Meeting Sincerity

Yesterday evening our Boys’ Brigade entertained a superb guest of honour at their annual Awards Evening.  Trevor Peacock – who played Jim Trott in BBC's Vicar of Dibley (the one who always said ‘no, no, no’ when he meant ‘yes’!) – came along to give a talk and present the awards.  Around these parts Trevor is a much loved ‘celebrity’ famed for his support of Yeovil Town Football Club.

I think all of us present last night were struck by his gentle warmth and obvious sincerity.  He spoke with such humour and his timing was evidence of his Shakespearean acting – he is so much more than the stumbling Jim in The Revd Geraldine’s parish.  What’s more he instantly engaged the boys with his anecdotes and kept their attention.  Yet more than that it was the way he gave out the awards that made the most impression – he made every boy feel special and willingly and graciously posed for a photo with each succeeding recipient.  He was a charming guest, full of fun and warmth – and his gentle, yet persuasive Christian faith shone through.

You know ‘sincerity’ when you bump into it - and last night we met it in Trevor.

Our prayer must surely be that all we do as a church will ring out with integrity and speak of sincerity.  The way we treat friends and strangers, our concern for the marginalised, our expression of heartfelt belief, even if questions and doubts also form part of our journey – all of this will say something very deep about the people we are and the Christ we serve.

My thanks to The Revd Tudor Botwood for taking last Sunday's service - this Saturday I’m looking forward to taking part in the Commissioning Service for new Street Pastors at St James’ Church.

With best wishes,

Ian