About Us

Letter from the Vicar

May, New Life, and Signs of Hope

The landscape of our United Benefice has undergone a remarkable transformation. The hush of winter has given way to the vibrant, unruly symphony of a Derbyshire spring. Trees have softened into green, blossom brightens old walls and garden paths, and fields and lanes begin to look full of promise again. Even the air feels different. After the searching season of Lent and Holy Week, May brings with it a sense of release. The world seems to breathe again, that makes it a lovely month in the Church’s year.

We can easily think of Easter as one great Sunday and then move on too quickly. But the Church does not do that. Easter is not over in a day. We continue to live in the Easter season, and May falls right in the middle of it. This is a month not of “business as usual” but of learning to live in the light of new life.

That matters because Easter is not simply about something that happened long ago. It tells us something about the character of God and the shape of Christian hope. It tells us that death and despair do not have the last word. It tells us that God is always able to bring life out of what looks tired, worn or beyond hope.

Most of us know the need for that hope. Life is not always straightforward. We carry worries, disappointments, grief, questions and weariness. Faith is not always bright and strong. Sometimes it is simply the quiet decision to keep going, to keep praying, and to trust that God has not finished with us yet.

That is why the resurrection stories are so encouraging. The risen Jesus does not appear only in moments of triumph. He comes in a garden. He walks alongside puzzled travellers. He stands among frightened disciples behind closed doors. He meets people where they are. And he still does.

As St John records Jesus saying, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Not a shallow or easy life, but a fuller one: deeper, steadier, richer in hope.

Across the Bakewell Benefice, we are blessed at this time of year with many signs of that kind of life. In villages, fields and gardens, in ancient church buildings and gathered congregations, in quiet faithfulness and neighbourly kindness, there are reminders that God is still at work among us. Soon, in our villages, well dressings will speak of beauty, gratitude, tradition and shared effort. Whatever their long history, they remain signs of people offering something lovely together.

For Christianity is never only about ideas in our heads. It is about thanksgiving, shared life and learning to notice grace in ordinary places. A church open for prayer, blossom against old stone, a kind word from a neighbour, the steady dedication of volunteers — all these can remind us that God is still quietly present.

Later in May, from Rogation Sunday, the Church turns toward Ascension and Pentecost: Christ reigning in glory, and the Holy Spirit given to ordinary people. These festivals remind us that we are not left to manage life and faith by ourselves. We are accompanied, strengthened and called forward.

St Paul writes, “If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). In May, with the world bursting with new life around us, that can feel less like an abstract doctrine and more like something we can glimpse for ourselves.

As the old proverb says: “While there’s life, there’s hope.”, May we give thanks for signs of new life. And share that hope with others.

With blessings, David Hardman Holy Trinity, Ashford in the Water