The Rev Colin Pontin

As most of you will know, the Rev Colin Pontin sadly passed away on May 15th. His service of remembrance and thanksgiving for his life was on June 5^th. Colin was very popular within the benefice and he was a true servant of Christ.

Colin wrote an article for Hinton Happenings in October 2014 in which he stated, “Rudyard Kipling  wrote a poem of which I am very fond. I had to learn it as a small boy and it has always stayed with me… It is entitled :

‘The Glory of the Garden’

Our England is a Garden that is full of stately views.

Of borders beds and shrubberies, of Lawns and avenues,

With statues on the terraces and peacocks strutting by

But the glory of the garden lies in more than meets the eye.

(Think of this as a picture of  ‘The Kingdom of God and our Christian response)

The poem contains the following two extracts:

Our England is a garden and such gardens are not made

By singing ‘O how beautiful’ and sitting in the shade…

And….

Oh, Adam was a gardener, and God who made him sees

That half a proper gardener’s work is done upon his knees,

 (Now that’s a challenge for all of us!)

And a final thought…. 

There’s not a pair of legs so thin, there’s not a head so thick

there’s not a hand so weak and white, nor yet a heart so sick

But it can find some useful Job that’s crying to be done

For the Glory of the Garden gloryfieth everyone.

Then seek your job with thankfulness and work till further orders

If it’s only netting strawberries or removing slugs on borders;

And when your back stops aching and your hands begin to harden

You will find yourself a partner in the Glory of the Garden.

Or to put it in Biblical Language:-

Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and

glorify your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)

 

Thanks to Colin for everything he did, we will miss him and may he rest in peace.

 

(With thanks to Shirley Burke for sharing the information about one of Colin’s favourite poems.)