), which
was a celebration not only of God’s provision of water, but
also of the light of God’s presence with the Israelites in
the wilderness.
During the Feast of Tabernacles there was a joyful
celebration. The priests would light four huge lamps in the
Court of Women. The flames would reach as high as the
temple walls and would provide a light that could be seen
all throughout Jerusalem.
Men of deep piety would dance throughout the night
for the entire week of celebrating. A choir, accompanied
by an orchestra of instruments, would sing psalms such
as Psalm 27, which declare 'The Lord is my light and my
salvation.'
At the height of this grand celebration, the Lord Jesus
had the temerity to stand and say that he was the light
that was foreshadowed by the light for the Israelites in the
wilderness.
The Jewish leaders were furious, and tried to stone him
to death. Jesus did not fight back, he simply illustrated his
claim to be the Light of the World by immediately giving
sight to a man born blind. (John 9).
In the 20 centuries since then, the Word of God, when
it is proclaimed, has drawn people out of the darkness and
into the light of Jesus. The Word is, as the psalmist said,
'a lamp to my feet and a light for my path' (Psalm 119:105) and
David said, 'In your light we see light' (Psalm 36:9b).
Today, by the light of the Word of God, we can see
Jesus as he is: truly the Light of the World.
From the
editor's desk
editor@theparishmagazine.co.uk
Keeping calm
The Parish Magazine - June 2023 11
One of the things I learnt early in my career as a
journalist was the need to be flexible and not to waste
time complaining or worrying about a story or an article
that had to be dropped unexpectedly after spending a
long time working on it.
On one occasion I was working for a defence electronics
company — yes, journalists are employed by companies
to help promote their products and services by getting
newspapers, magazines, radio and tv stations to publish
stories about their people, products and services.
In 1981, I was working with a tv news crew on a story
about a new, advanced electronic security system. After
several days of discussions and planning, and then a full
day filming in a cold, wet and muddy army firing range,
I was driving home with my boss — who was a very
experienced fleet street journalist before moving into
public relations — when, after thanking me for the work
I had done, he said, 'I've been talking to the producer, and
there's no doubt they will use the film on tonight's main
news programme, unless, of course, the Pope gets shot.'
And you can guess what happened, Pope John Paul II was
shot and wounded in Vatican City that very day and our
news item was shelved!
Whatever work put into a dropped story will come in
handy sometime in the future, maybe next week, or even
several years ahead because all information, whether it
can be used or not, is valuable, if only to tell a story in
this column! The way forward is to stay calm and focus on
whatever comes next.
DON'T PANIC!
For this month's issue I have had to do a considerable
amount of staying calm in the face of changes to my
plans, mainly because our scheduled deadline was 12 noon
on Saturday 6 May, the precise time that King Charles
III was being crowned! The timing of the Coronation
has, despite some careful planning in advance, led me
on several occasions to remind myself of Corporal Jones'
famous cry, 'Don't panic Mr Wainwaring!'
As well as editing this magazine I also write a
newsletter each month for the Association of Church
Editors, all of whom write and publish church and parish
magazines.
The newsletter gives tips and ideas about how to write
and design their magazines, and one of the tips that I
often remind the other editors is to ask God for his help
with their magazine, and no-one has ever got back to me
complaining that prayer does not work, because it does.
But, of course, you don't have to be a magazine
editor to pray for God's help, it applies to everyone and
everything we do. I'm sure that if more people prayed
about their own lives, as well as those of others, and their
work and other activities they might be involved with, the
world will be a calmer and much happier place.