Dear Friends,
As I write to you, we find ourselves in the reflective and often challenging season of Lent—a time when we are invited to slow down, to take stock, and to turn our hearts again towards God. It is a season marked by honesty and hope: honesty about ourselves, and hope in the grace and renewal that Christ offers us.
This year, Lent feels particularly significant for us as a parish. Alongside this time of reflection, we also stand on the threshold of new beginnings. In the coming months, we look forward with great anticipation to welcoming a new youth worker into our community. This is an exciting step forward in our ministry, especially as we seek to nurture and support the faith of our younger members. Please do hold them in your prayers as they prepare to join us, and pray too for the young people whose lives they will touch.
We are also entering a time of discernment and transition as we (hopefully) prepare to appoint a new Vicar. This is an important moment in the life of our parish, and we trust that God is already at work, guiding the right person towards us. I encourage you to pray faithfully for all those involved in this process—that there may be wisdom, clarity, and a shared sense of God’s calling.
Yet before we rush ahead to what is to come, Lent gently calls us to walk a deeper path: the journey towards Holy Week. This is the heart of our faith story. From the waving palms of celebration, through the shadows of the cross, to the dawning light of Easter morning, we are invited not simply to remember these events, but to enter into them.
As we take part in the services of Holy Week, whether it is the quiet reflection of Maundy Thursday, the solemnity of Good Friday, or the joy of Easter Day, each step of the journey draws us closer to Jesus and to the greatness of his love for us. Easter was the true “new beginning” and it should be held in our hearts through all of the changes in the year ahead.
In the midst of change and expectation, Lent reminds us that God’s work is often slow, patient, and deeply rooted. As we look ahead with excitement, may we also take time to be still, to pray, and to listen— trusting that the God who calls us forward is also present with us now.
Yours in Christ, Fr Jordan