Vicar's Letter for March	Archive
Jayne writes Amidst the snow of these past weeks there have also been signs of spring – it has been a joy to see the carpets of snow drops around the church and we have noticed a lengthening of the days. The word Lent of course derives from this idea of the days’ lengthening and as a lace maker (in my spare time!) I am mindful of the fact that lace-makers of old would not use candles from Shrove Tuesday until Nutting Day in September. “Be Shrovetide High or Low, out the candle we will blow.” Candles were too expensive to use once the daylight returned! And as the light grows we notice that we need to do some spring cleaning – perhaps this is reflected too in our spiritual or inner lives as we allow the light of Christ to shine into the dark places, bringing to light what we may rather be tempted to keep hidden, so that our relationship with him may be restored, renewed and refreshed. Lent, when we particularly remember Jesus’ own testing in the wilderness and then the events leading up to His Passion, can be a very fruitful time in our Christian lives, so long as we give time and space to pause and reflect. Traditionally Lent is a time of fasting; today there are many and varied ideas as to how we may fast. We may fast from food, though if we do so we would be wise to follow careful guidance so that our health is not compromised, but we may also fast from noise for example. What do I mean by that? Well we could ensure that we put aside some time each day to be silent in the presence of God. Who knows what may happen then? In my introduction to the Lent course this year I have suggested that we shall be on an adventure together on our Lenten journey; we can tend to think that Lent is a gloomy time, but it does not have to be! It has been described rather as ‘A Season for the Spirit’ (Martin Smith), ‘A Time to Receive’ (Lavinia Byrne) and ‘God’s Springtime’ (Joyce Huggett). I hesitate to be prescriptive about how we might approach this season of Lent as we are all so different and will therefore find different things helpful – some will appreciate being able to participate in a Lent Group, for others this would be unthinkable and they would prefer to be alone in silence and prayer. There are also many books written especially for use during Lent and there are opportunities for prayer and worship in church. All I would recommend is that each of us gives some thought as to how we might approach this special season and also consider pushing the boundaries a bit so that perhaps we try something new, for it is certain that our celebration of Easter will be coloured by what we have done with Lent. It may not be too late to sign up for a Lent Discussion Group if you are reading this on 1st March, but do contact me directly before Wednesday 4th if you would like to join in. This year we shall be following a course called ‘Tough Talk’. There is a booklet with the course and each member is asked to read a chapter by way of preparation before we meet and then we shall also be helped in our discussion by listening to a CD together, contributors to which include Bishop Tom Wright and Fr Gerard Hughes. There are five sessions looking at many of the hard sayings of Jesus in the Bible – we are warned that ‘Tough Talk’ is not for the faint-hearted but let’s rise to the challenge! You may choose to attend on a Wednesday morning at 11 or a Thursday evening at 8 and the first sessions will be during the first week in March. You may like to come along to Morning Prayer on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday at 7.30. Be realistic and choose to come on one day a week if you have never done this before- you can always increase your commitment! If you would like some information on Lent books to read please speak to me and I shall be happy to help. Elsewhere in the magazine there are the details for Holy Week and Easter, but do look out for more information nearer the time on the weekly notice sheet and on posters and handouts, and please remember to invite your friends and family. Finally, a few words about my recent course for ‘new vicars’! This was an inspiring and helpful few days and it was good to know that many of you were praying for us all as we met together at Wistaston Hall near Crewe. It was an excellent venue and the sessions were ably led by three of the diocesan staff – we learnt a lot from them and from one another; what a wealth of experience we shared between us and what diversity of contexts in our parishes. One of the greatest aspects of the Anglican Church must surely be the rich variety of worship styles, patterns of ministry and social contexts that it contains and enables to flourish. Bishop Keith spent some time with us and we were made to feel very welcome at Wistaston. The Diocese of Chester evidently has much to offer to the parishes in the way of training and resources for equipping clergy and laity for our various callings; I am confident that we shall all benefit from this in the months to come. For now I wish you a holy Lent and do enjoy those pancakes on Shrove Tuesday! ‘We mix together the flour, eggs and milk to use up the ingredients of the past, ready to move forward through tomorrow’s Lenten beginnings. And as we share in our pancakes, may we marvel at the glorious creation which, by God’s grace, we are now and yet will become.’ Words adapted from a prayer by Judith Jessop and published in ‘Eggs and Ashes’ by the Iona Community.

