St Bart's Magazine (extracts)

Epiphany 2008

2007-12-27T00:24:00.000-08:00

The New Year begins with the feast of the Epiphany. But this feast sadly finds itself almost lost under the shadow of Christmass, so that we celebrate it simply as a kind of epilogue to the birth of Christ. Preparing for Epiphany this year, though, reminded me not just of its importance but also of its striking relevance to our time.

Epiphany sees Jesus adored and worshipped by sages from afar. This is why Epiphany preachers remind us that Christ is the saviour of all. There are no distinctions between rich or poor, male or female, Jew or Gentile, shepherd or king – Christ is, and was from the very first, the gift of God to all who will receive him by faith. The Magi thus represent you and me, people from outside of the Jewish nation now included among God’s people because of the birth of Jesus.

The church’s prayer on Epiphany morning goes further in hinting at just how relevant the feast is to our own day. Before and after the great Song of Simeon (Benedictus) come these words: ‘Today the church has been joined to the bridegroom, since Christ has purified her of her sins in the Jordan: the Magi hasten to the royal wedding and offer gifts: the wedding guests rejoice since Christ has changed water into wine, alleluia.’ Epiphany is linked to Christ’s baptism in the Jordan. This was the time when the crowds saw him anointed as the Messiah. And Epiphany is linked to the wedding at Cana in Galilee. This was the time when Jesus first showed them his glory. All three occasions have in common the theme of making Christ known.

From the first Christianity was what we might call ‘a revealed religion’. It had taught that Jesus had come among us as the way the truth and the life. He had dawned on the world with a message of Good News and the call to a change of heart – and the world was never to be the same again. Instead it now had hope, an awareness of God’s love, and an anticipation that Jesus would return to usher in the fullness of God’s kingdom.

To believe that God in this way revealed something of his nature, his love and his will means also that we now have to accept the idea of right and wrong. If a truth is proclaimed, then to deny that truth is to be in error. If we hold one thing to be true then we must hold its opposite to be false. If it is true to say that Jesus was born miraculously by a virgin or that he rose from the dead, it is wrong to say that Jesus was Joseph’s son and that his body was stolen to enhance his reputation. And to be fair we would apply this principle in our observation of the world around us. Here again, two opposite propositions cannot be equally right. If the earth is round, then you are wrong to believe it is flat. When an apple drops on your head you realise that there is such a thing as gravity and to deny the fact is wrong (and probably barmy!).

In other words, we can be wrong in religion just as we can be wrong in science.

No wonder that religion has fuelled so many wars! more reasonable and recent thinkers have observed. To speak of right and wrong is a heart beat away from intolerance and even downright hatred. So now let Christianity be rather less forthright. It is more becoming to say that things are right if they seem so to you. Rather than being challenged to newness of heart, we are now invited to rejoice in all the things we feel inclined to as if none were any better than another.

This new religion is much more comfortable than the old, especially when it can be made to look the same. But, we must ask ourselves, does it make Jesus manifest to the people of our day?

Vicars Letter July 07

2007-07-05T11:02:00.000-07:00

The Parish Eucharist 3 – The Liturgy of the Eucharist

At the end of the Liturgy of the Word, the focus of the service shifts from the ambo and the chair to the altar (which has been almost entirely unused to this point). The Liturgy of the Eucharist is made up of four principal actions – actions of Jesus at the last Supper and in his feeding miracles. Just as Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it and shared it so do we in the Eucharist.

Taking – or the Offertory

The taking of bread is the offertory. Bread and wine are brought to the altar by members of the congregation. They are handed to the priest-celebrant and he places them on the altar. A prayer is said first over the bread and then over the up. On a Sunday these prayers are covered by singing. The gifts and altar are sometimes censed and the priest washes his hands before starting the Eucharistic Prayer. The washing has a practical purpose but also emphasises the connection between the sacrament of washing (baptism) and the Mass.

