A New Stained Glass Window!

Well it's not actually new: it's been there for nearly 150 years. But in the late 1950's the pipe organ was moved into the South aisle from the East end of the church, and the window was largely hidden. We have now replaced the old pipe organ by a brand new electronic organ, and as part of the project the window has been fully cleaned and refurbished. There may have been mixed emotions at the departure of our pipe organ - but the revealing of this very fine window can give us nothing but joy.

The window has three narrative panels. On the left an angel is telling three amazed shepherds the news of the birth of Christ, with a shooting star in the sky and two sheep in the foreground. In the centre the upper picture seems to show Jesus Christ enthroned, welcoming several devout people into the Kingdom; below Christ is depicted as the Healer, laying his hand on a blind man, with a lame beggar and a sick girl in the group. On the right is the Holy Family, Mary in a blue gown, Joseph with a long beard and Jesus as a young boy being greeted by his mother. Perhaps this depicts the incident recorded in Luke 2: 41-50, where Jesus’ parents found him in the temple after searching for three days?

The inscription at the base of the window reads: TO THE MEMORY OF ROWLAND EDWARD COOPER DIED XIX SEPTEMBER MDCCCLVIII

A tour round the inside of the Church

conducted by the previous Vicar, the Rev Barry Preece

In the paragraphs that follow there are illustrations and reflections on a number of specific items to found in the church. Some of the things selected can be found in almost every church and others are unique to this one. This parallels how much of what we are and our experience is shared in common with others whilst other aspects create our distinctive individuality. These things together add up to that glorious mystery of what it means to be a human being, each one of us dear and precious and particularly special to God. All of us have so much in common and yet there is not another person on this earth quite like you.

Whether you have come to the church as a visitor with a love for and an interest in English churches, as a person in need of a quiet place to sit and think and pray, or as someone who is going through a difficult time of trial or pain or unhappiness in your life, we hope you will find what you are seeking and your time here is rewarded. We also hope you may find something in this tour that speaks to you, or resonates with that which speaks to you of God.

The Windows

It has been said of human beings that the eyes are the windows of the soul, meaning that the eyes speak of the essence or mystery of a person in a way that words cannot always do. Perhaps the windows of a church building speak something of the mystery of God in a similar way.

The oldest windows go back as far as the fifteenth century, announcing the faithfulness of God's interest in the lives of successive generations, but my favourites are the Annunciation and Nativity windows which we have shown here.  They are on the West wall to the left as you enter the church. On fine days, in the late afternoon, the Sun shines through these windows throwing mosaics of coloured light across the stone pillar in ever changing patterns. Such simple beauty speaks to me of the playfulness of the creator and reminds me of what our four-year old niece once said. She pointed to the sky, to colours of a glorious sunset, and declared with the perceptiveness of a child, "that is God's paintbox".

Some of the glass is very vibrant. Is your eye drawn to any particular colour? A ruby red, a sea green, or a salmon pink? Is your favourite colour in any of these windows? Can you find the colour of your eyes?

The windows reveal different artistic styles, familiar words of scripture and, above all, many events from the life of Christ. Take a moment to look round. Perhaps you recognise some of the Bible stories that are represented here. Our lives are like the chapters of a book; all of us have a story to tell. Imagine the different people over the years who have looked at what you are seeing now. I wonder about their stories, what was going on in their lives as they sat here. Did any of them feel as you do today? I expect someone did.

Notice which character or colour you are drawn to and let your eyes gaze at that window. As you look with soft eyes, let yourself drift and imagine that you and God are speaking through the medium of the window in this house of prayer. Tell God about your story in ordinary words, about the life now, how you are feeling at this moment, and let the window carry your prayer into the heart of God.

All though our lives God is beside us, loving us and delighting in us. Let God look at you today with the eyes of love and know that your prayer is being received.

We are God's work of art, created in Christ Jesus to live the good life as from the beginning he had meant us to live it. - Ephesians 2:10

And all who sat in the council looked intently at him, and they saw his face was like the face of an angel. - Acts 6:15

The Eagle Lectern

A lectern is that which physically holds the Bible, the Word of God, which is read aloud to the people gathered to hear it. Our lectern has been created in the form of a brass eagle that watches the congregation with his beady eye. He is affectionately known to us here as George!

 Each of the four gospels has a traditional symbol, based on Ezekiel 10:14, and the eagle represents the Gospel of John. As a bird, the eagle stands for soaring and liberation and, as king of the birds, the eagle bears an authority that says “listen to me”. The Word of God inspires us with its truth and in this way proclaims the majesty of God.

 Through the lives and stories of many generations of people, the Bible reveals who God is. It tells of an involved God who liberates a people from their slavery, an angry and compassionate God who stays with them through their sorrows and Joys, and who gets angry and suffers when they oppress others, but, over the course of time, a God whose hand gently moulds them into a chosen and beloved people. “Though others may forget, I will not forget you,” says the Lord, through the mouth of the prophet Isaiah.

 Although we may not realise it, our own life journey is much like that of the Hebrew people and Jesus’ disciples. We have suffered and been healed; we have made discoveries about what it means to be human, about gaining strength in the face of difficulty, of something in us that keeps us going when other parts of ourselves would rather give up. These experiences speak of God both in their hidden subtlety and in their astonishing genius.

The Altar

 If you stand in the main aisle of any church facing East your eye naturally travels to the focal point of the building, to a large table standing in the middle or against the far wall. Sometimes, but not always, the table is covered in a cloth of coloured fabric and designs that change with the Church’s seasons. In its simplest terms an altar is a table with linens and candles, bread and wine, set for a special meal with friends. God invites us to share food and fellowship with him at his table as he asks us to share the substance of our lives with him.

