Rites of passage encompass the whole spectrum of emotions from complete sadness and feeling of bereftness to memories of joy and laughter as we recount incidents, many long forgotten, that we shared with our now departed loved ones. In baptism we share the excitement and joy of new parents and we remember baptisms of siblings; we choose carefully (most of the time!) those we particularly want to share in the child’s upbringing and development as we decide on godparents and we start the nurturing process of those older people who come to us for baptism. Wedding couples can be excited, nervous, almost overwhelmed to begin with but it is such a joy to work with them in the months leading up to their big day (and for me, it is an even bigger joy when, later, they ask me if I can baptise their children!). Yes, rites of passage cross all generations. They can be exhausting both physically and mentally, but they are definitely a major part of the church’s witness in our communities.

And what a role model we have – Jesus. In the gospels we encounter Jesus in rites of passage - mourning the death of his friend, raising a child back to life, encouraging the children to be brought to him for blessing, attending a wedding (and preaching a parable about another one). Jesus, our fully human and fully divine Saviour, knew and knows all about rites of passage and all the emotions surrounding them.

Rites of passage are a natural part of our existence as are the seasons, which in some ways emulate our experiences. In spring we think about new life from seeds etc and at this time of year we think about the completion of the cycle – harvest. Our churches and schools will be celebrating harvest in some way – check the service rota and what’s on.

God is SO good; he gives us so much more than we desire, need or actually want; he supports us through each and every stage of our life. Isn’t it right that we give him thanks and praise through our rites of passage services and at harvest time?

Revd Marion Reynolds