on keeping spiritually fit

One of the symptoms of ‘Long COVID’ that I’ve been learning to live with is a weakened left arm. The muscles ache when required to do the slightest thing, such as holding a cup of coffee. So I’ve been trying some weight-lifting exercises to build it up. It will come as absolutely no surprise to anyone that training weights are not something we possess in the vicarage, so I’ve had to improvise. The best thing I’ve found is a nice big heavy King James Bible. With my arm stretched out and the Bible balanced on the palm of my hand I raise and lower it a few times. Then I swing it a few times as if I was throwing a frisbee. 

Some might think this a frivolous use of a Bible, but the scriptures are all about exercise. Our daily devotions are a spiritual exercise that build up the muscle of our soul, better enabling us to live prayerfully and in tune with God. Breathing in the gospel each day helps us to breathe out the love of Jesus to those around us, and to grow more like him.

Like people who join a gym but seldom go, even although they know it is good for them, it is easy to get out of the habit of daily prayer and Bible reading. That’s what’s great about this season of Lent we find ourselves in. It’s an opportunity to redouble our efforts, set aside distractions, and focus anew on taking time alone with God each day. 

on lent in lockdown

This week sees the start of Lent: a penitential season where we devote ourselves to the three-fold practice of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. It's a welcome opportunity to recover a more simple way of living and, freed from the clutter of modern life, to discover that God — in the words of theologian Paul Tillich — is the ground of our being.

After nearly a year of lockdown, shielding and social-distancing you may feel you have had enough of the simple life, and who could blame you? Yet I'd like to encourage you to embrace Lent, and to see our current circumstances as giving us a head start in really devoting ourselves to it. As St Anne's we will support your Lent observance in a number of ways.

On Ash Wednesday (17th) the church will be open for private prayer from Noon to 1pm, where you will be able to ash yourself using a simple liturgy. We're also going to be making use of the Church of England's Lent book, God's Story, Our Story. If you receive this news sheet by post, then you will find a copy enclosed. For those reading this via email and WhatsApp, you can request a copy from the parish office. For each day in Lent the book provides a short Bible reading, reflection and prayer. We will also be featuring readings from the book in our weekday prayers online. And later in Lent, we'll be offering you a variety of ways to pray the Stations of the Cross.

Our Lent appeal this year aims to help us keep the story being told at St Anne's, and we're asking you to make a special contribution to church funds which have been severely impacted by the pandemic. You can donate online at stanneandallsaints.org.uk/give, or post a cheque payable to 'St Anne and All Saints PCC' to Norman Campbell (SB pls complete).

I wish you a very blessed and holy Lenten season, and will be continuing to pray for you throughout.

on living in ordinary time

This week in the Church calendar we entered ‘Ordinary Time,’ the name given to those periods of the year when we aren’t marking a season such as Advent, Lent or Eastertide. Candlemas last week marked the end of 40 days of Christmastide, which includes Epiphany. On 17 February we will mark the beginning of Lent, so this spell of Ordinary Time is rather short. We will have several more months of it after Trinity Sunday later in the year. 

The seasons of the Church calendar help us to give an intentional focus to aspects of the life of Jesus - his birth (Christmas), revelation (Epiphany), trials in the wilderness (Lent), passion and crucifixion (Holy Week), resurrection (Easter). These times give us a structure to journey with Jesus through his life and ministry. It also gives us some notable feast days and holidays (originally the word for holiday was ‘Holy Day’).

Ordinary Time is rather different. There is nothing distinctive about it. It is marked by neither fasting nor feast days. It’s a time for the day-in day-out business of life and following Jesus. This last year, however, it feels like we’ve been living a lot more Ordinary Time than usual, as lockdown and restrictions have inhibited our worship together and daily life has been stripped of many of the things which enrich us. But Ordinary Time has its own purpose, for life is made up of the ordinary: those day-to-day routines and chores. And when we care to attend to them we will see that they are shot through with their own moments of grace. Whether in lockdown or Ordinary Time, these are the days given to us to practice noticing the presence of God.