The Eucharistic Prayer – blessing

Taken from the Greek word for thanksgiving, the Eucharistic Prayer is about much more than making Jesus sacramentally present in bread and wine. Instead it begins with a seasonal preface which calls to mind the theme of the time of year before moving on to thank God for all that he has done especially in the climax of his work, the ministry of Jesus Christ. We ‘call to mind’ the life death and resurrection of Jesus in readiness for his return in glory. And it is in this wider context of thanksgiving that we ask God to receive our gifts and to make them the gift of Jesus himself, his body and blood. The prayer concludes with a doxology, a sentence in praise of God during which the gifts are raised in a gesture of offering. The ‘great amen’ as it is often called is the community’s affirmation of the prayer and one of the highpoints of the whole celebration.

The breaking of bread

This part of the celebration has had great significance down the centuries to the extent that in the book of Acts and many times since the whole celebration has been referred to in these terms – the breaking of bread or the breaking of bread and the prayers. It was as he broke the bread at Emmaus the disciples recognised him.

At our mass the bread is broken during an ancient hymn in praise of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God). Ideally there should be one bread and one cup on the altar (as a sign of unity). Where this isn’t possible and small altar bread are used there is still one bread which is broken and which some of people present are given. (Next time you receive the Eucharist, look to see whether the altar bread has been broken from the larger one or is a small round bread. There is no intended favouritism in this, it is a random thing dependant on what comes to hand first!)

The sharing

The Eucharist is a meal and as with any such occasion, one only participates fully when receiving Holy Communion. The name communion has its roots in the idea of fellowship and belonging. This is both a vertical fellowship and a horizontal one: in its vertical sense we enter into a deeper fellowship with God when we receive Holy Communion; in its horizontal sense Holy Communion expresses and nurtures our fellowship with one another and the whole church ‘living and departed’. The link between communion with God and communion with his church is best expressed in the double-meaning of the term ‘body of Christ’. At on and the same time this means Jesus present in the sacrament as well as Jesus’ Body the church. To put it bluntly, Body of Christ means both him and us; and more than that, the unity between him and us and us with each other.

Stbarts Ipswich - May 2007

2007-04-19T08:38:00.000-07:00

I want to begin the May Magazine with a recognition of all that went on over the Easter Festival. It’s probably down to a variety of different reasons that the celebration went so well and we all contributed to that in our different ways.

The church was beautifully decorated (we seemed to have more flowers and arrangements than ever this year!) and people were very generous with their eggs for the children and so on. But these things are usually more than just the sum of all their different parts and I think that the time felt so special because of the prayerful and joyful way so many of you approached it all.

The Parish Eucharist 2 – The Introductory Rites.

All things in life begin with a beginning! The introduction, like any first impression, is usually among the most important elements in any experience. It is probably for this reason, that the Eucharist has an Introductory section all on its own. It is intended to prepare those present for what is to come by gathering the assembly as one, looking forward to what is to follow (especially in the readings) and (often but not always) to deal with our sins and turn our hearts to God in praise. You can see from this carefully worded sentence, that the Introduction is often the same but can be quite varied!

So what does it always comprise? First it begins with song. The Missal provides various verses which can be chanted but these are usually included in the priest’s introductory comments (at a said mass) or replaced all together by a song or hymn (at a sung celebration). Then the priest celebrant leads us in an acknowledgement of the God in whose name we gather. We bless ourselves in his name by signing ourselves with the sign of the cross – ‘In the name of the father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’ The priest then greets those present with a greeting drawn from the scriptures. This should never be a simple ‘Good morning’ because that would trivialise what is to follow. Instead we greet each other with a sacred greeting because what is to follow will be an encounter with God. The Introduction ends with the Opening Prayer or collect of the mass. The priest invites us to pray. We pause in silent prayer and then make his prayer our own with an Amen.

On most Sundays the material between the greeting and the opening prayer follows a well-established pattern. First the service is introduced. This is done either by the priest or some other person. Then we are invited to call to mind our sins and seek forgiveness. This is because our sins keep us from one another and from God and so it is a good preparation or even prerequisite to confess our sins before we listen to God’s word, exchange the peace with one another or receive holy communion. On Sundays outside Lent and Advent (which are more penitential) we sing an ancient hymn of praise, the Gloria in exclesis. We have various modern and more traditional versions of this hymn.

