Bowland Benefice
Pews News 2 March 2025
Sunday next before Lent Collect

Holy God,

you know the disorder of our sinful lives:
set straight our crooked hearts,
and bend our wills to love your goodness
and your glory in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
This week in the Benefice
Saturday
1 March

12.30pm

Baptism of
Matilda
McGhee in
Peopleton

Sunday
2 March

10.30am

Family Service
in Upton
Snodsbury

11.00am

Holy
Communion in
Peopleton

6.00pm

Evensong in
White Ladies
Aston

Ash
Wednesday
5 March

7.00pm

Holy
Communion
with
Imposition of
Ashes in
Peopleton

Friday
7 March

2.00pm

World Day of
Prayer in The
Baptist Church,
Pershore

Sunday
9 March

10.30am

Holy
Communion in
Upton
Snodsbury

10.30am

Family Service
in White Ladies
Aston

2.00pm

Baptism of
Poppy
Saunders in
Upton
Snodsbury
What a joy this week!

Two little girls to be baptised in our Benefice!
This Saturday, on her first birthday Matilda will be
baptised in Peopleton. We send best wishes to
Matilda, her parents Eleanor and James and
godparents and sponsors Charlotte, Jemma and Joe.
Next Sunday 9 th we welcome Poppy (nearly six months
old!) with her parents Ruth and Thomas and
godparents and sponsors Emma, Alice, Craig and
Jacob to Upton Snodsbury.

May the Lord bless you and keep you as you journey

through life.

Collect for Ash Wednesday
Holy God, our lives are laid open before you:
rescue us from the chaos of sin
and through the death of your Son
bring us healing and make us whole
in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
How should we prepare for the Season of Lent?
Give something up that we may indulge in - chocolate
and wine spring readily to my mind – or do we do
something positive – be more aware of opportunities
for little acts of kindness; set aside time for prayer;
listen to uplifting music; meditate or just be
companionable with God – just sit in silence as you
would with a close friend……..and wait and listen.
We are all on the journey through the next six weeks
until we reach the joy of Palm Sunday, the despair of
Holy Week and at last the glory and reassurance of
Easter Sunday’s Resurrection. We could resolve to
make the season of Lent 2025 really mean something.
We can’t do much better than look at The Rule of
Benedict from a millenium and a half ago. St Benedict
doesn’t talk about ‘giving up things’ but he teaches us
to add to our lives things which are missing and would
help our inner being to grow and help guide us when
life gets difficult and dark. Put at its simplest, he
advocates spending time reading to nourish
contemplation and setting aside quiet times to be
aware of the Presence of God and to think about the
important things in life and the beauty around us.
The hope at the end of Lent is that we have a sense of
refreshment, armed with renewed inner insight and
outer courage to better trust that every day of our
lives is meant to be a good one.
Over the next weeks Pews News will include
suggestions for setting aside a little time just for God
and you – devised by Stuart and Joseph Townend
incorporating a Bible reading and a Lenten theme.
Revd Claire hopes you will find these little offerings
helpful. I know she would welcome feedback (both
positive and negative) as the weeks go by.
With Ash Wednesday just a few days away, I finish
with my favourite Sandskrit poem. –
Look well to this day,
for it is life,
the very best of life.
In its brief course lie all
the realities and truths of existence,
the joy of growth
the splendour of action
the glory of power.
For yesterday is but a memory
and tomorrow is only a vision.
But today, if well-lived makes
every yesterday a memory of happiness
and every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well therefore to this day.