Rosie’s Ramblings – Spring 2025

Rosie’s Ramblings – Spring 2025

Welcome to this edition of the Villager Quarterly magazine. Just typing that word “Spring” raises my spirits! The arrival of snowdrops, crocuses and daffodils in the churchyard heralds brighter, warmer days ahead.

Every Sunday we have three Bible readings in church, including one from the Gospels. This coming Sunday’s is the story known as “The Stilling of the Storm” (Luke 8:22.) On the wall above my computer screen is a beautiful photo which my husband took of the Sea of Galilee during our pilgrimage to the Holy Land, ten years ago. The morning sun is just breaking through the lovely, wispy clouds; the water is absolutely flat and calm, and there’s just a single small boat floating on the lake. I vividly remember the palpable feeling of peace and tranquillity – and yet! Our schedule should have included a visit to Caesarea Philippi after lunch but as rockets had been fired from Syria onto the Golan Heights that morning, it was deemed unsafe for us to visit.

While we were crossing the lake by boat, Bishop Graham (the first) read that story “The Stilling of the Storm.” It feels a very appropriate text for our times. The situation in the Holy Land is so much more serious than it was when we visited in 2015, and developments on the world stage, seemingly dominated by mendacious megalomaniacs, make me feel as if I’m living in a Kafkaesque nightmare from which I must soon wake up! The image of a boat filling up with water in the middle of raging waves is a pretty good metaphor. However, hard as it may seem, we should not succumb to feelings of gloom and doom. “Don’t let the bastards get you down” (Psalm 37 – my translation) is good advice. Never give up hope.

“Living Hope” is the theme of our Lent course which will form the basis for our weekly discussions following our soup lunches (12 noon every Wednesday in Lent) to which all are welcome. Just turn up if you’d like to join us, or contact me for further information.

Jesus was put to death under an oppressive regime, but those who killed him didn’t have the last word. You will be welcome at St Andrew’s Church at any time, but if you only come to one service in the whole year, make it the 10.45 am service on Easter Day, 20th April, when we celebrate together: "Christ is Risen, he is risen indeed, Alleluia!"