THE EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
18th October 2025
Greetings,
A compensation of the encroaching darkness are the spectacular night skies we sometimes have and especially the full moons of Autumn and Winter. This month's was exceptional. It is traditionally known as The Hunter's Moon because the light it casts is ideal for night hunting in newly harvested fields in which there is little cover for game. But before Hunter's Moon it was known by our Anglo-Saxon forebears as Winterfylleth, the definitive sign that the months of darkness had arrived. In those days it was common to think in terms of two seasons only, Summer and Winter, a division of the year into the periods of light and darkness. This is reflected in the Church's calendar in which all the festivals of light from All Saints' to Candlemas occur in the dark months of the year. We will soon be celebrating All Saints' but before that the readings for tomorrow remind us of the necessity of perseverance whatever the nature of the darkness we face. In Genesis 32. 22-31 Jacob is blessed for striving with both God and man, and prevailing, and in Luke 18.1-8, the widow secures justice at the hand of the unjust judge by sheer, relentless perseverance. Sometimes, in the face of life's challenges, when there are no obvious solutions, perseverance is all we can give. But don't underestimate its value. As Christians, we persevere in hope, never entirely sure it will yield the outcomes we desire, but confident that in persevering, the light of Christ will shine through us, both illuminating our way and revealing God's blessings.
Every Blessing,
Charles Booth
The Pew Sheet with readings and notices is attached.
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