Rector's Letter

Dedham Vicarage

September 2025

Dear friends,
 
I hope you have been able to enjoy a good break over the summer months!
 
While our children head back to (or start) school, memories of sunshine and family holidays can quickly fade away as we return to the routines that ensured our survival in busier times.  I hope it’s not all too overwhelming for you!
 
One thing we might not immediately prioritise at this time is space simply ‘to be’ – whether it’s getting up slightly earlier to sit in the garden and breathe in some fresh air or taking a moment to listen to a soothing piece of music (I recently discovered ‘A Song for Clara’ by Shoshana Michel, which I can recommend).  I often forget to do this amidst getting our four small children to and from school and nursery and getting on with work in our nine parishes, but when I do I am much better for it.  One verse I have found helpful in such moments is Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God”.  Instead of trying to wish away the problems that invariably arise from our busyness and the complexity of our lives today, the voice of scripture calls us back to ‘being’ – to ‘being’ with the God who made us, the God who knows us better than we know ourselves.
 
“Be still, and know that I am God” seems like it was written for the so called ‘anxious generation’.  How often do we carry around burdens and anxieties, unfinished to do and bucket lists and unresolved tensions in our relationships, when the God who made us and knows us wants to grant us His peace!  “Cast all your anxiety on [God] because He cares for you” we find in I Peter 5:7.
 
Why not try to take space simply ‘to be’ – to “be still, and know that [the Lord is] God”?  Why not “cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you”?  Maybe this invitation is just what you need to help you navigate the busyness and complexity of our lives at this time.  Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way.
 
Best wishes,

Phillip

The Revd Phillip Young