Rector’s Ramblings
The first thing I would like to say in my article this month is how enormously grateful I am to Tory Pomfrett for her many years of sterling service as our magazine editor. It has, in many ways been a bit of consuming passion, and a very large job, to-boot. So I would like to publicly acknowledge the work she has done and offer a heartfelt thank you. As the role has grown so much over time we felt it was important that we draw together an Editorial Team to take on the magazine for the future. I am very pleased to report that we have a team of five people who are working together on this now. You will see that they have already been busy and over the coming months there will be a number of new things coming to the Voice.

In many ways having a new team, doing new things, actually fits rather well with this time of year, especially as we consider that Holy Week and Easter are approaching very quickly now. Once we have walked with Jesus on the way to the cross we will again celebrate his Resurrection on that first Easter Day. What greater symbol could there be of new life and of taking on something new than the new life that Jesus took on and that he offers us?

The message of Easter encourages us to think of newness. The very time of year reminds us of this as we see blossom appearing on the trees, plants bursting forth into life and our gardens starting to show colour after the drabness of the Winter season.

So much in nature reminds us that new-ness is all around. Perhaps all of this offers us a sense of personal challenge, to think about our life and whether or not we need to take on something new; some change, a different direction or a recommitment to something.

We often think about Lent as being a time of asking questions of ourselves to see if there are things in our life that need to change so that we can focus on God. But I think in a different way we can think about our lives in the Easter season too and think about the challenge and opportunities it brings us to reconnect with God in a new way. Perhaps one of those ways might be to come to one of the many services we have during Holy Week and of course, on Easter Day itself?

However you celebrate Easter – giving chocolate eggs, eating Hot Cross Buns, Simnel Cake or Spring Lamb, enjoying time with family and friends, I hope the theme of New Life will urge you to something new in your relationship with God. Wishing you a blessed Holy Week and a very happy Easter

Tim