Vicars Letter - 23rd August 2024

Rev. Emily Spence

Kia ora All Saints,

​As the Benton family are off on an exciting ski holiday this week, it made me reflect on my experiences skiing. I was lucky enough at my primary school to have a few ski trips but one in particular still stands out in my memory. I would have been about 9 or 10 years old and one of the parent helpers was my friend’s dad. He said I was doing well so he decided to take me up to a higher/steeper level of the mountain. He asked me if I knew how to brake and I confirmed that I did. So off I went, down the slope at a lovely shallow gradient, thinking I would slowly make my way down in a wide zigzag. However, at the first turn of the zigzag I didn’t turn enough, and ended up pointed fairly straight downhill. As I picked up speed I tried to brake, however in some miscommunication with my friend’s dad, I only knew how to pizza brake, not swish sideways, whatever that is called, and the pizza brake just wasn’t cutting it at the speed I was picking up. I saw up ahead what looked like a sudden drop and realised I was about to go straight over it. I threw myself to the ground and came to a stop just before it in a pile of skis/poles/nerves. As I looked over the edge, I found it wasn’t a cliff at all but a small bump in the snow, but as I was so short I couldn’t see the snow under it and could only see terrifying sky.

I learnt a few things that day: 1) Parent helpers should probably vet kids’ abilities a little better. 2) My enthusiasm is greater than my abilities sometimes; but more importantly 3) Sometimes we lack perspective. At no point was I actually in any danger. The slope was steep and terrifying to me, but still a very beginner level, and the cliff I thought was coming up was nothing like it in reality. I imagine the Dad following me knew this with the perspective of a bit more height and experience. Our family has some big changes coming up and I know there are many changes happening for people in our All Saints whānau, but we have the privilege of knowing the One with the best perspective of anyone. Trusting God through all stages of our lives is one of the greatest things we can do as followers of Jesus, and we can be sure he will hold us through it all. God has grace for us when we lack perspective and gently guides us. God also knows how to pick up the pieces of us after we weren’t ready for guidance. There are many things I could say about a life trusting God, but the most important is that it is absolutely the best life we can live.

May God guide you through the next few weeks, and may you hear the perspective of a God who loves you more than anyone could imagine.

Signing off my last vicar’s letter for this glorious parish. With God’s deepest blessings,

Emily