Dear All,
Perhaps the theme for today’s reflections in Lent will surprise you – hope! But our world needs it & so do we as part of that world. The news reminds us all the time about the continuing war between Russia & Ukraine, the situation in Turkey & Syria following the earthquake continues to be dire for those affected by it, the climate & the environment are constantly brought to our attention – and so many other issues. In our own personal lives there are challenges that need a hope-filled response. And if we are following Christ through Lent we find clouds gathering. So we hope that the attachments today will be helpful to you.
The blessing is Marty Haugen’s Dona Nobis Pacem from his CD ‘The Song & the Silence’. There is no shortage of people we can extend to whom we can extend this.
We hope those who are following the Lent course are finding it helpful. On Tuesday 21st at New Hall there is another opportunity – part of this year’s focus on Listening:
PLEASE JOIN US IN PERSON FOR A TALK AT NEW HALL: ‘LISTENING TO GOD’ BY BISHOP GULI FRANCIS DEHQANI (Anglican Bishop of Chelmsford)
TUESDAY MARCH 21ST FROM 6.30PM
BOOKING ESSENTIAL:
https://canonesses.co.uk/event/do-you-hear-what-i-hear-listening-to-god/
Next week we will give you the links for the Maundy Thursday, Good Friday & Holy Saturday Reflections.
With our love & prayer for our shared Lenten journey
Lenten Psalm of Awakening
Come, O life-giving Creator,
and rattle the door latch of my slumbering heart.
Awaken me as you breathe upon a winter-wrapped earth,
gently calling to life virgin Spring.
Awaken in these fortified days of Lenten prayer
and discipline my youthful dream of holiness.
Call me forth from the prison camp
of my numerous past defeats
and my narrow patterns of being
to make my ordinary life extra-ordinarily alive,
through the passion of my love.
Show to me during these Lenten days
how to take the daily things of life
and by submerging them in the sacred,
to infuse them with a great love for you, O God,
and for others.
Guide me to perform simple acts of love and prayer
the real works of reform and renewal
of this overture to the spring of the Spirit.
O Father of Jesus, Mother of Christ, help me not to waste
these precious Lenten days of my soul’s spiritual springtime.
Edward Hays
Hope comes in little ways –
it only takes one shining star,
one faithful friend,
one wisp of inspiration,
one touch of creation’s beauty,
one deep sip of love
to keep the illumination alive in us.
we thank you for the radiance
of a dark sky full of stars,
and for the faithful light of dawn
that follows every turn of darkness.
we thank you for loved ones and strangers
whose inner beacons of light
warmed and welcomed my pain.
we thank you for your presence, protecting,
guiding, reassuring, loving.
we thank you for all those life-surprises
that sparkled a bit of hope in our ashes.
And, we thank you for the darkness
(the unwanted companion we shun and avoid)
because this pushy intruder comes with truth
and reveals our hidden treasures.
Unknown
The Sun is Still Rising and I am Still Growing
Morgan Harper Nichols
The sun is still rising
the wind is still blowing
and no matter the landscape I am growing.
You are still growing. Even when your mind is anxious and you feel lost indoors, trying to make sense of a place you have been before, I hope you can trust that the sun is still rising, even if you don’t watch it rise each day. You have not missed out on what was meant for you, even when it seems that way.
You have not missed out
on what was meant for you –
you have not missed out
on what was meant for you:
a life where even through brokenness
morning mercy
morning Light
shines through.
Things will change.
Yes, things will change.
Hour by hour,
and day by day.
You will grieve
what could have been
and what is no longer
the same
With Hope in My Heart
by Rev. Sarah Are
I refuse to believe that I am powerless.
I refuse to believe that injustice and hatred are simply the way it has to be.
I refuse to believe that I am better or more deserving than my neighbour.
I refuse to believe that my self-worth is rooted in my accomplishments or appearance.
I refuse to believe that the Church is dying, because I see God all around me.
I refuse to believe that the traditions of old are the only path for moving forward.
I refuse to believe that I cannot make a difference.
So with hope in my heart, I will strive to live a life of courage, conviction, and compassion,
just as Jesus taught us.
Amen.