This is my chance to check in with you all between our two services. I wonder how you are feeling today?

If I'm honest, I'm feeling fatigued. I was unwell last week and still haven't quite shaken it off yet, I had some disappointing news earlier in the week and the situation both here and across the globe still looks pretty grim. I find that the temptation for me is to want to curl up and hibernate until things are looking a bit more positive and yet one of the major themes of Lent is about facing some of the tough stuff in life head on. 

When I reflect on last week's readings and the the beginning of Holy Week this coming Sunday we can see that Jesus has positioned himself to boldly walk towards suffering, rejection, betrayal and ultimately, the cross. He continues on even when he feels fatigued, sad and afraid because he knows that this is  his destiny. I'm not suggesting that our current hardships are our destiny but perhaps those feelings surrounding our current situation are a way for us to access the story of Jesus in a way that we haven't before. There is a difference between reading about grief and experiencing grief. There is a difference between reading about fear and experiencing fear. There is a difference between reading about the heaviness of life and experiencing it. 

As we read the familiar stories again, why don't we use our experiences over the past year to gain a new meaning and perspective as we journey with Jesus to the cross. And remember, this is a story that doesn't end with death, it ends with hope and new life. That's a promise, even in the most challenging of times, that we can all cling to.

With love

Jess

Dear Friends

Today, the church calendar observes Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem, Teacher of the Faith. Born in about the year 315, probably in Caesarea, Cyril became Bishop of Jerusalem when he was about thirty-four years old. There he nurtured both the resident Christian population and the many pilgrims, following the end of the era of persecution, who were beginning to make their way from all over Christendom to the places associated with Christ. It was Cyril whose teaching shaped the observance of Holy Week and Easter which is the foundation of Christian practice to this day, and which we will look forward to sharing together in a couple of weeks time. Cyril also taught the faith in line with the orthodoxy of the Council of Nicæa and the credal statement that became associated with it. Though he found difficulty with the word in that creed which described Jesus as being ‘of one substance with the Father’, nevertheless he took the side of the Nicene Party against the Arians, who denied the divinity of Christ. 

And so, on this his day, we celebrate… (altogether now):  Nicene one Cyril!!  (I’ll get my coat..!)

Keep safe
Keep in touch
Keep the faith.
​
Simon

Hi Everyone

What a day! Just as we are beginning to be allowed out a little more, the rain is driving us all back inside again. The thing I want most today is to be cosy, warm and dry. I want to eat comfort foods and I want to snuggle up with a boxset or a good film. Unfortunately the task list does not allow for any of those kind of shenanigans and so I am attempting, with little success, to power on through.

Some of us have been reading Henry Martin's book throughout Lent, which includes daily readings and reflections on the areas of Jesus' life where he may have struggled. As I reflect on my own struggle today, it got me thinking about whether Jesus found himself seeking out comfort. I think he may have done. Okay so perhaps his version of comfort didn't involve a big bowl of ice-cream or binge watching a series on Netflix but he did have Mary, Martha and Lazarus, good friends  that he visited who no doubt gave him a good feed and some warmth and laughter. A friendly and comforting place in the midst of all that was going on in his life.

If, like me, you're just not feeling it today, it's okay to seek out comfort; to seek out those things that bring you rest and restore you. Rest in the knowledge that you are loved and that God's love is not conditional on your productivity. You are a precious child of God, rest in his arms today.

With love

Jess 

Dear Friends

Since the weekend, our lives in this particular part of Brunswick have been blighted by a high pitched whine, emerging (we think) from one of the large new buildings that have gone up by the estate. Bearable (just about) by day, when competing with the other sounds of the city, together with the building works going on, it invades the night time quiet and dominates everything else. Sleep has proved really difficult! Indeed, it’s the sort of noise that once you are aware of it, it’s hard to focus on anything else. Last night I tried ear plugs (to no avail), tonight I shall attempt to concentrate on something positive, such as singing a hymn or chorus in my head. 

Last week when reading one of Psalms together at morning prayer, Jess and I reflected on the many choruses and hymns that had originated from it, and what an inspiration it was to be reminded of them. Certainly in this household, singing out loud is one of the current deprivations that we feel the most when it comes to the current restrictions. But it also reminded me of what an amazing back catalogue of songs over the years that I can draw upon, especially those rooted in scripture, that can speak, be an encouragement (or a least a helpful distraction) to me, even if sung inwardly rather than outwardly. This Lent, within our small Sunday group,  the general consensus has been to look to “take on” rather “give up” things for this particular season. We are indeed choosing as the author of the letter to the Philippians would put it, to: “….fill  (y)our minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honourable.”

May we all, whatever distractions, restrictions or limitations we find ourselves living under, be encouraged to fill our minds with good things, and not obsess on that which might bring us down.
 
Keep safe
Keep in touch
Keep the faith.

Simon