Vicar's Letter for March

Archive

Jayne writes

Amidst the snow of these past weeks there have also been signs of spring – it has been a joy to see the carpets of snow drops around the church and we have noticed a lengthening of the days. The word Lent of course derives from this idea of the days’ lengthening and as a lace maker (in my spare time!) I am mindful of the fact that lace-makers of old would not use candles from Shrove Tuesday until Nutting Day in September. “Be Shrovetide High or Low, out the candle we will blow.” Candles were too expensive to use once the daylight returned! And as the light grows we notice that we need to do some spring cleaning – perhaps this is reflected too in our spiritual or inner lives as we allow the light of Christ to shine into the dark places, bringing to light what we may rather be tempted to keep hidden, so that our relationship with him may be restored, renewed and refreshed. Lent, when we particularly remember Jesus’ own testing in the wilderness and then the events leading up to His Passion, can be a very fruitful time in our Christian lives, so long as we give time and space to pause and reflect. Traditionally Lent is a time of fasting; today there are many and varied ideas as to how we may fast. We may fast from food, though if we do so we would be wise to follow careful guidance so that our health is not compromised, but we may also fast from noise for example. What do I mean by that? Well we could ensure that we put aside some time each day to be silent in the presence of God. Who knows what may happen then? In my introduction to the Lent course this year I have suggested that we shall be on an adventure together on our Lenten journey; we can tend to think that Lent is a gloomy time, but it does not have to be! It has been described rather as ‘A Season for the Spirit’ (Martin Smith), ‘A Time to Receive’ (Lavinia Byrne) and ‘God’s Springtime’ (Joyce Huggett).
I hesitate to be prescriptive about how we might approach this season of Lent as we are all so different and will therefore find different things helpful – some will appreciate being able to participate in a Lent Group, for others this would be unthinkable and they would prefer to be alone in silence and prayer. There are also many books written especially for use during Lent and there are opportunities for prayer and worship in church. All I would recommend is that each of us gives some thought as to how we might approach this special season and also consider pushing the boundaries a bit so that perhaps we try something new, for it is certain that our celebration of Easter will be coloured by what we have done with Lent.
It may not be too late to sign up for a Lent Discussion Group if you are reading this on 1st March, but do contact me directly before Wednesday 4th if you would like to join in. This year we shall be following a course called ‘Tough Talk’. There is a booklet with the course and each member is asked to read a chapter by way of preparation before we meet and then we shall also be helped in our discussion by listening to a CD together, contributors to which include Bishop Tom Wright and Fr Gerard Hughes. There are five sessions looking at many of the hard sayings of Jesus in the Bible – we are warned that ‘Tough Talk’ is not for the faint-hearted but let’s rise to the challenge! You may choose to attend on a Wednesday morning at 11 or a Thursday evening at 8 and the first sessions will be during the first week in March.
You may like to come along to Morning Prayer on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday at 7.30. Be realistic and choose to come on one day a week if you have never done this before- you can always increase your commitment!
If you would like some information on Lent books to read please speak to me and I shall be happy to help.
Elsewhere in the magazine there are the details for Holy Week and Easter, but do look out for more information nearer the time on the weekly notice sheet and on posters and handouts, and please remember to invite your friends and family.
Finally, a few words about my recent course for ‘new vicars’! This was an inspiring and helpful few days and it was good to know that many of you were praying for us all as we met together at Wistaston Hall near Crewe. It was an excellent venue and the sessions were ably led by three of the diocesan staff – we learnt a lot from them and from one another; what a wealth of experience we shared between us and what diversity of contexts in our parishes. One of the greatest aspects of the Anglican Church must surely be the rich variety of worship styles, patterns of ministry and social contexts that it contains and enables to flourish. Bishop Keith spent some time with us and we were made to feel very welcome at Wistaston. The Diocese of Chester evidently has much to offer to the parishes in the way of training and resources for equipping clergy and laity for our various callings; I am confident that we shall all benefit from this in the months to come.
For now I wish you a holy Lent and do enjoy those pancakes on Shrove Tuesday!
‘We mix together the flour, eggs and milk to use up the ingredients of the past, ready to move forward through tomorrow’s Lenten beginnings. And as we share in our pancakes, may we marvel at the glorious creation which, by God’s grace, we are now and yet will become.’

Words adapted from a prayer by Judith Jessop and published in ‘Eggs and Ashes’ by the Iona Community.