Dear Friends

As I look out of the church office in the lunchtime sun, the bunting still fluttering in the wind serves as a lovely reminder of the joyous Easter service held outdoors just a few days ago. Whether you were outside or connected through Zoom, I trust the time spent together and with our Risen Lord was as good for you as it was for me!

It has of course been one heck of a year. We acknowledged this in part with the construction of our yearly Easter psalm which went as follows;

Psalm 151Lord God, this year has been unlike any other, and yet…….

We are still together, with you in our midst.
Help us appreciate this moment
as we fix our eyes on you.
Thank you for your resurrection hope.
Help us to be strong in the bad times,
and praise you in the good times.
As we await to meet again, may you prepare us in your love and patience.
You are still our God, and we praise you!
Amen

…and for those who hanker after further opportunities to meet together, Thursday lunchtime prayer @ 12.00 continues this week on Zoom. (Meeting ID: 553 007 950).

In the meantime;

Keep safe
Keep in touch
Keep the faith

Simon

Dear Friends

Today, on this Maundy Thursday I am acutely aware of a sense of loss. Due to continued Covid restrictions, 2 key elements of services usually experienced on this special day; the sharing of a passover meal, and foot (or hand) washing - a demonstration of humility and loving service, will not be able to take place. The times spent at home facilitated by Jess’ planning pack, will help fill the gap, but of course it won’t quite be the same. Indeed over the course of the last 12 months, we have all lived with deprivations of different kinds in a whole variety of ways, with some folk experiencing the ultimate loss of losing loved ones.

However, as we journey together through Holy Week, we look ahead with hope. Hope in the short term, as we await the joys of Easter Sunday, and where we look forward to a more participatory service than we managed last year, and with the gradual lifting of restrictions, longer term hope for the future too. We look forward to celebrating Jesus’ victory over the powers of sin and death, and yes whilst we might be aware aware of things we feel we might be missing out on, remember the words of St Paul.

"Yes, certainly, I count everything as loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have forfeited the loss of all things and count them as rubbish that I may gain Christ,” Philippians 3.8 
 

Keep safe
Keep in touch
Keep the faith.

Simon

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