Dear Friends,

 

 

I don’t know about you, but March, for me, always feels like a hopeful month – the days are getting longer, the weather improving, and the garden bursting with new life.  Things may be a little out of balance – I’m not sure that snowdrops, crocuses, and daffodils should really all be flowering at the same time – but they are, and it makes me smile.  I have had different birds visiting the feeders in the garden, and one or two bumblebees buzzing around – though that is perhaps a little worrying when there is still a risk of frost.

 

There seems to be a lightness in the church too – it’s amazing the difference that getting the floors sanded has made to the building – it feels brighter – and people are noticing.  I know that there is lots more to do, and that we shouldn’t necessarily be focusing on our buildings, but, perhaps, if we get them right, that opens up new possibilities in other areas of our life too – I have been thinking a lot about Chris’ suggestion at the Church Meeting, that we should find opportunities not only to celebrate the completion of the work, but to promote ourselves in the local area, both as a community resource, and as a place of worship and welcome for all.

 

Lent is a time of reflection, as we sit with Jesus in the wilderness, and walk with him to the cross.  It is a time when we look back on where we have been, and forward to the resurrection, as we, like the disciples, wrestle with the warnings of what is to come, and how quickly things can change, as the celebrations of Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday become jeers and taunts, as he is arrested, put on trial, and nailed to the cross.  

 

While for many of us, the wilderness of Lent is theological, for many, in this country and around the world, it is a harsh reality, and the hope of Easter and the resurrection seems far away.  War; famine; lack of adequate food, water, healthcare; corrupt governments; the effects of the climate crisis; the rising cost of living – each of these, and many others, can leave people sitting in the wilderness.  We are left wondering what, if anything, we can do.

 

Perhaps all we can do is sit with them in the wilderness, as Jesus did, praying; and, when the time is right, or opportunities arise, do what we can to bring hope, and to share the light of God’s love.

 

With love and blessings,

Alison