Rev James Hanson, Vicar, Burpham Church

I love rivers, streams and all waterways. If anyone could ask me to describe Heaven on earth, I might suggest that sitting in a pub garden, with a great friend, good pint overlooking a river or canal and putting the world to rights might come very close.

When we first moved to Burpham, we found the streams running through the gardens from top to bottom, as they seem to flow right through Burpham. I have always loved trekking along rivers, completing the Thames from source to sea, as well as the Wey navigation right down to the Arun. Water flowing just mesmerises me – from massive waterfalls to the beauty of our own shoreline – the power of nature through water is immense. That a massive river can start from a tiny spring in the hills, charting a neat path downhill carrying ever larger stones and pebbles until it properly carves out the landscape as a behemoth of unstoppable force reaching out into the sea.

As I visited our primary School recently to help with some RE lessons, I introduced them to the Christian concept of rescue, when I was helped ashore while teaching water sports some years back, despite being the driver of the rescue boat! I showed a picture of the scene of my rescue; the weir at Marlow, which prompted good questions about rescue stories, and as many about weirs. When I explained about the nature of a weir being a human-made step to help try to control water flow in gentle drops, I soon realised we have so little control over water; we are just the passengers on a journey.

But what it reminded me of, is that greater life question of how we are led and guided through life, and whether we keep on moving ourselves or how we get stuck? Each small stone gets picked up by the river of life, washed clean, shaped by the nature of water, and carried downstream with everyone else. It doesn’t mean life is easy, but it does mean we can continue on our natural path being formed, shaped and polished. If we end up stuck, or in a patch of water than doesn’t move, we can become lifeless or even die out. We’ve all seen stagnant puddles or ponds that have an inflow, but no exit. They are the places where algae bloom in summer months, where the water gets full of detritus and life gets sucked out of it. Sometimes, we get stuck in life. Sometimes we need a push to get us going again – back into the main flow again, or out of a stagnant puddle. For me, I was rescued from such a puddle by Jesus, and realised he offered a much better way. Jesus taught his followers about the Way – Him! In John 14:6, He said this: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. Noone comes to the Father, except through me.” It is through his promises that He offers us a true Way to navigate life, like a river – one with purpose, truth, direction and hope. So much of what the world tries to offer fails on many or all of these markers. Jesus’ Way uniquely offers us a pathway, a stream to ride in, a life to lead full of purpose, truth, direction and hope.

Blessings, Rev James

Church Office: 01483 825533
www.burphamchurch.org.uk