From the Vicarage -March

This month I’ll be beginning my maternity leave on the 15th March (Mothering Sunday – it seemed an apt day to begin my leave!). We’re so excited to welcome our new little one at the beginning of April, and we can’t wait to introduce you in due course.

Of course, with my leave comes a number of changes at St Mary’s. We are so lucky to be welcoming Rev Jeff Adams, who will act as parish priest of St Mary’s while I am away. I hope he feels very welcome among you, and that you all have a wonderful time together during these months.

I won’t be dropping off the face of the earth entirely, so I hope to see some of you around the village or at church from time to time. Sam and I would really value your prayers and support as we navigate the joys and challenges of new parenthood.

As we look ahead to Easter on the 5th April, the world around us also begins to show signs of resurrection: the return of leaves and flowers, the sight of new lambs in the fields, and the unmistakable sense that life is stirring again. As we welcome new life in all its forms, I am reminded of the words from Isaiah 43:18–19:

“Do not cling to events of the past
or dwell on what happened long ago.
Watch for the new thing I am going to do.
It is happening already—you can see it now!
I will make a road through the wilderness
and give you streams of water there.”

Easter brings new life to everyone who believes in Jesus’ resurrection. It is not just a historical event, but a gracious gift given to all Christians — first in baptism and then renewed in us every day of our lives. My prayer for each of us this Easter season is that we may notice the “new thing” God is doing among us, and trust him as he leads us forward, even through times of change.

Easter morning begins not with certainty, but with surprise. The women go to the tomb expecting death and instead discover that God has already been at work, doing something entirely new. “He is not here,” they are told. “He has risen.”

It’s not easy for me to let go of the responsibilities and joys of leading St Mary’s, but I trust that God will guide all of us as we change and grow together. I hope that in the next year I will be blessed with the dual vocations of priest and mother – and that I will be able, in time, to do both callings justice.

As I step into this next season, I do so with deep gratitude for this community and with confidence in God’s faithfulness. I’ll write to you again next year!

With blessings,

Rev Lizzie