From the Parish Priest

On a Saturday evening in May you may have been sitting in front of your televisions shouting and cheering for Great Britain.

No - it wasn't the start of the World Cup, and it wasn't the end of the Commonwealth Games either.

It was of course, Eurovision!

That great evening when all that matters is not how good the songs are, not how strange the singers look not even how odd the voting is. No - all that matters is will Terry Wogan manage to stay sober enough to get through to the end.

I don't know about the contest, but certainly Terry Wogan has made his commentary on Eurovision an institution in itself. What entertainment!

Now our televisions are once more alive with pictures of cheering crowds - this time it is for the World Cup. There's hundreds of England flags flying from houses and cars, and the excitement is really building up, although I can't imagine for one moment that we'll have anything to get excited about in this country.

May 25th was Ascension Day, the day we give praise to Christ as our King - the King of Heaven. As a church we've almost lost the ability to give praise. The awe and wonder and mystery of worship have been lost in our attempt to make everything easy to understand.

The Ascension is not a Feast to understand; it's not here to explain anything to us; it's not here so that we can build pretty gardens, light special candles or decorate the church in a particular way. The Feast of the Ascension has but one purpose - for us to praise Christ our King.

Jesus is our King and that means king of everything and of everyone. All those countries from Eurovision are part of his kingdom.

All the countries of the World Cup are part of his kingdom. All the people supporting the teams are his subjects, as are we - you and I are also his subjects.

We're never outside the kingdom of Our Lord, never outside his love, never beyond his care.

We're very good at getting excited and worked up about some things - be it Eurovision or the World Cup, Wimbledon or the round-the-world yachts in Portsmouth, but we're rather quiet and sedate about praising our Lord.

The Ascension of Our Lord is something to get excited about. Jesus returned to his Father in heaven, and just a few days later sent us the Holy Spirit.

Jesus who is both ordinary yet remains a mystery; Jesus who is with us always yet sits at his Father's right hand in heaven; Jesus who is King of all creation yet comes to us yes even to us at St. George's in the breaking of the bread.

At this time of national excitement - remember to be excited about Jesus who crosses all the national boundaries and is Lord and King of the whole of creation. To him be glory and honour!

Fr. Mike
Parish Priest