Dear friends,This week brings us to Ash Wednesday and the opportunity of Lent to give some time to noticing where God is at work in our lives. The gospel we are given in preparation is the story of Jesus' transfiguration, where his disciples are shown, just for a moment, the glory of God overwhelming their "ordinary" friendship with Jesus. Jesus encourages them to hold on to the memory quietly to carry them through the challenges of his journey to the cross and his resurrection, and just perhaps afterwards, to help them grow into the mysterious knowledge that both the cross and his resurrection are also shot through with God's glory.There are a number of opportunities for marking our Lenten journey this year:Ash Wednesday: St Mary's Lynton 22nd February 10.30 am Holy Communion with the imposition of ashesLent Growth Group: three meetings with reflection to take home and do in the gaps! Mondays 3.30pm-4.30pm at the Rectory on 27th February, 6th March and 27th March We are one of the only countries to call "Lent" by a distinct name (that is not derived from the Latin for 40). It comes from the old and middle English terms for "springtime" : "lencten" and holds within it that sense of the days lengthening and new life and growth stirring, which is what I would like to draw out in our gatherings. (Rowan Willams puts it well in this video:http://rowanwilliams.archbishopofcanterbury.org/pages/lent-video.htmlIf you would like a daily course of reflections, this year's Church of England resources sound good:https://www.churchofengland.org/our-faith/what-we-believe/lent-holy-week-and-easter/dust-and-glory-lent-reflections Our newsletter also has details of Lent lunches taking place on some of the Wednesdays in Lent at Martinhoe.Let's hold in our prayers all the places and situations in our world that need to feel the presence of God, and seek in our own ways to make that presence known in the way we live.God blessSamantha
Dear Friends,In my sermon this week I have concentrated on the awe and wonder of the Creation of which we are part, on how the beauty of the natural world speaks of God our loving Creator. I know, from many conversations amongst us and in discussion, the beauty of nature, even when it is as austere as it sometimes is in this part of the world, is something that helps many of us feel close to God. Let's give thanks for that, and make sure that we can give time to what Jesus calls "considering" the birds of the air and the flowers of the field so as to recognise the care of our Creator.This week we also hold alongside our wonder and awe, the shock and sadness of the images from Turkey and Syria where the natural disaster of an earthquake has caused such devastation. There are no easy answers to holding both the goodness of God's creation, and the reality of such suffering together. There is however the human response of deep compassion and care, which I can only trust is the reflection of God's love for all that God has made.Let's hold all who suffer in our prayers. There will be a retiring collection at Lynton on Sunday for relief via the Disaster's Emergency Committee who can be found at https://www.dec.org.uk/ if you would like to give directly.God blessSamantha
Dear Friends,As the title for the Sunday indicates, now we turn towards preparing for Lent, which begins on 22nd February this year. In this week's gospel we get a sense of why our giving time to deepening our faith and discipleship is important to Jesus. His message today is that God invests in us as those who bring the qualities of God, godliness, to life in the world. Each of us has a particular way of helping others see the God who loves us all: a particular flavour to offer, a particular light to shine. We don't have to do it all - just offer our own gifts (which very often others value more than we can see) in our own way with integrity.My sermon this week was prompted by some reflections from a meditation on the gospel passage offered from the "Imagine" channel on Youtube (offering prayer in the Ignatian tradition). If you would like to explore this further, here is the link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqoRkJEh19cGod blessSamantha
Dear Friends,This weekend we are celebrating the feast of the Presentation of Christ, traditionally known as Candlemas. By date it falls on 2nd February but as with some other feasts we are able to move it to a Sunday to celebrate it more fully. The gospel account tells us of the |Holy Family meeting the prophets Simeon and Anna, prophets in the Temple at Jerusalem, who recognise in this tiny baby being dedicated to God, the fulfillment of God's promises. Simeon calls him the light to the nations and the glory of God's people Israel.The one who reveals God's love for all people.It is deeply poignant that our reading takes us to the heart of Jerusalem, where the faithful Anna and Simeon are waiting for God's consoling of their community, at a weekend when the "Holy City", the "Holy Land" is once more in the news as a place where there is still deep pain. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem and that the light of peace may shine once more in all the places of war and division in this world.The feast of Candlemas marks the end of the Epiphany season and turns us towards preparation for Lent and Easter. It is a good time for me to ask people to bring back Palm Crosses to church over the next couple of weeks in preparation for creating the ashes we will use for Ash Wednesday (Feb 22nd). Also to give advance notice that I will be running a Lent Group on most of the Mondays of Lent at 3.30pm based at the Rectory - more details to come.God blessSamantha