 "Listen! I am standing at the door and knocking;

if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come into you and eat with you, and you with me.”

Revelation 3:20

 In Christian worship, an altar is the place where, symbolically, heaven and earth touch one another. It is where the Divine meets the human and where the ordinary things of the world take on a deeper, richer meaning.

 It is here that the bread and the wine of the Eucharist (Thanksgiving) are blessed by the priest and fed to the community as a kind of manna or spiritual food to nourish and help us grow together as one body, the Body of Christ. It is here that, mysteriously, the wine becomes the blood of the new covenant which is shed for many to clear the past and make all things new.

 Tradition has it that at the very moment the Eucharist is celebrated here on earth it is celebrated in heaven. In the way that ordinary things become symbols of a greater reality, the altar here becomes the very same table at which the heavenly banquet is being shared. In this way, we on earth are in communion with our loved ones who have died.

 Although you cannot see it, around the altar is holy, sacred space. This is why the peaceful atmosphere of a church appears to emanate from this central point of worship in the building. In the Bible this part of the Temple in Jerusalem was known as the Holy of Holies. It is where the transcendant, all-powerful, unknown God resides; a God we cannot see or ever fully understand. However, at the crucifixion, the veil of the Temple was torn in two, revealing Jesus as the face of God we long to encounter. One of Jesus’ names is Emmanuel, meaning God with us.

 An altar reminds us that a sacred space, where God resides, exists within each of us whether we are aware of it or not. As we take time out of our busy lives to nurture this inner sanctum through prayer, silence, or singing, God’s love becomes more real and available to us.

 O taste and see the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him. . . those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

The Memorial Chapel

An unusual feature of St. Andrew’s is the ancient chantry chapel which was restored and furnished in 1919 as a Memorial Chapel to serve as the Cobham War Memorial. The block floor of Italian walnut is made of waste from the wood used for making rifle stocks.

If you look up as you enter the chapel from the North Aisle you will see on the stone screen a crucifixion scene, a copy of one on the wall of St. Andrew’s chapel in Worcester Cathedral. It is as if events from distant and recent past merge and meet. In truth the suffering of Christ somehow focuses all man’s suffering and in it we glimpse the pain and anguish of God as He suffers alongside His beloved people. That is the price God pays for loving us.

Whether it is in a stinking muddy trench in France, a hospital bed, or a hill on the outskirts of Jerusalem God’s blood and tears mingle with our own.

It is probably true that the pain of watching a loved one suffer is the most acute pain of all. As you gaze at that Crucifixion scene you will notice two other figures standing at the foot of the Cross. One is Mary, the mother of Jesus. The other is John who is known as the ‘beloved disciple,’ presumably because he and Jesus were so close. We can only imagine the intensity of the grief all three were undergoing at the prospect of separation and yet this was the moment where love won the day as Jesus gave his widowed mother and best friend into each other’s keeping.

Many years ago I was called out in the night to a psychiatric hospital where a very elderly man was near death. As I sat by his bedside a skeletal hand emerged from under the covers. The long fingernails were caked with excrement. I could find no words or prayer to offer, so I took that hand in mine and sat in silence.

That night I discovered the companionship of God who refuses to leave us even in our darkest hour. I owe a lot to that old man.

The Nativity Brass

If you look carefully on the south chancel wall, above the altar rail, you will find a very small and unimpressive looking brass. It is very easy to miss and yet this brass, circa 1500 and part of a larger composition (the remainder being lost), is reputed to be the only one depicting the Adoration of the Shepherds in this country. For this reason copies are to be found in the brass rubbing centres at Guildford Cathedral and Westminster Abbey.

Recent archaeological excavations at Nazareth, the place where Jesus lived and grew up, have revealed that what is now a big and bustling Arab town was, in the 1st century, a tiny Galilean backwater, inhabited by the poorest of the poor whose homes were caves or the undergound cellars of former dwellings. No wonder the gospel character Nathaniel, on hearing where Jesus came from, exclaimed, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from that place?”

It is a strange irony that God should choose to reveal Himself through someone who the world would regard as a nobody. How could anyone take such a person seriously?

We are all tempted to value ourselves and others by the criteria of appearance, social background, education and success. No wonder so many people regard themselves as worthless.

As I look back and identify the handful of people who have most influenced my life as a Christian I recognise that one was overly dependent on alcohol, another regularly suffered from clinical depression, another was a spastic with one ear, and another was an old lady who was beyond anything other than to offer a cup of coffee and a cigarette in her welcoming refuge of a tiny kitchen. A rum bunch! I can only tell you that this odd assortment of humanity have served to teach me almost everything I know about God. How? In their distinctive ways each one was the embodiment of love.

The Font

When you enter this church, you come in via the South door. If you walk north up the aisle and look left you will see the font used for baptism in front of the West door. The West door would have been the main entrance before the church was enlarged and the side aisles built.

In the earliest churches the font was placed at the entrance to remind those who entered of their baptism into the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is because those who wish to become followers of Christ become members of the Church through the ritual of Christian baptism.

The word comes from the Latin fons, meaning "spring of water". When a child is baptised water is sprinkled three times on the child's head with the words "I baptise you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." The word christening comes from the oil of Chrism which is used to make the sign of the cross on the child's head. In baptism we are 'christing' our children, making them members of Christ's body.

We baptise/christen children not to ward off evil spirits in some magical way but to thank God for the precious gift of this child and to bring them freely into the family of the Church. It is the gift of the Holy Spirit at baptism, the ongoing support of the church family, and the care and nurture of parents and godparents that enable a child to grow in wisdom and inner strength as Jesus himself did as a child (Luke 1:80).