Dear friends,

As I write, my Alexa has just informed me that we have a severe weather warning for snow in Marchington in the next few days. Really, I say! Only yesterday I was marvelling at the snow-drops blooming, and the daffodil bulbs peeking through, so really – more grey and dismal weather! But then I reminded myself that creation is telling me that once again we are entering into the season of new life. After the deadness of Winter, we are witnessing trees and plants coming back to life and perhaps that’s the same for us too - there is much to celebrate in the shoots of growth in our lives, and parishes, and Area. It’s amazing what Spring can do for our spirits, isn’t it? We may feel fed-up with the way life is during Winter – all the cold and damp and dull weather – but when Spring arrives it lifts our spirits. It gives us hope!

The Church’s liturgical year mirrors that transformation from death to life with the season of Lent as we move towards our Easter Day Celebrations on March 31st. The season of Lent continues through-out March, a time of personal reflection paused only for the celebration of Mother Church on March 10th. For Christians this season is meant to get us ready to receive new life, and in particular the new life that we experience in the resurrection of Jesus. It’s an important time to journey and reflect on Jesus’ place in our lives – let’s not rush to the chocolate eggs and bunnies too quickly!

As we near the end of Lent, the journey of Holy Week draws us deeper into the story of God and God’s profound love for the world. We will journey through the events of Palm Sunday and Maundy Thursday when our emotions will range from gleeful joy, to humble wonder, to dark sadness. Good Friday will bring us to the broken, pain-filled sorrow of death. On Easter Day, the resurrection of Jesus Christ reveals God’s gift to us in the truth of the new life: the truth that God is a God of love who walks with us and longs to brings us to a place of wholeness, a place of possibility, a place of new life. New life that is grounded in hope and compassion. New life that is deeply connected to God’s love and is passionate about sharing that love with the world. New life that reveals God’s justice in ways that transform not only our lives, but the whole world.

So, as we continue our journey remember the word “Lent” comes from the old English word from which we get “lengthen”, it means to grow. Lent is the Springtime of the soul; a time when, this year, we need to be kind to ourselves and prune away, through prayer, all that has caused us to be anxious and afraid, so that we anticipate the new life and growth of the Easter season.

Can you feel the tingling anticipation of new life and hope growing?

Have a blessed Easter!

Yours as ever,

Jules

Rev’d Jules Walker

Interim Team Vicar, Uttoxeter Area of Parishes.