It’s not Lent yet but I am going to talk about it today because it’s important to think about Lent before it actually arrives! Many of us immediately think of fasting and giving things up for Lent which has a place but it is equally important to think about what you could take up: extra time in prayer, reflection, spiritual readings, doing good deeds, joining a Lent group, committing to an extra midweek service – all of these can help us to grow spiritually, and that is the point of Lent. One of the keys to a good and holy Lent is to plan ahead and think about what we can do.The reading for the Sunday Before Lent is always an account of the Transfiguration. This is because it gives a glimpse of glory prior to the solemnity of the season and the time when our worship becomes a little simpler and less exuberant. The glimpse of glory we see helps us take heart and look ahead to our destination and the hope that after a time of growth and effort we will be refreshed and stronger.Fr Simon
“The Lord God took the man [adam] and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.” (v 15)The Hebrew word adam means ‘man’ or ‘human’ and is not a first name in the sense we would understand. So adam in the story is representative of ‘mankind’ or ‘humanity.’ God loves this adam, creating for him a beautiful garden, animal companions, and then another companion, called ‘woman.’ The story emphasises how close God is to adam and woman, talking and walking with them in the garden; how much this is a relationship of love. Tragically, as we all know, it becomes a sad story of deceit and disobedience. In this way, the story tries to untangle and understand the reasons why humanity often seems so far from God, both in how we act and how we feel. But the good news is that the rest of the Bible is a story of how God is always seeking to be close to and to walk with us again - something which he does definitively in the person of Jesus.Rev Richard
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus delivers a powerful message to His followers. He speaks to a growing crowd of people, offering words that turn the world’s values upside down. The Beatitudes and Woes challenge us to think deeply about priorities, attitudes, and how we live out our faith.The Beatitudes are a reminder that God’s Kingdom often works differently from the world we see around us. Jesus blesses the poor, the hungry, the weeping, and those who are hated or excluded because of their faith in Him. These blessings show that God sees value in ways and means the world often overlooks. The humble are lifted and promised comfort, provision, and joy is to be found for those who suffer. These teachings are a perpetual yardstick for the Christian as we try to measure ourselves against the standards of the Kingdom of God and to look for signs of God’s presence in places we least expect them.Father Simon
In our Gospel reading this week, Jesus encounters the first of the disciples, Simon, James and John, who are feeling despondent at their lack of success in catching any fish. Despite their scepticism, Jesus tells them to cast their nets in deep water and they pull in a huge catch of fish. It would be easy to think that the story is one where Jesus just fulfils the desire of the disciples; their desire to make a living and to be successful. They could easily have just taken the fish and carried on with their lives. But they don’t. They drop their nets and leave everything behind to follow Jesus. Whilst God blesses us with a great many things in life, our call is to follow Jesus wherever that may take us. Sometimes it will be a comfortable ride, and sometimes it will challenge us. Sometimes we doubt our own ability to do it, as Simon Peter did, but Jesus says, ‘Don’t be afraid,’ – just have faith enough to follow, and God will provide whatever resources we need for the journey.Revd Liz
