Dear Friends,
Happy New Year! I hope you are well and enjoying 2024 so far. The start of a new year always feels strange to me as we try to find energy, excitement and a renewed sense of purpose during a dark, wet and cold me of year. Observing the natural world around us we see bare branches, exposed soil and a lack of movement where things would usually creep and crawl. Following the rhythm of the non-human world about us we should really spend the winter slowing down and res ng. It is a me to put our roots deeper into the soil rather than stretch into new places. A me when there might not be much visible fruit but instead the deep places of our being are nurtured. So if you, like me, feel like it is just too much to “get up and go” at this me of year, take this as permission to focus on less high energy things. Our Old Testament reading for this Sunday describes God creating day and night, light and dark and this rhythm and pa ern is described as good. No-one can run 24/7 non stop, 365 days of the year and you aren’t the except on. Instead we should celebrate the good things that come from the rhythms we find ourselves in. These resulting months can be wonderful for healing, for reflect on and for allowing God’s spirit to move in our inner beings.
That being said, I know many people find the beginning of a new year to be extremely energising and hopeful. As was demonstrated by London’s fireworks display, the process of reflecting back on the year can help us to remember the good things we have witnessed and experienced and to look forward with anticipation on for more good things to come in the year ahead. For others, who have had a particularly hard year this may be a me to press the “reset button”. To turn over a new leaf, live differently or anticipate a better year this year than last. However you are feeling as we begin this year, my prayer is that you would do so with a sense of God’s presence in your life. Whether you are making resolutions, res ng or finding fresh hope, know that our loving God wants to walk beside you as you do.
Our weekly rhythms return to normal this week with Warm Space Café, Friday
Morning Prayer (breakfast included) and our usual 8:30 and 10:30 services on a Sunday. This week we will celebrate Epiphany with a spoken Holy Communion at 8:30 and Holy Communion with Hymns and Sunday Spirit at 10:30. You are so welcome at all of the above, we would love to see you and start this New Year together whether you have been to St Mar n’s 1,000 times before or never before you are really welcome.
Blessings,
Phil