As part of my role as Rural Advocate for the Synod I’m very lucky to be part of the Chaplaincy team to the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society, not just covering the large events like the Summer Show – believed to be the biggest one in Europe but any event that happens on the show-ground.
As I spent time there in July it was busy with people, it was good to celebrate the return of not just a horticultural tent but this year a whole village. There were lots of things to see, and to engage with as well as lots to spend your money on.
There was, however, an atmosphere of anxiety, farmers concerned about the need to continue providing food, producers finding it difficult to promote their goods in a climate of rising prices and trade stand holders wondering if it is worth the cost of their pitch because of the understandable reluctance of the public to spend money on luxuries.
It feels that the world is in an uncomfortable place just now, and we are called to be beacons of light whilst carrying our own anxieties.
I wonder… if the way that we do that is to take up the challenge of St David – to do small things with great faith. I think that when we see the problems in front of us, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. If all of us made one change, be it to only have seasonal fruit and vegetables, or to only eat free range eggs, maybe eat meat less often but buy from a butcher who deals with local farmers. There are lots of small acts that we can do.
I like the phrase ‘a candle flame is a nonconformist, it says to the dark ‘I beg to differ’’.
If we all begged to differ a little the world would become a lighter place. I’m now reminded of the chorus my grandmother used to sing to me when I was a child…
Jesus bids us shine with a clear, pure light,
Like a little candle burning in the night;
In this world of darkness, we must shine,
You in your small corner, and I in mine.
Julie Kirby – Rural Advocate for URC Wales Synod