When considering what to say to you all this month in this article, two things are in my mind. Firstly, it’s the start of a New Year, and a year that we will have so many hopes for. Secondly, Easter is early this year being at the end of March, which means of course no sooner have we celebrated Christmas, Epiphany and Candlemas than Lent will be upon us with Ash Wednesday being the 14th February. If you haven’t already noticed, that date is also Valentine’s Day. 

Saint Valentine was a clergyman, either a priest or a bishop in the Roman Empire who ministered to persecuted Christians. He was martyred and his body buried at Via Flaminia on February 14th, which has been observed as the Feast of St Valentine since the eight century. Valentine’s Day as a lovers festival dates at least from the 14th century.

I think it’s interesting to reflect upon Valentine’s Day, a day about relationships and love, and the day also being Ash Wednesday, the start of the season of Lent. A season when we should take the opportunity to reflect upon our personal journey with God and our work as the community of St Mark’s.

Thinking about love, Lent points to Easter and to the greatest act of love when Christ was crucified, died for us to bring us into a right relationship with God, sacrificed, sent by God for our redemption.

So our journey through this year will be one of anticipation in the hope that a new Rector will be appointed. It will, however, be a year that, as we journey, we must remember we are never alone - Christ is always walking beside us, whether we feel his presence or not. A journey when we can always call upon Christ when we are feeling lost in the busyness or the trials of life. Christ is there, waiting for us to turn to Him knowing that we will be found and he will rejoice when we call upon him for support.

So when we think about the year ahead and our hopes for it, let us take the opportunity, during this forthcoming season of Lent, to reflect upon how we live out our faith in the world, and how we, through our actions and words, show something of God’s love and compassion to those we meet, friend and stranger.

Whether we are new Christians or have been part of a faith community for many years, it is always good to reflect and refresh ourselves in our prayer life, and our reading of the Bible or other books that will help us in that pro cess of reflection.

God wants us to come to him in a spirit of humility, so that in Him we can learn who he wants us to be, who we are, in our strengths and weaknesses. That is true both as individuals and as a Church. Who or what as a Church does God want us to be? Where is he leading us? What is his will for us? What is our vision and mission to and in the world? Whatever happens in the year ahead, with hopes realised or hopes not fulfilled, we shall always know that we are totally and completely loved by God.

Glenn