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Well, here we are in the 'green season' - or 'ordinary time' to others. And some reading this may have no idea what I'm talking about so here's a quick deffo. It's the time in the church calendar from Trinity Sunday till Advent (or till the Kingdom Season if your church does that) and encompasses most of June - October each year. The church colours are green, so the altar cloth, the vicar's stole (the scarf thing round his/her neck) etc. are all green.
I love the green season. I like the sense of ordinariness about it. It's great when the festival seasons start at Advent - going through Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost - but I do tend to get all 'festivalled out' by the time the leaves are on the trees again in the UK. And it seems appropriate (to me, anyway - sorry if you're reading this from another country) that the green season comes during the time when the UK is a great profusion of shades of green, intermingled with flowers.
It is a lovely time of year here - the cold days are over (well, this is the UK so that's not always the case) and the Gulf Stream is working her magic on our climate again. Everyone gets more of a spring (pun intended) in their step and skin starts to glow once more. People are out mowing their grass and planting flowers and - it may be my imagination - but there seem to be more smiles around.
So I love this time of year when I'm out and about, and I love this time of year in our church calendar. There is peace and steadiness in our worship during this season and there is time to think about some ordinary things that get pushed out in the changes of the church seasons.
I wonder, are there any other green season lovers out there?
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I have just had the most lazy day for months. Of course, the persistent coughing interrupted things a little, but it was delightful to have a day with time to stare.
A chunk of this lazy day saw me sitting in the conservatory with a small pair of binoculars, watching the ornithological goings on outside. A family of young blackbirds have just fledged from a neighbour's large tree and were descending in a well-learned curve into a neighbouring garden. I presume they are offering tastier goodies than I am!
A passing greenfinch perched on the fence to briefly nosey around and I have had my regular sparrows, great tits and a blue tit. The collared doves have been cooing in their faintly monotonous tone and I was taken aback when I momentarily thought I heard a cuckoo. Listening carefully, it was obviously a collared dove having a lazy day like me and missing off the third coo!
Whilst it has seemed strange not to go to church this morning, I have had a delightful time with my bird friends. There always seems to be something amazing about how such a small bird-brain can hold such knowledge - particularly our summer visitors who have come hundreds of miles. Then again, perhaps its just another manifestation of 1 Corinthians 1.27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.
In the meantime I'm fretting somewhat because I haven't seen my robin today. Where is he?
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From Easter Day's Gospel reading...
…go to my brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her.
from John 20
To reflect on...
Rejoice! Rejoice! Jesus is alive! We have a Saviour who has conquered sin, death and separation. Our Jesus is alive to draw us to God.
Let’s pray...
I praise you with all of my being, my wonderful, redeeming, loving Lord. You have my whole heart – I adore you. May your light and your goodness flow out into this world to redeem, heal and release. Amen.
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I have just been writing some words to go into our Lent books that will be moving round the parish for people to add comments, photos, ideas, prayers or anything else tha seems appropriate. At the end of Lent we will have a set of three books which give a detailed picture of the type of community we are.
As I was writing about the Quiet Mornings, Faith Questions, the Adult Confirmation Group,the Easter Garden at Gleaves Garden Centre and about the website, my mind moved over many of the other things that happen in our church I was struck by just how many groups and activities there are at St Laurence and also by how many talented people we have in our church. Now some of you will read this and think - oh, she's talking about someone else there. But I'm not. I'm talking about YOU.
We have all been given gifts and talents from God and, if we choose, we can use those gifts to build up the church and give honour to God. Gifts mentioned in the Bible include hospitality, service and prayer in addition to those more up-front ones like teaching and preaching.
We are taking as our theme in Lent - Listening in Lent. In addition to listening to God and listening to each other, let's also try to listen to ourselves - to what our inner self is saying to us. Not the voices from the past that say, 'You're not good enough' and 'You can't do that'. But to the voice of that inner child of God, created in the image of God and given a place in God's kingdom and family. That person who is beloved and precious to God and to whom God says, 'I will be with you in whatever you try', 'I will be guiding and helping you','I love you, my child - aim for the stars - you never know, you might reach the moon.'
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Well I am obviously not an ardent blogger as the last time I posted something was in September.
Fireworks are over now (till New Year) and it is the countdown to Christmas. Christmas? So soon? And so much shopping to do - I am already planning my big on-line shop at Ocado for my festive season!
Shopping? Now why should that spring instantly to mind when I think of Christmas? Something wrong here, I think. So what would I like to spring instantly to mind when I think of Christmas? Ah, I know - God coming into our world as a vulnerable and wholely human child - Mary's acquiescence to what God wants from her - the wonder, the amazement of the shepherds who were guided to where Jesus was lying - the wonder, the amazement that can fill me when I think of how much God loves me (and you) - so much that he would come into our world and share our daily lives, our joys and our suffering.
What amazing grace. What deep and enveloping love.
Thank you, my precious God, for Christmas, for Jesus, for you.
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