MONTHLY UPDATE FROM SIMON

November 2025

Dear Friends

One of the great Old Testament stories is the story of Elijah on Mount Horeb.  Elijah was at a low point in in his life: he had made an enemy of the king and had taken refuge in the wilderness.  He felt as if God had abandoned him and prayed that he might die.

He came to Horeb and went and stood at the mouth of his cave.  There was thunder – but God was not in the thunder.  There was an earthquake – but God was not in the earthquake.  There was fire - but God was not in the fire.  And then there was a soft murmuring sound, ‘like the sound of sheer silence’, and Elijah knew that it was the voice of God.

God’s voice is indeed a quiet voice, and we need to be quiet if we are to hear it. It easily gets drowned by the noise and busyness of our lives.  To hear it requires patience and stillness, like catching fish or watching for a rare bird.  It’s not hard to go through life without ever hearing it.

Every November we have an opportunity to listen to God’s voice.  Both on Remembrance Day itself, and on Remembrance Sunday, we are invited to join with millions of others in observing the two minutes’ silence.

Our purpose in doing so is, of course, to show our respect for those who have died in the service of their country.  But it is also a chance to listen: to listen to what God may be wanting to say to us, both individually and as a nation.

I always marvel at the attentiveness with which so many millions of people observe the silence.  People who might otherwise be talking, driving, working, or engaged in the chatter of social media, readily stop at 11am and stand in reverent attention.  It’s a unique and precious moment in our national life.

And I’d like to think that for those two brief minutes, God’s voice can be heard, even by those who might doubt his existence.  As we recall the extraordinary bravery of those who sacrificed their lives for their country, we can surely hear God inviting us to honour them by letting go of hatred and enmity and being generous and sacrificial in the manner of our own lives.

For Elijah, standing alone on Mount Carmel, the silence in which he met God was transformative. His confidence was restored.  He felt ready to return to his own land and face whatever issues lay ahead.  We read that he went and anointed a new king in place of the reprobate Ahab, and that he chose Elisha to become his disciple and heir.

And as we once more observe Remembrance Sunday, in the context of so much global instability and conflict, let us do our best to enter into its unique silence and listen to whatever God may be wanting to say to us.  This is surely a moment in history when attentiveness and reflection are particularly needed.  This is a time to stand and be still.

With my prayers and best wishes

Simon

A Prayer for Remembrance Day

God of truth and righteousness,

be with us as we stand once more in silence

to honour the memory of those who laid down their lives

in the service of their country,

especially those whose names are recorded

on our own war memorials.

Fill our hearts with gratitude

as we recall their sacrifice,

make us mindful of those who, in our own time,

serve in our armed forces,

and help us to work together

to bring peace to our broken and troubled world.

This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord.

St Andrew’s Day: Sunday 30th November

St Andrew is the Patron Saint of Didling Church, and this year St Andrew’s Day falls on a Sunday (which is also Advent Sunday).  We will mark it by holding our main Benefice Eucharist that day at Didling at 10am.

Advent Carol Service

We warmly invite you to join us for our candlelit Advent Carol Service at 4pm on Sunday 30th November.  It’s always a very beautiful and reflective occasion.

A read-through of St Matthew’s Gospel

Advent is the start of the Church’s year, and over the course of the next year most of our Sunday Gospel readings will be from St Matthew’s Gospel (Year A in our three-year cycle).  To prepare ourselves for this, I’d like to invite you to come and join me in the Law Room for a read through of the whole of St Matthew’s Gospel on Saturday 29th November.  We shall begin promptly at 9.30am and end by lunchtime and will aim to use the NRSV version of the Bible.

Advent Bible Study

On Monday evenings in Advent, starting on 1st December, I invite you to join me in the Law Room for a time of Bible study followed by Compline.  It will be an opportunity to reflect on some of the great passages of scripture that we hear at this time of year, and to prepare ourselves spiritually for our celebration of Christmas.

We shall begin at 6pm and aim to finish by 7.30pm.  There’s no need to attend all the sessions: just turn up if you’d like to.

Faith Seeking Understanding

This month’s meeting will be on Wednesday 19th November at 6pm in the Law Room.  Do join us for an hour of open discussion on matters of faith and church life.