United Benefice of Thornhill & Whitley Lower
Serving our local communities
Benefice Service : Sermon 30th August
Rev Debbie Nash
Dolly Parton a tribute.
This morning as we tumble out of bed, and stumble to the kitchen,
and pour ourselves a cup of ambition I was thinking about Dolly Parton.
It is now a week since she died.
Thousands of people have paid tribute to her life. No one has had a bad word to say about her. In a time when hope and honesty can be rare, Dolly gave us a different example. Across the world, and especially in America there have been numerous headlines along the theme of “Dolly Parton Was the Last Person Everyone Loved.”
Miraculously she was able to bring people together from all sides. It didn’t matter what your politics were or whether you were straight or gay or other. It didn’t matter if you were old or young, poor or rich, educated or not. Whoever you were Dolly accepted you and loved you and reminded you that you were loved by God exactly as you are.
She had opinions but she had the grace to accept others’ opinions too, even when she disagreed. She spoke of her faith openly, and although traditional church was a challenge for her, her love for Jesus was unwavering. An elderly lady in her childhood church told her that she was anointed by God for a specific purpose. Dolly believed that purpose was to make the world a little better, and she held onto that her whole life.
She came from poverty and she never took her wealth for granted. Despite being poor her family had love, dignity and faith at its core and she described that as “being as rich as can be”. She knew what it was to suffer but, as she said, "if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain”. And she did that through her extraordinary song writing in which she captured all of life’s ups and down in a way that helped everyone feel seen.
All her writing was deeply theological. No subject was out of bounds. She wrote of teenage pregnancy, still birth, suicide, heartbreak, abandonment, labour rights, women’s rights and double standards when it comes to gender politics. She also wrote of redemption, suffering, resurrection, end times, love, truth, justice and hope and all of this was grounded in her personal faith in a living God she knew as Jesus.
She advised that people need a good work life balance when she said, “don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.” Having
said that she worked tirelessly to build her career, and she then used the privileges of that career to benefit many others. She should have been a billionaire but in her generosity, she gave away millions often quietly and privately. She prayed for wealth to give away and that is exactly what she was granted.
She wanted children but couldn’t have them. She carried that grief for decades and concluded that God had other plans and other children for her to care for. Years later, because her dad couldn’t read, she set up the Imagination Library in his memory and children over the world have received more than 300 million books so far. Her philanthropy is designed to continue long after her death.
She made a point of not taking herself too seriously. Who can forget her quote, “it costs a lot of money to look this cheap.” But, she knew exactly what she was doing because in accepting herself she made it possible for others to accept themselves. She knew her worth and she knew that she was a forgiven sinner who was loved by God.
She recognised the image of God in all people including herself and so didn’t judge others and didn’t care if others judged her. Instead, she encouraged us to “find out who you are and do it on purpose.” How liberating is that? I wish someone had told me that when I was a teenager.
Her life epitomised what is to love and be loved. She loved God, her neighbour and herself and it was a love that she knew came from God. She prayed many times a day and willingly focussed on others. The extraordinary outpouring of sadness and, importantly, thankfulness expressed since her death is testimony to the difference she made.
Her funeral will be quiet, understated and personal to her family and closest friends. She is to be laid to rest in soft cotton because in death she didn’t want any rhinestones – instead she wanted comfort. The larger-than-life show woman has gone with quiet dignity. She lived the Gospel in the fullest sense, and her legacy will live on.
Dolly lived within a mindset that prioritised faith in Jesus and the needs of those less fortunate. She did it with determination, grace, cheekiness, joy and deep love. She didn’t martyr herself, but she did everything in her gift to make a difference to as many people as possible. She followed God’s call on her life, and she lived those two greatest commandments in loving God, her neighbour and herself in a way that gathered everyone in.
We are unlikely to see anyone quite like her again. Our loss is Heaven’s gain. May she rest in peace and rise in glory.
Rev Debbie Nash
Thought for the week by Rev Debbie Nash Rector of the United Benefice of Thornhill and Whitley. 3rd November 2023
Autumn can feel dreary and sad as we watch the plants die off, the mists take hold, and the nights begin to draw in. The trees give their last hurrah of glorious colour before shedding their leaves in the gusty winds. It is wetter and colder; dare we put the heating on yet? My sandals are now put away until next summer and my sturdy boots are standing ready by the door. It’s easy to feel down in Autumn, as our world seems to shrink behind our closed curtains.
Yet autumn has its own treasures to offer us. The darkness is not all bad. Without dark we would never really appreciate the light. As so much of nature prepares for the long winter sleep, we are reminded of how important it is to get proper rest. We all need rejuvenating, to make time to create little moments of light for ourselves and others.
This time encourages us to consider the cycle of life and our part in it. All Souls at the end of October and the season of Remembrance grant us the space to reflect deeply. We are thankful for all those we have loved and see no more. We are indebted to those who paid the ultimate price to secure our freedom. We embrace the concepts of sacrifice and redemption as we watch the created world die off around us. This is not bad for the old must make way for the new. Without autumn there would be no spring. Without the darkness we would have no need for light. Without death we would have no need for hope or new possibilities.
I wonder what needs to die off in us so that we too may experience new possibilities and new life in the spring. Before the Christmas juggernaut takes over can I encourage you to embrace rest and self-care and allow autumn to do its job in you. Give thanks and be blessed.
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Thoughts for September 2021 by David Currie
READ HERE and LISTEN HERE
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Thought for Lent 2021 by David Currie
Read here or Listen
Pastoral Letter from our Rector for Christmas 2020 Here
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Letters from Warmer Climes from Rev Robert Bailey in Madeira
Second Letter with Christmas Greetings 22nd December
Third Letter from Sunny Climes - in Lockdown
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Thought for the Month October 2020 written this month by David Currie
Click here for written version and here for MP3 audio
Pastoral Letter to Laity from Bishop Nick July 2020
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Pastoral Letter from Rev Debbie
March 2020
My dear friends
Hello. It’s been a long time since we were in touch with each other and I thought it would be helpful to contact you all in these uncertain days.......... Click Here to read.
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