So what of the variety? Well, sometimes the variety comes with the season. Palm Sunday, for example, has an introduction which begins as usual and ends with the usual Opening Prayer but the intervening parts are very different. We hear of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and join him in procession to the church. On Ash Wednesday, the confession of sin is omitted to be replaced by the ashing ceremony after the gospel. On Sundays we might replace the prayers of penitence with penitence of action – and make our repentance to God by being sprinkled with baptismal (holy) water rather than with words.

So the Introduction is a varied rite but a vital element of our celebration Sunday by Sunday and day by day. In it we gather together and are prepared for an encounter God himself. It is a special time of being welcomed, prepared and focused on what is to come.

Fr P

Advent services

2006-12-13T13:30:00.000-08:00

St Bartholomew’s Church
Newton Road
(between Felixstowe & Foxhall Roads)
Services for Christmass

Sunday 17 December 6.30pm Carol Service
Sunday 24 December 4pm Christingle
11.30pm Midnight Mass
Sunday 25 December 10am Family Eucharist

A Church with lively Catholic worship under the care of the Bishop of Richborough.
For further details and times for Confession contact the Vicar, Fr Paul Carter (01473) 727441

Sunday 12th Nov 2006 - Remembrance

2006-10-20T13:11:00.000-07:00

On 12 November we will be keeping Remembrance Sunday. For so many of you who will be with us on this occasion, the music and the readings and the organisations with their banners will bring back many memories. Some of these memories will be very painful and very personal, the memory of families and friends and colleagues in arms who gave their lives for the freedom of us all.

But for younger generations the urge to keep Remembrance seems less real. How can such an observance help us? Would it not be better for us if this day were not kept at all? Would it not be better if we concentrated more on reconciliation than on past conflict? It is doubtless the case that as the years pass and those who lived through the two wars grow fewer, the momentum of this day dwindles. But I would suggest especially to those of my own generation that we should do our best to keep this important day going, for our sake and that of our children.

Why? Well, for one thing, we have as a nation lost people in conflict very recently. And the pain of loss is compounded by the nagging questions about how worthwhile the conflict has been. It is a mistake to think that war, even for our own nation is a thing of the past. It is a mistake to forget this fact or to forget just how real the price of war is. Then again, remembrance is a highly important theme for the Christian even when the persons remembered lived many generations before. Central to Christian spirituality is remembrance, the remembrance of Jesus Christ. When we read his words in the gospels, when we pray through him to our Father, and when we meet together in Christian fellowship, we are remembering him. We need reminding here that our word ‘remember’ hardly does justice to the Greek which it translates: ‘anamnesis’ means far more than remembrance in the cold and isolated way that we sometimes use it. The word means remembering in such a way as to make the person remembered present among us.

This is the sense of the word when it is used by Jesus at the Last Supper (Luke 22:19 = 1Cor 11: 24,25). Jesus commands us to do the Eucharist in remembrance of him until he returns. And in this supreme act of Christian Remembrance Jesus is made present for us in a real and mysterious way. He is present in priest and people, he is present in their prayers, he is present in the proclamation of his word; but most importantly of all, he is present in the bread and wine offered on his altar. Our worship.

But the main point I wish to draw from this parallel between Remembrance Sunday and the Eucharist is this: none of us who gathers at the Lord’s Table week by week or day by day can remember Jesus in the way that many older people can remember those who died in the Wars. But this distance of time does not hinder our remembering Jesus in the Christian sense of the term, making him present in our worship and giving thanks for his supreme sacrifice and for his example. This parallel should teach people of my generation that far from forgetting those who died for us, we should actively call them to mind year by year. We should continue to use the evocative prayers and hymns which are so moving to our elders, those things which somehow make present the pain and sadness of past years. And if we do this faithfully, maybe, just maybe, the supreme price paid by those we remember will not go for nothing. Maybe we will learn from the mistakes of past generations and live in a world of freedom and peace.

The way to this new world will not be found by forgetting our past, but rather by getting to grips with it, being thankful for it, and learning from it.

May we all have a meaningful Remembrance Sunday!

