What a joyful event last Sunday’s confirmation was! Every time I think about it, I can’t help smiling. Austen Redman’s photo of the our four confirmands, Ray, Veronica, Jean and Garry as they answer Bishop Alison wonderfully evokes the both the solemnity of the occasion and its great joy. This week, of course, has been much quieter - we can’t live on the mountain-top all the time - but I continue to be certain that this was such a great moment not just for those who were confirmed, but for our life as a church.And it was so lovely afterwards to be able to celebrate together with our first after-service coffee since the beginning of the pandemic. While some people, understandably, may feel cautious about gatherings, my feeling is that those who gathered in the Arlington Hall really enjoyed the chance to meet and talk together. We are therefore going to reintroduce after-service coffee in the Hall once a month - it’s yet to be decided which week it will be, and there’ll be more news soon. I hope this will be another sign of the vitality of our common life, and that, as the weeks and months pass, that it will flourish and blossom.with my prayers and blessings, Nicola
I have a new morning routine: every day I go out into my garden and prowl around, looking for the growing tips of the bulbs I’ve planted to come up. Most of them are around the edges of the lawn (well, around the edges of the moss!) and they’re hard to spot, so I was very happy this morning to see this little clump of snowdrops pushing their leaves through the soil. Green shoots! Can there be any more hopeful image?This image has been in my mind as I’ve been getting the order of service ready for this Sunday’s confirmation service. I am so pleased to have been able to invite Bishop Alison to preside at St Mary’s before she retires next month. She’s been an inspiration to me during my time here, and I know that’s the case for many others too. +Alison will be confirming four people, some new members of our congregation.I see their confirmations as green shoots pushing up through the earth, signs that the Holy Spirit is moving among us. It is such a joy that they are wanting to stand up and publicly declare their faith, that they are wanting to grow in holiness and Christlike-ness. The fact that we have people coming forward for confirmation is a cause for celebration and I hope that many of you can join us to celebrate together, whether that is in person or watching the livestream. with my prayers and blessings, Nicola
Happy New Year! This is often a time for looking forward and back - to the year that has just gone and the year that is to come. This time last year we were going into a long and hard lockdown, and I think that’s one reason why last year is so hard to remember. Those long weeks of last winter and early spring when we were all at home mean that we missed those events we mark the time by, and it just seems a blur. The Omicron variant means that we start this year wondering what the next few weeks will hold, and looking at the ever-rising case numbers with great anxiety. However, I’m finding it helps me to remember that this time last year we were not able to meet together in church, that we could not worship God together and that the idea of singing was just a dream. Things have changed, and I’m holding on to the hope that beyond the next few weeks things may improve again. I’m beginning to think about our activities this year. I was very encouraged to have so many people who aren’t regular churchgoers in church in the weeks before Christmas, and at the PCC we shall be thinking about how we can extend our welcome. Before long it will be time to start planning for Lent and Easter, the great cycle of the year that assures us that death has been defeated, and out of suffering and despair comes bright hope.That’s encapsulated for me by a picture I took just before the new year, looking out of the window of my brother in law’s house. There’s a grey and sky, full of heavy clouds, looking grey and ominous. But on the brow of the hill, against the dark grey cloud, there’s a sliver of sunlight: a line of gold. For me this is an image of our yearning for God in the face of all the troubles that we bear, and an image of the hope that he brings us. This new year, may he be beside you, bringing his loving presence close to you, and leading you towards the promise of light and hope that he brings.with my prayers and blessings, Nicola
