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We were reflecting as a family round the dinner table recently that it doesn’t seem possible that a year ago we were still living in Basingstoke, the children were at their old school and I was frantically finishing college work and trying to do all the things that seem to need to be done to move house.
How quickly this past year has gone!
It has been a year of many blessings – moving somewhere we feel very happy, new schools working better than we could have imagined – and coming to know you, our new church family, in Swaythling.
In addition I have finally completed my formal academic studies and stand on the threshold of another ordination, this time as priest.
The formation of my vocation as priest is closely tied up with the Eucharist and it will be an enormous privilege for me to preside at Communion among you for the first time.
The Eucharist forms all of us.
It is where we meet with Jesus in the breaking of the bread and the sharing of the cup, in remembrance of his life, death and resurrection.
It is more than a memorial as, through the Holy Spirit, God is present with us in a way that goes beyond words.
We eat and drink so that we might become more like Jesus, and fulfil our individual vocations to become more fully the person God made us to be.
So, I am very much looking forward to sharing many Eucharists with you, and to continuing our journey together of serving God here in this parish.
I came to understand my vocation to priesthood through a vision from God of presiding at Communion.
As I approach the realisation of this vision, I realise how much can be achieved and changed in a year – the life of my family will testify to that!
And I wonder if we can all pray for another vision – a collective one of how God is leading us as a church to share what we know of him.
Dare we pray for more guests at Jesus’ table, and prepare ourselves to welcome whoever arrives?