We have just completed the second month of winter, and for some it can bring illness, sadness or even feeling a little lost and disappointed with life.
The St Luke’s family have felt much sadness as we recently farewelled our very well-loved Bill Gubbins, who passed away after a short illness.
We farewelled Bill in fitting style. St Luke’s was overflowing with family and friends. It was a privilege for us to provide a delicious afternoon tea following Bill’s celebration of life, led by Rev Helen, and our deepest sympathy is extended to Bill’s wife Sonya, children Sasha and Nicholas in Australia, along with his daughters in England.
We certainly miss Bill’s enthusiasm and love of St Luke’s, but we also miss his great leadership of singing.
Another area of sadness and disappointment was for our small, enthusiastic youth group, known as SLAngers.
Our young people created a small raised garden bed at the back of the church.
With much dedication to the task they built, filled it with soil and planted a wide variety of seedlings and herbs.
The aim of the garden bed is to provide the community with free herbs, tomatoes and other vegetables.
Sadly, it only took a week for someone to take advantage of the good work created by the students. Many of the plants were removed without trace.
Imagine the disappointment when we had to pass on to the students what had happened, right there in the grounds of St Luke’s.
SLAngers have now replanted the garden bed and once grown, the contents will be available for others to enjoy.
We all have disappointments in life but with faith and belief in God, we are never alone.
Perhaps the following words from a prayer I read often may be helpful for you:
“Please God grant me the grace to surrender my disappointment to you. Fill me with peace that passes all understanding and give me strength to move forward with faith.” Amen.
