From Rev'd Louise

Monthly reflection

March 2026 Me or us?

I’m guessing that most of us will be able to look back on times when we have valued being on our own, and times when we have valued sharing with others. And both can play an important role in personal lives, our faith journeys, and our community lives.

Culturally, we tend to have a very much more individualistic attitude to life than many around the world, so ‘personal space,’ or ‘doing things my way,’ tend to have a greater importance for us than for many cultures. I remember many years ago, an Indian telling me of his first visit to the UK, in his forties. His host showed him to his room, and left him there, inviting him to come downstairs when he was ready. He explained how he felt absolutely terrified, as in all of his life up to that point he had never been in a room alone. And I remember an African on a course I attended, explaining how he could not tell us what he thought about something, as he had to discuss it with his community first, and he would then share with us the view of his community.

Christian scripture and Christian spirituality, have many examples of the value of being alone. The gospels tell us of how Jesus often went off on his own to pray, and his public ministry began with a period of 40 days in the wilderness, wrestling alone with the temptations that he would face. Throughout Christian history, Christians have sought out solitude as a way to encounter God more deeply through prayer or meditation.

But even though solitude has a treasured place in scripture and tradition, Christianity has always taught that we belong to one other; we belong with one another, because we all belong to God. Our times of solitude are not instead of community; they are to equip us to live better in community. The apostle Paul uses an image that has become well known; the image of all those who seek to follow Christ as being ‘one body,’ made up of lots of individual parts, each with their own particular characteristics and needs, yet all dependent on one another and only able to function fully and effectively when they function as ‘one body.’ When one part of the body suffers, Paul teaches, the whole body suffers, and when one part of the body rejoices, the whole body rejoices.

My prayer for us all this month, is that we would all make space, individually and together, to reflect on all those, near and around the world, who are connected with our lives in any way – we might begin by looking at the food we eat or the clothing we wear and finding out more about where it came from, and what impact it has had on others along its journey to our plate or our wardrobe. And my prayer is that we would all draw closer to one another and to the God who is God of all.

If you would like to sign up to receive a weekly reflection, or to receive the regular newsletters from churches and Christian groups across Hope Valley, please go to https://mailchi.mp/2c07821b33f6/sign-up-for-ponder-and-pray or https://mailchi.mp/cbb9a512a36e/hope-valley-christians-newsletter or email me on [email protected] and I can sign you up.

February 2026 Lent - Draw near

This year Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, is on Wednesday 18th February. I’m guessing that many people know that Lent is 40 days long, and comes before Easter. But what Lent is all about may be a mystery, and certainly means different things for different people.

I remember growing up knowing that Lent was a time when you gave things up, without really knowing why, and mostly seeing Lent as an opportunity to kick-start again those New Year resolutions that had fallen by the wayside. I still remember my confusion when I discovered that Lent is only 40 days long if you don’t count the Sundays, because some people believed that you shouldn’t give things up on Sundays, which to my teenage self felt like cheating!

As I gradually discovered more about the Christian faith that I claimed for my own as a teenager, I learned that the Christian Church understands Lent as a period of reflection on our faith, a time of reflecting on how well the way we live actually reflects the values we believe in. So while giving up things that are self-indulgent or that distract us from the most important things in life might be part of Lent, it doesn’t have to be. Modern churches are far more likely to focus on the reason behind Lent, and to encourage people to focus on things that help us to live in a way that reflects God’s values of love and care and justice.

This year the Church of England is encouraging people to share together some resources called ‘Draw Near.’ Throughout the six weeks of Lent, these resources help people to focus on values and activities that are important to living as a Christian; sharing worship, sharing prayer, sharing the Scriptures, sharing Communion, sharing service and sharing the Good News. There are ‘40 acts’ activities for individuals and families to share throughout Lent to help a focus on ‘Doing Lent Generously.’ For example, on Ash Wednesday we are encouraged to ‘Make a helping hands poster by tracing your hand on paper and writing or drawing five ways you could help someone this week. Colour in a finger each time you achieve one.’ I know that I am looking forward to this year’s Lent focus on the simple things that we can all do to help us live well with one another, to help us build Christ-like communities of caring, and I am looking forward to the activities!

So this year, I invite you to do two things; I invite you to consider joining me in using these resources, and I invite you to find someone else who is also ‘keeping Lent’ – either using these resources or some other way, and to talk together about what Lent means to you. And my prayer is that God will bless us through all that we do this year to ‘Do Lent Generously,’ and will use our thoughts and our prayers and our actions to bless others.

December2025 Coming, ready or not

I wonder how early you start ‘getting ready for Christmas’? I know people who prepare all year by buying gifts that N would like throughout the year, when they see them. And sometimes I wish I was that well organised. And many shops seem to start encouraging us to shop for Christmas when it still feels to me like summer. But for me the beginning of December is usually about the time when I realise just how quickly Christmas is approaching, and how little I have done.

Amidst all my inevitable busyness at this time of year, I always make time during Advent to reflect on what we are actually celebrating at Christmas. One of the names Christians use for Jesus is ‘Emmanuel’, which means ‘God with us,’ As part of my preparation each year for Christmas, I reflect on the awesome miracle that God loves the world – loves you and me and all that he has made - so much that he chose to be born as one of us – as ‘God with us.’ That miracle never ceases to amaze me, and many of my most treasured memories connected with Christmas, are about ways in which people bless one another, reflecting something of God’s love.

Before moving back to Derbyshire, I had years when I was able to volunteer as a Street Pastor in Leicester City Centre. One of my greatest blessings in the approach to Christmas was undoubtedly the time we were able to spend with the homeless of Leicester. Each year they would teach me more about the true spirit of Christmas. I remember numerous occasions sitting in doorways with homeless people while they spoke of the pain of being cold and hungry, and the far greater pain of being completely ignored by busy shoppers rushing about buying things they did not need. And of course, I remembered at these times that Jesus was born particularly to show God’s love for the poor and neglected.

I remember too, the incredible generosity the homeless so often showed towards others. On one particularly cold night, when the temperature had fallen to about -12C, we gave a sleeping bag to a young girl shivering in a shop doorway. Her face lit up with pure joy. ‘You’re so wonderful,’ she told us, ‘Now I can give my blanket to X who doesn’t have one.’

So my prayer for us all this month, is that we can all be more touched by the spirit of God, that shone so clearly through that girl who could fit all her possessions into a carrier bag and yet still had enough to give to others. And I pray that we may also share something of the joy that radiated from her.