Fr P

From the vicarage - for Oct 2006

2006-08-30T13:28:00.000-07:00

People sometimes say that ‘going back’ is a negative experience. Jesus encountered the difficulties of being a prophet gone back to his own home town. Here he was known for his past life as the carpenter’s son, and the miracles all dried up. We all know the difficulties that come from a hankering after the past. In the scriptures the faithless refusal to look forward is personified in Lot’s wife, who looked back and was turned to salt.

But going back can be a positive thing, too. If we think about our own spiritual lives we have to admit that there have been times of growth but also times of shrinkage. This is why repentance stands at the heart of our faith; the gospel calls us to turn to the Lord and frequently to turn back to him when we have strayed. The OT prophets saw the people of God err and stray and so called them to return. In this situation it is not the going back that is the mistake but the initial departure. So not every new thing is for the best and to go forward can mean to return to the past.

The trick is to know the difference. When is a new thing right and when is it wrong?

One way of looking at the dilemma is to distinguish between changes of substance and changes of presentation. Before the start of any new ministry in the Church of England, the Preface to the Declaration of Assent is read. This speaks about the faith received by the church but also the call to present that same faith ‘afresh’ to each generation. In other words, the faith is to be preserved and handed on its entirety, but it is to shown to people in ways that meet their needs. So, our worship at St Bart’s in the twenty-first century is and must be different from that in a church in Africa or even our own church a hundred years ago.

Another answer is to employ the classic Anglican approach to Christian decision-making – scripture, reason and tradition. We ask ourselves whether or not a belief or practice fits with the Bible, stands up to intellectual scrutiny, and can be seen in the church down the centuries as well as across the world. Tradition is just another word for the ‘voice of the church’. But it is easily rubbished by those who urge change because it smacks of being old-fashioned. But compare for a moment some of the new statements of faith in Common Worship with the Creeds given in the Prayer Book. In the latter the church is an article of faith, in the former not even mentioned. Perhaps this reflects a tendency in Anglicanism to play down Christian history and the voice of our ecumenical partners.

So what of the two issues which most torment Anglicanism today, the ordination of women as bishops and priests and human sexuality? Perhaps the best way to discern God’s will in both these cases is to ask ourselves whether they are changes of substance or of presentation. In other words, would a church with women bishops and priests and/or gay marriage be less Christian or simply more up-to-date? Or we could ask ourselves whether they satisfy the tests of scripture, reason and tradition. But the rub comes with tradition because it takes the matter out of our hands. No longer are these things subject to private judgement, or even Anglican judgement, but to the teaching office of Christ’s church. And obedience to this, even when we have private questions and difficulties, is what it means to be Catholic.

Fr P

From the Vicarage - Sept' 2006

2006-08-09T06:44:00.000-07:00

The item of summer news that really sticks in my mind concerned bankruptcies and insolvencies. The number of mortgage repossessions and declarations of personal bankruptcy are increasing alarmingly. As part of the news report, the BBC interviewed a representative of the Citizens’ Advice Bureau. According to the CAB a lot of the blame was to be laid at the door of lenders; banks and building societies simply make it too easy to borrow too much. Then again, people focus more on the amount they are borrowing rather than on how much they will have to pay back; not enough thought is given to the repayment levels.

These two phenomena are no doubt real contributors to the problem. But is there a more fundamental force at work here? People naturally want as much a possible for as little as possible. Every economic transaction is determined by the interaction of two forces – the price paid is the result of by how much there is and how much people want it. We call it supply and demand and it is fundamental to every healthy society. Rather more fundamental to the human psyche, though, is the desire of something for nothing. And this is where unscrupulous forces are often to be found. The vulnerable and the gullible are often ensnared by excessive borrowing or by gambling. People can become convinced that a loan is a gift or that the next bet will be the winning one.

Debts and owing are not ideas which readily present themselves from the pages of the Bible. We are told to owe no one anything except the debt of love. The Old Testament people are often exhorted to take no interest on a loan (the sin of usury). And the Lord’s Prayer could be translated as asking to be released from debt. But this all seems rather peripheral to the main thrust of the Christian message. Isn’t it all about being reconciled with God and preparing ourselves for eternal happiness with him? Well, yes it is. The only thing is that indebtedness lies precisely at the heart of our relationship with God.

