As I write I am sitting at the kitchen table in the vicarage and marveling at the beautiful sunshine streaming through the window; it seems that at last Spring may be here, well that is until you venture outside and discover a bitterly cold wind! Nonetheless, March 1st has not just brought us St David’s Day but also some much needed sunshine, a new month and new beginnings.
Just this morning in church I spoke about all of the good things that happen at St David’s and the surrounding areas. If you are not already involved in the life of St David’s, it’s never too late to join the good people here. Believe it or not church folk are not as scary as we sometimes may seem and being part of church is much like being part of a family; there are happy times and not so happy times, there may sometimes be fall outs but underneath all of that we are a bunch of human beings who care.
I am presently contemplating new beginnings as come Easter Sunday, I will be saying farewell to St David’s and moving on to pastures new. A new beginning for me and my new parish; also for the people of the parish of St David’s as they contemplate what lies ahead for this church.
Personally I find new beginnings quite exciting; we had another new beginning last week as on Ash Wednesday we once again entered the season of Lent. Lent is a time for reflection and for some inward looking. It is a time when Christians and none Christians can do some reflection on our life journey so far and a bit like the church of St David’s reflect upon what the future may look like: Those of us who have faith in God will call upon Him in our prayers as we reflect, and the people of St David’s will be praying for all who live in our parish.
If you are one of the folk who get this Messenger through your door every two months then you are being prayed for. Lent is an important time in our spiritual growth and of course it leads us through to another new beginning: That of Easter time; the great Sunday the third day after the unjust crucifixion of Jesus; Easter morning when several of Jesus’s female followers found that Jesus was no longer in the tomb where He had been laid and who, according to the gospel of St Matthew, were told by an angel of God:
“He is not here; He has risen, just as He said! Come, see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him.”
And sure enough Jesus did appear to His followers in Galilee and there was another new beginning, the birth of the Christian faith.
If you are unsure about faith matters, unsure what you think about God, whether He exists or not, then why not try something new this Lent, this coming Easter time. Find a church where you feel comfortable (I can heartily recommend the big red brick one on the corner of Queens Drive and Rocky Lane!!) and see what you make of it.
I am here at St David’s until Easter so please do come along to say hello, and farewell to your current vicar, it will be great to see you. As I contemplate this latest new beginning in my life I will leave behind this parish with my warmest regard for the people here and my blessings and prayers for all the people of the parish of St David’s.
Rev Peter F. Smyth
Vicar@StDavid’s