A warmer time of year

In our country, July is the hottest month. It has the highest average temperature of all the months. August is not much cooler. July has two advantages over August: the day length is longer, so there's potentially more sunshine, and the weather is usually drier. As a schoolboy, I remember being stuck in the boiling hot classroom at the end of the summer term. I was excited and looking forward to the summer holiday filled with sunshine, fun and camping. As soon as the holidays started, the heavens opened, and camping was wet and soggy, often forcing us to give up and go home when everything got wet!

The 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow start around the beginning of the school holidays. I have great concern that they may have quite a bit of rain. Aside from the chance of rain, I am sure the games will create fantastic chances for sporting excellence. The Commonwealth Games are also known as The Friendly Games. Interestingly, they were the first to integrate para-athletes, making the event very inclusive. This happened twenty-four years ago. The Commonwealth has been very much part of the late Queen’s great unifying works. The King has taken on this role. There is a King’s baton relay, which started on 10th March 2025; it will take 500 days to visit 72 nations. Interestingly, the baton is made from sustainably sourced ash wood from Scotland. Behind the games are the ideas of bringing people together and helping people to achieve their full potential. There is also a legacy of inspiring people to try new things that they might not have known about.

I am struck by how much life is like this. We try to navigate life’s ups and downs whilst always planning for a better tomorrow. The great lesson to learn is to make the most of today while being ready for the future. Paul reminds the Corinthian church that the race of life (1 Corinthians 9:24-26) is for an imperishable prize: eternal life. Unlike a competition where there can be only one winner, we can all share in that imperishable prize. The sense is that we should all enter, compete, and be fully prepared to engage in life. It is not a manifesto to do nothing, because everyone will get a share anyway. As I move through life, there are times when I fall flat on my face and lose track of where I am going, but we all need to pick ourselves up and keep going. We are to be encouraged that God and the great cloud of witnesses who have already run the race now surround us and cheer us on in the race that is life (Hebrews 12 vs.1-2). We are never alone and are always being encouraged forward into God’s nearer presence, especially when we stumble and fall. So, whatever your plans are for July, be encouraged that God is willing you on, even when it all goes differently from how you imagined it might!

Rev. Martin Wood. The Rectory, Church Lane, Cheriton Bishop EX6 6HY 01647 24119 (Tuesday to Sunday) revwood163@gmail.com