The Christian view of the world is to see human beings as indebted to their Creator. We can only stand before God if he cancels those debts. To regard us as we are would be to shun us as hopeless sinners. Instead God lovingly cancels our debt to him when we believe in Jesus. And this in turn means that we are to cancel the debts that others owe us. This is the meaning of ‘forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us’.

To see ourselves as those who have been freed from the burden of debt by a loving Father means more than that we should extend his forgiveness to others. Christians should go further and regard with the utmost suspicion all promises of something for nothing – whether it be to buy it now and pay back loads more later or to win it at impossible odds. Such false promises rob people of their freedom and dignity and do immeasurable harm to the fabric of our society. God, on the other hand, is a rather more favourable creditor and an understanding of what we owe him will take away our need to become indebted to others.

Fr P

Days of Prayer

2006-07-14T03:02:00.000-07:00

Watch with me one brief hour

Jesus would spend much time in prayer. If he needed prayer, then so do we! Our first (of many) Days of Prayer is on Friday 21 July from 9am to 4pm. This means there are six slots that need filling—there is room for two names for each hour. People are welcome to come at any time even if they haven’t signed the list—but we do need each hour covered. The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed on the altar in the side chapel. Do come and spend some time in quiet, or join with us at this time from home.

The following is a guide to how this time might usefully be spent.

It sounds quite daunting, doesn’t it? A whole hour in prayer. Nothing to break it up, no-one to lead us, no singing. Just quiet and stillness. And yet to pray for one brief hour was Jesus’ call to his Apostles on the night before his suffering and death. It was his own practice, too. Jesus springs out of the passages of the gospel as a person of prayer, a man who would spend the whole night in prayer to God. He would pray especially before big decisions (like calling the twelve apostles) or at times of difficulty or crisis.

The purpose of this time of prayer is simply the search for God, to spend some time in his presence. The fruits of prayer include personal holiness but also the greater holiness of the whole church of which each of us is a part. I would suggest that this time should be prayer for prayer’s sake – not a time to agonise about women bishops or lack funds!

What follows is a guide to spending this time. But it is only how I will go about it. If it doesn’t work for you, that’s fine, everyone prays differently. If you find it easy to sit and be still in Jesus’ presence, you probably have no need of help!

1 Come into God’s presence

When you enter the chapel, the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed above the altar. This is so that it can be seen. Spend some time adoring the Son of God truly present among us. Gaze upon Jesus!

Then spend some time calling to mind recent sins. These things keep us from God and are a barrier to prayer, so it’s best to get them out of the way first (as we do Sunday by Sunday). You might like to say one of the penitential prayers we use on Sundays or simply a Lord have mercy.

2 Invoke the Holy Spirit

Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your time of prayer so that you spend it as God wills. You might like to repeat quietly some verse – such as Come, Holy Spirit…

Inevitably you will approach this time very conscious of what you have been doing, what you will go on to do, the problems of the church and world. Don’t be surprised if it’s hard to settle into the silence. Sometimes the best way of being still is not to dismiss the distractions but make them our prayer; as they enter your mind, either now or later in the hour, bring them to God before trying to move on.

3 Read

You might like to give your prayer some focal point, to allow God to inform your prayer through his Word. Take a look at a passage which you heard recently at Mass. Perhaps the sermon made you think of it in a new way! Or look at the story of the night before Good Friday and how the disciples failed in prayer (Luke 22: 35-38). Look at Jesus’ great energy in his own prayer by comparison. And pray to resist temptation.

4 Imagination

Try to enter into the passage. Who would I have been? How would I have reacted? What does this say to me and to our church in 2006? Or try to live through the scene as though you were watching a play or looking at a picture. Think of the faces, their expressions, the place, etc.

5 A verse to remember

It is good to try to take something from our prayer. Single out a verse that sums up your prayer or which you have come today to see in a new light. And memorise it!

6 Resolution

Your time of prayer might have presented you with challenges. You might not have liked the way you looked in the face of God’s love. The passage you read might have challenged you or your time of self-examination might have. This time should be a time of renewal in prayer. So what areas do I especially need to work on? Have you tried bringing these things to God in the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Go home with at least one determination to do better!

Fr P

High Altar June 2006

2006-06-16T13:21:00.000-07:00

Used for most festivals and days of obligation, whilst a larger altar has been placed near the foot of the pulpit in the concregation.

Flowers during June 2006

2006-06-15T13:49:00.000-07:00

Station you see when entering from main door and High Alter in background.

From the vicarage - May 2006

2006-05-01T11:35:00.000-07:00

I write to you this month in the wake of a truly joyous celebration of Easter.

Easter is the chief feast of the Christian faith and this year we seemed to keep it with even more joy than last year. Somehow the church seemed even more beautifully prepared this year than last and the atmosphere in our worship felt more relaxed. Perhaps that was in part due to Easter falling more in Springtime and rather longer after Christmass. As always the church worked hard and worked together to prepare the building and the worship so well. It was a truly team effort.

All of this activity helped tell the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

In Holy Week we are presented with the depth of Jesus’ sacrificial love. This is shown chiefly in his death on the cross; but it is also shown in his example and command to brotherly love as well as his institution of the Eucharist and ministerial priesthood. Having celebrated these great gifts we come to celebrate Jesus’ victory over death – and not just his victory but our own sharing in that victory. This is why Easter is so much a celebration of Baptism. In Baptism we die and rise with Christ, we come to share his death so that when we come to die ourselves (or when he returns – whichever is sooner) we will share his risen life.

The season of Easter closes with a call to look away from ourselves and to reflect more on our mission to others. At the end of April we will be thinking of Jesus’ Ascension and anticipating the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. These events are more of a beginning to the church’s mission to the world than the closing of the Easter story; the church is sent out in the power of the Holy Spirit and at the command of the Risen Christ to take his love to the world.

May our joyful celebration of Easter draw us out of ourselves and inspire us to take our joy to others!

Fr Paul

To-day’s Thought
(and tomorrow’s!)

Come now, insignificant man,
fly for a moment from your affairs,
escape for a little while from
the tumult of your thoughts,
put aside now your weighty cares
and leave your wearisome trials,
abandon yourself for a little to God
and rest a little in Him.
St. Anselm of Canterbury, died 1109

My Waterbowl

2006-04-07T03:36:00.000-07:00

Received in an e-mail chain, but explains them all !

----------------------------

A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was recently dead.

He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.

After a while, they came to a high, white marble wall along one side of the road. At the top of a long hill, the wall was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.

He soon saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street beyond the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate and, as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.

When he was close enough, he called out, "Excuse me, where are we?"

"This is Heaven, sir," the man answered.

"Wow! Would you happen to have some water?" the man asked.

"Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up."

The man gestured, and the gate began to open.

"Can my friend," gesturing toward his dog, "come in, too?" the traveller asked.

"I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets."

The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog.

After another long walk, at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence.

As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.

"Excuse me!" he called to the man. "Do you have any water?"

"Yes, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in."

"How about my friend here?" the traveller gestured to the dog.

"There should be a bowl by the pump."

They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it.

The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog.

When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree.

"What do you call this place?" the traveler asked.

"This is Heaven," he answered.

"Well, that's confusing," the traveler said "The man down the road said that was Heaven, too."

"Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That's hell."

"Doesn't it make you angry for them to use your name like that?"

“No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind."

Soooo...

Sometimes, we wonder why friends keep forwarding jokes to us without writing a word. Maybe this will explain.

When you are very busy, but still want to keep in touch, guess what you do. You forward a joke. When you have nothing to say, but still want to keep contact, you forward a joke. When you have something to say, but don't know what or how to say it, you forward a joke.

Also, to let you know that you are still remembered, you are still important, you are still loved, and you are still cared for, guess what you get?

A forwarded joke.

So next time you get a joke from me, don't think that you've been sent just another forwarded joke, but know that you've been thought of today and your friend on the other end of your computer wanted to send you a smile.